Lucas 17
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 17
Spurgeon - Do you say, “That is too many times in a day to forgive him”? Let me ask,-“ How many times in a day have you sinned? How many times in a day does God forgive you?” Ah! the seven times a day that you have to forgive your brother are but a small number compared with the innumerable forgivenesses granted to you by our ever-gracious God....Perhaps someone remarks, “It looks as if he would do nothing else but keep on sinning and repenting.” Well, suppose he does so, that is precisely what you are doing, except that you do not go often repent when you sin. So, possibly, the offender is rather better than you are, after all, and if God is gentle in his dealings with you, you may well be gentle in your dealings with your neighbor. (Luke 17 - exposition) Note that forgive is in the active voice which means that the subject (you or I) is the one initiating this action (forgiveness). The active voice signifies that it is a volitional choice, that you are making a choice of your will to forgive. Now I might add at this point, since it is not our "natural" inclination to forgive, a forgiving attitude in our hearts is best stimulated supernaturally by the Holy Spirit energizing us giving us the desire to forgive and the power to carry through with forgiving (cf Php 2:13NLT+). So yes, Biblical forgiveness is a decision (volitional choice) of one's will and is not a feeling. It is a decision optimally carried out by a man or woman who is filled with (controlled by, empowered by) the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18+). Our old man (cf the flesh) is inherently selfish and not even able to genuinely forgive from the heart! The idea of forgiveness is to dismiss a case from court, to let go, to "drop the ax" (and "bury the hatchet" and not leave the handle visible!), to release from a debt (if they have sinned against us they have a "sin debt"). The best way to dismiss a case from court is to allow the Spirit to "serve as Judge" so to speak. Then enabled by the Spirit you can choose to let the matter drop and you can sincerely promise not to bring it up against the person in the future. Biblical forgiveness does not say, “I forgive you but I never want to see your stinking face again!” That's the "genre" of forgiveness the lost, godless world gives, a forgiveness "empowered" by our "stinking flesh!" Biblical forgiveness opens the way to restore wounded relationships. Reconciliation is the goal of forgiveness. Paul also emphasizes the importance of followers of Christ manifesting an attitude of forgiveness... Ephesians 4:31,32+ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) from you, along with all malice. Be (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving (present tense see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to make this our habitual practice) each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Colossians 3:12,13+ So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Returns (1994) (epistrepho from epí = motion toward + strepho = twist, turn quite around or reverse) means to revert, to turn about, to turn around, to turn toward, to return. In this context it speaks of a physical change (they literally turn around and return) and a moral change (they have a change of mind). Friberg - (1) intransitively, active and middle with aorist passive; (a) literally, of physical movement - turn around, turn (about) (Jn 21.20); return, turn back (Acts 15.36); (b) figuratively, of religious or moral change -- change one's ways, repent (Mk 4.12 ); of a change of mind or course of action come to believe again in, turn back to, return to (Lk 17.4; Gal 4.9); (2) transitively, of religious or moral change turn, bring back, cause to change (Jas 5.19, 20) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Epistrepho - 35v - back(2), back*(3), return(6), returned(3), returns(2), take back(1), turn(8), turn back(1), turned(6), turned again(1), turned around(1), turning(2), turning around(2), turns(2), turns...back(1). Matt. 10:13; Matt. 12:44; Matt. 13:15; Matt. 24:18; Mk. 4:12; Mk. 5:30; Mk. 8:33; Mk. 13:16; Lk. 1:16; Lk. 1:17; Lk. 2:39; Lk. 8:55; Lk. 17:4; Lk. 17:31; Lk. 22:32; Jn. 21:20; Acts 3:19; Acts 9:35; Acts 9:40; Acts 11:21; Acts 14:15; Acts 15:19; Acts 15:36; Acts 16:18; Acts 26:18; Acts 26:20; Acts 28:27; 2 Co. 3:16; Gal. 4:9; 1 Thess. 1:9; Jas. 5:19; Jas. 5:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; 2 Pet. 2:22; Rev. 1:12 Forgiving Clubs Read: Luke 17:1-10 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and . . . returns to you, saying, "I repent," you shall forgive him. —Luke 17:4 If you play golf, you know how important it is to hit the ball at just the right spot on the club face. The newest clubs, however, are more forgiving. The metal-head woods, the featherweight clubs, and the hollowback irons have expanded what is often referred to as the “sweet spot” on the club. Now it is possible to hit the ball on the heel or the toe of the club and still get good distance. The idea of a golf club that has a large and forgiving “sweet spot” reminds me of how Christians should respond to one another. Instead of being like the old, unforgiving club that required near-perfect performance, we should be like the new clubs that are generous with the faults of the golfer. We should have a large “sweet spot” that provides plenty of room to forgive any repentant brother or sister in Christ (Lk. 17:4). Forgiveness—it's a gift from God That we should spread around; So give it to repentant ones Wherever they are found. —JDB We can stop forgiving others only if Christ stops forgiving us. Steven
Lucas 17
Spurgeon - For this kind of patient forgiving seemed too much for them, unless they had a larger stock of faith; and therein they were right. Strength of faith gives strength of love, and strength of love makes forgiveness easy....They seemed so struck with the severity of this command that they asked for more faith that they might be able to obey it. And, dear friends, that is always the best thing to do. Do not refuse obedience to the Lord’s precept, but say, “Lord, increase my faith that I may be able to obey it. It can be done, or else thou wouldst not have given me the command. I cannot do it as I am without an increase of strength, therefore, as faith is the medium by which strength is received, Lord, increase my faith.” (Luke 17 - exposition) Norman Crawford - They are not asking for initial faith in Christ but for a working faith in which to serve Him acceptably. Faith is a very small thing and the size of it is far less important than its object. It never stands alone and has value only in the degree that its object has value. Strong faith in an unreliable person produces nothing but disappointment. But faith in Christ and His promises can never lead to disappointment because He said: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matt 24:35). Only twice did the Lord credit a person with "great faith". The first was when the Syrophenician woman took the lowest place (Matt 15:28), and the second was when the centurion gave to the Lord Jesus the highest place (Luke 7:9), so great faith cannot be determined by worldly standards of greatness. (What the Bible teaches – Luke) Mattoon - Faith is not measured by its bigness or by its smallness. What is needed in us is a living, active faith or a faith that is in the Lord Himself and in His indwelling Holy Spirit. (Treasures from the Scriptures) Apostles (652)(apostolos from verb apostello - from apo = from + stello = withdraw from) means a sending forth, sending off, sending away, a dispatching. In secular Greek it was used of an expedition. The related noun apostolos was a technical word designating an individual sent from someone else with the sender's commission, the necessary credentials, the sender's authority and the implicit responsibility to accomplish a mission or assignment. In a word an apostle is a "sent one!" See discussion of apostles in note on Luke 6:13. All of Luke's uses of apostolos - Lk. 6:13-note; Lk. 9:10; Lk. 11:49; Lk. 17:5; Lk. 22:14; Lk. 24:10; Acts 1:2; Acts 1:26; Acts 2:37; Acts 2:42; Acts 2:43; Acts 4:33; Acts 4:35; Acts 4:36; Acts 4:37; Acts 5:2; Acts 5:12; Acts 5:18; Acts 5:29; Acts 5:40; Acts 6:6; Acts 8:1; Acts 8:14; Acts 8:18; Acts 9:27; Acts 11:1; Acts 14:4; Acts 14:14; Acts 15:2; Acts 15:4; Acts 15:6; Acts 15:22; Acts 15:23; Acts 16:4 Related Resources: All From Gotquestions... Luke 6:13-16 Who were the twelve (12) disciples / apostles of Jesus Christ? Does the Bible record the death of the apostles? How did each of the apostles die? Who were the 70 (or 72) disciples in Luke 10? Was Matthias or Paul God's choice to replace Judas as the 12th apostle? What is an apostle? What are the biblical qualifications for apostleship? Lord (master, owner)(2962)(kurios from kuros = might or power, related to kuroo = to give authority) primarily means the possessor, owner, master, the supreme one, one who is sovereign and possesses absolute authority, absolute ownership and uncontested power. Kurios is used of the one to whom a person or thing belonged, over which he has the power of deciding, the one who is the master or disposer of a thing (Mk 7:28). lord, Lord, master—1. generally—a. owner, master Mt 6:24; 20:8; 24:48; Lk 12:46; 19:33; Jn 13:16; Ro 14:4; Gal 4:1; lord, master, one who has full control of something Mt 9:38; Mk 2:28.—b. as a respectful designation used in addressing persons of varying social or political rank, often equivalent to our sir Mt 27:63; Jn 12:21; Ac 16:30; Rev 7:14. (My) master 1 Pe 3:6.—2. in specialized usage—a. as a designation of God Mt 5:33; Mk 12:29f; Lk 1:11, 15, 17, 32; 2:15, 22; Ac 7:31; 1 Ti 6:15; Heb 8:2; Jas 1:7; 2 Pet 2:9.—b. as a designation of the Roman emperor Ac 25:26.—c. as a designation of Jesus Christ, with emphasis on His authority and frequently in contrast to doulos. Because of the editorial interests of the Evangelists it is difficult to determine the precise level of social recognition or status awareness in reported dialogue. Mt 20:31; Mk 11:3; Lk 7:13; 10:1, 39, 41; Jn 20:18, 20, 28; Ac 2:36; 9:10f, 42; 10:36; Ro 1:4; 10:9; 12:11; 16:12; 1 Cor 4:17; 6:13f, 17; 11:23; Eph 6:8; Col 1:10; Philemon 25; Heb 2:3; 7:14; 1 Pe 1:3; 2 Pe 1:2; Rev 22:20.—d. In some passages it is not clear whether God or Christ is meant, e.g. 1 Cor 4:19; 7:17; 2 Cor 8:21; 1 Th 4:6; 2 Th 3:16.—e. as designation of a divine messenger Ac 10:4.—f. in general of beings or persons who elicit devotion appropriate to deity (deities) 1 Cor 8:5. Increase (aorist imperative = Do it now!)