The Story of the Ten Lepers – Basic 1 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

The story of the ten lepers is found in Luke 17:11-19. Ten people with leprosy asked Jesus to heal them, and He healed them as they went to show themselves to the priests. Only one, a Samaritan, came back to thank Jesus. The story teaches us to be grateful to God for His blessings.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• say what a leper is
• tell the story of the ten lepers in their own words
• say how many lepers were healed and how many came back to thank Jesus
• give reasons why we should thank God for His blessings
• sing a song of thanksgiving

What is a leper?

• A leper is someone with a disease called leprosy.
• Leprosy makes sores on the skin.
• In Bible times, lepers had to stay away from people.
• They were very sad and lonely.
• People were afraid of them.

What happened in the story of the ten lepers? (Luke 17:11-19)

One day, Jesus was travelling to Jerusalem.

1. Ten lepers cry out

• Ten lepers saw Jesus from far away.
• They could not come close.
• They shouted loudly: “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
• They wanted Jesus to heal them.

2. Jesus gives instructions

• Jesus heard them.
• He looked at them with love.
• He said: “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”
• The priests were like doctors who checked if people were healed.

3. The ten lepers obey

• All ten lepers started walking to the priests.
• As they were going, something amazing happened. They were healed!
• Their skin became clean and smooth.
• They were so happy!

4. Only one came back

• Out of the ten lepers, only ONE came back to Jesus.
• He was a Samaritan (a foreigner).
• The other nine just went away.

5. The one who returned

• He came back praising God loudly.
• He fell at Jesus’ feet.
• He thanked Jesus.
• He was so grateful!

6. Jesus’ response

• Jesus asked: “Were not all ten cleansed?”
• “Where are the other nine?”
• “Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”
• Then Jesus said to him: “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

What does the story teach us?

This story teaches us important lessons.

1. Always say thank you

• Jesus healed ten people.
• Only one came back to thank Him.
• We should always be grateful.
• Do not be like the nine who forgot.

2. Do not forget God’s blessings

• When God blesses us, we should remember.
• Do not just take and forget.
• Always come back to thank God.

3. Gratitude pleases God

• Jesus was happy with the one who returned.
• Jesus was sad that nine did not come back.
• When we thank God, He is pleased.

4. Faith and thanksgiving go together

• The one who came back had faith.
• Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well.”
• When we have faith, we show gratitude.

5. Do not take God for granted

• The nine took Jesus’ healing for granted.
• They thought they deserved it.
• We should never take God’s blessings for granted.

6. Thanksgiving should be immediate

• The one leper came back right away.
• He did not wait.
• We should thank God immediately.

7. God’s blessings are for everyone

• All ten were healed, even though they were lepers.
• God is good to everyone.

8. Foreigners can have faith too

• The one who came back was a Samaritan.
• He was considered an outsider.
• He had more faith than the others.
• God loves everyone, no matter who they are.

Songs of thanksgiving

Song 1

“Thank you, thank you Jesus
Thank you, thank you Lord
Thank you, thank you Jesus
Thank you, thank you Lord

You’ve been so good to me
You’ve been so good to me
Thank you, thank you Jesus
Thank you, thank you Lord”

Song 2

“Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done!”

Song 3

“Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given
Jesus Christ, His Son”

How can we be like the one leper?

Do

• ✓ Always thank God.
• ✓ Remember God’s blessings.
• ✓ Come back to worship God.
• ✓ Praise God loudly.
• ✓ Fall at Jesus’ feet (show humility).
• ✓ Show gratitude immediately.

Do not

• ✗ Forget to thank God.
• ✗ Take blessings for granted.
• ✗ Be too busy to worship.
• ✗ Think you deserve everything.
• ✗ Only pray when you need something.

Questions to think about

• Are you like the one who came back?
• Or are you like the nine who forgot?
• When God blesses you, do you remember to thank Him?
• Do you only pray when you need something?

Let’s be like the one grateful leper!

Prayer

“Dear Jesus,
Thank you for healing the ten lepers.
Help me to always remember to thank you.
Do not let me be like the nine who forgot.
Let me be like the one who came back.
I want to always be grateful.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Evaluation

1. How many lepers did Jesus heal?
   • a) five
   • b) ten
   • c) twenty
2. How many came back to thank Jesus?
   • a) none
   • b) one
   • c) all ten
3. The one who came back was a _____.
   • a) Jew
   • b) Samaritan
   • c) Roman
4. Jesus was _____ when only one came back.
   • a) happy with everyone
   • b) sad nine didn’t return
   • c) angry
5. We should _____ God for His blessings.
   • a) forget
   • b) ignore
   • c) thank

Assignment

1. Draw the ten lepers and colour the one who came back.
2. Sing a thanksgiving song to your family.
3. Tell someone the story of the ten lepers.
4. Thank God for healing you when you are sick.