Bible Study “Choosing Gratitude (Healing & Leprosy)”
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
The story we have today is about some people who had leprosy and then were cured by Jesus. What do you know about the disease leprosy. (Leprosy is a disease of the skin caused by bacteria and it is sometimes highly contagious. It is fairly easily treated now, but was rarely cured in Jesus' time.)
Opening Prayer: Thank you, God, for helping us notice those things that make us grateful. Amen
Please open your Bibles to Luke 17:11-19 and read or read the scriptures below.
Luke 17:11-19
Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Reflection Questions:
- Lepers usually were required to stay a great distance from other people. Why do you think they took the risk to come near to Jesus? (Perhaps they had heard stories of Jesus healing others and hoped he would heal them.)
- Why did Jesus tell the lepers to go show themselves to the priest? (He had cured them and a priest had to certify that a cured leper was really cured and could rejoin society.)
- Why did the nine lepers to race off? (They knew immediately that they were cured and wanted to get to the priests quickly? They were doing what Jesus told them to do? They were so excited they flat forgot? They intended to come back and thank Jesus after they saw the priest? We don't know, so any answer could be correct.)
- Why did the one leper to return and say thanks? (He was so amazed at his health that he simply had to go back and thank Jesus? Being a Samaritan [a looked-down on foreigner], he was even more surprised that Jesus would heal him? He had a grateful heart and usually remembered to say "thank you?" We don't know, so any answer could be correct.)
Option: Imagine two different endings to this story. Think about the two different endings below and answer the questions.
Ending One: The 10 lepers race off. The 10th leper tries to talk the other nine into going back with him to say thanks. What do they say and why don't they go back?
Ending Two: The nine lepers race off and after they see the priest they sit down and have a conversation about what they should do. Go back and find Jesus to say thanks, or just go on with their lives. The children decide.
What do we take for granted, not pausing for even a moment's gratitude? Healed, nine lepers raced off. One, an undocumented alien, came back to say thanks. Are we choosing to show gratitude?
Click here for the young learner’s lesson
Videos (Click on url)
Lumo Project Gospel of Luke 17:1-19 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8osIrdo10c
Song
Praise Him All Ye Little Children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDv8lhGGjAk
Activities:
Journal: (Try and keep a journal for each Sunday for a year) write or draw in your journals: “Here is something I am grateful for”.
Gratitude Collage: On a large piece of paper, write in the middle the words, "Thank you, Jesus" in big bold letters. On small pieces of paper write with a marker things for which they want to thank Jesus. Keep thinking of things for which they are grateful and when you have a pile of "grateful notes" glue the pieces on the large piece of paper, arranging them as you choose.
Jesus Heals the Ten Lepers Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/ten_lepers_crossword.htm
Jesus Heals the Ten Lepers Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/ten_lepers_secret_message.htm
Word Search: https://thewordsearch.com/puzzle/4137976/jesus-cleanses-ten-lepers/
Discuss what kinds of things help us to remember to say, "Thank you." We remember our mother prompting us, something inside us wants to say thanks, saying thank you makes us feel better!
Prayer: Thank you, God, for all the things we have noticed for which we are grateful. Help us to stay grateful as we go into the world this week. Amen.
