Luke 17

1 Then he said to the disciples, It is impossible but that causes of sin will come: but woe [to him] by whom they come!

2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.

3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother shall trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he shall repent forgive him.

4 And if he shall trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day shall turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

5 And the apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith.

6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye might say to this sycamine-tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would obey you.

7 But which of you having a servant plowing, or feeding cattle, will say to him immediately, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to eat?

8 And will not rather say to him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drank; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

9 Doth he thank that servant, because he did the things that were commanded him? I suppose not.

10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all the things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which it was our duty to do.

11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood at a distance.

13 And they lifted up [their] voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw [them], he said to them, Go, show yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, that as they were going, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on [his] face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where [are] the nine?

18 There are not found returning to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said to him, Arise, depart: thy faith hath made thee whole.

20 And when he was asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation.

21 Neither will they say, Lo here! or lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

22 And he said to his disciples, The days will come, when ye will desire to see one of the days of the son of man, and ye shall not see [it].

23 And they will say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after [them], nor follow them.

24 For as the lightning that lighteneth from the one [part] under heaven, shineth to the other [part] under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

25 But first he must suffer many things, and be rejected by this generation.

26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed [them] all:

30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

31 In that day, he who shall be upon the house-top, and his furniture 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.

32 Remember Lot's wife.

33 Whoever shall seek to save his life, shall lose it; and whoever shall lose his life, shall preserve it.

34 I tell you, in that night there will be two [men] in one bed; the one will be taken, and the other will be left.

35 Two [women] will be grinding together; the one will be taken, and the other left.

36 Two [men] will be in the field; the one will be taken, and the other left.

37 And they answered and said to him, Where Lord? And he said to them, Wherever the body [is], thither will the eagles be collected.

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Luke 17 Commentary

Chapter 17

To avoid offences, To pray for increase of faith, Humility taught.11-19. Ten lepers cleansed. (1-10) Christ's kingdom. (20-37)

Verses 1-10 It is no abatement of their guilt by whom an offence comes, nor will it lessen their punishment that offences will come. Faith in God's pardoning mercy, will enable us to get over the greatest difficulties in the way of forgiving our brethren. As with God nothing is impossible, so all things are possible to him that can believe. Our Lord showed his disciples their need of deep humility. The Lord has such a property in every creature, as no man can have in another; he cannot be in debt to them for their services, nor do they deserve any return from him.

Verses 11-19 A sense of our spiritual leprosy should make us very humble whenever we draw near to Christ. It is enough to refer ourselves to the compassions of Christ, for they fail not. We may look for God to meet us with mercy, when we are found in the way of obedience. Only one of those who were healed returned to give thanks. It becomes us, like him, to be very humble in thanksgivings, as well as in prayers. Christ noticed the one who thus distinguished himself, he was a Samaritan. The others only got the outward cure, he alone got the spiritual blessing.

Verses 20-37 The kingdom of God was among the Jews, or rather within some of them. It was a spiritual kingdom, set up in the heart by the power of Divine grace. Observe how it had been with sinners formerly, and in what state the judgments of God, which they had been warned of, found them. Here is shown what a dreadful surprise this destruction will be to the secure and sensual. Thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. When Christ came to destroy the Jewish nation by the Roman armies, that nation was found in such a state of false security as is here spoken of. In like manner, when Jesus Christ shall come to judge the world, sinners will be found altogether regardless; for in like manner the sinners of every age go on securely in their evil ways, and remember not their latter end. But wherever the wicked are, who are marked for eternal ruin, they shall be found by the judgments of God.