Luke — Chapter 17
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1Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
2It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
3Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
4And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
5And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
6And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
7But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
8And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
9Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
10So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
11And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
22And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not seeit.
23And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
24For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
25But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
26And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
31In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
32Remember Lot’s wife.
33Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
34I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
1And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come!
2It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
3Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
4And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
5And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
6And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would obey you.
7But who is there of you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat;
8and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
9Doth he thank the servant because he did the things that were commanded?
10Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.
11And it came to pass, as they were on their way to Jerusalem, that he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee.
12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off:
13and they lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14And 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.
15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God;
16and he fell upon his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17And Jesus answering said, Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger?
19And he said unto him, Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
20And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you.
22And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
23And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after [them]:
24for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be in his day.
25But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.
26And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all:
30after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.
31In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back.
32Remember Lot`s wife.
33Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose [his life] shall preserve it.
34I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
36[There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.]
37And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body [is], thither will the eagles also be gathered together.
1Jesus said to his disciples, “Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!
2It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
3Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.
4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6So the Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
7“Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’?
8Won’t the master instead say to him, ‘Get my dinner ready, and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink. Then you may eat and drink’?
9He won’t thank the slave because he did what he was told, will he?
10So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, ‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise; we have only done what was our duty.’”
11Now on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.
12As he was entering a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance,
13raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
14When he saw them he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went along, they were cleansed.
15Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.
16He fell with his face to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (Now he was a Samaritan.)
17Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
18Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
19Then he said to the man, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
20Now at one point the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming, so he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,
21nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
22Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
23Then people will say to you, ‘Look, there he is!’ or ‘Look, here he is!’ Do not go out or chase after them.
24For just like the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
25But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man.
27People were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage—right up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot, people were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building;
29but on the day Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30It will be the same on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
31On that day, anyone who is on the roof, with his goods in the house, must not come down to take them away, and likewise the person in the field must not turn back.
32Remember Lot’s wife!
33Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.
34I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.
35There will be two women grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”
36[This verse is not included in the NET; see KJV/ASV for the traditional rendering.]
37Then the disciples said to him, “Where, Lord?” He replied to them, “Where the dead body is, there the vultures will gather.”
1He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come!
2It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
3Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.
4If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
6The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
7But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say, when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table,’
8and will not rather tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me, while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink’?
9Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not.
10Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’”
11As he was on his way to Jerusalem, he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee.
12As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance.
13They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed.
15One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice.
16He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan.
17Jesus answered, “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
18Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this stranger?”
19Then he said to him, “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you.”
20Being asked by the Pharisees when God’s Kingdom would come, he answered them, “God’s Kingdom doesn’t come with observation;
21neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you.”
22He said to the disciples, “The days will come, when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
23They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away, nor follow after them,
24for as the lightning, when it flashes out of the one part under the sky, shines to the other part under the sky; so will the Son of Man be in his day.
25But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26As it was in the days of Noah, even so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man.
27They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28Likewise, even as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
29but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky, and destroyed them all.
30It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
31In that day, he who will be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back.
32Remember Lot’s wife!
33Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it.
34I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. The one will be taken, and the other will be left.
35There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken, and the other will be left.”
37They, answering, asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there will the vultures also be gathered together.”
Summary
Jesus teaches on forgiveness, faith as small as a mustard seed, the duty of servants, heals ten lepers (only one returns to give thanks), and warns that His coming will be sudden and inescapable — "as it was in the days of Noah."
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the duty of forgiveness, the unprofitable servant teaching, the ten lepers and gratitude, and the coming of the kingdom.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Where Are the Nine?" on vv.17-18 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 577) "Ten were healed. One returned. Where are the nine? They received the blessing and forgot the Blesser. They got what they wanted and went on their way. That is the natural state of the human heart — quick to ask, slow to thank. Are you among the nine, or are you the one?" Sermon: "Remember Lot's Wife" on v.32 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1311) "Three words — the shortest sermon ever preached. Remember Lot's wife. She was delivered from Sodom but her heart was still there. She looked back — and was lost. You cannot follow Christ while looking back at what you've left behind."
Reflection
- 1. "If he trespass against thee seven times in a day... thou shalt forgive him" (v.4). Unlimited forgiveness for the repentant. Is there someone you've stopped forgiving because they keep failing? What does Jesus' standard say to that?
- 2. "We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do" (v.10). Obedience doesn't earn extra credit with God — it's the baseline. Where are you expecting God to reward you for simply doing what He commanded? How does this teaching humble your sense of spiritual accomplishment?
- 3. Only one of ten lepers returned to give thanks (v.15). Gratitude is rare. Are you among the nine who receive God's blessings and move on, or the one who returns to give thanks? What has God done for you recently that you haven't thanked Him for?
- 4. "Remember Lot's wife" (v.32). She was physically leaving Sodom but her heart was still there. What are you physically leaving behind but emotionally clinging to? What "Sodom" keeps pulling your gaze backward?
- 5. The apostles said "Increase our faith" (v.5) after hearing about unlimited forgiveness. They felt they didn't have enough faith to forgive like that. Jesus said even mustard-seed faith is enough. Where do you feel your faith is insufficient? What would it look like to act on the small faith you have?
- 6. The grateful leper was a Samaritan — the outsider, the one you'd least expect. The nine who didn't return were presumably Jewish — the insiders. Does familiarity with God's blessings make you less grateful? How do you guard against taking grace for granted?
- 7. Jesus said the kingdom "cometh not with observation" (v.20) — it's not a visible political event. How does this challenge expectations of what God's kingdom looks like? Where are you looking for the kingdom in the wrong places?
- 8. "As it was in the days of Noah... eating, drinking, marrying" (vv.26-27). Normal life continued right up until judgment. How do you maintain spiritual urgency in the middle of ordinary, comfortable daily life?
- 9. "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it" (v.33). The instinct to self-preserve is strong. Where is self-preservation keeping you from following Christ fully? What would it look like to "lose your life" in your specific context?