Note 1 on Luke 17:2

God takes the persecution of His children personally. In Acts 9:4 when Jesus appeared to Saul on
the road to Damascus and spoke to him about his persecution of the saints, Jesus said, “Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou me?” Judgment against those who persecute God’s children will not
always come in time to prevent their harm. However, as this warning makes very clear, God will
avenge His own (Romans 12:19).

Note 2 on Luke 17:5

It is very interesting to note that the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith after He spoke of
forgiveness. They had observed all of the wonderful miracles of Jesus, and yet that had never
inspired them to ask for greater faith. Truly, walking in love and forgiveness with each other
takes as much faith as any miracle we will ever believe for.

Note 3 on Luke 17:5

Many scriptures speak of varying degrees of faith (Matthew 6:30, 8:10, 26, 14:31, 16:8; and 2
Corinthians 10:15). However, the Scriptures also speak of Jesus increasing in wisdom (Luke
2:52), and that is certainly referring to His physical intellect drawing more and more on the
perfect wisdom of God that was already in Him at birth. It is in this way also that we increase in
faith.

At salvation, we were given the supernatural faith of God. We had to use the very faith of God
(not human faith) to believe the Gospel (Ephesians 2:8). That faith came to us through hearing
the Word of God (Romans 10:17), and once we are born again, it becomes an abiding fruit of the
Spirit within us (Galatians 5:22-23).

All believers are given the same measure of faith at salvation (Romans 12:3 with 2 Peter 1:1 and
Galatians 2:20), but not all believers use what God has given them. Therefore, it is correct to
speak of growing in faith and having great faith or little faith, but it is important to understand
that this is speaking of how much faith believers use or manifest, not how much faith they were
given. All believers were given “the” same measure of faith.

There is a special ministry gift of faith that is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:9, but that is
different than the individual faith of every believer. Not everyone has this ministry of faith.

As explained in note 3 at Matthew 17:20, Jesus’ example of the grain of mustard seed in Luke
17:6 underscores the truth that our faith is sufficient if we would just use it without the hindrance
of unbelief. He then continued on into the parable of the servant serving his master
 (Luke 17:7-10) to illustrate that our faith is not the problem but rather our use of it. We are using
it to serve ourselves instead of our Master who is God (see note 4 at Luke 17:7).

Note 4 on Luke 17:7

This parable is part of Jesus’ response to His disciples’ request in Luke 17:5 to increase their
faith. As mentioned in note 3 at that verse, Jesus basically replied that they had faith, but they
weren’t using it. This parable illustrates this point.

Servants would not expect to reap their benefits with only a partial day’s work. They must fulfill
all of their duties before they can expect their pay. That’s their reasonable (Romans 12:1) duty
(Luke 17:10). Likewise, if we would be more concerned about using faith to serve our master
(i.e., God) than serving ourselves, then He would see to it that our needs are met (Matthew 6:33
and Luke 17:8). We do have sufficient faith (see note 3 at Luke 17:5), but we must get out of a
self-serving attitude (James 4:3) and use our faith to serve others (Matthew 25:40).

Note 5 on Luke 17:10

This is simply to say that living by faith is not something special that only the “super saints” are
supposed to do. The Lord expects all of His children to live supernatural lives of faith (Romans
12:1).

Note 1 on Luke 17:14

Notice that in the first healing Jesus ever performed on a leper (Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45,
and Luke 5:12-15), He also told that man to go and show himself to the priest. This, of course,
was to fulfill the scriptural requirement of Leviticus 14:2 and grant the leper reentry into society.
But Jesus also added, in His statements, to that man that He wanted him to go see the priest for a
testimony unto them. Surely, that was part of His reason for sending these ten lepers to the
priests also.

Note 2 on Luke 17:14

This verse makes it clear that these lepers were cleansed “as they went.” They were not healed
immediately but as they were on their way to see the priests. These men would have looked like
fools when they presented themselves to the priests for the rituals of cleansing if their leprosy
was not gone. This was a great step of faith for them (see note 4 at John 5:8 and note 3 at
Matthew 12:13).

