Bible Commentaries
Luke 17

Verses 1-10

Luk 17:1-10

Commentary On Luke 17:1-10

Galen Doughty

Luke 17:1-2 - Disciples here may refer to the whole company of people who were following Jesus and not just the 12. It could even refer to the women who helped Jesus and the apostles. There were 120 men and women in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. It could also simply refer to the 12. It is unclear which group Luke refers to here.

Jesus tells them that temptations to sin are bound to come. Literally he says it is impossible to avoid stumbling blocks or temptations or enticements to sin. The word for temptation here is skandalon which is different than the normal word for testing or temptation. Jesus says they are inevitable. That means there is no way to avoid them and every disciple will be tempted and tested. Jesus says the most important thing is not to be the person who tempts someone else. I think he is saying you can’t avoid being tempted but don’t be the tempter. It would be better to tie a millstone around your neck and be thrown into the sea than cause one of these little ones to sin. Is he talking about children here? In other places little ones can refer to children. If the disciples were a mixed group of men and women there might have been little children with some of the women. It could also be that Jesus is speaking tenderly of his disciples and warning all of them not to tempt one another and cause another to stumble.

Drowning was feared among the Jews because the water of the ocean represented chaos and in the Jewish mind that was the worst way to die.

Luke 17:3-4 - Don’t tempt each other or be the cause of someone sinning. Rather if your brother sins rebuke him, challenge him to stop sinning. If he repents forgive him. How often do you do that? Even if he sins against you seven times and comes back and repents each time, forgive him. Jesus is contrasting how we disciples should treat sin among us. Don’t tempt each other and be the cause of someone’s fall. When another sins rebuke him which means to admonish, challenge, charge, reprove. It means point out their sin and confront it. We are to call people to repentance not be the cause of the fall! We need to be the cause of their repentance. When they repent then forgive. The seven times of repenting and forgiving means there is no statute of limitations on forgiveness. God forgives us and we need to forgive each other.

In many ways Jesus was trying to rebuke and reprove the Pharisees to get them to repent. He wasn’t trying to cause them to sin. Unlike the Pharisees who were trying to trap Jesus and find a way to condemn him!

Luke 17:5-6 - The apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith! Luke notes it is the 12 who ask him this and not the larger group of disciples that Jesus has been addressing. Why do they ask Jesus to increase their faith? He has been talking about forgiveness and confronting sin in one another and not being the cause of someone else’ fall. I think Jesus’ words have shaken them and they see how responsible they are for one another and how high Jesus sets the bar for his disciples for the way they are to treat each other. The 12 know they do not have the strength by themselves to do this. They need faith, so they ask Jesus to increase their faith.

Jesus in reply says it does not take much faith to be effective for him. One can have the faith of a mustard seed and say to a mulberry tree be uprooted and planted in the sea and it will happen. The mulberry tree here is related to the sycamore tree, a fairly large tree with spreading branches and fruit like a fig. This is not a small tree but a large one. Obviously having a tree uproot itself and go be planted in the sea is impossible. Jesus is saying even a small amount of faith in God’s power can accomplish what you cannot do on your own. Jesus is saying it is not the size of our faith that is the issue, but the power of God in us and through us. If it is the size of our faith then it is still all up to us. Jesus is trying to help the disciples see it is all up to God! He is the one who will transform us and allow us to do what we cannot do on our own, forgive!

This is one of those sayings of Jesus we need to guard against taking out of context. It would be easy to divorce this saying from the context of Jesus’ statement on forgiveness and the disciples’ plea to increase their faith in order to be able to forgive. If we do that we can turn this saying into a justification for faith-power to do whatever we want instead of faith -power to accomplish one of the most basic tasks of being a disciple, forgiving one another. The saying isn’t about whether I have the power to do the impossible and accomplish supernatural things. In context it is about how much faith it takes to accomplish one of Jesus’ basic commands that I know I don’t have the power to do on my own. The saying about doing one’s duty and not expecting a great reward reinforces this lesson. Jesus guards us against a health and wealth and word of faith interpretation of the mustard seed saying! Praise God!

