¹Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. ²It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. ³So watch yourselves.

"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." 

⁵The apostles said to the LORD, "Increase our faith!" 

⁶He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

⁷"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? ⁸Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? ⁹Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "

¹¹Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 

¹⁴When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 

¹⁵One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. 

¹⁷Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" ¹⁹Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

²⁰Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, ²¹nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." 

²²Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. ²³Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. ²⁴For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. ²⁵But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 

²⁶"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 

²⁸"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 

³⁰"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. ³²Remember Lot's wife! ³³Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. ³⁴I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. ³⁵Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.
 " 

³⁷"Where, LORD?" they asked.

He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."      Luke 17:1-37

It is not fully clear how the matters mentioned in Luke17 fit into the context of Luke’s gospel. We can try to make connections but that may lead to speculation. So we’ll simply take the sections and try to understand them, each in their own light. They all have to do with the coming Messianic Kingdom.

Causing Sin or Leading to Repentance? (Luke 17:1-4)⤒🔗

It appears that the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law have left Christ’s immediate vicinity, and the Lord now specifically addresses his disciples (17:1), committed followers who are not apostles. Though the apostles will have been among the people now being addressed it seems to have been a larger audience also.

Nobody may cause another believer to fall into sin. We find the same admonition in Matthew 18 and Mark 9. This exhortation is always necessary, but especially when there are many who only recently have come to the faith. Remember that the Pharisees had openly sneered at the Lord Jesus Christ and may have caused some who believed in him to doubt whether he is the Messiah. Ultimately all who believed in the Lord turned against him and demanded that he be crucified.

An important question in this context is: who are meant by the “little ones” in verse 2. There are basically only two options, one is literally children and the other is recent converts, whose faith in still young and weak. In Matthew 18 the Lord actually places a child in the midst of the disciples, leaving no doubt as to whom the little ones are. In Mark 9 also a child is indicated. Perhaps that is, then, possibly the better explanation.

But the way it is phrased in Luke 17, the focus is only “people”. The emphasis is here more on what causes people to stumble rather than who are being led to stumble. Whoever causes another person to stumble and lose faith has committed a serious sin. This is especially true when a vulnerable child is led to sin. No one may take advantage of another’s immaturity or weakness.

The Lord says it is better that such a person “be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck” (17:2). A millstone is one of the heaviest stones, so the person will surely drown. That would be better than the punishment that awaits anyone who causes others to fall.

The Lord adds, “So watch yourselves.” (Luke 17:3) Perhaps we tend to victimize others more often and easier than we imagine or realize. There are many stumbling blocks that can cause people to fall. So we must carefully watch ourselves that we do not place these before others.

There is another way: “If your brother sins, rebuke him.”  Instead of leading people to sin, we must lead them away from sin. “And if he repents, forgive him” (17:3). This is a very important but also very difficult matter. It is not easy to forgive others, especially if this person has time and again offended you by sinning.

The Lord says, “If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” (Luke 17:4) The number seven is meant here as a perfect number, indicating that there is no end to forgiving.

All this is based, of course, on Christ’s forgiving us of our sins. Christ’s grace must lead us to be gracious. We must never forget also that we sin constantly against God and our neighbors. God patience with us is boundless, and so we must deal with our neighbor in the same way (17:4).

Faith as a Mustard Seed (Luke 17:5-8)←⤒🔗

As I wrote, forgiving is extremely difficult. We tend to nurture old wounds and hurts that we have had to endure.  Are you surprised that the apostles then say, “Increase our faith!” (17:5) Who is capable of extending such forgiveness time and again?

Increase our faith! The apostles mean that it takes a lot of faith to be constantly forgiving. But the Lord Jesus replies, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” (17:6) It’s not the amount of faith that is decisive, but the quality. True faith has an inward strength that guides us through the greatest challenges.

A mulberry tree grows to about 6 feet in height, and has delicious fruit every year. The Lord Jesus may have used the example of the mulberry tree because it was close at hand. The text says “this mulberry tree.”

The mustard seed is the smallest seed that was used by Palestinian farmers, and it grew to be one of the highest trees. The mustard trees provided important spices for the preparation and conservation of food. The mulberry is perhaps the most fruitful tree while the mustard seed grows to be one the largest trees.

Note that here it is not the size or quality of trees that is meant, but that faith leads to incredible results: “be uprooted and planted in the sea”. No tree can ordinarily be planted in the sea, so here it is an example of the power of faith.

