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Scripture Reading: Luke 17:1-37
In this message we shall begin to consider chapter seventeen of the Gospel of Luke. This chapter continues to speak of matters that took place as the Lord Jesus was on the way from Galilee to Jerusalem. Concerning this, the record in Luke comprises much more than the record in Matthew and Mark. In those Gospels the record concerning the Lord’s going from Galilee to Jerusalem is somewhat brief; Luke’s account of this, however, is much more inclusive.
After speaking in chapter sixteen on riches, the Lord goes on in Luke 17:1-10 to cover four minor matters: stumbling others (vv. 1-2), forgiving others (vv. 3-4), faith (vv. 5-6), and realizing that we are unprofitable slaves (vv. 7-10). Regarding this last point, we need to realize that we are actually not very useful. This means that no matter how much we have done for the Lord, we need to consider ourselves unprofitable slaves.
I have spent much time wondering why these four points are inserted here immediately after chapter sixteen. At first I could not see any connection between them and the record in the previous chapter. Eventually, I saw that there is a connection, and this connection is that the four points in 17:1-10 are a teaching given by the Lord to the disciples because of what the Pharisees were doing. For instance, as religious hypocrites, the Pharisees often stumbled others. No one stumbles others more than a hypocritical religionist. Being false leaders in religion, the Pharisees were continually stumbling others. While they stumbled people on the one hand, they would not forgive them on the other hand. This means that even though they offended others, once they themselves were offended by someone, they would never forgive the one who offended them. Furthermore, these false leaders in religion did not have faith. If they had had faith, they would not have lived the way they did. Finally, the Pharisees were proud, viewing themselves as being very useful and profitable.
From this we can see that the teaching in 17:1-10 was given by the Lord over against the background provided by the Pharisees. In these verses the Lord seems to be telling His disciples, “Don’t be like the Pharisees, stumbling others and yet not forgiving those who offend them. The Pharisees are without faith and yet are proud of themselves, thinking that they are useful.”
As those who are enjoying the Lord in the New Testament jubilee, we should not stumble others. On the contrary, we should do our best to perfect, protect, and preserve others. Second, if we are offended by someone, we should always be ready and willing to forgive. Luke 17:3 and 4 say, “If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and turns to you seven times, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.” Here the Lord emphasizes the need to be willing to forgive. Furthermore, in any kind of circumstance or environment, we need to exercise our faith, believing in God and trusting Him for everything. Moreover, although we may be somewhat useful and profitable, weshould humble ourselves and not think of ourselves as being useful. On the contrary, we should always consider that we are unprofitable slaves.
In 17:7-10 we have the Lord’s teaching about service. In verses 7 through 9 He says, “Now which of you, having a slave who is plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, Come immediately and recline at the table? But will he not rather say to him, Prepare something that I may dine, and gird yourself and serve me until I eat and drink; and after this you shall eat and drink? Does he thank the slave because he did the things which were directed?” This indicates that the slave, after plowing or tending sheep, should not expect to be highly praised for his work. It is still necessary for him to go to the kitchen, prepare food for his master, and serve him so that he may be satisfied. After all this, the slave should realize that he is unprofitable. Therefore, the Lord concludes, “So also you, when you do all the things which you are directed, say, We are unprofitable slaves; we have done what we ought to have done” (v. 10). I appreciate the point the Lord makes in 17:7-10, for it strengthens us in our service.
In the church life, the church service, and the Lord’s ministry it is a very serious thing to offend others. Sometimes it seems that we can accomplish a great deal. Nevertheless, we may tear down more than we build up. This is the result of stumbling others.
When I was young I was given the following admonition: “Don’t do the Lord’s work in such a way that you build up one foot and then tear down a foot and a half.” According to this admonition, it is possible for us first to build up and then to tear down more than what we have built up. This is what some who are serving the Lord are doing. On the one hand, they have done much for the Lord; on the other hand, simultaneously they have torn down a great deal, even more than they have built up. We need to learn from this not to stumble others and thereby tear down what has been built up. We always need to be careful and cautious not to hurt others, not to offend others, and not to stumble others.
If we are offended by someone, we need to be ready and willing to forgive that one. Then we shall not have problems with others. However, on the one hand, some servants of the Lord stumble others, and, on the other hand, are easily offended by others. Therefore, they are always having problems with people. Either they stumble others, or they are offended by others. We should try not to stumble others, but always be ready and willing to forgive anyone who may offend us.
Do you know what it means to forgive? To forgive means not to be offended. According to the Lord’s word in 17:4, even if a brother sins against us seven times a day, we should always be ready to forgive him. As soon as we forgive someone, we shall not be offended by him. But if we do not forgive, we shall be offended. The point here is that forgiving annuls offending. If we do not forgive others, we shall be offended by them. But if we forgive them, we shall annul the offense.
