Thank you for coming to Samsbiblestories.com and for taking a look at the lessons I have added. These lessons are the result of years of teaching Sunday school at an Elementary level. God has richly blessed me in being able to share His Word with thousands of young people. It is now my privilege to share them with you. Please feel free to use them with your class, wherever God has planted you. The only think I ask is that you drop me a line and let me know who you are and how the lessons are working for you. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. God Bless you, Sam God Bless

Leprosy: What is it and why was it so bad? Leprosy is one of the most ancient of diseases. It was reported more than 5,000 years ago and in some parts of the world, it is still with us. Imagine a disease that makes your skin numb so that you cannot feel pain. That doesn't seem so bad, but eventually, because people could not feel their fingers and toes and their noses and ears, they would lose those parts of their bodies due to injury and infection.

Today, our story will feature a group of people who had this very bad disease called Leprosy. Jesus used this unfortunate event to illustrate a story about gratitude. Before we get to the story, let’s learn a little more about this disease.

What would start out looking like this : Would eventually look like this: Leprosy was caused by a bacteria which was passed via contact between two people. Today, there is a cure, but back in Jesus day there was no cure and it was a terrifying disease!

Leprosy was called the disease of the dead because it made people look like they were dead and dis-figured. In many cases people were transported to Leper colonies so that people who did not have the disease would not get the disease. Lepers, who did not live in colonies, usually lived together, and when they walked around their town, they would have to yell out, “Leper, Unclean” so that people would stay out of their way and not become infected. Nobody would hire a Leper to work for them and so the only way they had to make a living was to beg. Most importantly, there was NO known cure. Once a person was declared a Leper, his life, as he had known it was over!

Bible Story-time Return of the Leper (Jesus heals 10 lepers) Luke 17:11-19

Return of the Leper- Luke 17: Jesus Character 10 Leper Characters 1 Narrator (N1)

Return of the Leper- Luke 17: 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 met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

Return of the Leper- Luke 17: When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

Return of the Leper- Luke 17: 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.

Return of the Leper- Luke 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?”

Return of the Leper- Luke 17: Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”