Luke 17:7-10 - Jesus follows the saying about faith and being able to do extraordinary things with a parable about a servant doing his duty. At first glance this seems out of place and disconnected with the mustard seed statement about faith. However, Jesus is calling attention to the priority of forgiveness among his disciples. It is an extraordinary thing to be able to forgive as God forgives and to keep on forgiving and it is enabled by faith in God to accomplish in us what we cannot do in ourselves. However, don’t brag about it and think you have done something great, as if you are outstanding for forgiving your brother or sister. You are just doing what Jesus asks you to do. You’re supposed to do that. It is like the servant who comes in from working the fields, doing his master’s bidding. Should that servant expect the master to feed him and serve him dinner before the master even eats? No, the master will tell the servant, get my dinner and then you can eat. The servant knows he was to feed the master besides tend the fields. His attitude should be I am an unworthy servant who has just done what I was told to do. We don’t deserve special treatment for doing our duty. Jesus is telling the disciples forgiving one another takes faith because it takes God’s strength. But that doesn’t deserve a special reward; that’s basic discipleship 101! God expects that of all of us and then expects us to carry out our other tasks that he has given us to do. We are his children and his family but we are also his servants and he is our master! Just do your job as God asks you to and don’t expect some great reward for fulfilling the most basic tasks of being Jesus’ disciples!

Yet the irony is Jesus will reward us for "just doing our job"! Paul’s concept of the judgment for rewards teaches us that. God gives us gifts to use in ministry and then rewards us for using his gifts that he gave us when we use them. God graces us and then gives us more grace for obeying him! He is extraordinary!

Verses 11-19

Luk 17:11-19

Commentary On Luke 17:11-19

Galen Doughty

Luke 17:11-19 - Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem near the border between Galilee and Samaria. This would put him potentially on the southern side of the Jezreel Valley nearing Scythopolis and the territory of the Decapolis, but that is only a guess. The Decapolis were ten independent Greek cities loosely connected together that were not under the authority of Herod Antipas, Herod Philip or the Roman governors of Judea. They answered directly to the proconsul of Syria.

Jesus was entering a village when ten men who had leprosy or a skin disease that the Law treated as leprosy, called out to him from a distance. They were doing what the Law said and not coming near him because they were unclean. They called out Jesus, Master have pity, or mercy on us. Jesus sees them and says go show yourselves to the priests, which is what the Law said to do. A priest had to certify them healed because only then could they be restored to their families. There could easily have been a priest or priests that lived in the area whose turn had not come to serve in Jerusalem. Not all priests lived in Jerusalem continually. Many lived far away and only went to the city when it was their turn to serve. Thus Jesus is not telling the ten men they must journey to Jerusalem. He was telling them to go find the nearest priest. As they begin to go they are ALL cleansed.

One of them, a Samaritan, when he realized he was healed came back to Jesus praising God and fell at his feet to thank him. Presumably by his dress or accent or some trait Jesus and the disciples knew he was a Samaritan. It is interesting to note that the lepers had included him in their fellowship. Their need for companionship overrode their racial and religious prejudice toward Samaritans.

Jesus asks weren’t all ten cleansed? He knows all of them were healed. He questions where the other nine are, and why only this foreigner comes back to praise God. Then he tells him, rise and go your faith had made you well. Jesus doesn’t tell him beforehand that he must have faith to be healed. The very fact he and the others had begged Jesus to heal them indicates they had the faith Jesus could heal them. But here he reinforces the man’s faith and commends him for it. Technically his faith didn’t heal him, Jesus did. Yet, Jesus gives an important lesson here. Faith allows God to do extraordinary things. When we believe God for something he responds and does it. This man’s faith was not a demand or a magic formula as if Jesus was forced to heal. The lepers’ faith is a confidence in Jesus’ mercy and power. In some senses it is also desperation that Jesus is their only hope. They are throwing all their hopes into asking Jesus to heal them. It is all or nothing. That is the kind of faith Jesus commends here and not the health and wealth, word of faith kind of heresy. Jesus isn’t bound by their faith in any way. He responds to it out of his love and mercy. It should also be noted that he commends the Samaritan’s faith because he came back and praised God and gave Jesus the credit for what happened. That too is a component of faith that can accomplish great things. God always gets the credit, not us!