(4369)(prostithemi from from prós = to or besides + títhēmi = to put) means to set, add, put, lay unto or with something. It involves increasing the substance rather than adding a new substance. Friberg summaries prostithemi - (1) put to, add to; (a) as adding to what is already present (Mt 6.27); (b) as uniting people into a society already existing (Acts 2.41); (c) passive, as a Hebraism of one joining his forefathers through death be buried with, be laid away with, be gathered to (Acts 13.36); (2) provide, give, grant (Mt 6.33; Lk 17.5); (3) as a Hebraism denoting continuation or repetition when followed by an infinitive, literally add to do something, i.e. do again, do further (Lk 19.11); (4) as a Hebraism followed by an infinitive to mark an event that immediately follows proceed to do (Acts 12.3) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Gilbrant - Classical Greek As a compound of the preposition pros and the verb tithēmi, prostithēmi has a diversity of meaning in classical usage depending upon the context. It can mean “give besides, to hand over, to impose upon, to add,” and several others. Prostithēmi is widely used in classical literature. In the Septuagint prostithēmi is used to indicate giving birth (Ge 4:2, one being “added to” the family) and dying (Ge 25:8, being “added to” one’s ancestors). There are many more obvious usages of adding something, such as men being added to a society, or God adding to their afflictions (cf Lev 26:18,21-note), etc. It also indicates something being done again (Ex 10:28; 11:6), i.e., in “addition to” the original. Apparently because of its connection with dying, it is occasionally used to indicate perishing or being destroyed (1 Samuel 26:10; 27:1). New Testament usage seems to be more concise than Septuagint usage, with prostithēmi being used primarily to indicate literally being added to (Matthew 6:27: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” NIV). Its use to indicate something being done again is also quite prominent (Luke 20:11,12; cf. 19:11). In the Parable of the Vineyard Jesus recounts how the owner repeatedly sent his servants to collect his rent. Several times in the Book of Acts, Luke used the Septuagint terminology of men being added to or included into a society (Acts 2:41,47), and in 13:36 he made use of the very common Septuagint meaning of dying when speaking of David’s death. The idea of provision is found in Matthew 6:33 and Luke 12:31. (Complete Biblical Library) Prostithemi - 18x in 18v - add(2), added(6), adding(1), brought(1), further be spoken(1), increase(1), laid(1), more will be given...besides(1), proceeded(3), went(1). (Matthew 6:27) "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:33) "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Mark 4:24) And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. (Luke 3:20) Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison. (Luke 12:25) "And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? (Luke 12:31) "But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. (Luke 17:5) The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" (Luke 19:11) While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. (Luke 20:11) "And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. (Luke 20:12) "And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out. (Acts 2:41) So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:47) praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 5:14) And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, (Acts 11:24) for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. (Acts 12:3) When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. (Acts 13:36) "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; (Galatians 3:19) Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. (Hebrews 12:19) and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. Prostithemi 304x in 292v - Gen. 4:2,12; 8:12,21; 18:29; 25:1,8,17; 30:24; 35:29; 37:8; 38:5,26; 44:23; 49:29,33; Ex. 1:10; 5:7; 8:29; 9:28,34; 10:28; 11:6; 14:13; 23:2; 30:15; Lev. 5:16; 6:5; 19:14; 22:14; 26:18,21; 27:13,15,19,27,31; Num. 5:7; 11:25; 16:39; 18:2,4; 20:24,26; 22:15,19,25-26; 27:13; 31:2; 32:14-15; 36:3-4; Deut. 1:11; 3:26; 4:2; 5:22,25; 12:32; 13:4,11; 17:16; 18:16; 19:9,20; 20:8; 23:15; 25:3; 28:68; 32:50; Jos. 7:12; 14:8-9; 23:12-13; Jdg. 2:3,10,21; 3:12; 4:1; 8:28; 9:37; 10:6,13; 11:14; 13:1,21; 18:25; 20:22-23,28; Ruth 1:17; 1 Sam. 3:6,8,17,21; 7:13; 9:8; 12:19,25; 14:44; 15:6,35; 18:29; 19:8,21; 20:13,17; 23:4; 25:22; 26:10; 27:1,4; 2 Sam. 2:22,28; 3:9,35; 5:22; 7:10,20; 12:8; 14:10; 18:22; 19:13; 24:1,3,25; 1 Ki. 2:23; 10:7; 12:11,14; 16:33; 19:2; 20:10; 2 Ki. 1:11,13; 6:23,31; 19:30; 20:6; 21:8; 22:20; 24:7; 1 Chr. 14:13; 17:9,18; 21:3; 22:14; 2 Chr. 9:6; 10:11,14; 15:9; 28:13,22; 33:8; 34:28; Ezr. 10:10; Neh. 13:18; Est. 8:3; 9:27; Job 13:9; 20:9; 27:1,19; 29:1,22; 32:13; 34:32,37; 36:1; 40:5; Ps. 10:18; 41:8; 61:6; 62:10; 69:26-27; 71:14; 77:7; 78:17; 89:22; 115:14; 120:3; Prov. 3:2; 9:9,11,18; 10:22,27; 19:4,19; 30:6; Eccl. 1:16,18; 2:9,26; 3:14; Isa. 1:5,13; 7:10; 8:5; 10:20; 11:11; 14:1; 23:12; 26:15; 29:14; 30:1; 38:5; 47:1; 50:4; 51:22; 52:1; Jer. 36:32; 45:3; Lam. 4:15-16,22; Ezek. 23:14; 36:12; 37:16; Dan. 4:36; 6:28; 10:18; 11:34; Hos. 1:6; 9:15; 13:2; Joel 2:2; Amos 3:15; 5:2; 7:8,13; 8:2; Jon. 2:4; Nah. 1:15; Zeph. 3:11; Zech. 14:17; Faith (4102)(pistis cf pistos = adjective, pisteuo = verb) is synonymous with trust or belief and is the conviction of the truth of anything. As pistis relates to God, it is the conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things well as the Provider and Bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. As faith relates to Christ it represents a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Stated another way, eternal salvation comes only through belief in Jesus Christ and no other way. Pistos in Luke and Acts - Lk. 5:20; Lk. 7:9; Lk. 7:50; Lk. 8:25; Lk. 8:48; Lk. 17:5; Lk. 17:6; Lk. 17:19; Lk. 18:8; Lk. 18:42; Lk. 22:32; Acts 3:16; Acts 6:5; Acts 6:7; Acts 11:24; Acts 13:8; Acts 14:9; Acts 14:22; Acts 14:27; Acts 15:9; Acts 16:5; Acts 17:31; Acts 20:21; Acts 24:24; Acts 26:18; Crisis Of Faith Read: Luke 17:1-6 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." —Luke 17:5 Millions of people are afraid to travel by air. Many of them know very well what the statistics say—that they are safer in an airplane than in the family car, or even in the bathtub. But that doesn’t matter. Researchers say that a conscious fear of crashing is usually not the problem. The real root of their anxiety is the fear that they will lose control of their lives once they leave the ground. A similar crisis of faith may occur when a person puts himself in the care of God. He too is carried a long way from what the world considers “solid ground.” Trusting an invisible Lord can be frightening, especially for a new Christian. If you would know the power of God, Just take Him at His Word; Be not dismayed if faith is small, But trust "Thus saith the Lord." —D. De Haan A little faith can dispel big fears. John
Lucas 17
Spurgeon on inevitable - We are so strangely made that even good men do not always agree, and there are so many bad men about that they will cast a stumbling-block in our way if they can....Since the fall, we are so constituted that there are sure to be differences and disputes. It is a great mercy when men dwell together in unity. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is.” It is a work of grace; but nature has its lustings, and lustings lead to strivings; And so, as long as the world is as it now is, “it is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come.” Let us not, therefore, be either offence givers or offence takers. When anyone offends us, let us say, “It is impossible but that offences will come,” and let us make light of it; and let us be very careful that we do not cause others to offend. (Luke 17 - exposition) Allen's paraphrase is not bad because as he states the idea of the Greek word in the NT predominantly is that of a "lure" which causes a person to fall into sin. Thus he paraphrases it "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!" Allen goes on to suggest some of these "stumbling blocks" - "The harsh word, the thoughtless deed, the frivolous remark-these injurious facets of human relations are inevitable. But that does not lessen the seriousness of the deed nor the responsibility of the offender." (Broadman Bible Commentary) Steven
Lucas 17
Spurgeon - To do grievous damage to the soul of the very least of Christ’s people, is a great and ruinous sin; nothing can be worse. God grant that we may not do this even inadvertently! Let not the strong indulge in that which would be unsafe for the weak, lest the weak be led into sin through that which the strong brother might find lawful, but which certainly would not be expedient. May none of us ever willfully grieve any child of God! (Luke 17 - exposition)
Lucas 17
Spurgeon - Now, if faith as a grain of mustard seed can do this, what cannot strong faith do? What a mercy it is for us that there is so much power in such little faith! A very small piece of dynamite can work great wonders; and within the tiniest morsel of faith, if it be no bigger than a grain of mustard seed, there lies concealed almost omnipotent force. Why do we not exercise that faith more? Nothing is impossible to him that believeth. We could blast the very strongholds of Satan with this powerful powder if we would but try it.....Meaning that anything and everything should be possible to our faith; but we need much more of it than the most of us have. Remember how holy Bernard says, “If thou hast a hard task, ask God to give thee a hard resolution.” The diamond is difficult to cut, but it can be cut if you can find something harder. So, if there be a very difficult task set us, if we get faith that is more than equal to it, it will be accomplished. “With God all things are possible,” which means not only that God can do all things, but that we also can do all things when God is with us. (Luke 17 - exposition) You would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you - The KJV has "sycamine tree." In a parallel passage in Mt 17:20 Jesus substituted "mountain" for mulberry, but His point was the same that little faith in a big God can accomplish big things for God and it is God Who gets ALL the glory! Jesus describes two successive commands, both aorist imperative and passive voice (this is divine passive = indicates God is to perform the act). The "obedience" of the mulberry tree to these commands of course is a figurative description of what small faith in a big God can accomplish. TECHNICAL NOTE - Mulberry tree (Greek sykaminos) - Most likely either a white or more likely a black mulberry tree is a deciduous fruit tree that grows about 20 ft (6 m) tall and has black juicy berries. It designates a large tree whose roots were very strong and was not to be planted within 37 feet of a cistern. The major point is that this tree has an extensive root system, so pulling it up would be a major operation. In fact the roots were regarded as so strong that it was virtually impossible to uproot. But not impossible for God and for the one who taps into His great power with even a little faith!
