The Way - Day 017 (Luke 17)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
Luke 17:1-19
 Jesus had been spending much of His time teaching the disciples concerning numerous truths which would help them live life according to God's ways, especially after His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Many of His teachings were in direct contrast to the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees, who were the so-called religious leaders of the day. In the first ten verses of Luke 17, Jesus instructs them regarding the obligations they have to other people (17:1-4) and to God (17:5-10). Jesus says, "It is impossible that no offenses [opportunities to sin] should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones" (17:1-2). Those who claim to follow Christ should never be guilty of presenting someone with an opportunity to sin; in fact, Jesus said that it is better to die than to lead someone down the wrong path. Followers of Christ also have a responsibility to confront those who are sinning in hopes that they will repent and if they do, they should always be forgiven no matter how many times they have sinned against you (17:3-4).

After addressing the obligations Jesus' disciples have to others, He talks briefly about the obligations they have toward God. This conversation begins with the disciples saying, "Increase our faith" (17:5). The disciples' words here may have been a reaction to Jesus' last statements about the high standards He had given them regarding their relationships with others. They knew that they needed Jesus to give them more faith if they were going to be able to achieve these standards. Jesus responds to their request for more faith by saying, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you" (17:6). Jesus was revealing that the amount of a person's faith is not what is most important, but rather the object of that faith. God alone must be the source of a person's faith and the disciples had to realize that they could never maintain right relationships with God or others without exclusive faith in Him. In case the disciples felt as if obeying Jesus' commands through faith in God made them special, Jesus reminded them that these obligations were expected duties (17:7-10).

It is apparent that some time lapsed between Luke 17:10 and Luke 17:11, so we find Jesus stopping somewhere near Samaria and Galilee while on His way to Jerusalem (17:11). When He arrived in this village, ten men with leprosy shouted from a distance, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" (17:12-13). Jesus immediately cleansed all ten lepers of this horrible disease, but only one of them, who was a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus for His miraculous work (17:14-16). When Jesus saw that only one of them returned to give thanks He said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" (17:17-18). The fact that the only leper who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan, shows that Jesus is teaching about the acceptance of Him by the Gentiles while the Jews continued rejecting Him. Salvation from the penalty of sin has been offered to all people (Jews and Gentiles), but only applicable to those who receive it by faith in Jesus Christ.

Luke 17:20-37
During Jesus' life and ministry there had been much discussion regarding the coming of God's kingdom; in fact, most Jews were looking for this Messiah who would overthrow Rome and establish an immediate kingdom on earth. Although God had promised a Messiah and the establishment of an earthly kingdom, no timeline had been provided and many of the Jews had a false perception concerning God's kingdom. The Pharisees, who had been scrutinizing Jesus' teachings, asked Him "when the kingdom of God would come..." (17:20a). Jesus quickly corrected their thinking by declaring that the kingdom of God, at this time, would not be something observable or visible (17:20b), but instead something which would be established inside them (17:21). People could experience the kingdom of God now (in their hearts) if they would surrender control to Him and allow Him to work that which is good through them.

Jesus then used the Pharisees' question to teach His disciples about the future, visible kingdom saying, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Do not go after them or follow them" (17:22-23). Jesus is warning the disciples that there will come a day when they would desire to see Him, but would not be able to (17:22); of course, Jesus is referring to the time between His ascension into heaven (Acts 1) and His second coming to establish His earthly kingdom for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-6). In Jesus' absence, some will try to deceive others into receiving false messiahs, but Jesus promised that when He returned, no one would miss it (17:24). But before His departure and the establishment of God's kingdom, Jesus revealed that He "must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation" (17:25). Ultimately, Jesus was teaching that His death would secure salvation for sinners who would repent and receive Him by faith.

Following this revelation, Jesus warned those who were listening about the judgment which would be associated with His return to earth to establish the kingdom of God. Jesus points out two Old Testament examples of people who ignored coming judgment by living their lives in ignorance to God: the people in Noah's day (17:26-27) and the people in Lot's day (17:28-29). As these two judgments caught people off guard, so will the return of Jesus also be (17:30). For those who remained ignorant toward God and His ways, the return of Jesus Christ to earth would be a sudden judgment upon them (17:31-36). It is important to note that none of the things Jesus mentioned here were utterly sinful, but their punishment lies in the fact that they chose to ignore God. When the disciples heard that some would be taken in judgment at Christ's return, they wanted to know the location of where they would be taken. Jesus answers, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together" (17:37). Rather than providing a specific location, Jesus seems to be affirming the certainty of coming judgment on those who ignore Him. All those who follow Christ must willingly surrender their lives to His service and look forward to a future kingdom where Jesus will reign in righteousness. Since an earthly kingdom is still at an undisclosed time in the future, Christians must daily surrender every thought, word, and action to God so that His kingdom can be established right now by the way we live our lives.

Dear God, I long to demonstrate righteousness in my life now and look forward to a day where You will establish a righteous rule here on earth.