by Samuel E. Ward Part 3: Jesus' Journey to Heaven by Way of Jerusalem Luke 17 Introduction The apostle John closed his gospel with these words, John 21:25 (NIV) Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. In the gospels we will sometimes see a series of short statements or teachings that appear to be unrelated. It is more likely that the gospel writer is making an editing choice by shortening some of Jesus' teachings so that others might be given more attention. All this is, of course, in accordance with the Holy Spirit's direct ministry of inspiration so that nothing of what God intended to be revealed was neglected. This is probably the case in Luke 17. The importance of these messages is not lost by their brevity, and the necessity of our obedience to each of the Lord's teachings is not lessened. Brevity and simplicity of statement are not to be equated with triviality. With this in mind we consider Luke 17. XXII. Assorted Topics, Luke 17:1-19 A. On Causing Others to Sin, Luke 17:1-3 1. It's one thing to fall to sin—it's another to cause someone else to do so, Luke 17:1. Luke 17:1 (NIV) Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come." 2. It's better to die a horrible death than to cause a young person to sin, Luke 17:2.
Luke 17:2 (NIV) "It 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."
3. It's wise to guard one's self against causing a young person to sin, Luke 17:3.
Luke 17:3a (NIV) "So watch yourselves."
B. On Dealing with Other's Sin, Luke 17:3b-4
Luke 17:3b-4 (NIV) (3b) "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. (4) If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."
1. Rebuke a brother or sister when they sin. 2. Forgive them if they repent. 3. Repeat as needed. C. On the Nature of Faith that Forgives to that Degree, Luke 17:5-6 1. The request from the disciples, Luke 17:5
Luke 17:5 (NIV) The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
2. The reply from the Lord, Luke 17:6
Luke 17:6 (NIV) He 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."
We do not wait until we have enough faith to obey God and do the difficult. We obey with the faith we have, and God blesses it. The only thing that increases faith to the next degree is the exercise of faith to the degree we have it now. Give God what you have, and He will supply what you need. It is not the power of your faith that impresses God; it is simply your faith in God's power. D. On the Nature of Servanthood, Luke 17:7-10
Luke 17:7-10 (NIV) (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'? (8) 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'? (9) Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? (10) 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.'"
What should be the expectations of a servant? 1. To be treated as a servant rather than a family member or houseguest 2. To put the master's needs first 3. To see all his service as duty rather than favors to the master Such an attitude will ward off feelings of lack of appreciation and of being taken for granted. Our service is can never be regarded as favors done for God. We can only offer Him our humble and obedient worship and thankfulness for the privilege of being in His service. There is no Master so benevolent or One who treats His servants so much like family as our God. It is not so because of our service—it is all because of His grace. XXIII. One out of Ten Is Bad, Luke 17:11-17 A. A Plea for Pity, Luke 17:11-13 1. The location: on the border between Samaria and Galilee, Luke 17:11
Luke 17:11 (NIV) Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.
Evidently when it came to leprosy, the laws of avoidance between Jews and Samaritans were of little consequence. Disease is a great equalizer. It affects the rich and the poor, the cast-offs and the privileged. There is a point where one's station in life cannot change the condition of either. Sin is the Great Equalizer. It is "appointed unto man once to die, but after that the judgment" (Heb 9:27 KJV). 2. The needy, Luke 17:12-13
Luke 17:12-13 (NIV) (12) As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance (13) and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
B. A Cleansing Conferred, Luke 17:14-19 1. All of them were graciously cleansed by the word of the Lord, Luke 17:14.
Luke 17:14 (NIV) (14) When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
2. Only one was thankful for the cleansing—the Samaritan, Luke 17:15-16.
Luke 17:15-16 (NIV) (15) One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. (16) He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
3. Nine of them were content only to be cleansed, Luke 17:17.
Luke 17:17 (NIV) Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
4. Only one received the commendation of the Lord because he coupled his cleansing with praise and thanksgiving, Luke 17:18-19.
