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Texts -- Luke 17:1-21 (NET)

Context
Sin, Forgiveness, Faith, and Service
17:1 Jesus said to his disciples , “Stumbling blocks are sure to come , but woe to the one through whom they come ! 17:2 It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 17:3 Watch yourselves ! If your brother sins , rebuke him . If he repents , forgive him . 17:4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day , and seven times returns to you saying , ‘I repent ,’ you must forgive him .” 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord , “Increase our faith !” 17:6 So the Lord replied , “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed , you could say to this black mulberry tree , ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea ,’ and it would obey you . 17:7 “Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep , ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal ’? 17:8 Won’t the master instead say to him , ‘Get my dinner ready , and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink . Then you may eat and drink ’? 17:9 He won’t thank the slave because he did what he was told , will he? 17:10 So you too , when you have done everything you were commanded to do , should say , ‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise; we have only done what was our duty .’”
The Grateful Leper
17:11 Now on the way to Jerusalem , Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee . 17:12 As he was entering a village , ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance , 17:13 raised their voices and said , “Jesus , Master , have mercy on us .” 17:14 When he saw them he said , “Go and show yourselves to the priests .” And as they went along , they were cleansed . 17:15 Then one of them , when he saw he was healed , turned back , praising God with a loud voice . 17:16 He fell with his face to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him . (Now he was a Samaritan .) 17:17 Then Jesus said , “Were not ten cleansed ? Where are the other nine ? 17:18 Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner ?” 17:19 Then he said to the man , “Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well .”
The Coming of the Kingdom
17:20 Now at one point the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming , so he answered , “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed , 17:21 nor will they say , ‘Look , here it is!’ or ‘There !’ For indeed , the kingdom of God is in your midst .”

Pericope

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Arts

Hymns

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  • [Luk 17:5] Eternal Power, Of Sea And Air!
  • [Luk 17:5] Give Me The Wings Of Faith
  • [Luk 17:5] Let Us Plead For Faith Alone
  • [Luk 17:5] Lord, Help Us Ever To Retain
  • [Luk 17:5] Lord, I Want To Be A Christian
  • [Luk 17:5] O, For A Faith That Will Not Shrink
  • [Luk 17:17] Where Are The Nine?
  • [Luk 17:21] A Little Kingdom I Possess
  • [Luk 17:21] The World Within

Questions

Sermon Illustrations

Premillennial View; Hebrews 11:1-6; Jesus Is King; All Forgivenesses Are Not Alike!