Verses 20-37

Luk 17:20-37

Commentary On Luke 17:20-37

Galen Doughty

Luke 17:20-21 - In the healing of the leper’s incident Luke says Jesus is clearly on his way to Jerusalem near the border of Samaria and Galilee. Here Luke returns to a more general setting. Once, when the Pharisees asked Jesus about when the Kingdom of God would come. It is entirely possible that this is chronological, happening after the ten lepers incident. It is also possible that this happened earlier in Jesus’ ministry and Luke places the incident here because it serves his purposes of Jesus heading toward Jerusalem. Either way works. Luke has his reasons!

The Pharisees like almost every other Jew were interested in when the Kingdom would come. That question also related to when the Messiah would come because he would bring the Kingdom. Jesus says it will not come with careful observation, meaning reading the signs and understanding all the prophecies perfectly. Jesus has something to say to all the prophecy writers and pundits today! People will not be able to say, there it is! The Kingdom of God is within you or among you. The Greek preposition means inside you or within you.

What is Jesus telling them? The Pharisees were looking for a political-religious Messiah. Jesus says the Kingdom is not a political reign. It is an internal relationship with Jesus the Messiah. The Kingdom of God comes to a person’s heart and begins there when they acknowledge Jesus as Messiah. The Pharisees were looking for something external just like their understanding of God was external, keeping the Law and their traditions. Jesus points them to a relationship with him which they could not see nor bring themselves to begin. It didn’t fit their expectations!

The Kingdom is already and not yet. Jesus says the already is the fact that a relationship with him is available to anyone who will follow him and submit to him as Messiah and Lord. It is not yet because Jesus first must deal with human sin otherwise all will be condemned and no one will be able to enter the Kingdom because all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. There is no one righteous not one, and that includes the Pharisees!

Luke 17:22-25 - Jesus now turns to his disciples to clarify his teaching about when the Kingdom comes. This is the not yet component of his Kingdom teaching. The invitation and call has gone out from the King to join him and enter his Kingdom. Someday he will come in power and glory to take up his reign. The disciples will long to see one of those days but they will not. People will say here it is, but don’t believe it. This happened to the Jews when Eliazer was proclaimed Messiah by the Teacher of Righteousness, the leader of the Essenes at Qumran, at the beginning of the first Jewish revolt in 66. Bar Kokhba was also proclaimed a messiah as well in the Second Jewish Revolt in 132. Both were NOT the Son of Man!

Jesus tells them that no one will miss his Second Coming! In his Day he will come like a flash of lightning, sudden and bright that no one can mistake. Then he adds, but first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. Jesus returns to the “already” theme. Now he has come to suffer and fulfill the role of the suffering servant who pays for the sin of all mankind. He must be rejected by his own people and crucified to bear the sins of the whole world in order for the gospel to be preached to all who will receive him and the forgiveness he offers. That too will be a sign of his Kingdom already breaking into the world. The Jews could not see nor would they accept the already-not yet program of God and his Kingdom’s coming through Jesus.

Luke 17:26-37 - Jesus then flips back to the “not yet”, and his ultimate coming. What will the world be like when the Son of Man comes? It will be like lightning that flashes all across the sky. It will be like the days of Noah and Lot. The world was oblivious to the flood coming in Noah’s day. They went on with all the normal things of life, marrying, eating, drinking, etc., as if nothing was coming or nothing was different. Yet there was Noah in the desert building the ark. When Noah entered the ark it was too late and they were all destroyed. Noah knew God was going to bring the flood; the world did not!

The same is true about the days of Lot. People were going about their normal daily lives in Sodom and Gomorrah as if nothing was happening. Lot had been warned to flee the cities. The day he left fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and the cities were destroyed!

Jesus says the coming of the Son of Man will be in the same way. Destruction and judgment are at the door but people will be oblivious. They will not know what is going to happen. When Jesus returns there will be no time to go and rescue someone or pack up one’s things inside. Don’t go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! She turned back and was lost. Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it and whoever loses his life will save it. People will be together in bed or grinding grain and one will be taken and the other left. The words mean to be taken away, or literally received, paralambano ; and to be left, Greek left alone, to go away from. Jesus is saying don’t desire anything this world has to offer. The Kingdom of God and your relationship with Jesus will be the only thing that matters and the only thing that can save you on the day he comes!