Lucas 17
Spurgeon says "“Mark you, he was not laying down the way of salvation, but pointing out a path of service for those who were already saved.” (Luke 17 - exposition)
Lucas 17
Spurgeon - This world is the place of service; we are not to be expecting to have the festival here. The great supper comes at the end of the day. This is the time for us to serve, even as Jesus did when he was here; and we are to serve right on till the close of the day, even as Jesus did......See, brethren, our position as believers; we are here as servants. It is not the time for feasting yet. Whatever work we have done, even if it is getting towards the evening of our life’s day, we must not think of sitting down yet, and expecting our Master to wait upon us. No, we must go on with our service, and reckon it to be our highest privilege still to gird ourselves, and wait on him. This is not the place of resting or of feasting; this is the day of our holy servitude. Let us work on, ploughing while we have strength for it; and when the sun goes down at eventide, then waiting like servants at the table of their Lord. (Luke 17 - exposition) But will he not say to him properly clothe (perizonnumi) yourself and serve (diakoneo) me while I eat and drink - The question includes a Greek particle, ouchi, that expects a positive reply. Yes the master would be expected to say this to the slave who was to prepare a meal before eating himself. He will tell him "gird yourself" (perizonnumi) as with an apron or towel, in preparation for service to the master. Serve is present imperative signifying "Serve me throughout the meal in the various duties of such table service” (VANT) And afterward you may eat and drink?- Literally "after these things." Could this be an allusion to the great Messianic Banquet in eternity future? That seems very possible, but see the incredible description below. Note that while the master is to be served by the slave , we see an unbelievable turn around in Lk 12:37 where the Master, indeed the King of kings Himself, girds Himself and waits on His subjects! Who is this King of glory? How profound is His example of humility and servanthood! O, to be more like Jesus day by day. Here is one of the most incredible verses in the Bible... “Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. (Lk 12:37+) Luke 17:9 “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? Luke 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 17:5-10 More Faith or More Obedience? - Steven Cole Luke 17:5-10 Four Hallmarks of Humility, Part 3 - John MacArthur THE SLAVE OBEYS COMMANDS He does not thank the slave (doulos) because he did the things which were commanded, does he? - The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ending, "does he?" The point is that slaves have to carry out their duties without expecting that performing their duties places their masters under obligation. Thanks are not required. Of course Jesus is not encouraging one to be rude or inconsiderate, but simply explaining the way a master and slave generally interacted. And He is pointing to the relationship of a disciple or slave (doulos) to his master God. God is not a debtor to a disciple. Every disciple is a debtor to God, Who freely bestows grace upon grace that we might serve His good pleasure. We are the ones who need to give thanks to our Lord and Master Christ Jesus! Bock - The service of God's servant is not a matter for negotiation but is a duty. The ancient household servant was responsible for many activities, from working the fields to preparing the meals. A ancient servant's work never seemed to be done. Such is also the case here. Jesus pictures a servant coming in from a long day of farming or shepherding, only to be asked to prepare the owner's dinner. The servant will not get a meal until the master is served. Not only that, the servant will not be thanked as if he had done something special. Rather, he will do it because it is his duty Spurgeon - Do you take off your hat to your servants, and say, “I am very grateful to you for doing your duty”? Not so. And even he who serves God best, may he expect honour as his due? Ah! no; he shall have honour because of the grace of his Master; but it is not his place to look for it, much less is it right for him to expect it as his due....When the serving-man has done his day’s work, his master does not say, “I am very grateful to you, John, for what you have done for me.” He will have his wages, they will be his master’s thanks. (Luke 17 - exposition) Unanswered Prayers Read: Luke 7:1-10 [Jesus said], “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” —Luke 7:9 An explanation we often hear for “unanswered” prayers is that we don’t have enough faith. But Jesus said in Luke 17:6 that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can command a mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea and it will obey us. In other words, the effectiveness of our prayers depends not on how much faith we have but on whether we even have faith. Luke tells of a Roman centurion with “great faith” (7:9). His faith was expressed first as an appeal to Jesus to heal his dying servant. Then it was expressed as an acknowledgment that Jesus could heal his servant anytime, anywhere. The centurion did not ask Jesus to do things his way. Do we have the centurion’s great faith—a faith that trusts God to do His work, in His way? Unanswered prayers are answered still As part of God’s great master plan; They help to carry out His will To demonstrate God’s love for man. —D. De Haan God’s answers are wiser than our prayers. Luke 17:10 “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’” BGT Luke 17:10 οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὅταν ποιήσητε πάντα τὰ διαταχθέντα ὑμῖν, λέγετε ὅτι δοῦλοι ἀχρεῖοί ἐσμεν, ὃ ὠφείλομεν ποιῆσαι πεποιήκαμεν. KJV Luke 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. NET Luke 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.'" CSB Luke 17:10 In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, 'We are good-for-nothing slaves; we've only done our duty.'" ESV Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'" NIV Luke 17:10 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.' " NLT Luke 17:10 In the same way, when you obey me you should say, 'We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.'" NRS Luke 17:10 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!'" YLT Luke 17:10 'So also ye, when ye may have done all the things directed you, say -- We are unprofitable servants, because that which we owed to do -- we have done.' GWN Luke 17:10 That's the way it is with you. When you've done everything you're ordered to do, say, 'We're worthless servants. We've only done our duty.'" NKJ Luke 17:10 "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say,`We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'" NAB Luke 17:10 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.'" MIT Luke 17:10 Nor should you expect it. When you have done all you were told to do, say, "We servants are unworthy of commendations; we were obligated to do what we did." NJB Luke 17:10 So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, "We are useless servants: we have done no more than our duty." ' ASV Luke 17:10 Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do. DBY Luke 17:10 Thus *ye* also, when ye shall have done all things that have been ordered you, say, We are unprofitable bondmen; we have done what it was our duty to do. BBE Luke 17:10 In the same way, when you have done all the things which are given you to do, say, There is no profit in us, for we have only done what we were ordered to do. 1 Chronicles 29:14-16; Job 22:2,3; 35:6,7; Psalms 16:2,3; 35:6,7; Proverbs 16:2,3; Isaiah 6:5; 64:6; Matthew 25:30,37-40; Romans 3:12; 11:35; 1 Corinthians 9:16,17; 15:9,10; Philippians 3:8,9; Philemon 1:11; 1 Peter 5:5,6 Luke 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 17:5-10 More Faith or More Obedience? - Steven Cole Luke 17:5-10 Four Hallmarks of Humility, Part 3 - John MacArthur DISCIPLES MANIFEST A SERVANT'S HUMILITY So (serves to draw a conclusion) you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you - Now Jesus applies this parable of a slave doing his duty to the disciples (when YOU do). The point is that whenever they (or we) complete some service for our Master, we cannot claim that we have done more than we should have done. Spurgeon - And who shall praise us for that? The most self-denying servant of the Saviour, the most ardent labourer for the Lord, will expect nothing of God except to be blessed by his abounding grace. What can we deserve of the dear hands of him who bought us with his blood? Are we not the bondservants of Christ? “Ye are not your own; ye are bought with a price.” Therefore, whatever service you can render is due to him; and unto him let it be freely given without one thought of self-praise or pride because it is given without one thought of self-praise or pride because it is done so well.....“When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you.” Ah! but we have not come anywhere near that yet; even if we had, we should still be “unprofitable servants.” In our mind we should expect no thanks from our Master; but we should sorrow that we had not served him better. (Luke 17 - exposition) Say, ‘We are unworthy (KJV - unprofitable - achreios) slaves (doulos); we have done only that which we ought (opheilo - we owe it, are morally obligated) to have done - Literally = "We are unprofitable servants, because that which we owed to do -- we have done." (See helpful note above by John Piper) Unworthy slaves is difficult to grasp at first reading, especially by us who live a culture that constantly promotes self-esteem and self-worth (as does our fallen flesh)! Clearly this is a call for the disciple to maintain a lowly, humble attitude, the attitude of a debtor to God, which is a marked contrast with the Pharisees (cf Lk 18:12+). For all of us this is a daily fight and we must continually seek to see Christ increasing in our heart and us continually decreasing (Jn 3:30+) Service to God is a privilege and we should never feel we deserve "extra credit" for serving Him! Our duty is when we hear His command, we are to obey without question, hesitation or reservation. In simple terms a slave is obligated to serve which is what a disciple of Jesus does for that is our duty, our obligation, our responsibility, yea, even our privilege! The idea of their declaration of being unworthy is not that they do not have profit to the master, but that they are to maintain a selfless attitude, a humble demeanor. This is the attitude a bondservant of Jesus should manifest to the world, because that is how He walked! Like Master, like servant so to speak, for Jesus came not to "to be served, but to serve." (Mk 10:45+) Note that unworthy does not mean that God did not value us. After all gave His only begotten Son to die for us, in our place. The Psalmist David asks "What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet," (Ps 8:4-6) What Jesus is teaching is that we cultivate the humble attitude of a doulos of God and Christ. And in Matthew we see the master's words to His slaves - "His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave (doulos). You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ (Mt 25:21)
Lucas 17
