Commentaries:
The term “returned” (NKJV) or “turned back” (KJV) indicates that praising God requires effort and sometimes sacrifice. The healed leper was not timid or bashful about praising God. While being loud may show more dishonor than honor, in this case, his loudness showed his zeal in praising God. It also emphasized the completeness of the healing, as leprosy generally affects the voice (Psalm 51:15-17).
His zeal also showed that he was not a secret disciple and not ashamed to honor God in public. He “fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks” (Luke 17:16). In each of the 38 occurrences of this verb (Greek eucharisteœ) in the New Testament, “giving of thanks” is always directed to God. We must always thank God for what He has provided (Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31).
Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Ten Lepers Healed
Jesus' miracle of healing the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19) begins with Him traveling from Galilee through Samaria and then to Jerusalem, going through Jericho on the way. This roundabout route on His last trip to Jerusalem before being crucified provided Him with various opportunities for healing and teaching. During His earthly ministry, Christ healed many people of leprosy (Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22), but only two instances are recorded in detail and not this many at once.
As He enters a village, ten lepers approach Him, staying at a distance to avoid spreading their disease. They are a pitiful sight: ragged clothes and messy hair, slumped shoulders and drooping heads. As suffering outcasts with a shared need, they—nine Jews and one Samaritan—overlook their ethnic differences. In Scripture, the number ten represents completeness, just as the Ten Commandments cover God's complete law. Here, ten represents the sum of human need and hopelessness.
Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Ten Lepers Healed
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Luke 17:15:
Mark 8:22-26
Luke 17:11-19