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LUKE 17

JESUS TEACHES OF GOD’S PRESENCE + COMING KINGDOM

Jesus warns His disciples that they will face temptations and rebukes those who bring temptation upon them. He says that those who cause the faithful to sin are better off drowning in the sea. Because He loves His followers, He hates the sin that causes them to stumble. Jesus encourages them to rebuke each other and correct wrongdoing, but also teaches them to forgive when someone repents. This teaching highlights both the high standards of Jesus for righteousness and His forgiving and kind nature.

The apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith, and He tells them that all that is required was faith the size of a mustard seed. In Luke 13, Jesus uses the image of this tiny seed growing into the largest of trees.

Jesus reminds the disciples of the role that a servant plays and encourages them to show humility. They are the ones who are servants of God, and they should not become entitled or prideful.

Continuing on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus meets a group of ten men with leprosy. Keeping the laws for cleanliness, He sends them off to the priest and the ten men are cleansed on their way. Upon realizing that he is clean, one of the ten, a man from Samaria, returns to Him to thank Him and praise Him. The foreign man was the only one who returned to worship Jesus for his miraculous healing.

When the Pharisees ask about the arrival of God's kingdom, Jesus responds by explaining that it is already present among them, yet they fail to recognize Him as the Son of God. He then warns His disciples about the coming rejection and suffering He will face. He draws parallels to the times of Noah, when people were caught off guard by the flood (Genesis 7), and Lot, when the destruction of Sodom took them by surprise (Genesis 19). Similar to those events, the fulfillment of God's promises will unfold without a predetermined schedule or location, emphasizing the unexpected nature of God's plans. God’s kingdom is already here through Jesus, but is not yet fully realized.

Jesus teaches that whoever seeks to keep their life will lose out, but whoever loses his life will keep it. He speaks of His return and the reign of God’s kingdom. At this time, those who have repented and trusted in Christ will be separated from those who have not.

STUDY QUESTIONS

How did Jesus emphasize the value of humility (Luke 17:5–10)?

When Jesus healed the ten lepers, which of the ten went back to praise Jesus? During this time, would lepers have been allowed in the temple?

Why did Jesus reflect upon the stories of Noah and Lot’s wife (Luke 17:20-37)?