Jesus says the world at large will not be aware of the nearness of his coming. In fact it will interrupt people’s daily routines just like in Noah or Lot’s day. But no one will miss Jesus’ coming; when he comes judgment comes! Watch and be ready!

The verbs here lend themselves to the Dispensationalists interpretation of a rapture-second coming scenario. The problem is Jesus could also be simply expressing the fact that some will be saved and others will be lost and judged. Also there was no delay when Noah went up into the ark and Lot left Sodom and Gomorrah. Judgment came immediately on everyone who was left and did not repent. In the Dispensationalist’s scenario there is a 7 year time clock that counts down to the Second Coming once the rapture happens. Jesus’ implication in the whole context of the passage is that his coming with the clouds, namely his actual Second Coming will be a surprise to the world. The sign of the Son of Man in the heavens, namely like lightning shining across the whole sky, will be a complete surprise, just like the flood and the fire and brimstone was a complete surprise to everyone but Noah and Lot. That does not sound like a seven year delay between the rapture and the Second Coming!

Finally the disciples ask him where one will be taken and another left. Jesus cryptically replies where there is a dead body the vultures will gather. I think he means that there will be signs for those who can see them, just like Noah and Lot knew God was about to act. But the world will not pay any attention to the signs or even if they do they will not understand them and will misinterpret them. Jesus is telling the disciples pay attention, watch and be ready!

Questions by E.M. Zerr For Luke Chapter Seventeen

1. What are sure to come ?

2. Does this justify the offenders?

3. What would be better ?

4. If a brother trespass, who must act first?

5. On what condition must forgiveness be given ?

6. Must this be done as many as six times?

7. What favor did the apostles ask ?

8. Tell what Jesus used for illustration.

9. What could such faith do?

10. Which is served first, servant or master?

11. Does the servant expect it so?

12. To whom does Jesus apply the lesson?

13. How much more than our duty can we do?

14. Even then, what should be acknowledged?

15. Through what sections did Jesus pass?

16. On the way who met him?

17. Where did they stand?

18. State their cry?

19. What were they ordered to do?

20. Why was this to be done?

21. Did Jesus heal them?

22. What happened on their way ?

23. Then what did they do ?

24. What was remarkable about one of them?

25. State his actions toward Jesus.

26. Why did Jesus call him a stranger?

27. To what did he credit the man’s recovery?

28. What inquiry did the Pharisees make?

28. How did they think it would come ?

29. What institution led them into such idea ?

30. Why can it not be pointed out ?

31. What days will be desired?

32. Will the desire be granted?

33. Tell what false sayings will be heard.

34. To what is the day of Christ likened?

35. What is the point of comparison?

36. Tell what must first happen.

37. Who are meant by "this generation”?

38. To what days is comparison made?

39. State the condition in his days.

40. What was the condition in the days of Lot?

41. What held back destruction of the city?

42. After he left how much time was given it?

43. What about those on the housetop?

44. How prompt should the field workers be ?

45. When is this to be ?

46. What do you remember about Lot’s wife ?

47. Who shall lose his life?

48. Will all associates be saved together?

49. What figurative prediction did Jesus make?

Luke Chapter Seventeen

By Ralph L. Starling

Offenses are simply a part of life.

We need to know how to handle such strife.

Jesus makes the solution quite clear.

The spirit of forgiveness we must hold dear.

How often is one to forgive him that offends?

As often as he repents, you are to forgive him.

The apostles say, “Lord, increase our faith.”

He said, “Faith the size of a mustard seed is all it takes.”

How about a servant no acting like one.

Who serves his master after eating his own.

Is the master to commend him not doing his duty?

He would be unprofitable and as a servant unsuited.

In a certain village 10 lepers stood a far off.

They called out, “Master have mercy on us.”

He said, “Go to the priests, show yourself to them.”

As they went on their way, He cleansed them.

One of the lepers returned to thank Him.

Jesus asked, “Were there not ten?”

Out of the ten only this one soul!

Jesus said, “Go, your faith has made you whole.”

The Pharisees demanded when should the Kingdom come.

He told His disciples He must suffer and be rejected by them.

The Kingdom would come without warning.

Remember Lot’s wife and don’t be disarming.