Unworthy Servants (Luke 17:1-10)←⤒🔗

Those who have great faith should not expect preferential treatment because of this faith. The element that none can merit or deserve the master’s favor through faithful service is brought out very clearly in this passage. Remember, this was one of the major differences with the Pharisees. The leaven of the Pharisees was their self-righteousness and the thought that they deserved to be treated well by a thankful master.

The Lord shows how incongruous this thought is to the Christian faith. He does so in a very clear way, using a parable. “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat?’” (17:7) This is hardly likely. Just because the servant has returned to the house, does not mean he has no more duties.

Instead, “Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’”. Perhaps we might think that this master was not very appreciative of the servant’s work or disrespectful of the servant’s zeal.  But this is not the case. The Lord here makes known the principle of sovereign grace. “Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?” (17:9)

The opposite is mentioned in Luke 12:35-37, where the master does serve his surprised servants. See my comments on that passage. It can happen that a master does this. But it is not to be expected or presumed.

The Lord concludes, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (17:10) The Lord does not have to thank us because we have done our duty. In verse 10 we are called into the picture “So you (plural) also…” We need to say still today, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” Duty demands to be done, without thanks offered or asked. I know that this does not fit well with today’s measures of achievement, but it is the rule in the kingdom of heaven.

Ten Healed from Leprosy (17:11-19)←⤒🔗

In this passage Luke recounts how the Lord Jesus healed ten lepers while on the way to Jerusalem. He is travelling along the border route between Samaria and Galilee, since the Samaritans did not give him passage through their land. Earlier I dealt with a passage mentioned in Luke 5:12-16, an account of the healing of one leper. Textual notes on both passages indicate that the Greek word used can mean various diseases affecting the skin, not necessarily leprosy. But I take it indeed to denote leprosy, the most serious of skin ailments of that time.

This time it is a different occasion. As the Lord was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him (17:11,12).They observed the proper rules and stood at a prescribed distance from him, but called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us” (17:13). This time the Lord does not reach out to touch one of the lepers. This is not because he was afraid that the Jewish leaders would be angered, but simply he wanted to show that the power of his word was sufficient to heal an entire group of lepers.

He looks at them and simply says, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” The priests had the responsibility to examine a leper or someone with a skin disease to determine if there is healing. Then we read, “And as they went, they were healed.” These words are important. The Lord did not heal them on the spot. He said “Go to the priest.” One of the lepers may have thought, “Why should I go to the priest if I am not healed?” It seems almost like a dismissal: Go to the priests.

They may have doubted for a moment. But they do as the Lord told them. And the miracle does happen, “As they went, they were cleansed.” Imagine that. Christ involves these men and activates their faith. There lies the real miracle.

We read, “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet, and thanked him” (17:15). He did not first go to the priest; he went first to the Lord who had healed him.  It is added – “and he was a Samaritan.” He belonged to the people who had as a nation rejected Christ. But his first act was to worship the Saviour.

It is not that the others were unthankful. But they do not show any thanks where it is needed.  The Lord accentuates this when he asks, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (17:17,18)

We find this more often. Those who should be thankful do not come to give praise. I am sure that all the lepers were jubilant. Their whole life was restored and their exile ended. But they are focused on themselves. They do not even think to go back to the Lord.

In the last verse of this passage Jesus says to the leper: “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:19) This goes farther than skin-deep. This is balm for the soul. The well-being of this healed leper covers his entire life. He is a new man from the inside out.

The Coming of the Kingdom (Luke 17:20-37)←⤒🔗

“Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” (17:20,21) It is likely that the Lord here focuses on an important matter concerning the kingdom of God. Luke does not specify when the Lord Jesus spoke these words.

Many Jews thought that the kingdom of God was a material or physical matter. The Messiah would come and powerfully establish the Kingdom of God over the entire world. You would see this happening and therefore could properly prepare yourself for it.

One important point was overlooked by everyone. The kingdom of heaven is already here but not yet fully. It has come in Christ, the King. There are many texts that speak about the kingdom as being at hand. Jesus preached in this way, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). In the Lord’s Prayer we ask, “Your kingdom come”, meaning that it is in the process of coming but is not yet fully here.

