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Chapter 17

Temptations to Sin. (A)He said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard![a] If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.(B) And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.”(C)

Saying of Faith. And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to [this] mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.(D)

Attitude of a Servant.[b] “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

The Cleansing of Ten Lepers.[c] 11 As he continued his journey to Jerusalem,(E) he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.[d] 12 As he was entering a village, ten lepers met [him]. They stood at a distance from him 13 and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”(F) 14 And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”[e] As they were going they were cleansed.(G) 15 And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; 16 and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? 18 Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 19 Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”(H)

The Coming of the Kingdom of God. 20 [f]Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he said in reply, “The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed,(I) 21 [g]and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’(J) For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.”

The Day of the Son of Man. 22 Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ [or] ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.(K) 24 For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be [in his day].(L) 25 But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.(M) 26 As it was in the days of Noah,(N) so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; 27 they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 (O)Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; 29 on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. 30 So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 (P)On that day, a person who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise a person in the field must not return to what was left behind.(Q) 32 Remember the wife of Lot. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.(R) 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. 35 (S)And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” [36 ][h] 37 They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”(T)

Footnotes

  1. 17:3 Be on your guard: the translation takes Lk 17:3a as the conclusion to the saying on scandal in Lk 17:1–2. It is not impossible that it should be taken as the beginning of the saying on forgiveness in Lk 17:3b–4.
  2. 17:7–10 These sayings of Jesus, peculiar to Luke, which continue his response to the apostles’ request to increase their faith (Lk 17:5–6), remind them that Christian disciples can make no claim on God’s graciousness; in fulfilling the exacting demands of discipleship, they are only doing their duty.
  3. 17:11–19 This incident recounting the thankfulness of the cleansed Samaritan leper is narrated only in Luke’s gospel and provides an instance of Jesus holding up a non-Jew (Lk 17:18) as an example to his Jewish contemporaries (cf. Lk 10:33 where a similar purpose is achieved in the story of the good Samaritan). Moreover, it is the faith in Jesus manifested by the foreigner that has brought him salvation (Lk 17:19; cf. the similar relationship between faith and salvation in Lk 7:50; 8:48, 50).
  4. 17:11 Through Samaria and Galilee: or, “between Samaria and Galilee.”
  5. 17:14 See note on Lk 5:14.
  6. 17:20–37 To the question of the Pharisees about the time of the coming of God’s kingdom, Jesus replies that the kingdom is among you (Lk 17:20–21). The emphasis has thus been shifted from an imminent observable coming of the kingdom to something that is already present in Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry. Luke has also appended further traditional sayings of Jesus about the unpredictable suddenness of the day of the Son of Man, and assures his readers that in spite of the delay of that day (Lk 12:45), it will bring judgment unexpectedly on those who do not continue to be vigilant.
  7. 17:21 Among you: the Greek preposition translated as among can also be translated as “within.” In the light of other statements in Luke’s gospel about the presence of the kingdom (see Lk 10:9, 11; 11:20) “among” is to be preferred.
  8. 17:36 The inclusion of Lk 17:36, “There will be two men in the field; one will be taken, the other left behind,” in some Western manuscripts appears to be a scribal assimilation to Mt 24:40.

Some Sayings of Jesus

17 Jesus[a] said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple[b] sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a[c] mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus[d] was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers[e] approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’[f] feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

The Coming of the Kingdom

20 Once Jesus[g] was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among[h] you.”

22 Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 They will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.[i] 25 But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them 30 —it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.”[j] 37 Then they asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 17:1 Gk He
  2. Luke 17:3 Gk your brother
  3. Luke 17:6 Gk faith as a grain of
  4. Luke 17:11 Gk he
  5. Luke 17:12 The terms leper and leprosy can refer to several diseases
  6. Luke 17:16 Gk his
  7. Luke 17:20 Gk he
  8. Luke 17:21 Or within
  9. Luke 17:24 Other ancient authorities lack in his day
  10. Luke 17:35 Other ancient authorities add verse 36, “Two will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.”

Sin(A)

17 Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that make people fall into sin are bound to happen, but how terrible for the one who makes them happen! It would be better for him if a large millstone were tied around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. (B)So watch what you do!

“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in one day, and each time he comes to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Faith

The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith greater.”

The Lord answered, “If you had faith as big as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself up by the roots and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you.

A Servant's Duty

“Suppose one of you has a servant who is plowing or looking after the sheep. When he comes in from the field, do you tell him to hurry along and eat his meal? Of course not! Instead, you say to him, ‘Get my supper ready, then put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may have your meal.’ The servant does not deserve thanks for obeying orders, does he? 10 It is the same with you; when you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Jesus Heals Ten Men

11 As Jesus made his way to Jerusalem, he went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 He was going into a village when he was met by ten men suffering from a dreaded skin disease. They stood at a distance 13 and shouted, “Jesus! Master! Have pity on us!”

14 (C)Jesus saw them and said to them, “Go and let the priests examine you.”

On the way they were made clean.[a] 15 When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself to the ground at Jesus' feet and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus spoke up, “There were ten who were healed; where are the other nine? 18 Why is this foreigner the only one who came back to give thanks to God?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Get up and go; your faith has made you well.”

