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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.

Do All Which Jesus Commands

17 Now He said to His disciples, (A)It is [a]inevitable that [b]stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! (B)It [c]would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. [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,’ [e]forgive him.”

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

“But which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and [g]sit down to eat’? But will he not say to him, ‘(J)Prepare something for me to eat, and, [h]clothing yourself properly, serve me while I eat and drink; and [i]afterward you [j]may eat and drink’? Is he grateful to the slave because he did the things which were commanded? 10 In this way, you also, when you do all the things which are commanded of you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

11 And it happened that while He was (K)on the way to Jerusalem, (L)He was passing through Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as He entered a village, ten leprous men 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 it happened that 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 Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? 18 [k]Was there no one found who turned back to (R)give glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; (S)your faith has [l]saved you.”

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

The Coming of the Son of Man

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! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them. 24 (Y)For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part [n]of the sky, shines to the other part [o]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 was (AB)in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 [p]It was the same as in (AC)the days of Lot—they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and [q]brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be [r]just the same on the day that the Son of Man (AD)is revealed. 31 On that day, the one who is (AE)on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out, and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. 32 (AF)Remember Lot’s wife. 33 (AG)Whoever seeks to keep his [s]life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve 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 grain at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 [t][(AI)Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] 37 And answering they *said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, (AJ)Where the body is, there also the [u]vultures will be gathered.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 17:1 Lit impossible that stumbling blocks not come
  2. Luke 17:1 Or temptations to sin
  3. Luke 17:2 Lit is
  4. Luke 17:3 Lit Take heed to yourselves
  5. Luke 17:4 Lit you shall forgive
  6. Luke 17:6 Lit have obeyed
  7. Luke 17:7 Lit recline
  8. Luke 17:8 Lit gird
  9. Luke 17:8 Lit after these things
  10. Luke 17:8 Lit will
  11. Luke 17:18 Lit Were there not found those who
  12. Luke 17:19 Or made you well
  13. Luke 17:20 Lit observation
  14. Luke 17:24 Lit under heaven
  15. Luke 17:24 Lit under heaven
  16. Luke 17:28 Lit In the same way as
  17. Luke 17:29 Burning sulfur
  18. Luke 17:30 Lit according to the same things
  19. Luke 17:33 Or soul
  20. Luke 17:36 Early mss omit this v
  21. Luke 17:37 Or eagles

Jesus Warns of Offenses(A)

17 Then He said to the disciples, (B)“It is impossible that no [a]offenses should come, but (C)woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should [b]offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. (D)If your brother sins [c]against you, (E)rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns [d]to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

Faith and Duty(F)

And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

(G)So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself (H)and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded [e]him? I think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are (I)unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”

Ten Lepers Cleansed

11 Now it happened (J)as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, (K)who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 So when He saw them, He said to them, (L)“Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice (M)glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a (N)Samaritan.

17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 (O)And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

The Coming of the Kingdom(P)

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 (Q)nor will they say, [f]‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, (R)the kingdom of God is [g]within you.”

22 Then He said to the disciples, (S)“The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 (T)And they will say to you, [h]‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. 24 (U)For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 (V)But first He must suffer many things and be (W)rejected by this generation. 26 (X)And as it (Y)was in the (Z)days of (AA)Noah, so it will 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 (AB)day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and (AC)destroyed them all. 28 (AD)Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on (AE)the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man (AF)is revealed.

31 “In that day, he (AG)who is on the housetop, and his [i]goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 (AH)Remember Lot’s wife. 33 (AI)Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 (AJ)I tell you, in that night there will be two [j]men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 (AK)Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. 36 [k]Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”

37 And they answered and said to Him, (AL)“Where, Lord?”

So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 17:1 stumbling blocks
  2. Luke 17:2 cause one of these little ones to stumble
  3. Luke 17:3 NU omits against you
  4. Luke 17:4 M omits to you
  5. Luke 17:9 NU omits the rest of v. 9; M omits him
  6. Luke 17:21 NU reverses here and there
  7. Luke 17:21 in your midst
  8. Luke 17:23 NU reverses here and there
  9. Luke 17:31 possessions
  10. Luke 17:34 Or people
  11. Luke 17:36 NU, M omit v. 36.