Spurgeon - There is but One of whom we will think tonight, our divine Lord, who was on his way to Jerusalem. Passing along the frontiers of Samaria and Galilee, he had the Jews on one side of him, and the Samaritans on the other. He took a middle course, as if to show how he was going up to the New Jerusalem, loaded with blessings for the Jews on one side, and Gentiles on the other. (Luke 17 - exposition) Luke 17:12 As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; KJV Luke 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: which Luke 5:12; 18:13; Leviticus 13:45,46; Numbers 5:2,3; 12:14; 2 Kings 5:27; 7:3; 2 Chronicles 26:20,21 Luke 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 17:11-19 How to Respond to God’s Blessings - Steven Cole Luke 17:11-19 Ten Men Healed, One Man Saved - John MacArthur WHEN OUTCASTS COME TO CHRIST JUST AS THEY ARE Just as I Am could have been these 10 lepers' theme song. Listen to the words and think of these 10 men. As He entered a village - Unnamed and thus unknown. It was not the place that was important but the miracle that took place. Notice these men were at a distance, so were probably not in the village per se, but outside of the village, for they were considered unclean and untouchable! So it is unlikely that they would have been allowed into the village confines. And Moses affirms this presumption, recording that "He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp." (Lev 13:46+) What a miserable, lonely existence! They were as near to Jesus as they dared come. But they were near enough! 🙏 THOUGHT - Have you ever shared the Gospel with someone and they were intrigued but felt so much guilt and shame that they "stood at a distance" from the good news you shared about Jesus? Well, you can tell them that they are in good company of 10 lepers who came out to meet (see "met" below) Jesus, but kept their distance and yet that did not prevent Jesus from meeting their great need! We are all at a distance from Jesus because of our many sins, but Jesus came for sinners, for the unclean, the untouchable, the guilt ridden and shame saturated. He came to seek and to save the lost! Ten leprous (lepros) men who stood at a distance met (apantao) Him - There are two key verbs in this description - stood and met. Stood at a distance indicates they had full-blown Leprosy, not just a little skin rash. And so they kept their distance from people, as was specified in the law of Moses. They may have been crying out "unclean, unclean." (Lev 13:45-46+) The verb met (apantao) is significant indicating that although they knew they must keep their distance, they still came forth to meet Him. Clearly their movement toward Him was a reflection of their belief He could help them. “Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp every leper and everyone having a discharge and everyone who is unclean because of a dead person. “You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.” (Nu 5:2, 3+, cp Nu 12:13+, 2 Ki 7:3). Anyone familiar with the Law of Moses would have quickly seen the impropriety of this scene Leviticus 13:45; 46+ “As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ “He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp. Comment: A person with leprosy, apart from the telltale malignant raw flesh and white hair, was to be otherwise identified by tom clothes, announcement of "unclean" when in the streets and was to live isolated from the community. Christ steps toward those who cannot step toward Him. Spurgeon - Leprosy was very common in Palestine in Christ’s day. How thankful we ought to be that, in this country, at any rate, it has almost entirely died out! There used to be, in almost every town, a lazar-house provided for lepers, so common was leprosy in this country. Certain diseases seem to die out by degrees, and we should be very grateful that some of the worst forms of disease, by which men have been afflicted, have passed away. In this case, there were no less than ten in one village. They “stood afar off,” as was most proper, lest they should communicate the contagion to others. They had to cry out, and warn men not to come too near them, saying, with covered lip, “Unclean! unclean! unclean!” The muffled sound that they made, if the word could not be distinguished, helped to warn the passers-by to give them a wide berth. (Luke 17 - exposition) Mercy travels farther than shame can push you. Arnold Fruchtenbaum has an interesting note stating that "The priests kept close records of those who were declared lepers in Jewish society, and they taught that only the Messiah could heal a leper." In his article entitled "The Three Messianic Miracles" Fruchtenbaum writes.... Some time prior to the coming of Yeshua (Jesus), the ancient rabbis separated miracles into two categories. First were those miracles anyone would be able to perform if they were empowered by the Spirit of God to do so. The second category of miracles were called "messianic miracles," which were miracles only the Messiah would be able to perform. Yeshua did miracles in both categories: general miracles and also messianic miracles. So because of the rabbinic teaching that certain miracles would be reserved only for the Messiah to do, whenever He performed a messianic miracle it created a different type of reaction than when He performed other types of miracles. The first messianic miracle was the healing of a leper....From the time the Mosaic Law was completed, there was no record of any Jew who had been healed of leprosy. While Miriam was healed of leprosy, this was before the completion of the Law. Naaman was healed of leprosy, but he was a Syrian Gentile, not a Jew. From the time the Mosaic Law was completed, there was never a case of any Jew being healed of leprosy. Leprosy was the one disease that was left out of rabbinic cures; there was no cure for leprosy whatsoever. Yet Leviticus 13-14 gave the Levitical Priesthood detailed instructions as to what they were to do in case a leper was healed. On the day that a leper approached the priesthood and said, "I was a leper but now I have been healed," the priesthood was to give an initial offering of two birds. For the next seven days, they were to investigate intensively the situation to determine three things. First, was the person really a leper? Second, if he was a real leper, was he really cured of his leprosy? Third, if he was truly cured of his leprosy, what were the circumstances of the healing? If after seven days of investigation they were firmly convinced that the man had been a leper, had been healed of his leprosy, and the circumstances were proper, then, on the eighth day there would be a lengthy series of offerings. All together, there were four different offerings. First, there was a trespass-offering; second, a sin-offering; third, a burnt-offering; and fourth, a meal-offering. Then came the application of the blood of the trespass-offering upon the healed leper followed by the application of the blood of the sin-offering upon the healed leper. The ceremony would then end with the anointing of oil upon the healed leper. Although the priesthood had all these detailed instructions as to how they were to respond in the case of a healed leper, they never had the opportunity to put these instructions into effect, because from the time the Mosaic Law was given, no Jew was ever healed of leprosy. As a result, it was taught by the rabbis that only the Messiah would be able to heal a Jewish leper.... Yeshua sent these ten lepers directly to the very priesthood that, under the leadership of Caiaphas, had just decreed a sentence of death against Him. This meant that instead of one messianic miracle, there were now ten messianic miracles performed: the first messianic miracle was performed ten times over. Ten times over Caiaphas and the priesthood had to spend seven days investigating the whole situation. Ten times over, they had to decree that all ten of these lepers had been cleansed and healed of their leprosy. Ten times over, they had to decree that Jesus had performed the miracle. It is really showing some Jewish humor, if you will, on the part of Yeshua that He chose to send to the leadership of Israel ten healed lepers right after they decreed His rejection by sentencing Him to death. His Messiahship was proclaimed, not merely by the mouth of two or three witnesses, but by the mouth of ten witnesses. Again, He proved to the leadership that they had no basis, no ground, for the rejection of His messianic claims. (The Three Messianic Miracles) Ryrie - See Lev. 13:1-59-note for seven forms of this skin disease, generally regarded not to be the leprosy we know today. A leper was ceremonially unclean, had to live outside of the towns, and had to cry "unclean" when other people came near. Leprosy serves as an illustration of sin. Spurgeon on stood at a distance - The rule was that they should never come upon the public road, or near the highway, lest the disease should be taken by others who might come near them. (Luke 17 - exposition) Spurgeon - Oh, the abundance of human misery that met the Saviour’s eye: “ten men that were lepers”! I was reading only yesterday of what happened in Westminster, many years ago. When the king went along the highway, there were crowds of poor lepers on either side of the road, a shocking sight to see in this dear land of ours; and the king, in his tender mercy, simply passed a law that the lepers should not come near the road again to hook his gracious majesty with their misery. That is all he had to do for them; but our glorious King treated lepers very differently: “There met him ten men that were lepers.” (Luke 17 - exposition) Spurgeon - Lepers were allowed to enter villages, but not to go into the large walled towns. They were, however, commanded to stand at a certain distance from other people; and these men did so. This must have been a terrible sight, ten men afflicted with such a horrible disease all in one group. It shows how prevalent at that time was this disease, now happily so rare, at least among us: “Ten men that were lepers.” It seemed as if the effect of sin in men became more conspicuous in the day when the Great Healer of men was here in person. Then Satan’s chain was lengthened that he might have greater power over the bodies of men, that his Master might subdue him, and that Christ Jesus the Lord might have the greater victory over the prince of darkness. (Luke 17 - exposition) Leprous (3015)(lepros from lepra from lepis = a scale as of a fish from lepo = to peel) means scaly, scabby, rough, and then one afflicted with leprosy . Keep in mind that leprosy could describe a number of skin diseases, some not serious all the way to the most serious which was leprosy or Hansen's Disease (see picture), produced by the Mycobacterium leprae (Medicine.net See modern classification scheme of leprosy). Leprosy is an ancient disease having been found even in Egyptian mummies, and many consider Egypt as the country of origin of this disease. As alluded to above, Leviticus 13-14 deal with leprosy in considerable detail. In short, any Israelite with a skin disease would go to the priest for a "diagnosis" and if it was determined to be communicable, the infected person was excluded from social contact which was then restricted to other lepers. Even the family who loved you had to stay away from a leprous relative, who lived like aliens with this miserable disease. One of the most horrible aspects of leprosy is destruction of peripheral nerves, this neuropathy resulting in limbs that in effect cannot sense pain and thus are prone to severe injuries from burns, cuts, etc. In a sense the leper unable to sense pain destroys his own toes, digits and limbs. See study on Hebrew word for Leprosy (06883)(tsaraath) One of the great stories about Leprosy in the modern era is that of the renowned surgeon Dr. Paul Brand (his website) who was raised in India and became a Christian missionary doctor ministering to these outcast and downcast people. Take a moment and watch this 2 minute summary of leprosy. Wikipedia - Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteriumMycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Initially, infections are without symptoms and typically remain this way for 5 to 20 years. Symptoms that develop include granulomas of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. (Ed: and even the vocal cords so that speech was impaired) This may result in a lack of ability to feel pain, thus loss of parts of extremities due to repeated injuries or infection due to unnoticed wounds. Weakness and poor eyesight may also be present. Leprosy is spread between people. This is thought to occur through a cough or contact with fluid from the nose of an infected person. Leprosy occurs more commonly among those living in poverty. Contrary to popular belief, it is not highly contagious. Holman Bible Dictionary - A generic term applied to a variety of skin disorders from psoriasis to true leprosy. Its symptoms ranged from white patches on the skin to running sores to the loss of digits on the fingers and toes. For the Hebrews it was a dreaded malady which rendered its victims ceremonially unclean—that is, unfit to worship God (Leviticus 13:3). Anyone who came in contact with a leper was also considered unclean. Therefore, lepers were isolated from the rest of the community so that the members of the community could maintain their status as worshipers. Other physical disorders or the flow of certain bodily fluids also rendered one unclean (see Leviticus 12:1-14:32; Leviticus 15:1-33 ). Even houses and garments could have “leprosy” and, thus, be unclean (Leviticus 14:33-57 ). Jesus did not consider this distinction between clean and unclean valid. A person's outward condition did not make one unclean; rather that which proceeds from the heart determines one's standing before God (Mark 7:1-23; compare Acts 10:9-16). Therefore, Jesus did not hesitate about touching lepers (Mark 1:40-45) and even commanded His disciples to cleanse lepers (Matthew 10:8 ). Jesus even made a