The Coming of the Kingdom(D)

20 Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. His answer was, “The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. 21 No one will say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’; because the Kingdom of God is within you.”[b]

22 Then he said to the disciples, “The time will come when you will wish you could see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, over there!’ or, ‘Look, over here!’ But don't go out looking for it. 24 As the lightning flashes across the sky and lights it up from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer much and be rejected by the people of this day. 26 (E)As it was in the time of Noah so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 (F)Everybody kept on eating and drinking, and men and women married, up to the very day Noah went into the boat and the flood came and killed them all. 28 (G)It will be as it was in the time of Lot. Everybody kept on eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 On the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and killed them all. 30 That is how it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

31 (H)“On that day someone who is on the roof of a house must not go down into the house to get any belongings; in the same way anyone who is out in the field must not go back to the house. 32 (I)Remember Lot's wife! 33 (J)Those who try to save their own life will lose it; those who lose their life will save it. 34 On that night, I tell you, there will be two people sleeping in the same bed: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind. 35 Two women will be grinding meal together: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind.” 36 [c]

37 The disciples asked him, “Where, Lord?”

Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a dead body, the vultures will gather.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 17:14 See 5.12.
  2. Luke 17:21 within you; or among you, or will suddenly appear among you.
  3. Luke 17:36 Some manuscripts add verse 36: Two men will be working in a field: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind (see Mt 24.40).

Instructions

17 Now He said to His disciples, (A)It is inevitable that [a]stumbling blocks come, but woe to one through whom they come! (B)It is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and he [b]is thrown into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to [c]sin. [d]Be on your guard! (C)If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you (D)seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

(E)The apostles said to (F)the Lord, “Increase our faith!” But (G)the Lord said, “If you [e]had faith [f]the size of (H)a mustard seed, you could say to this (I)mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would [g]obey you.

“Now which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him after he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and recline at the table to eat’? On the contrary, will he not say to him, ‘(J)Prepare something for me to eat, and properly [h]clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and [i]afterward you [j]may eat and drink’? He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? 10 So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We are [k]unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”

Ten Men with Leprosy Healed

11 While He was (K)on the way to Jerusalem, (L)He was passing [l]between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as He entered a village, ten men with leprosy who (M)stood at a distance met Him; 13 and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, (N)Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When He saw them, He said to them, (O)Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. 15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, (P)glorifying God with a loud voice, 16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a (Q)Samaritan. 17 But Jesus responded and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? 18 [m]Was no one found who returned to (R)give glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; (S)your faith has [n]made you well.”

Second Coming Foretold

20 Now He was questioned by the Pharisees (T)as to when the kingdom of God was coming, and He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with [o](U)signs that can be observed; 21 nor will (V)they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is [p]in your midst.”

22 And He said to the disciples, (W)The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 (X)And they will say to you, ‘Look there,’ or, ‘Look here!’ Do not leave, and do not run after them. 24 (Y)For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part [q]of the sky, shines to the other part [r]of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. 25 (Z)But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 (AA)And just as it happened (AB)in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man: 27 people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 [s]It was the same as happened in (AC)the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, and they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and [t]brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be [u]just the same on the day that the Son of Man (AD)is revealed. 31 On that day, the one who will be (AE)on the [v]housetop, [w]with his goods in the house, must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one in the field must not turn back. 32 (AF)Remember Lot’s wife. 33 (AG)Whoever strives to [x]save his [y]life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 (AH)There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 [[z](AI)Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] 37 And responding, they *said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, (AJ)Where the body is, there also the [aa]vultures will be gathered.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 17:1 Or temptations to sin
  2. Luke 17:2 Lit has been thrown (intensive)
  3. Luke 17:2 Or stumble
  4. Luke 17:3 Lit Take heed for yourselves
  5. Luke 17:6 Lit have
  6. Luke 17:6 Lit like
  7. Luke 17:6 Lit have obeyed
  8. Luke 17:8 Lit belt up
  9. Luke 17:8 Lit after these things
  10. Luke 17:8 Lit will
  11. Luke 17:10 I.e., possibly unworthy of praise
  12. Luke 17:11 Lit through the middle of
  13. Luke 17:18 Lit Were they not found who
  14. Luke 17:19 Or saved you
  15. Luke 17:20 Lit observation
  16. Luke 17:21 Or among you
  17. Luke 17:24 Lit under heaven; i.e., the lowest heaven, the sky
  18. Luke 17:24 Lit under heaven; i.e., the lowest heaven, the sky
  19. Luke 17:28 Lit In the same way as
  20. Luke 17:29 I.e., burning sulfur
  21. Luke 17:30 Lit according to the same things
  22. Luke 17:31 Housetops were flat living areas
  23. Luke 17:31 Lit and his
  24. Luke 17:33 Or secure
  25. Luke 17:33 Or soul
  26. Luke 17:36 Early mss do not contain this v
  27. Luke 17:37 Or eagles

Sin, Faith, Duty

17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble(A) are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.(B) It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones(C) to stumble.(D) So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister[a] sins against you, rebuke them;(E) and if they repent, forgive them.(F) Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”(G)

The apostles(H) said to the Lord,(I) “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,(J) you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.(K)

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me(L) while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will 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.’”(M)

Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem,(N) Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.(O) 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[b](P) met him. They stood at a distance(Q) 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master,(R) have pity on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”(S) And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God(T) in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.(U)

17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”(V)

The Coming of the Kingdom of God(W)

20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,(X) Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’(Y) because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”[c]

22 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,(Z) but you will not see it.(AA) 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.(AB) 24 For the Son of Man in his day[d] will be like the lightning,(AC) which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things(AD) and be rejected(AE) by this generation.(AF)

26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah,(AG) 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.

28 “It was the same in the days of Lot.(AH) 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.(AI) 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.(AJ) 32 Remember Lot’s wife!(AK) 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.(AL) 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.”(AM) [36] [e]

37 “Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”(AN)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 17:3 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman.
  2. Luke 17:12 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  3. Luke 17:21 Or is within you
  4. Luke 17:24 Some manuscripts do not have in his day.
  5. Luke 17:36 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Matt. 24:40.