Luke 17

Lessons on Discipleship; The Healing of Ten Lepers; The Coming of The Kingdom of God

In this section, Luke recorded several lessons from Jesus on discipleship followed by a unique account of Jesus healing ten men with leprosy and closing with some of Jesus’ teachings on the coming of the kingdom of God and the end of the age.  How the content of this chapter is thematically connected is not entirely clear to most commentators.  

Lessons on Discipleship 

Chapter 17 begins with four lessons from Jesus, some of which were also recorded by Matthew, but at different times.  Some commentators attempt to connect them contextually while others believe that Luke simply compiled them thematically. 

Leading Carefully (Matthew 18:6)

Vs. 1-2 - He said to his disciples, “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”

Jesus had been teaching the disciples about avoiding what men esteemed highly but which God viewed as detestable, namely, the pursuit of money (Luke 16:15). By pursuing money hypocritically the Pharisees had turned many of their fellow Jews away from Jesus (Luke 11:52). Jesus now warned the disciples about the possibility of their own improper actions and attitudes.                - Thomas Constable

Jesus warns the disciples about the danger of causing others to stumble in their faith.  It would be better if a person were dead then that he would lead another into sin.         - Thomas Shreiner

Matthew’s record of this teaching involved Jesus holding a child and describing the humility and dedication required of disciples. 

Matthew 18:5-6 - And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me.

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.

Forgiving Offences (Matthew 18:21-22)

Vs. 3-4 - Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.

Jesus proceeded from warning against leading people into sin to the subject of helping those who do fall. The disciple’s responsibility in such cases is twofold: admonition of the sinner, and generous forgiveness of the penitent (Matthew 6:12; Matthew 18:15; Matthew 18:21-22).                - Thomas Constable

In Matthew’s record of this teaching, Peter asked about the limits of forgiveness:

Matthew 18:21-22 - Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?”

“I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.

No matter how many times a person sins, if that person repents after being confronted, then he or she should be forgiven.  The number seven here should not be taken literally; it symbolizes limitless forgiveness.            - Thomas Shreiner

Increasing Faith (Matthew 17:20)

Vs. 5-6 - The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” the Lord said, “you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Evidently the apostles concluded that such a magnanimous approach to forgiving would require more faith in God than they possessed.  Jesus encouraged the disciples by reminding them that only a little trust in God’s ability can result in unbelievable change (Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23). A mustard seed was proverbially small. Mulberry trees grew to be as tall as 35 feet and were difficult to uproot. [Note: Liefeld, "Luke," p. 994.] This response by Jesus amounted to telling the disciples that they did not need more faith. They just needed to use the faith they had.            - Thomas Constable

Perhaps the extent of forgiveness that is required of disciples leads them to say, Increase our faith; however, Jesus says that the problem is not the quantity of their faith but the reality of it. A small amount of faith can accomplish great things.             - Thomas Schreiner

Jesus likely used this illustration on multiple occasions.  Matthew recorded it in the context of the disciples' failure to exorcise a demon from a boy. 

Matthew 17:18-20 - Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and from that moment the boy was healed.

Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

“Because of your little faith,” he told them. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Humbly Obeying

Vs. 7-8 - “Which one of you having a servant tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?  Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink’?

Vs. 10 - In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we’ve only done our duty.’”

Obedient disciples cannot claim any reward or regard themselves as anything particularly notable.  A master expects the servant to serve the master before taking care of his or her own needs.  The central point of the parable is not that God is ungrateful for the obedience of disciples because he expects such service anyway.  Rather, the point is that disciples cannot boast before God about their service.        - Thomas Schreiner

The point is not the master’s attitude in failing to express thanks for services rendered but the servant’s attitude in doing his duty without placing his master under obligation to him.              - Thomas Constable

Healing of Ten Lepers

Ten Men

Vs. 11-13 - he passed between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

Only Luke recorded this particular interaction with a group of desperate and diseased men.  Due to the highly contagious and dangerous nature of their skin condition, they were societal outcasts, mostly without hope of future healing (Leviticus 13:46; Numbers 5:2; 2 Kings 15:5).  

They Were Cleansed

Vs. 14 - When he saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were cleansed.

Leviticus 14 instructed that those who were healed of skin diseases were to show themselves to the priests. Upon examination and an eight day cleansing ceremony, they would no longer be considered unclean and could reenter the community.              - Brent Kercheville

Where Are The Nine?

