And when He saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And it happened that, as they were going, they were cleansed. (Lk 17:14)
καὶ ἰδὼν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Πορευθέντες ἐπιδείξατε ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ὑπάγειν αὐτοὺς ἐκαθαρίσθησαν.
quos ut vidit dixit ite ostendite vos sacerdotibus et factum est dum irent mundati sunt.
The priest is an official witness of the healing of a leper patient – the entire rite of purification is related to restoring the unity of man with the community of the chosen people of God (by the way, it is very similar to the rite of introduction to priestly activities). The Samaritan is not of the chosen people of God and has nowhere to go. He returns to the One Who has real power over human leprosy. It turns out that the power of purification belongs only to Him. The priest does not accomplish it by his own power.