leper the hero of one of His parables (Luke 16:19-31 ). See more detailed description of the instructions concerning leprosy in Leviticus 13 Why is leprosy talked about so much in the Bible? Met (528) apantao from apo = from, going forth + antao = to meet (Vine on antao = "to meet with, come face to face with"). Means to go to meet. To meet someone (Mk 14:13). To come forward. LS = "to move from a place to meet a person; then, generally, to meet, encounter....as a law term, to meet in open court, to appear in court." To come from another place into the presence of, to meet from opposite directions. There are only 2 uses in the Nestle-Aland (Mk 14:13, Lk 17:12) whereas the Textus Receptus (used to translate KJV) has 7 uses. The Apantao - 7v (Textus Receptus) - Matt. 28:9; Mk. 5:2; Mk. 14:13; Lk. 14:31; Lk. 17:12; Jn. 4:51; Acts 16:16 Nestle-Aland (used by most modern translations) uses the verb hupantao not apanao (like Textus Receptus) in Matt. 28:9; Mk. 5:2; Lk. 14:31; Jn. 4:51; Acts 16:16 The Porch Light at a Distance - A man walks home late at night, exhausted and unsure of the way. Suddenly he sees the faint glow of a porch light far ahead. He knows he’s still far from home, but that single light cuts through the darkness and keeps him moving. So it is with the lepers. They cannot come near Christ—but even from a distance, His presence is enough to draw them. Even when you feel “far” from Jesus—cold, guilty, or discouraged—the faintest sight of Him is enough to guide you home. Keep walking toward the Light. The ICU Window - During COVID, families stood outside hospital windows, unable to enter but desperate for help for their loved ones. They were “at a distance,” yet their hearts pressed close. The lepers stand the same way—cut off, but crying out. Your inability to “feel close” doesn’t make your cry less precious. Christ hears through every barrier. Your weakness never keeps His mercy away. The Child at the Edge of the Pool - A child who has fallen into deep water clings to the edge, too frightened to swim to the adult waiting for him. The adult doesn’t demand he come closer—he reaches in. Jesus moves toward those who cannot move toward Him. Distance created by fear, shame, or sin does not stop Christ. He specializes in reaching where we cannot walk. Luke 17:13 and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” KJV Luke 17:13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. have mercy on us Luke 18:38,39; Matthew 9:27; 15:22; 20:30,31; Mark 9:22 Luke 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 17:11-19 How to Respond to God’s Blessings - Steven Cole Luke 17:11-19 Ten Men Healed, One Man Saved - John MacArthur LEPERS APPEAL TO JESUS TO SHOW MERCY And they raised their voices - Raising one's voice is a frequent idiom in the Septuagint and also appears in Greek from the classical era forward. Peter filled with the Spirit raised his voice and delivered his sermon in Acts 2 at which about 3000 souls were saved (Acts 2:14, 42). The Gentiles raised their voice in Acts 14:11 claiming Paul and Barnabas were gods. In Acts 22:22 the crowd listened to Paul up to his statement that he was being sent to the Gentiles, which cause the Jewish crowd to raise their voices. In Lk 11:27 a woman in the crowd raised her voice saying ""Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed." In all of these occasions it is clear that raising one's voice is similar to what we might say today "They were yelling or screaming at the top of their lungs," signifying they were yelling as loud as their voices would allow. And keep in mind that Leprosy could affect the vocal cords, but, even if it did affect these 10, laryngeal affliction would not impede them, for one glimpse of Jesus stimulated cries of desperation. And since they had to be far away from Him, they had to be loud to assure He would hear them. Would it be Lord, that more "leprous" (covered with the "scales of sin") men and women would raise their voices, even if be but a slight whisper, when they see an ambassador of Jesus! Amen Distance cannot drown out a desperate cry to Christ. --cf Hebrews 2:18+ Spurgeon - Not much of voices were they likely to have, for the leprosy dries the throat, and the voice is low and husky, and when lepers cry, “Unclean, unclean,” it is an awfully sad sound, but very weak. These ten lepers lifted up their poor voices...They raised a plain cry, and the whole ten of them had to lift up their voices before they could be well heard. (Luke 17 - exposition) Jesus (Iesous), Master (epistates), have mercy (eleeo) on us -While have mercy is in the aorist imperative, a verb tense and mood which normally reflects a command, in the context of prayer, the imperative mood does not signify a demand, but is rather, a desperate petition from an inferior to One Who has the superior power and authority to grant the request. In addressing Him this way, we can conclude that the lepers knew of His reputation, of His power over illness and His ability to heal. Norman Crawford - When Peter was overwhelmed with the glory of the mountain top experience he called the Lord epistatēs (Lk 9:49-note). These lepers have a lesson to teach to people of our day. They did not address the Lord as Jesus, but recognizing His sovereign power and authority, they called Him, "Jesus, Master". (What the Bible teaches – Luke) (Ed: Have you ever addressed Him as Jesus, Master? Are we not too, beggars like the lepers, our disease of sin course being far worse. Yes, we may be healed of our "leprous condition" of sin's power and sin's wages (eternal death), we are still vulnerable to sin. We too need to continually raise our voices and cry out "Jesus, Master!") MacArthur on have mercy on us - It expresses a recognition of superior power and one who at the same time is approachable. Not just a recognition of power but to cry "Have mercy!" assumes that someone before has indicated to you that this man listens to people who cry for mercy. So His power and His compassion are widely known. They're aware of it, aware enough of it to cry out to Him for healing. (Ten Men Healed, One Man Saved) One of my favorite older choruses is Jesus, Name Above All Names Jesus, Name above all names, Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord. Emanuel, God is with us, Blessed Redeemer, Living Word. Jesus (2424)(Iesous) is transliteration of the Greek Iesous, which in turn is the transliteration of the Hebrew name Jehoshua (Yehoshua) or Jeshua (Yeshua) which mean Jehovah is help or Jehovah is salvation. Stated another way the Greek Iesous corresponds to the OT Jehoshua (Yehoshua) which is contracted as Jeshua (Yeshua).Most of the NT uses of Iesous refer to our Lord Jesus. In the Gospels the single Name Jesus (Iesous) is used as His personal Name and is found 538 times. In the Epistles Jesus is usually (but not always - e.g., Ro 3:26; 4:24; 1Cor 12:3; 2Cor 11:4; Phil 2:10; 1Th 4:14; Heb 7:22; 10:19, etc) used in combination with Christ or Lord (see next paragraph). Jesus is known by Christ alone some 44 times in the Gospels. NET Note on Jesus - The Greek form of the name Iēsous, which was translated into Latin as Jesus, is the same as the Hebrew Yeshua (Joshua), which means “Yahweh saves” (Yahweh is typically rendered as “LORD” in the OT). Master (1988)(epistates from ephistemi = to set over) is literally one who stands over and means a person of high status, chief, commander. All NT uses by Luke (Lk. 5:5; Lk. 8:24; Lk. 8:45; Lk. 9:33; Lk. 9:49; Lk. 17:13), all (except Lk 17:13) spoken by the disciples and all refer to Jesus. Matthew and Mark use either "Teacher" or "Rabbi" instead of Master. TDNT comments that "the transcription rabbi used by the other Evangelists is avoided by the Hellenist Luke (directed to Greek audiences who would not understand "rabbi")." Luke employed epistates as an equivalent of didaskalos, “teacher” (Luke 8:24; cf. Mark 4:38; 9:38; Luke 9:49). Epistates could describe a chief commander, "a public official in ancient Greed, Ptolemaic Egypt and the Hellenistic world" (Encyclopedia Britannica), a magistrate, a governor of a city, or a president of a college, but one thing all have in common is authority. In using Master the 10 lepers appear to be recognizing Jesus' authority. Encyclopedia Britannica on epistates - The 5th-century-BCE Athenian epistatēs acted as chairman of the prytaneis, the executive committee of the Boule (council), and, for the 24-hour period of this office, functioned as the head of the government, keeping the seal of the state and the key to the treasury. In various periods he may have had administrative, political, fiscal, judicial, or military responsibilities. In the Hellenistic kingdoms and Egypt, the epistatēs became the district official of a nomós (province) or a subject city. Epistates - 6v - Lk. 5:5; Lk. 8:24; Lk. 8:45; Lk. 9:33; Lk. 9:49; Lk. 17:13 Have mercy (aorist imperative)(1653)(eleeo from eleos) means to feel sympathy with the misery of another, especially such sympathy which manifests itself in action, less frequently in word alone. Eleeo indicates being moved to pity and compassion by some tragic circumstance (as would be the case of the 10 lepers whose fate in life was otherwise sealed as untouchable outcasts. Talk about having a poor "self-esteem!"), seeing the person's dire need and providing assistance to remove the need. Vine adds that eleeo "signifies, in general, "to feel sympathy with the misery of another," and especially sympathy manifested in act (action)."
Lucas 17
Spurgeon notes that "Even before he heard them, he saw their pitiable condition." There is a lesson here for all of us. Before we were saved, Jesus saw us in our pitiable condition of sin and spiritual death on the highway to hell without His intervention. But even after we are saved, Jesus still sees us and knows the trials and afflictions we are going through and stands ever ready to come to our aid. The writer of Hebrews says it this way - "For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered (Jesus understands what you are going through), He is able (dunamai means Jesus has the power, the omnipotence to do this) to come to the aid (boetheo - means to run to aid someone upon hearing their cry for help - our responsibility? Cry out for help!) of those who are tempted (are being tested - present tense)." (Heb 2:18+, cf Heb 4:15+) Not only did Jesus see the lepers, but He heard the lepers. (Luke 17 - exposition) Life Application Note - Because leprosy was contagious, people who had leprosy were required to try to stay away from other people and to announce their presence if they had to come near. Sometimes leprosy would go into remission. If a leper thought his leprosy had gone away, he was supposed to present himself to a priest, who could declare him clean (Leviticus 14). Jesus sent the 10 lepers to the priest before they were healed— and they went! They responded in faith, and Jesus healed them on the way. Is your trust in God so strong that you act on what he says even before you see evidence that it will work? (Luke Application Study Notes - Pdf ) In this story we see Jesus' divine goodness, tenderness, compassion, mercy and power to reverse a disease feared by all in the ancient world. And note that when Jesus healed and made whole it occurred in an instant and it was complete. What a dramatic scene this must have been, for the stigmata of leprosy are so readily seen on the face and hands of those affected. Imagine one of the 10 lepers looking at the other 9 and seeing their clear complexions and fully restored hands, arms and feet. This surely stirred amazement in all 10, but sadly only stirred gratitude in one of the 10. Go and show yourselves to the priests - The priests functioned as the "health inspector's" so to speak and carried out a long process (isolation for 7 days -Lv 13:4-6ff+). Show is a command in the aorist imperative. Go in context is also used in the sense of an imperative. The idea of the command is "Do this now! Do not delay!" Whoever is cured of leprosy must, according to the law, be declared clean by the priest (Lev. 14:1-32, 2). Jesus' instructions to the 10 lepers here is in direct contrast to the cleansed leper in Luke 5:14+ (cf Mt 8:4) "And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them (Lev 14:4-7+).” (As an aside, notice that Jesus did keep the Mosaic regulations). Leprosy was so feared in Jesus' day that healing from this condition was a very notable miracle, and many of the Jews even considered it to be a divine curse (this mindset was probably based at least in part on King Uzziah being afflicted with leprosy sent by God in 2 Chr 26:19-20, 21 which says "King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and he lived in a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the LORD."). Thus the declaration of healing from leprosy in the early phase of Jesus' ministry would have resulted in "overwhelming enthusiasm, unrealistic Messianic expectations and bring to bear upon Jesus undue pressure that could force Him out of His Father's timetable (cf John 7:6, 8)." (MacArthur) But now Jesus is in the last few months of His life, and knew His time was at hand (Mt 26:18), and so He does not command them not to tell about this miracle. The fact that Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests indicates as noted above that Jesus kept the Law, but even more significantly indicates that the priests would be privileged to be eyewitnesses to an incredible miracle (actually 10 miracles)! And for 7 days (if they carried out the regulations in Lev 13:4-6+) these 10 men with clear complexions and smooth skin would stand in front of the priests as dramatic testimony to the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ! And yet, did the priests believe in Jesus as Messiah, Redeemer, Lord? While there were some (cf Acts 6:7+), many other priests rejected Jesus' claim as the long expected Messiah. Once again, we see that miracles, even astounding ones like 10 lepers being instantly cleansed, do not necessarily cause unbelievers to believe in Jesus. If you are an unbeliever and are saying "I want to see a miracle before I believe," than you need to learn from the Gospels. Most did not believe. In fact, in the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, the rich man appealed to Abraham to let Lazarus return to his unbelieving brothers. And what was the response to that request? “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’“But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:29-31+). If the Word of God, the Gospel, cannot save you, then miracles certainly cannot! Henry