Luke 17:18-19 (NIV) (18) Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" (19) Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
The Lord seeks praise for His mighty acts toward men, Psa 150:1-2.
Psalms 150:1-2 (NIV) (1) Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. (2) Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
XXIV. Questions Concerning the Kingdom of God, Luke 17:20-37 A. When Will the Kingdom Come, Luke 17:20-36? 1. The first question posed by the Pharisees, Luke 17:20.
Luke 17:20 (NIV) 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."
2. The answer from the Lord, Luke 17:21-36. a. The kingdom is not something for which you wait to come in the future; it is the rule of God to which you may submit now. "The kingdom is in you, Luke 17:21.
Luke 17:21 (NIV) nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within (or in the midst of or among, Gk., ἐντὸςPGἐντός ὑμῶνNPG-2Pσύ ἐστινVIPA--3Sεἰμί) you."
b. However, to His disciples, Jesus said that the day was coming when believers would long to see the coming of the Son of Man to rule, Luke 17:22.
Luke 17:22 (NIV) 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.
c. Don't be fooled into thinking that His rule has arrived, Luke 17:23. Luke 17:23 (NIV) "Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them." d. When He comes, it will be sudden and evident to all, Luke 17:24.
Luke 17:24 (NIV) "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."
e. But first, the unexpected must happen to the Son of Man, Luke 17:25.
Luke 17:25 (NIV) "But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation." f. It will appear to be a day like any other day as the day in Noah's time when the Flood came in judgment of the world's wickedness, Luke 17:26-27.
Luke 17:26-27 (NIV) (26) "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. (27) People 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."
g. It will appear to be a day like any other day as in the days of Lot when Sodom was judged for its wickedness, Luke 17:28-30.
Luke 17:28-29 (NIV) (28) "It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. (29) But 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."
h. It will be a violent and dangerous day requiring immediate escape as some are seized for judgment, Luke 17:31-35.
Luke 17:31-35 (NIV) (31) "On 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. (32) Remember Lot's wife! (33) Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. (34) I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. (35) Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."
3. The second question posed by the Pharisees, Luke 17:37. Luke 17:37a (NIV) (37a) "Where, Lord?" they asked. 4. The cryptic answer from the Lord, Luke 17:37b Luke 17:37b (NIV) (37b) He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather." This verse is a very difficult one to understand. Sometimes people ask a question, the answer to which is irrelevant to the real issue. This might be the case here. The particular geographic location is not as important as the outcome of the judgment from which no guilty party will escape. The awfulness of that day is described in Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-6. We get the idea of what that day of the Lord's return in judgment will be like from the following select verses: Revelation 19:11,14,17-18 (NIV) (11) I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. . . (14) The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. . .(17) And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, (18) so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." Revelation 20:1-3 (NIV) (1) And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. (2)He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. (3) He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. To be like Jesus. . . A. We must understand that no one sins unto themselves and we are responsible for our influence upon others, especially upon children. Anyone who leads a young person into sin by direct act or example will be judged harshly by the Lord. B. We must be willing to forgive whenever forgiveness is sought with repentance. Just as Jesus' forgiveness is limitless, so ours should be. C. We must by word and example teach others that it is not great faith that "moves mountains." It is the exercise of it whether great or small. We are not to wait until we have "enough" faith to believe in God's ability to help us; we are to give Him the faith we have, and God increases it as we see God faithful in His meeting of our needs. D. We must understand that the works of God for us are meant to be bring praise to His name. Our testimonies of God's grace and help towards us is the primary means of introducing God to the world. To silently accept the grace of God's help is to show ingratitude. E. We must not be so concerned about the times, seasons, or location of God's coming judgment as we are to be ready for it. It will be sudden, it will be complete, and it will be final. But the invitation to enter the kingdom of God is now, at this moment. | 
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