“Where Are the Nine?”
Introduction – A Lesson in Gratitude
Let me start with a little story.
A farmer once found an injured eagle lying in one of his fields. Its wing was broken, and it could no longer fly. The farmer gently took it home, wrapped its wing, and nursed it back to health. For several weeks, he fed it, protected it, and watched it regain strength. Then one day, the eagle’s wing was whole again. The farmer carried it out to a high hill, removed the bandages, and let it go. The eagle soared upward into the sky — higher and higher — until it disappeared into the clouds.
Days went by. The farmer looked up each day, half hoping that the eagle would come back, maybe just once, to circle over him or perch on the fence in gratitude. But it never did. It simply flew away — healed, free, and forgetful.
Friends, that story paints a picture of how many people treat the blessings of God. We call on Him when we’re broken, but once we’re healed, we often just keep flying without ever turning back to thank Him.
That’s what we’re going to talk about today — the great need for the people of God to thank God.
Scripture Reading
Let’s open our Bibles to Luke 17:11–19.
“Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ And He said to him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’”
Point 1 – Understanding the Leper’s Condition
To appreciate this story, we must understand how terrible leprosy really was. Leprosy was the most feared disease in that day. It didn’t just scar the skin — it destroyed the body. It began with small growths on the eyelids and palms, spread across the body, caused open sores, swelling, and finally ate away the flesh and bone.
In the end, the leper was literally rotting alive. But even worse than the disease itself was the isolation. The Law demanded that lepers live outside the city walls. They couldn’t hug their children, hold their spouses, or worship in the temple. They were outcasts — untouchable, unwanted, unclean.
Now think about that. Ten men, cast out, alone, sick, dying, and hopeless. Yet when they saw Jesus, they lifted up their voices and cried, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
And you know something? That’s exactly where all of us were before we met Jesus. We were covered in the leprosy of sin. We were separated from God, spiritually rotting away. But one day, we cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on me!” — and He did.
Point 2 – Healing Through Obedience
Verse 14 says, “So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.”
Notice something here — the healing didn’t happen instantly. It happened as they went. They obeyed His word, even before they saw the results.
Sometimes God asks us to step out in faith before we see the miracle. He says, “Go,” and as we move in obedience, the healing comes.
Many Christians miss their blessing because they won’t take that step. But these lepers did — and as they went, the sores disappeared, the pain vanished, the flesh was made whole.
That’s the power of obedience to the Word of God.
Point 3 – Only One Returned
But here’s where the story turns tragic.
Verse 15 tells us, “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God.”
Only one! Ten were healed — only one turned back.
Jesus Himself asked the question: “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?”
The nine received the blessing, but only one gave the Blesser the glory.
And church, that’s still happening today.
Many cry out for mercy — few return in gratitude.
Many receive God’s blessings — few remember who gave them.
Point 4 – The Samaritan’s Example
Now don’t miss this — the one who returned was a Samaritan. A foreigner. An outsider. Someone the Jews despised.
Yet that man had the heart of gratitude the others lacked. He fell on his face, glorified God, and gave thanks.
That tells me something: Gratitude isn’t about status, education, or religion. It’s about the condition of the heart.
Some of the most thankful people you’ll ever meet are those who’ve been through the most. They remember what it felt like to be broken, and they never forget who healed them.
Illustration – The Church as a Hospital
Think of the church like a hospital. When you come in, you’re not well — you’re sick and in need of help. The Great Physician admits you, treats you, and begins to heal your soul.
But what happens when most people leave the hospital? They get better, go home, and rarely think about the doctors and nurses who labored for them.
That’s how many believers treat the Lord. Once healed, they simply move on. They forget to come back to the altar, to bow at His feet, and say, “Thank You, Lord, for what You’ve done.”
Point 5 – The Danger of Forgetfulness
Jesus said to the thankful leper, “Arise, go your way; your faith has made you well.”
All ten were healed, but only one was made whole.
Wholeness — that deep spiritual peace, that fullness of joy — belongs to those who return to give thanks. Gratitude doesn’t just acknowledge the gift; it strengthens the relationship with the Giver.
But ingratitude severs it.
And that’s why many who once walked with God drift away — because they forget to thank Him.
The Lord warns us in Matthew 7:21–23:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
Notice — they did many works, but lacked relationship. Gratitude keeps that relationship alive.
Point 6 – A Call to Thankfulness
Let’s be honest — all of us have been one of the nine at some point.
We’ve prayed for deliverance, received it, and failed to thank Him.
We’ve cried for provision, received it, and moved on.
But friend, gratitude is not optional — it’s a mark of true faith.
The thankful heart doesn’t need perfect circumstances to praise God. It praises Him in the storm, in the valley, in the waiting, and when the healing comes.
Conclusion – Which One Are You?
Jesus asked, “Where are the nine?”
That question still echoes today.
Are we among the nine who forgot?
Or are we the one who returned, fell at His feet, and glorified God with a loud voice?
We can’t let our blessings make us forget our Benefactor.
Church, we must return daily to the feet of Jesus with thanksgiving. We must be a people who not only receive His mercy but respond to it with heartfelt praise.
Altar Call – The Return of the Thankful
If the Holy Spirit has stirred your heart today — maybe you realize you’ve been blessed beyond measure but haven’t thanked Him as you should — this is your time to return.
Come and kneel at the feet of Jesus, just like that Samaritan. Let Him make you whole — not just healed, but whole in spirit, mind, and heart.
Because when we come back to say, “Thank You, Lord,” we find what the others missed — the fullness of His presence.
Final Charge
So let us be that one.
Let us be the ones who remember.
Let us be the ones who glorify God with a loud voice.
Let us be the ones who return to the feet of Jesus every day with gratitude in our hearts.
Because when the Lord looks at us, may He never have to ask,
“Where are the nine?”