Lucas 17
Spurgeon adds that "no man could be pronounced clean even if he were healed, until he had undergone the ceremony prescribed in the Mosaic law. These lepers were to go to the priests just as they were, so their going was an act of faith." (Luke 17 - exposition) Spurgeon - There was a tacit promise in that they should be healed, for, of course, the showing themselves to the priests was not that they might be pronounced unclean, for they were so pronounced already by their own confession, but that they might be pronounced clean. They were to go to the priests, and there was an implied promise that, if they so went, when the priests looked upon them they would be healed. (Luke 17 - exposition) Spurgeon - That is all Jesus said to the lepers: “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.” They were not to go to the priests till they were clean, for the priests could not heal them. It was the healed man who went to the priests to get a certificate that he was healed, and so might mingle in society again. It was a strange message, then, that the Saviour gave to these lepers: “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.” And oh, the faith of these men! With only this shell of a promise, as it were, they cracked it, and found a promise inside it, for they said to themselves, “He would not send us to the priests for nothing; he would not mock our misery; he must mean to heal us:” and therefore away they went. A grand faith this! You are to come to Christ before you feel any grace in you; you are not to wait until you feel you are healed, and then come to him. Come just as you are, without any sense of grace, or any kind of feeling within you that is worth the having. Come just as you are. As the sinner believes, he is saved. As a man begins to go towards the Saviour, the Saviour’s grace meets him. (Luke 17 - exposition) And as they were going, they were cleansed (katharizo) - Notice that they obeyed. This suggests that they had some degree of faith or belief in Jesus or at least faith in His ability to help them. That this is the case is amplified by the fact that Luke does not record that Jesus said "You are clean. Now go to the priest." In Luke 5:13+ Jesus had commanded the leper "Be cleansed (katharizo in aorist imperative)." But here He had just commanded the 10 to go to the priest and show themselves. Think about that moment when they heard Jesus' words. They were still horribly scarred with defiling leprosy and yet Jesus is telling them to go and show! They would hardly have been willing to go and show had they not had some element of belief that this Miracle Worker would somehow work a miracle in their lives. And as alluded to it is notable that the 10 were cleansed without a specific command from Jesus, signifying that Jesus as God could heal any way He chose to heal. So today we cannot hear His voice, but we can experience His power as we walk out in obedience to His commands (empowered by His Spirit). Are you experiencing the power of the Spirit of Christ in your life (e.g., being quick to forgive, holding back anger when the world would say you are justified to attack, etc - these are "miracles" as powerful as healing 10 lepers!)? If not could it be because you are not obeying His commands? We are not speaking of a legalistic keeping of rules, but of a heart continually surrendered to Jesus, with an ear ready and willing to hear His commands (e.g., as we read words like "Husbands love [present imperative - as your lifestyle] your wives..." Eph 5:25+, etc, do we hear and heed or do the commands of Scripture go in one ear and out the other?). MacArthur on the faith of the 10 lepers - Do they have faith? Sure they have faith. They have a meager, basic faith in a healer. They have faith in the power and compassion of Jesus....Were they cleansed because they believed? Well it was a meager faith and Jesus asked them to demonstrate that meager faith. They were basically healed because He chose to heal them, but He involved their faith in it. There were times when Jesus healed people because they believed. There were many times when He healed people who didn't believe. In fact, there were times when He raised dead people and they can't believe. So there were times when faith played a role, and times when it did not. But in this case, He asked them to exhibit enough faith to do what He said. (Ten Men Healed, One Man Saved) Spurgeon exclaims "What a wonderful thing that must have been!" The men exhibited faith by starting on their way to the priest before being cleansed. (Luke 17 - exposition) They were cleansed (2511)(katharizo from katharos = pure, clean, without stain or spot; English words - catharsis = emotional or physical purging, cathartic = substance used to induce a purging, Cathar = member of a medieval sect which sought the purging of evil from its members) means to make clean by taking away an undesirable part. To cleanse from filth or impurity. Click here (and here) for more background on the important Biblical concept of clean and cleansing. Cleansed is aorist tense (signifying this occurred at a point in time ~ instantaneous) and passive voice (the divine passive - the power to cleanse came from God, from Jesus Who is God). Figuratively katharizo referred to cleansing from ritual contamination or impurity as in (Acts 10:15). In a similar sense katharizo is used of cleansing lepers from ceremonial uncleanness (Mt 8:2-3, et al) It follows that Lepers were forbidden to worship in the Temple in Jerusalem because of their ceremonial uncleanness. Another figurative use of katharizo important to every believer is found in 1 John 1:9+ (cf James 4:8+, Hebrews 10:2+) which describes God's purifying us and cleansing us from sin and a guilty conscience thus making us acceptable to Himself, thus reestablishing fellowship. The condition for cleansing here in Luke 17:14 is not that different from the situation with the 10 lepers. Even as they raised their voices for God's mercy, so too, saints continually raise their voices in confession (in the present tense - so confessing should be a saint's habitual practice, that we might always remain filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit, Who is grieved or quenched by our "ceremonial uncleanness.") (1John 1:9+) Katharizo - 30v - clean(3), cleanse(5), cleansed(16), cleanses(1), cleansing(1), declared...clean(1), make...clean(3), purify(1). Matt. 8:2; Matt. 8:3; Matt. 10:8; Matt. 11:5; Matt. 23:25; Matt. 23:26; Mk. 1:40; Mk. 1:41; Mk. 1:42; Mk. 7:19; Lk. 4:27; Lk. 5:12; Lk. 5:13; Lk. 7:22; Lk. 11:39; Lk. 17:14; Lk. 17:17; Acts 10:15; Acts 11:9; Acts 15:9; 2 Co. 7:1; Eph. 5:26; Tit. 2:14; Heb. 9:14; Heb. 9:22; Heb. 9:23; Heb. 10:2; Jas. 4:8; 1 Jn. 1:7; 1 Jn. 1:9 Luke 17:15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, KJV Luke 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, Luke 17:17,18; 2 Chronicles 32:24-26; Psalms 30:1,2,11,12; 103:1-4; 107:20-22; 116:12-15; Psalms 118:18,19; Isaiah 38:19-22; John 5:14; 9:38 Luke 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 17:11-19 How to Respond to God’s Blessings - Steven Cole Luke 17:11-19 Ten Men Healed, One Man Saved - John MacArthur ONE LEPER RETURNS GLORIFYING GOD Now one of them when he saw that he had been healed (iaomai) - He was walking in step with other 9 toward the priests, when the miraculous healing occurred. All of them saw that they had been healed, but one was impacted not as much by the healing as by the Healer! MacArthur on one of them..saw...turned back (hupostrepho), - He had been in the presence of God and he wanted more than physical healing. He went back embracing the full potential of getting from God what he knew he really needed. His heart was longing for a relationship with the divine Healer. He wanted to give himself to that divine Healer. He wanted to fall on his face beneath that divine Healer as a recognized sinner, and worship and adore Him, as well as praise Him and thank Him. He wanted something more than just a physical healing. He knew enough about the Old Testament to know that God was not just a healer but a Redeemer and primarily a Redeemer and a Savior. He's not content with just the physical. He understands the reality of his alienation and need for reconciliation to God. (Ten Men Healed, One Man Saved) Spurgeon - They all saw that they were healed, and they all must have felt extremely glad. Oh, the happiness of feeling the hot blood cooled, and full health taking the place of languor and disease! (Luke 17 - exposition) Turned back (hupostrepho), glorifying (doxazo in present tense - continually) God loud voice (megas + phone ~ "megaphone") - With a "megas phone" like our English "megaphone!" He was sounding forth. Now think about the scene. The disciples and undoubtedly other Jews following Jesus were witnesses of this event. And what did they see? The saw a man who had left a leper (and presumably they did not see the radical healing since it occurred as they were going to the priests -- although one cannot be dogmatic) and returned a healed, whole man. And they heard him giving loud praises to God for his healing. Spurgeon on glorifying God - This was a sure sign that he was healed, that he had his voice back; the disease had so thoroughly gone that the sound, which seemed to hide away in his husky throat, now came out clear and loud, like the stroke of a bell. (Luke 17 - exposition) Loud voice is most often used by Luke, but also commonly used by John in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Most poignantly megas + phone is used to describe Jesus' cry from the Cross (Matt. 27:46 Mk 15:34, 37, Lk 23:46). Loud voice - Matt. 27:46; Matt. 27:50; Mk. 1:26 = demon before Jesus; Mk. 5:7 = demon before Jesus; Mk. 15:34, 37; Lk. 1:42= Elizabeth filled with the Spirit; Lk. 4:33 = demon possessed man; Lk. 8:28 = demon before Jesus; Lk. 17:15; Lk. 19:37 = crowd as Jesus approached Jerusalem at the "triumphal entry"; Lk. 23:23 = voices calling for Jesus' crucifixion, Lk 23:46; Jn. 11:43 = Jesus' calling of Lazarus from the dead; Acts 7:57; Acts 7:60 = Stephen as he died, crying out to Jesus; Acts 8:7; Acts 14:10; Acts 16:28; Acts 26:24; Rev. 1:10; Rev. 5:2; Rev. 5:12; Rev. 6:10; Rev. 7:2; Rev. 7:10; Rev. 8:13; Rev. 10:3; Rev. 11:12;15. 19. Rev. 12:10; Rev. 14:2. 