The Power of Sight: When He Saw

I stumbled upon this verse, and I couldn’t move past it.

“One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Praise God!’“

(Luke 17:15, NLT)

I read it again. And again. Then I pulled out study Bibles, commentaries—anything to see if someone else had noticed what I just had.

“When he saw…”

Not when he was healed.

Not when he reached the priests.

It was when he saw that something changed.

And in that moment, a question formed in my mind— What about the other nine?

A Healing That Required Faith

The backdrop of this moment is striking.

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem when He encountered ten lepers—men who had been cast out from society, forced to live at a distance, separated from their families, their communities, their dreams.

They saw Him.

And they lifted up their voices, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

Jesus didn’t touch them.

He didn’t pronounce them healed on the spot.

Instead, He gave them an instruction:

“Go, show yourselves to the priests.”

And here’s the part that amazes me—they were still lepers when He said it.

He sent them out before they saw any change.

Imagine the tension in that moment. They had to turn and walk—still carrying the scars, still feeling the effects of their disease, still looking exactly the same.

But as they went, they were cleansed.

Their obedience unlocked their healing.

The One Who Saw

It’s here that the story takes a turn.

Ten men were healed.

Only one returned.

And the difference?

“When he saw that he was healed, he turned back…“

This means the other nine either didn’t see—or didn’t recognize—what had just happened to them.

They received their miracle, but they kept moving forward, focused on getting to the priests, fulfilling the religious requirement.

Only one stopped.

Only one recognized the weight of what had happened.

Only one turned back, shouting, glorifying God, falling at Jesus’ feet in gratitude.

And here’s the twist—he was a Samaritan.

The one who was least expected to return was the only one who did.

And Jesus noticed.

“Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?”

He didn’t just let it slide.

He counted.

He marveled at the absence of the others.

And then He spoke something profound over the one who returned—

“Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Wait—wasn’t he already healed?

Yes.

But this was something deeper.

The other nine received healing in their bodies.

This man received healing in his soul.

Seeing and Perceiving

Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17-18:

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know the hope of His calling…“

The eyes of your understanding…

Meaning—it is possible to have physical sight but remain spiritually blind.

It is possible to receive a miracle and miss the Miracle Worker.

It is possible to have an encounter with Jesus and yet walk away unchanged at the deepest level.

Victoria Orenze sang a very profound song:

“I want to see your face

I want to know your ways

I want to touch your grace

So I can live your days

I want to see you

Just the way you are

I want to see you.”

This song echoes a deep reality—if we don’t see Him, we can’t know Him.

And if we don’t know Him, we can’t even know ourselves.

Many people are wandering, confused, searching for purpose—yet blind to the One who defines their very existence.

The Nine Who Kept Walking

This is the part that stings.

Because I see myself in the nine.

How often have I received from God but kept walking?

How many times has He answered a prayer, and I simply moved on to the next thing?

How often have I been so focused on what’s next that I failed to recognize what He had already done?

Jesus wasn’t looking for a formal “thank you.”

He was looking for hearts that saw—that recognized Him, that understood what had taken place, that turned back in love and worship.

Nine obeyed the command.

Only one was transformed.

The Call to See

This story is about more than just gratitude. It’s about sight.

It’s about the ability to recognize when God is moving.

To perceive when something has changed.

To stop in our tracks and acknowledge the work He has done.

Because here’s the truth—if we don’t see, we won’t turn back.

We’ll keep walking.

We’ll keep rushing forward, thinking the blessing is in the destination, missing the miracle that happened along the way.

This is why Philippians 3:10 is my standing order—

“That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

That I may know Him.

Not just receive from Him.

Not just serve Him.

But truly see Him, know Him, and be transformed by Him.

Lord, Open My Eyes

I come back to these writings, not just to share, but to reflect.

Because if I’m being honest, there have been times when I, too, have received without recognizing.

There have been moments when God was working, and I failed to see it.

There have been answered prayers that I’ve walked past, focused on what’s next.

And so today, my prayer is simple:

“Lord, open my eyes.”

Let me not walk past a miracle without seeing it.

Let me not receive and forget to return.

Let me not be counted among the nine who missed what You were doing.

Because the greatest miracles aren’t just the ones we experience.

They’re the ones we see.