One Leper Gave Glory to God

An article specially designed for parents to read with their children

DID your mother fix a good meal for you today? It was kind of her to do that, wasn’t it? Did you thank her? Sometimes we forget to say “Thank you” when others do kind things for us, don’t we? When the Great Teacher was on earth, there were some lepers who forgot to say “Thank you.”

Do you know what a leper is? A leper is a person who has the sickness called leprosy. That sickness can even cause some of a person’s flesh to fall off. When Jesus lived on earth, lepers had to live away from other people. And if a leper saw another person coming, he had to call out to warn that person to stay away. This was done so that other people would not get too close and maybe get the leper’s sickness.

Jesus was very kind to lepers. One day, when he was going to Jerusalem, Jesus had to pass through a small town. When he came near the town, ten lepers came out to see him. They had heard that Jesus had power from God to cure all kinds of sickness.

The lepers did not come close to Jesus. They stood far off. But they believed that Jesus could take away their leprosy. So when they saw the Great Teacher, they called out to him, ‘Jesus, Teacher, help us!’

Do you feel sorry for persons who are sick? Jesus did. He knew how sad it was to be a leper. So he answered them, and said: ‘Go and show yourselves to God’s priests.’

Why did Jesus tell them to do this? It was because of the law that Jehovah had given to his people about lepers. This law said that God’s priest was to look at the flesh of a leper. The priest would tell the leper when all of his sickness had left him. When he was well, he could live with well people again.​—Lev. 13:16, 17.

Jesus told the ten lepers to go and see the priest. Would they go, even though they still had their sickness? Yes, they did. Right away they started on their way to the priest. These men must have believed that Jesus would take away their sickness.

And what happened? Well, while they were on their way to the priest, their sickness left them. Their flesh was healed. They were made well! Their belief in Jesus’ power was rewarded. What joy they felt!

But, now, what should they have done to show their appreciation? What would you have done?

One of the healed men came back and began giving glory to Jehovah. The man said good things about God. That was the right thing to do, because the power to heal him came from God. The man also fell down at the feet of the Great Teacher and thanked him. He was grateful for what Jesus had done.

But what about the other nine men? Jesus asked: ‘There were ten lepers who were made well, were there not? Where are the other nine? Did only one turn back to give glory to God?’

Yes, it is true. Only one of the ten gave glory to God, and came back to thank Jesus. And this person was a Samaritan, a man from another country. The other nine men did not thank God and they did not thank Jesus.​—Luke 17:11-19.

Which of those men are you like? We both want to be like the Samaritan man, don’t we? So, when someone does something kind for us, what must we remember to do? We ought to express our thanks.

People often forget to say “Thank you.” But it is good to say “Thank you.” It is the right thing to do. And when you do it, Jehovah God and his Son Jesus are pleased.

If you think about it, you will remember that people have done many things for you. Do you remember ever having been sick? You may never have been as sick as those ten lepers. But you may have had a bad cold, or a pain in your stomach. Did your mother or your father take care of you? They may have given you some medicine and done other things for you. Are you glad that they helped you to get better?

It is good to say “Thank you” for what others do for you. The Samaritan man thanked Jesus for making him well, and this made Jesus happy. Do you think your mother or father will be happy if you say “Thank you” when they do things for you? Yes, they will.

At times people do things for us every day or every week. It may be their job to do this. They may even be happy to do it. But we may forget to thank them.

Your schoolteacher may work hard to help you learn many things. This is her work. But she will be pleased if you thank her for helping you to learn.

Sometimes people just do little things for you. Does anyone ever hold a door open for you? Or does anyone ever pass food to you at the dinner table? It is good to say “Thank you” for even these little things.

If we remember to say “Thank you” to people on earth, then we are more likely to remember to say “Thank you” to our Father in heaven. And how many things there are for which to thank Jehovah! He gave us our life, and all the good things that make life pleasant. So we have every reason to give glory to God by saying good things about him each day.