7; Rev. 14:9; Rev. 14:15; Rev. 16:1; Rev. 16:17; Rev. 19:1; Rev. 19:17; Rev. 21:3 Healed (2390)(iaomai) means to cure, to heal, to restore and is used literally of deliverance from physical diseases and afflictions and so to make whole as occurred to these 10 lepers. Figuratively the verb iaomai can speaks of deliverance from sin and its consequences and thus to restore to spiritual good health as in (Mt 13.15, 1 Pe 2.24-note where "you were healed" is not physical but spiritual healing). When used in the figurative and spiritual sense iaomai has much the same meaning as sozo, to save, make whole, restore to spiritual health. Here are the uses of iaomai used with a spiritual meaning = Mt 13:15, John 12:40, Acts 28:27 - preceding quotes from Isa 6:10, 1Pe 2:24 = quote from Isa 53:5. But as we discuss below in Luke 17:19, the healing referred to by Luke is literal physical healing from leprosy. Iaomai is used 26x in 26v most often by Dr Luke. Presumably the fact that Luke was a physician explains why he made frequent use of iaomai (14/26x). The related word iatros (Mt 9:12 Mk 2:17 5:26 Lk 4:23, 5:31, 8:43, Col 4:14) is derived from iaomai and is actually the word used for "medical doctor" in modern Greece (cf English "iatrogenic" illness or malady caused by or secondary to medical treatment)! In ancient Greece this word group was extended from it's medical use to convey a sense of restoration or to making good. The word iatros is also ascribed to several Grecian deities (Here is an interesting background article = Healing deities, healing cults). Mt. 8:8; Mt. 8:13; tt. 13:15; Mt. 15:28; Mk. 5:29; Lk. 5:17; Lk. 6:18; Lk. 6:19; Lk. 7:7; Lk. 8:47; Lk. 9:2; Lk. 9:11; Lk. 9:42; Lk. 14:4; Lk. 17:15; Lk. 22:51; Jn. 4:47; Jn. 5:13; Jn. 12:40; Acts 9:34; Acts 10:38; Acts 28:8; Acts 28:27; Heb. 12:13; Jas. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:24. Turned back (5290)(hupostrepho from hupo = under + strepho = to turn, to change) means to turn back from or to return, going back to a location, in this case going back to Jesus. Hupostrepho - 35v - return(6), returned(22), returning(3), started back(1), turn away(1), turned back(1), went back(1). Lk. 1:56; Lk. 2:20; Lk. 2:43; Lk. 2:45; Lk. 4:1; Lk. 4:14; Lk. 7:10; Lk. 8:37; Lk. 8:39; Lk. 8:40; Lk. 9:10; Lk. 10:17; Lk. 11:24; Lk. 17:15; Lk. 17:18; Lk. 19:12; Lk. 23:48; Lk. 23:56; Lk. 24:9; Lk. 24:33; Lk. 24:52; Acts 1:12; Acts 8:25; Acts 8:28; Acts 12:25; Acts 13:13; Acts 13:34; Acts 14:21; Acts 20:3; Acts 21:6; Acts 22:17; Acts 23:32; Gal. 1:17; Heb. 7:1; 2 Pet. 2:21 Glorifying (1392)(doxazo from doxa = glory) has a secular meaning of to think, suppose, be of opinion, (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Xenophon, Plato, Thucydides) but generally is not used in this sense in Scripture. Doxazo means to praise, honor or magnify (Mt 5:16; 6:2; Lk 5:25f; Ac 11:18; Ro 11:13; 1 Cor 12:26; 1 Pt 4:16) The simple definition of glorifying is that he was giving a correct opinion, a correct estimate of God. His actions in the next verse testify to this fact (fell...thanked). The present tense indicates this one healed leper was constantly glorifying God. Gratitude for God’s Blessing The leper who was healed fell at Jesus’ feet to thank Him (Luke 17:15-16). Application: Bowing before God can be a response to His goodness, provision, and answered prayers. Practical Step: After witnessing God’s provision or deliverance, take time to kneel or bow and offer heartfelt thanks. Not Even A Nod Read: Luke 17:11-19 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God. —Luke 17:15 Traffic was bad and everyone was cranky on that hot afternoon. I noticed a car with two young men waiting to enter traffic from a fast-food restaurant driveway. I thought it was nice when the driver ahead of me let them in. But when the “nice” driver ahead of me didn’t get a nod or even a thank you wave, he turned ugly. First he rolled down his window and shouted at the driver he had let in. Then he gunned his engine and raced forward as if to ram into his car, honking and yelling as he continued to vent his anger. Who was “more wrong”? Did the young driver’s ingratitude justify the “nice” driver’s angry response? Was he owed a thank you? Lord, we like to be recognized for the things we do. Help us to remember that we are not owed any recognition or thanks but that we owe You a lifetime of gratitude for the salvation You offer through Jesus. Let your light so shine before men, that they may . . . glorify your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:16 The Greatness Of Gratitude Read: Luke 17:11-19 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God. —Luke 17:15 Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem when ten lepers approached Him. Standing at a distance, as lepers were required to do, they called to Him: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13). When Jesus saw them, He commanded, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they journeyed, they were healed. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back, threw himself at Jesus’ feet, and thanked Him. “Where are the nine?” Jesus asked. Good question. Jesus referred to the grateful man as a Samaritan - an outsider - perhaps to underscore His saying that “the sons of this world are more shrewd . . . than the sons of light” (Lk 16:8). The word translated “shrewd” means “thoughtful.” Sometimes people of the world have better manners than Jesus’ followers do. (ED: BUT THIS RESPONSE WAS MORE THAN MANNERS. IT WAS EVIDENCE OF A CHANGED HEART!) We thank You, Lord, for blessings You give us on our way; May we for these be grateful, And praise You every day. -Roworth We don't need more to be thankful for-we just need to be more thankful. Why Me? Read: Luke 17:11-19 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God. —Luke 17:15 A few years ago, an unkempt, poorly adjusted youth named Tim (not his real name) was converted to Christ in an evangelistic crusade. A few days later, still unkempt but bathed in the love of Christ, he was sent to my home so that I could help him find a good church. And so it was that he began attending mine. Though Tim needed and received much loving help in personal grooming and basic social graces, one characteristic has remained unchanged—his untamed love for his Savior. One Sunday after church Tim rushed to my side, looking somewhat perplexed. He lamented, “Why me? I keep asking myself, why me?” Oh, no, I thought, he’s become another complaining Christian. Then with arms outstretched, he went on to say, “Out of all the people in the world who are greater and smarter than I am, why did God choose me?” With that he joyfully clapped his hands. I know not why God’s wondrous grace To me He hath made known; Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love Redeemed me for His own. —Whittle Gratitude should be a continuous attitude, not an occasional incident. Luke 17:16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. KJV Luke 17:16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. he fell on his face at His feet Luke 5:8; Genesis 17:3; Matthew 2:11; Mark 5:33; John 5:23; Acts 10:25,26; Revelation 4:10; 5:14; Revelation 19:4,5,10 And he was a Samaritan Luke 9:52-56; 10:32-35; John 4:9,21,22,39-42; 8:48; Acts 1:8; 8:5-25 Luke 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 17:11-19 How to Respond to God’s Blessings - Steven Cole Luke 17:11-19 Ten Men Healed, One Man Saved - John MacArthur THE SAMARITAN WORSHIPS JESUS And he fell on his face at His feet - The healed man is still praising God as he fell on his face at the feet of Jesus. It follows that in effect he is glorifying Jesus as God! And notice that Jesus did not tell him not to fall down before Him. In this case Jesus received the healed man's worship. The verb for fell is pipto used by Matthew to describe the "wise men" who "fell (pipto) to the ground and worshiped (proskuneo)" the newborn Jesus. In Mt 4:9 Satan tempted Jesus declaring "“All these things I will give You, if You fall down (pipto) and worship (proskuneo) me.” In Rev 5:14 John writes "the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down (pipto) and worshiped (proskuneo)" before the Lamb and Him Who sits on the throne. In Rev 19:4 "the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down (pipto) and worshiped (proskuneo) God." So clearly falling down before God is associated with worship of God, leaving no doubt that the healed leper was worshiping Jesus as God. MacArthur on glorifying God with a loud voice...fell on his face - This is Luke's way of expressing the idea of great emotion; it just burst forth in a loud voice. The healed leper comes back at the top of his lungs glorifying God, signifying that he knew from where the power to heal had come. He knew who had healed him and he knew Jesus was more than a mere man and so he fell on his face at His feet and worships Him....He knew he was in the presence of God. (Ten Men Healed, One Man Saved) Spurgeon on fell on his face - When I read these words just now, I thought, that is where I would like to be, and that is what I would like to do, all my life, to fall down, “at his feet, giving him thanks.” (Luke 17 - exposition) Perhaps the 9 thought they were going to worship God when they got to the Temple but as
Lucas 17
Spurgeon - He was probably the only one out of the ten that was a Samaritan. Though Jews and Samaritans did not usually agree, yet, as sorrow brings a man strange bedfellows, so in this case, these partners in a general sorrow forgot their sectarianism, and were blended into one sad company. Now that they were all healed, only one felt true gratitude to God, and to his Benefactor: “and he was a Samaritan.” It is very singular to notice that Luke tells us that this man glorified God “with a loud voice.” We have sometimes heard complaints that, at certain revival meetings, the singing was very loud and there was even shouting. Let the converts shout, brother, let them stout! They have good reason to shout, for Christ has made them whole. We have a great deal too much of respectable death about us, let us have a little even noisy life. I would sooner by half hear the praises of God shouted with a loud voice, than hear the mockery of praise in a tone that is scarcely to be heard, while some machine grinds out music to God’s glory, and men forget to sing or are drowned in loud bursts of wind from the instrument. Do not be ashamed to let it be known that you are saved. Praise the Lord with all your might; and, if they say that you are excited, tell them that you are, and that you wonder if anybody could help being excited if he had been healed of leprosy or had his sins forgiven. But, at the same time, note the humility as well as the zeal of this man: he “fell down on his face at his feet.” I would like to see more of this action. In some revivals, there is plenty of shouting, but very little falling down on the face at Christ’s feet. Oh, for deep prostration of spirit, a humble waiting upon God, a gracious, tender confession of thanks to him for all that he has done for poor leprous sinners! (Luke 17 - exposition) Resources: Who were the Samaritans? Wikipedia Samaritans Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Samaria, Samaritans Holman Bible Dictionary Samaria, Samaritans Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Samaritans International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Samaritans Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Samaritans The Jewish Encyclopedia Samaritans Giving thanks (2168)(eucharisteo from eucháristos = thankful, grateful, well-pleasing - Indicates the obligation of being thankful to someone for a favor done <> in turn from eú = well + charízomai = to grant, give.; English - Eucharist) means to show that one is under obligation by being thankful. To show oneself as grateful (most often to God in the NT). Eucharisteo is a word that at its very core (eu = good + charis = grace) means to acknowledge how good grace is! Luke 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine–where are they? KJV Luke 17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? But the nine–where are they Genesis 3:9; Psalms 106:13; John 8:7-10; Romans 1:21 Luke 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 17:11-19 How to Respond to God’s Blessings - Steven Cole Luke 17:11-19 Ten Men Healed, One Man Saved - John MacArthur GRATEFUL HEART OF ONE MAN Were there not ten cleansed (katharizo) ? But the nine–where are they? - Both of these questions are rhetorical (for effect) because Jesus knew the answers. The third rhetorical question is in the following verse. The first question expects an affirmative answer. It was as if Jesus was saying "There were 10 lepers cleansed, weren't there?" Henry Morris on the nine - The Lord takes note of both those who thank Him and those who do not (compare Luke 7:44-46). He actually seeks those who will worship him (John 4:23). (Borrow The Defender's Study Bible) Luke 17:18 “Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” KJV Luke 17:18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. to give Ps 29:1,2; 50:23; 106:13; Isaiah 42:12; Revelation 14:7 except Matthew 8:10,12; 15:24-28; 19:30; 20:16 Luke 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 17:11-19 How to Respond to God’s Blessings - Steven Cole Luke 17:11-19 Ten Men Healed, One Man Saved - John MacArthur Was no one found who returned (hupostrepho), to give glory (doxa) to God, except this foreigner (allogenes) - Jesus must have asked this question with a note of sadness. Jesus called him a foreigner because he was not Jewish. What a testimony against the Jews that here and in the story in Luke 10:33+, the only one that responded in a godly manner was a despised half-breed Samaritan. "Often those who are thought to be the worst of people turn out the best. Many of the most precious pearls have been found in the deepest sea; and some of the most grateful hearts have been discovered among those who were most immersed in sin and error." (Spurgeon) The failure of the 9 Jews to return and give thanks and worship Jesus reminds us of John's words in "He (Jesus) came to His own (the Jews), and those who were His own did not receive Him (did not believe in him like this Samaritan had done). 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:11-13+) Henry
