Luke 17
People's New Testament
Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
17:1,2 Various Sayings of Christ

SUMMARY OF LUKE 17:

Offenders and Offenses. The Power of Faith. The Ten Lepers Cleansed. The Kingdom of God. The Coming of Christ. Lot's Wife.

It is impossible but that causes of sin will come. See notes on Mt 18:6-7.

It 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.
17:1,2 Various Sayings of Christ

SUMMARY OF LUKE 17:

Offenders and Offenses. The Power of Faith. The Ten Lepers Cleansed. The Kingdom of God. The Coming of Christ. Lot's Wife.

It is impossible but that causes of sin will come. See notes on Mt 18:6-7.

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
17:3,4 If thy brother shall trespass against thee, rebuke him. See notes on Mt 18:15-22. Observe that kind rebuke, as well as forgiveness, is a duty.
And 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.
17:3,4 If thy brother shall trespass against thee, rebuke him. See notes on Mt 18:15-22. Observe that kind rebuke, as well as forgiveness, is a duty.
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
17:5 Increase our faith. They desire more faith. In the face of the overwhelming odds against them, the general unbelief, and the fact that Jesus would not be the kind of a Christ that they and all the Jews had expected, they felt the need of more faith.
And 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.
17:6 As a grain of mustard seed. See PNT Mt 13:32.

Sycamine tree. A species of the fig.

It should obey you. See notes on Mr 11:22-26.

But 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?
17:7 Which of you? This parable is drawn from the Eastern usages where the same servant who works in the field often serves at the table.
And 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?
17:8 Gird thyself. The loose flowing garments needed to be girded up by the belt when one was serving.
Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
So 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.
17:10 We are unprofitable servants. Our Master owes us no thanks when we serve him faithfully, for we have only done our duty. The heavenly reward to the faithful is of grace, not of debt (Ro 11:6).
And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
17:11 As he went to Jerusalem. When is uncertain. If on his last journey, it was when the Lord first departed from Galilee, before his teaching in Perea.

Through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. From the west to the east, so as to cross the Jordan.

And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
17:12 There met him ten men that were lepers. For account of the leprosy, and the laws of Moses concerning it, see PNT Mt 8:2. These lepers, excluded from other society, grouped together for company.

Stood afar off. As required by the law of Moses (Le 13:46).

And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
And 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.
17:14 Go shew yourselves. To be officially pronounced clean, a certificate had to be obtained from the priests (see PNT Mt 8:4 ).

They were cleansed. As they went, an act of faith, they were healed. Not one would have been healed if he had disobeyed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
17:15 One of them... turned back. To give glory to God, and thanks to Jesus for his salvation.
And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17:16 A Samaritan. The nine were Jews; one belonged to the hated race.
And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
17:17 Where are the nine? What a striking illustration of the ingratitude of men! One returns, the alien; the other, saved from a living death, are heard no more.
There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
17:19 Thy faith hath made thee whole. Saved him by leading him to obedience. His faith had added to it another grace, that of love. His faith had not only saved his body, but he had been born to the new life, his soul was saved.
And 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:
17:20 When the kingdom of God should come. These Pharisees expected a visible, temporal kingdom.

Cometh not with observation. As a visible, earthly monarchy, like that of David.

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
17:21 Is within you. A kingdom that has its throne in the heart, on which Christ, the King, sits. It has to be formed by yielding our hearts to Christ.
And 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.
17:22 Ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man. His second coming. The church longs for his appearing. See 2Ti 4:8.
And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
For 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.
17:24 For as the lightning. See notes on Mt 24:16-18. The remainder of the chapter is a condensed and fragmentary report of a part of Matthew, chapter 24.
But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
17:25-30 But first must he suffer many things, etc. See notes on Mt 16:21 24:37-39. Compare Col 3:3-4 2Th 1:7 1Pe 1:7.
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
17:25-30 But first must he suffer many things, etc. See notes on Mt 16:21 24:37-39. Compare Col 3:3-4 2Th 1:7 1Pe 1:7.
They 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.
17:25-30 But first must he suffer many things, etc. See notes on Mt 16:21 24:37-39. Compare Col 3:3-4 2Th 1:7 1Pe 1:7.
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
17:25-30 But first must he suffer many things, etc. See notes on Mt 16:21 24:37-39. Compare Col 3:3-4 2Th 1:7 1Pe 1:7.
But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
17:25-30 But first must he suffer many things, etc. See notes on Mt 16:21 24:37-39. Compare Col 3:3-4 2Th 1:7 1Pe 1:7.
Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
17:25-30 But first must he suffer many things, etc. See notes on Mt 16:21 24:37-39. Compare Col 3:3-4 2Th 1:7 1Pe 1:7.
In 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.
17:31 In that day, etc. See notes on Mt 24:16-18.
Remember Lot's wife.
17:32 Remember Lot's wife. By tarrying and looking back, the warning came to flee, she lost her life (see Ge 19:15-17,26). So hesitation and delay at this great crisis will be perilous.
Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life. See PNT Mt 10:39.
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
17:34-36 In that night, etc. See notes on Mt 24:37,41.
Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
17:34-36 In that night, etc. See notes on Mt 24:37,41.
Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
17:34-36 In that night, etc. See notes on Mt 24:37,41.
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
17:37 Wheresoever the body is,etc. See PNT Mt 24:28.
The People's New Testament by B.W. Johnson [1891]

Bible Hub
Luke 16
Top of Page
Top of Page