John Calvin Commentary Luke 17:14

"And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed." — Luke 17:14 (ASV)

Show yourselves to the priests. This reply was equivalent to saying, “You are clean;” for we know that the discernment of leprosy belonged to the priests, who were commanded in the Law to distinguish between the clean and the unclean (Leviticus 14:2). Thus Christ preserves their right fully, and appeals to them as witnesses to approve the miracle He had performed. And we have previously said that pious and devout sentiments concerning Christ must have been held by those men who were instantly led, by His mere word, to entertain the hope of a cure.

On this passage, the Papists absurdly build their auricular confession. I admit the lepers were sent by Christ to the priests, but it was not for the purpose of vomiting out their sins into their ears. On the contrary, they were sent to offer a sacrifice, as the Law had commanded. They were not sent to cleanse themselves, as the Papists imagine that cleanness is produced by confession, but to show to the priests that they were already clean.

It is an additional proof of the folly of the Papists that they do not consider what a foul stain of infamy they throw on their confession. For, according to their reasoning, it will be quite enough if, out of the whole troop of those who have gone to the priests, only a tenth part returns to Christ, and all the rest wickedly revolt. They cannot use this passage to support their confession without allowing us to turn back on them the implication it yields: that none return from the priests to give glory to God. But, not to dwell on these fooleries, we have ascertained the reason why the priests were mentioned.

It happened that, while they were going, they were cleansed. Here the divine power of Christ and of His words was displayed, and there was also a proof of the high regard God has for the obedience of faith. For the great suddenness of the cure arose from the confident hope that induced them to undertake the journey without hesitation at the command of Christ. But if that transitory faith—which lacked a living root and produced nothing more than a blade—was honored by God with such a remarkable effect, how much more valuable is the reward that awaits our faith if it is sincerely and permanently fixed on God? Though the nine lepers derived no benefit for salvation from the healing of their bodies, but only obtained a temporary gift by means of a fleeting and transitory faith, yet this illustration points out to us the great efficacy that will accompany true faith.