Lucas 17
Spurgeon - Isa 53:3 Man of Sorrows) Generation (1074)(genea) gives us our English genealogy) literally refers to those descended from a common ancestor and in this sense refers to a race, a clan or descendants. BDAG writes that one meaning of genea is " the sum total of those born at the same time, expanded to include all those living at a given time and freq. defined in terms of specific characteristics." Why do most Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah? (Gotquestions.org) Answer: The Jews rejected Jesus because He failed, in their eyes, to do what they expected their Messiah to do—destroy evil and all their enemies and establish an eternal kingdom with Israel as the preeminent nation in the world. The prophecies in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 describe a suffering Messiah who would be persecuted and killed, but the Jews chose to focus instead on those prophecies that discuss His glorious victories, not His crucifixion. The commentaries in the Talmud, written before the onset of Christianity, clearly discuss the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 and puzzle over how these would be fulfilled with the glorious setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah. After the church used these prophecies to prove the claims of Christ, the Jews took the position that the prophecies did not refer to the Messiah, but to Israel or some other person. The Jews believed that the Messiah, the prophet which Moses spoke about, would come and deliver them from Roman bondage and set up a kingdom where they would be the rulers. Two of the disciples, James and John, even asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left in His kingdom when He came into His glory. The people of Jerusalem also thought He would deliver them. They shouted praises to God for the mighty works they had seen Jesus do and called out, “Hosanna, save us,” when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (Matthew 21:9). They treated Him like a conquering king. Then, when He allowed Himself to be arrested, tried, and crucified on a cursed cross, the people stopped believing that He was the promised prophet. They rejected their Messiah (Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus Who is called Christ?” They all *said, “Crucify Him!” = Matthew 27:22). Note that Paul tells the church that the spiritual blindness of Israel is a “mystery” that had not previously been revealed (Romans 9:1-11:33). For thousands of years, Israel had been the one nation that looked to God while the Gentile nations generally rejected the light and chose to live in spiritual darkness. Israel and her inspired prophets revealed monotheism—one God who was personally interested in mankind’s destiny of heaven or hell, the path to salvation, the written Word with the Ten Commandments. Yet Israel rejected her prophesied Messiah, and the promises of the kingdom of heaven were postponed. A veil of spiritual blindness fell upon the eyes of the Jews, who previously were the most spiritually discerning people ("But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ." 2 Cor 3:14). As Paul explained, this hardening on the part of Israel led to the blessing of the Gentiles who would believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior. ("25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in 26 and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB." - Ro 11:25-26) Two thousand years after He came to the nation of Israel as their Messiah, Christ is still (for the most part) rejected by the Jews. Many Jews today (some say at least half of all living Jews) identify themselves as Jewish but prefer to remain “secular.” They identify with no particular Jewish movement and have no understanding or affiliation with any Jewish biblical roots. The concept of Messiah as expressed in the Hebrew Scriptures or Judaism’s “13 Principles of Faith” is foreign to most Jews today. (ED COMMENT: PRINCIPLE 12 = "12. The belief in the arrival of the Messiah and the messianic era [ED: WHAT JESUS REFERS TO AS THE FUTURE ASPECT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD]." It is the custom of many congregations to recite the Thirteen Articles, in a slightly more poetic form, beginning with the words Ani Maamin--"I believe"--every day after the morning prayers in the synagogue.) But one concept is generally held as universal: Jews must have nothing to do with Jesus! Most Jews today perceive the last 2,000 years of historical Jewish persecution to be at the hands of so-called “Christians.” From the Crusades, to the Inquisition, to the pogroms in Europe, to Hitler’s Holocaust—Jews ultimately believe that they are being held responsible for the death of Jesus Christ and are being persecuted for that reason. They, therefore, reject Him today. The good news is that many Jews are turning to Christ today. The God of Israel has always been faithful to keep a “remnant” of believing Jews to Himself. In the United States alone, some estimates say that there are over 100,000 Jewish believers in Jesus, and the numbers are growing all the time. (ED: HALLELUJAH. PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM! Ps 122:6) Related Resources: Why do people reject Jesus as their Savior? Is Isaiah 53 'The Suffering Servant' a prophecy about Jesus? Where do the Hebrew Scriptures prophesy the death and resurrection of the Messiah? Is Jesus the Messiah? I am Jewish, can I become a Christian? Why did Jesus have to experience so much suffering? Romans 11 Does God Have a Future for Israel? by Gil Rugh The Jewish Problem - small book by Jewish believer David Baron (written in 1891-interesting!) The Jewish Tradition Of Two Messiahs - booklet from Radio Bible Class Scandalous Savior -- How Jesus Revealed the Heart of God - booklet from Radio Bible Class The following links are to a 15 hour course by Dr Anthony Garland on Romans 9-11 the section in which Paul explains that God is clearly not finished with the nation of Israel as sadly is being taught by many who call themselves evangelicals! (espousing the horrible, Christ dishonoring belief known as Replacement Theology!) Romans 9:1-5 Paul's Sorrow Concerning Israel Romans 9:6-13 Children of the Promise Romans 9:14-24 The Potter and the Clay Romans 9:25-33 A Remnant Will be Saved Romans 10:1-13 The Righteousness of God Romans 10:14-21 Has Israel Not Heard? Romans 11:1-6 God Has Not Cast Away The Jews Romans 11:7-15 Life from the Dead Romans 11:16-24 Two Olive Trees Romans 11:25-36 The Salvation of Israel Josh McDowell has the following explanation of Isaiah 53 - There are three main interpretations regarding the identity of the servant in this passage. One interpretation is that the passage refers to the nation of Israel as a whole. Another is that the passage refers to a righteous remnant within the nation of Israel. The third is that the text speaks prophetically of an individual to come in the future—perhaps the Messiah or some other individual. Which of those three interpretations is the best supported? Although the national interpretation became predominant after the eleventh century AD, in previous centuries, it was just one of several interpretations. The Targum understands the text to refer to the Messiah—a warring, conquering king, while the Talmud generally takes the passage to refer to the Messiah or other individuals. The passage has even been understood to refer to Jeremiah, e.g., by Sa’adiah Gaon, an influential Rabbinic leader in the ninth century. The earliest and most authoritative traditional Jewish sources, thus, generally interpret the text to refer to an individual, and this individual was most commonly interpreted to be the Messiah. (Brown, AJOJ, III.49–57) Reference is made to the servant of the Lord in a few different ways in Isaiah 40–51. In some cases (Isa 41:8, 9; 42:19; 43:10; 44:21; 45:4; 48:20), the title refers to national Israel. In others (49:3, 5–7; 50:10), the title refers to a righteous individual within Israel. Other cases are more ambiguous (42:1; 44:1, 2). The references to the servant as the people of Israel end with Isaiah 48:20. The references to the servant as a righteous individual who represents the nation begin in Isaiah 49 and continue until the conclusion of Isaiah 53. The text of Isaiah 53 cannot refer to national Israel for several reasons. For one thing, the Torah promises that if Israel, as a nation, lives righteously before God, then they will be blessed and not afflicted (e.g. see Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28). Second, Isaiah 52:13–15 tells us that the servant would suffer and then be highly exalted such that rulers would stand in awe of him. These verses make perfect sense in view of a Messianic interpretation, but make little sense if applied to the nation of Israel. Third, the servant is described as being totally righteous. But this is not the picture Scripture gives us of the nation of Israel. Fourthly, the suffering servant’s suffering and death are said to bring us redemption and mercy. But this can hardly be applied to the sufferings of Israel, since the nations that attacked Israel were judged and punished by God. Finally, the text says in Isa 53:8-9, “By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.” Who are “my people”? Surely that is a reference to Israel. That being the case, how can Israel suffer for the sins of Israel, having done no wrong herself? The reference to there being no deceit in the servant’s mouth also does not comport very well with the national Israel interpretation, especially in view of Isaiah 6:5, in which the prophet says, “I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.’ ” (Brown, AJOJ, III.49–57) It is also worth appreciating the context for Isaiah 53, which names what the suffering servant will bring with him: peace, joy, salvation, and the rule of God. Isaiah writes: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, with their voices they shall sing together; for they shall see eye to eye when the LORD brings back Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. — Isaiah 52:7–10 The text speaks, echoing Isaiah 40:1-31, of the Lord himself coming to Zion in order to redeem his people. The New Testament writers speak of all these blessings as coming through Christ, who is the fulfillment of these prophecies. The first verse of Isaiah’s song further speaks of the servant being “high and lifted up” and being “exalted” (Isa. 52:13), which resembles Isaiah’s description of Yahweh as sitting on his throne: “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up” (Isa. 6:1). Luke 17:26 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: KJV Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. in the days of Noah Job 22:15-18; Matthew 24:37-39; Hebrews 11:7; 1 Peter 3:19,20; 2 Peter 2:5; 3:6 it will be also in the days of the Son of Man Luke 17:22,24; 18:8 Luke 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 17:20-37 The Present and Future Kingdom - Steven Cole Luke 17:25-30 7 Characteristics of the Coming King, Part 3 - John MacArthur SECOND COMING: TIMING UNEXPECTED, WARNINGS GIVEN And just as it happened in the days of Noah - Unlike many who question the veracity of Genesis, Jesus does not question the global flood that destroyed all living beings on earth. He does not say "just as it may have happened." Jesus, the Word of Truth, declares that it happened! Notice the word "as" introduces a term of comparison, in this case specifically a simile. When you encounter terms like this in Scripture, consider the "5P's" - Pause to Ponder the Passage in context, then Practice it in the Power of the Spirit