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • "In the overall structure of chapters 15-20 (more precisely 15:1-20:22), the literary unit describing the return of King David' (v. 11) to Jerusalem (vv. 9-43) parallels that depicting his flight (15:13-37) caused by Absalom'...
  • "The climax of David's reign, as portrayed by the Chronicler, has now been reached. All the preparations for building the temple have been completed, and Solomon, chosen by God as the one who shall bring the plans to fruition...
  • This section begins with God's promise to Cyrus (vv. 1-8; cf. Ps. 2: 110) and concludes with a vindication of God's right to use whom He will (vv. 9-13). The promise to Cyrus was, of course, for the benefit of the Israelites ...
  • 9:1 In his vision Ezekiel heard the Lord (cf. v. 4) cry out loudly for the executioners (guards), who would punish the people of Jerusalem, to draw near to Him with their weapons in hand. The Lord had predicted that the peopl...
  • The exorcism of an epileptic boy67817:14-21 (cf. Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43a)
    "The contrast between the glory of the Transfiguration and Jesus' disciples' tawdry unbelief (see v. 17) is part of the mounting tension that magnifies Jesus' uniqueness as he moves closer to his passion and resurrection."679...
  • Jesus proceeded to explain what a humble disciple should do when a brother or sister disciple has wandered from the Shepherd and the sheep.18:15 By using the term "brother"Jesus encouraged a humble approach. The disciples sho...
  • From a discussion of discipline Jesus proceeded to stress the importance of forgiveness. Sometimes zealous disciples spend too much time studying church discipline and too little time studying the importance of forgiveness.18...
  • This pericope evidently describes one incident during the Galilean preaching tour just summarized. It provides a striking example of Jesus' supernatural power. This is only one of two healings of lepers that the Gospels recor...
  • Though Mark did not record it, Jesus gave His disciples much additional instruction as they travelled from Capernaum in Galilee toward Jerusalem (cf. Matt. 8:19-22; 18:15-35; Luke 9:51-18:14; John 7:2-11:54). Evidently Jesus ...
  • This is the third part of the incident centering on the cleansing of the temple (cf. vv. 12-14).11:20-21 This event happened on Wednesday morning. "Withered from the roots"means that death was spreading through the tree begin...
  • I. Introduction 1:1-4II. The birth and childhood of Jesus 1:5-2:52A. The announcement of John the Baptist's birth 1:5-251. The introduction of John's parents 1:5-72. The angel's announcement to Zechariah 1:8-233. The pregnanc...
  • There is great theological significance in this familiar passage. It comes through mainly in the angel's words and in the symbolism of what happened."In 2:8-14 we have a third annunciation scene, which follows the same patter...
  • Luke documented Jesus' authority in yet another area of life by showing His power to forgive sins. In this incident the miracle is secondary and the issue of Jesus' authority is primary. Jesus claimed to be God by forgiving t...
  • This miracle raised the popular appreciation of Jesus' authority to new heights. Luke also continued to stress Jesus' compassion for people, in this case a widow whose son had died, by including this incident in his Gospel. T...
  • This incident, appearing only in Luke's Gospel, illustrates the truth just expressed in verse 35. Here is a case in point of what Jesus had just described happening (v. 34). Jesus reached out to a sinner only to receive criti...
  • In this last major section describing Jesus' ministry in and around Galilee (4:14-9:50), Luke stressed Jesus' preparation of His disciples for the opposition that lay before them. This was the climax of Jesus' ministry in Gal...
  • This event is the climax of the "identity of Jesus"motif in all the Synoptics. Here the disciples saw and heard who Jesus really was. Luke's particular emphasis was the sufferings of Jesus that were coming. This comes through...
  • This large section of the Book of Luke has no counterpart in the other Gospels, but some of the material in it occurs in other parts of the Gospels. The section consists largely of instruction that Jesus gave His disciples wi...
  • Teaching of the disciples continues as primary in this part of the third Gospel (9:51-19:10). Jesus' words to them at the beginning of the present section (12:1-13:17) broadened to include the crowds toward the end....
  • There are several thematic connections that tie this pericope with what has preceded and show its role in the development of Luke's argument. Jesus had just called the nation to repentance (vv. 3, 5). Now He showed that chang...
  • 17:1-2 The introductory "and"(dein the Greek text, untranslated in the NIV) indicates a logical connection with what has preceded. It is inevitable that disciples retard the spiritual progress of others occasionally because n...
  • 17:5 Luke referred to the Twelve as apostles here probably to highlight the importance of this teaching for disciple leaders. Evidently the apostles concluded that such a magnanimous approach to forgiving would require more f...
  • 17:7-9 Jesus told this parable to teach His disciples that warning sinning disciples and forgiving those who sinned and repented was only their duty. It was not something for which they should expect a reward from God. The Ph...
  • Luke's narration of this miracle focuses on the response of the Samaritan whom Jesus healed. It is not so much a story that he intended to show Jesus' divine identity, though it does that. It is rather another lesson for the ...
  • Again an action by the Pharisees led to a brief answer from Jesus followed by a longer explanation for the disciples (cf. 15:1-16:13; 16:14-17:19). Luke's conclusion of Jesus' teaching on this occasion included a parable (18:...
  • Luke next developed the idea of faith on the earth that Jesus introduced in verse 8. This whole section clarifies how people become believers. This subject is a fitting conclusion to the part of Luke's Gospel that deals with ...
  • Jesus' passion announcements to His disciples constitute important structural markers in Mark's Gospel. Luke and Matthew did not use them this way. The incident before us was the third passion announcement that Jesus gave bes...
  • Luke's primary purpose for including this incident in his narrative seems to have been to show that God, through Jesus, can give insight to those who humbly call on Him for mercy. Here was another humble outcast similar to th...
  • This section in Luke's long narrative of Jesus' ministry as He travelled to Jerusalem (9:51-19:27) is climactic. It is a choice example of Jesus offering salvation to a needy person. Zaccheus accepted Jesus' offer and respond...
  • This parable serves in Luke's narrative as a conclusion to the section on salvation's recipients (18:9-19:27). It provides something of a denouement(i.e., a final unravelling of the plot) following the excellent example of Za...
  • The emphasis in Luke's version of this important discourse concerning the future, the Olivet Discourse, is a warning and an encouragement to persevere. Jesus gave this teaching so His disciples would be ready for the coming o...
  • Luke omitted Jesus' warnings about false prophets that Matthew and Mark recorded (Matt. 24:23-28; Mark 13:21-23). Perhaps he did this because he had included similar warnings in his account of Jesus' earlier teachings (17:21-...
  • Alford, Henry. The Greek Testament. New ed. 4 vols. London: Rivingtons, 1880.Bailey, Kenneth E. Poet and Peasant: A Literary-Cultural Approach to the Parables in Luke. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977.Bishop...
  • Luke recorded Paul's vision of the Macedonian man to explain God's initiative in encouraging Paul and his companions to carry the gospel farther west into Europe.". . . this section [6:6-10] makes it overwhelmingly clear that...
  • In these first three verses Paul showed that love is superior to the spiritual gifts he listed in chapter 12."It is hard to escape the implication that what is involved here are two opposing views as to what it means to be sp...
  • "Particularly apparent here is Paul's sensitivity as a pastor: He avoids naming the culprit (vv. 5-8); he recognizes that Christian discipline is not simply retributive but also remedial (vv. 6, 7); he understands the feeling...
  • "The previous paragraph [2:1-10] has been a challenge to the several groups in the Cretan churches to accept the specifically Christian pattern of behavior. Its presuppositions may at first sight seem prosaically humdrum and ...
  • We could summarize the message of this epistle in the following words. We will only realize our full eternal reward as believers if we appreciate the greatness of Jesus Christ and continue to trust God rather than turning awa...
  • 1:13 "Therefore"ties in with everything Peter had explained thus far (vv. 3-12). He said in effect, Now that you have focused your thinking positively you need to roll up your sleeves mentally and adopt some attitudes that wi...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Doth He thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. 10. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done t...
  • And it came to pass, as He went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12. And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13. And they l...
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