Suppose a certain brother offends you, and you forgive him. Your forgiving of him will annul his offending of you. Then there will be no problem between you. However, suppose this brother offends you, and you are not willing to forgive him and forget the offense. This will cause trouble, especially to you, for you will become entangled as the result of being offended. Hence, we should avoid stumbling others, and we should also avoid being offended by others. We should always be careful and cautious not to offend others. At the same time, we should always be willing to forgive others.
In addition to being careful not to offend and being ready to forgive, we need to exercise faith in God under all kinds of circumstances. We need to believe that whatever happens to us is of God and that He is sovereign and is taking care of us.
As we exercise our faith in God, we need to do everything we can for Him. Yet we need to realize that we are not useful, that we are not profitable. Thus, we need to humble ourselves before the Lord with the attitude that we are not profitable servants. If we do these things, we shall be preserved in usefulness under the hand of the Lord.
In 17:11-19 we have the record of the Man-Savior’s cleansing ten lepers in Samaria. I believe that this was narrated by Luke in order to show the highest standard of morality in the Lord’s saving grace.
Luke 17:11-13 says, “And it came about as He was going to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten leprous men, who stood at a distance; and they raised their voice, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Instead of making any selection, the Lord immediately healed them all. Actually, He did not say to them, “Be healed!” He said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests. And it came about as they were going away, they were cleansed” (v. 14).
Only one of the ten — a Samaritan — remembered the One who had healed him and came back to say something to Him (vv. 15-16). The important point is that this record reveals the highest standard of morality in the Lord’s saving grace.
We know from chapter ten of the Gospel of Luke that while the Lord was on the way through Samaria, He was rejected in Samaria. The Lord must have realized that the majority of the ten lepers in 17:11-19 were Samaritans. If I had been the Lord, I might have said, “You Samaritans rejected Me and now you come to Me for cleansing. You must regret the wrong that you did to Me and apologize, and then I will heal you.” The Man-Savior, however, did not calculate matters in this way. On the contrary, He acted in the highest standard of morality to exercise His saving grace. As soon as the ten appealed to Him for mercy, He healed them all without preference. This displays His high standard of morality in His salvation.
In 17:20 we see that the Pharisees came to the Lord Jesus again. The troublesome Pharisees simply would not leave Him alone.
Luke 17:20 says, “And being questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God comes, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, Look, here! Or, There! For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.” The Lord’s answer to the question raised by the Pharisees concerning the kingdom of God indicates that the kingdom of God is not material but spiritual. It is the Savior in His first coming (vv. 21-22), in His second coming (vv. 23-30), in the rapture of His overcoming believers (vv. 31-36), and in His destroying of the Antichrist (v. 37) to recover the whole earth for His reign there (Rev. 11:15).
Verses 22 through 24 prove that the kingdom of God is the Savior Himself, who was among the Pharisees when He was asked by them regarding the kingdom. Wherever the Savior is, there is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is with Him, and He brings it to His disciples (v. 22). He is the seed of the kingdom of God to be sown into God’s chosen people to develop into God’s ruling realm. Since His resurrection, He is within His believers (John 14:20; Rom. 8:10). Hence, the kingdom of God is within the church today (Rom. 14:17).
In verse 21 the Lord said to the Pharisees, “Behold, the kingdom of God is among you.” The word “you” here refers to the questioning Pharisees (v. 20). The Savior as the kingdom of God was not within them; He was only among them.
When the Pharisees questioned the Lord about the coming of the kingdom of God, He answered that the kingdom of God does not come with observation. This means that the kingdom of God is not visible or observable. Rather, the kingdom of God is invisible; it is something that cannot be seen with physical eyes.
In the Lord’s answer to the Pharisees, there is a strong indication that the kingdom of God is actually the Savior Himself. The Lord seems to be saying to them, “You cannot see the kingdom of God, but right now it is among you. Although the kingdom of God is here now, you do not have the spiritual perception to see it. You need spiritual eyes to see spiritual things, to see the kingdom of God. Actually, this kingdom is a wonderful Person. With your physical eyes you can see the material existence of this Person. But you do not have spiritual sight to perceive His spiritual reality. The spiritual reality of this Person is actually the kingdom of God. Therefore, I say that the kingdom of God is now here among you. You, however, cannot perceive this spiritual reality.”
In verse 22 the Lord went on to say to His disciples, “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.” This indicates the Savior’s absence. During His absence, the world, having rejected Him, will be an evil generation, living in the indulgence of lust (vv. 23-30), and an opponent of His followers, persecuting them because of their testimony concerning Him (18:1-8). Hence, His followers need to overcome the stupefying effect of the world’s indulgent living by losing their soul life in this age (17:31-33) and deal with the world’s persecution by longsuffering and persistent prayer in faith (18:7-8), so that they may be raptured as overcomers to enter into the enjoyment of the kingdom of God at the Savior’s coming back (17:34-37).