Vs. 17-18 - Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

Many commentators see more than a simple lesson in gratitude here.  It is significant that the only leper who returned in faith and subsequent blessing was a Samaritan.  In the same way, many of God’s own people would fail to recognize the Messiah and His ministry to them.  Many that were “first” would be “last” (Luke 13:30). 

The Coming of The Kingdom

The connection of the paragraph on the coming of the kingdom with the previous paragraph is not obvious.  Some have suggested that both the nine lepers and the Pharisees fail to see the presence of the kingdom in Jesus.            - Thomas Schreiner

Matthew also recorded much of this content in a lengthy section of Jesus’ teaching on the coming of the Kingdom of God.  In his account, Jesus responded to His disciples' questions about the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem and about the timing of the “end of the age” (Matthew 24). 

Matthew 24:3 - While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

This teaching is quite similar to portions of the Olivet Discourse (cf. Matthew 24:23-28; Matthew 24:37-39), though the differences suggest separate teaching situations. It is one of several teachings that Luke recorded that deals with the future (cf. Luke 12:35-48; Luke 14:7-24; Luke 21:5-33).        - Thomas Constable

In Your Midst

Vs. 20-21 - When he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; no one will say, ‘See here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

The kingdom was already among Jesus’ hearers in the person of the King.  It was in their midst or among them in that the Messiah was standing right in their presence. If they had believed on Him, the kingdom would have begun shortly, immediately after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, ascension, the Tribulation, and His return. It was within their reach.           - Thomas Constable

The Days Are Coming (Matthew 24:23)

Vs. 22-23 - Then he told the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t see it. They will say to you, ‘See there!’ or ‘See here!’ Don’t follow or run after them.

Turning to his disciples, Jesus added that one day he would be taken from them. In their longing for him to return they were not to be led astray by rumours and false prophecies. His coming would be visible and unmistakable.                - Don Fleming

Matthew 24:23-24 - “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

But First

Vs. 25 - But first it is necessary that he suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

The Gospel authors record multiple occasions that Jesus clearly predicted His own passion.  The Messiah as a conquering king would come, but first, it was necessary that He come as a suffering Servant.  As it was with much of His teaching, Jesus’ audiences did not fully grasp the meaning of this message at this time. 

Matthew 16:21 - From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.

Luke 18:31-34 - Then he took the Twelve aside and told them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. Everything that is written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles, and he will be mocked, insulted, spit on; and after they flog him, they will kill him, and he will rise on the third day.”

They understood none of these things. The meaning of the saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Like The Days of Noah and Lot (Matthew 24:37-39)

Vs. 26 - “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man”

Vs. 28 - “It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot”

Even as the world seemed to continue in the normal routines of life before the flood and the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, Jesus said there will be some sense of normalcy in the world when He is revealed.             - David Guzik

The comparisons to the days of Noah and Lot were given to teach that Jesus’ return would be sudden and unexpected.  People will be simply living their lives when the day of the Lord arrives. 

Matthew 24:36, 44 - “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son —except the Father alone.

Taken and Left (Matthew 10:39; Matthew 24:40-41; Mark 13:15-16)

Vs. 33-35 - Whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

Verses 34-35 show that the Son of Man will come suddenly and unexpectedly.  People will be involved in the ordinary activities of sleeping and eating. However, there will be a separation among people who work closely together. “One will be taken” could mean one is taken for judgment or taken away from judgment.  The later is possible, for God took away Noah and Lot so that they would escape the judgment.       - Thomas Schreiner 

Where, Lord? (Matthew 24:28)

Vs. 37 - “Where, Lord?” they asked him.  He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”

The disciples’ question in verse 37 is strange.  It probably indicates that they have not understood Jesus’ discourse, for Jesus has already said that this kind of question is irrelevant.  Jesus answers that his coming will be as obvious as and as unmistakable as the arrival of vultures over a corpse.  No one will doubt what is happening.                - Thomas Schreiner

Matthew 24:27-28 - For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.

The general teaching of the parable is that Jesus’ appearing and the beginning of the kingdom will be sudden and unexpected by most people who are alive then. It will be an unmistakable event in history and will involve physical danger for earth-dwellers because divine judgment will follow immediately. No one will be able to miss it when it occurs. Jesus did not say exactly when it would occur, but clearly it would not happen immediately. An interval of time would have to elapse.                - Thomas Constable