In this passage of Luke 17, the Lord Jesus answers the question about the coming of the kingdom of God with: it “does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” It has a spiritual and internal nature. The Kingdom of God is already here in our hearts but is still coming into the world. It will have fully come when Christ returns with the saints and the angels on the Day of Judgment.  With this in mind we look at further aspects of the coming of the kingdom.

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.’” (17:22) The kingdom is not yet fully here, and sometimes the times will be so difficult that the disciples will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man.  They will cry out, “Maranatha, come Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 16:22)¹. The difficulties can be in various forms: persecution, imprisonment, execution, hunger, or sickness which seems to have no end. The kingdom of God will seem farther away every day. But when all who belong to Christ have been called, “Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power” (1 Corinthians 15:24).

To make things even more difficult, there will be false prophets. The devil will seek to confuse the believers. “Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go off running after them” (17:23). There will be pseudo-christs and antichrists, all clamoring to be recognized. The Lord says: do not go after them. The believers are persecuted, confused and famished; it is not a pretty picture. Still there are sure signs that the kingdom is near. It will come visibly and powerfully. The Lord uses the example of lightning. “For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.” (17:24) It may be pitch dark, but when lightning lights up the skies all things are illuminated. Ever seen that? Christ does not come in darkness and in silence, but with brilliant light. When we see the lightning as it sometimes can flash, we should know that this is a sign of Christ being near.

One of the most difficult immediate events that must take place is the death of Christ. “But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation” (17:25). The Lord time and again told his disciples that he must die before he could return in glory, and we know that they did not understand this.

But the kingdom keeps coming as an unstoppable force.  The Lord uses two examples, the days of Noah before the flood, and the days of Lot before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

What do these days have in common? As you know, Noah was building an ark, having been warned by God that a flood was coming. Nobody believed him, and people just went on with their daily activities. The flood came, surprised and destroyed them all (17:27). In the days of Lot, God announced the coming of massive judgment over Sodom and Gomorrah, but no one believed him, and when the judgment came it was too late. Even Lot and his immediate family had to be pushed to escape. No one  expected the coming judgment, despite Lot’s many warnings. They laughed at him, until “fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all” (17:29).

People are just going about their business unaware of the judgment that is coming. When it does finally come, it is too late for those who did not heed God’s warning. So it will be also when the Lord returns to judge the living and the dead. On the day itself, no one should look back to retrieve valuables left behind, whether in the house or in the field.

The Lord uses the example of someone who did look back: Lot’s wife turned to look and she became a pillar of salt (17:32; see also Genesis 19:26). We are specifically and emphatically warned: “Remember Lot’s wife!” We may not look back at treasures we have left behind. It needs to be a full and complete break.

There is an interesting line that is found also elsewhere, “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life  will preserve it” (17:33). See also Luke 9:24. The point is that we must make a radical and complete break with the life that we had. We are making a final transition to the new earth. The Lord uses the warning, “Remember Lot’s wife!”

There is an added warning: “I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken, and the other left” (17:34,35). The believer will be taken up to meet Christ and his angels in the sky, The other will be left on the earth to await divine condemnation. Some call this “the Rapture”.  There will be an instant separation between believers and unbelievers (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17; see also my publication “Ready for the Rapture, Premier Printing, Winnipeg 2004).

The separation will be instantaneous. You may not even be aware of the fact that your “partner” is an unbeliever. Now there are two; suddenly there is one.  It is noteworthy that the disciples do not ask “when” but “Where, LORD?” Perhaps they have an idea that the time frame is not going to be revealed. But they do wonder what will happen to those left behind.

Does the question “Where?” refer to those who are taken or those who are left behind? From the Lord’s answer I conclude that the question means: where will the unbelievers go? For the answer is, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” (See also Matthew 24:27,28; Daniel 7:13,14.) Greijdanus notes that this can happen throughout history but especially takes place on the day of Christ’s return (see also Revelation 19:17,18). Throughout history the vultures have feasted upon the dead who were punished justly by the Lord.

Questions←⤒🔗

1. Chapter 17 has as theme the coming of the kingdom or “advent”. What meaning does this theme have with respect to a) children b) sinners c) servants and d) healed people (lepers)?
2. When will the kingdom come? Is it soon or will it still take a while?
3. Christ does not give a date when the kingdom will come, but he does mention clear signs. What are these signs?
4. What is the sense of comparing the last days to the days of Noah and Lot? How are we to remember Lot’s wife?