Note 3 on Luke 17:14

This was possibly the longest amount of time recorded in Scripture that it took for anyone to
whom Jesus ministered to receive complete healing. As explained in note 5 at Luke 5:25, most of
the healings that Jesus administered were instantaneous. There is only one other example in
Scripture where a healing came gradually (Mark 8:23-25).

In this instance, the amount of time that elapsed before the lepers’ healing was evident is not
given exactly. It could have been anywhere from a couple of minutes to an hour or two, but there
was a lapse of time between when Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests and when
they saw that they were healed. Although this does establish a biblical precedent that not every
healing has to be visible instantly, it should be understood that this instance and Mark 8:23-25
are the only two exceptions to instantaneous healings in the recorded ministry of Jesus.

Note 4 on Luke 17:18

Relatively few people who receive the goodness of the Lord return to give Him thanks for what
He has done. That does not keep the Lord from doing what is right for people. According to their
request, He healed all ten of these lepers, not just the one who was thankful. However, only one
out of the ten was made “whole” (Luke 17:19).

The Lord desires that we prosper in spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23 and 3 John 2).
He wants us to be whole, not just healed. Part of the reason God meets our physical needs is to
prove to us His willingness and ability to meet our emotional and spiritual needs (Mark 2:10-11).
The Lord is concerned about our temporal needs (Matthew 6:30), but He is even more concerned
about our eternal needs. All of these lepers needed physical healing, and the Lord was moved
with compassion and met that need. He also desired to meet their spiritual needs, but only one
out of the ten came back for that.

Thankfulness to the Lord for who He is and what He has done is a very important part of the
Christian life. One of the many benefits of thanksgiving and praise is that they keep us from
being “self” oriented. Giving thanks is a totally unselfish action and is a key to relationship with
the Father that makes us “whole” and not just “healed.”

Note 1 on Luke 17:21

Jesus was speaking directly to the Pharisees, and it is certain that the kingdom of God was not
inside of them (John 3:3). There are at least two good ways of explaining this.

First, many Bibles, in the margin, have substituted “in the midst of you” for the phrase “within
you.” This is because the Greek word “ENTOS,” which was translated “within,” can denote
either “within or among” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary). The only other time this word ENTOS
is used in the New Testament is in Matthew 23:26, in which case the meaning “within” is clearly
correct. However, most scholars believe that this verse should be interpreted as “the kingdom of
God is in the midst of you.”

If this verse is interpreted this way, then Jesus was telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of God,
which they were asking about, was already present in the person of Jesus. Jesus was the King
over the kingdom, and He embodied everything that the kingdom stood for.

Second, it is also possible that Jesus was speaking of the fact that His kingdom was in the hearts
of people and not in visible things (Luke 17:20) such as buildings or palaces (note 30 at Matthew
6:10 and see note 3 at John 3:3). It is true that there will be a future physical kingdom that will
rule here on earth, but Paul said that believers are presently in the kingdom of God’s dear Son
(Colossians 1:13). That makes it clear that the kingdom of God is already a present-tense reality
in the hearts of God’s children.

Note 2 on Luke 17:24

This scripture and Matthew 24:27 make it very clear that the second return of Jesus will be no
secret to anyone. In Matthew’s account, it is especially clear that this statement about the
lightning was made so that we wouldn’t be deceived by false Christs (Matthew 24:23-28). Just as
lightning is visible to everyone, so the second return of Jesus will be witnessed by the whole
world. That’s the reason we don’t have to be fearful about missing His second coming and
anxiously follow up on every report that Christ has come (Luke 17:23). These verses completely
destroy the claims of the Baha’i religion and others who claim that Jesus has come back the
second time secretly.

Note 3 on Luke 17:25

This is a prophecy about Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion by the Jews (see note 1 at Matthew
16:21).

Note 4 on Luke 17:26

Jesus had just warned His disciples not to be deceived by false Christs, because His second
coming would be visible to everyone (see note 2 at Luke 17:24). However, He began to explain
here that until the very day of His coming (Matthew 24:38 and Luke 17:27), the world will
continue on its present course. People will not discern the signs of His coming just as the people
during Noah’s day didn’t realize their impending judgment. This corresponds exactly with Jesus’
prophecies about His coming being like the appearance of a thief in the night (Matthew 24:43-44
and Luke 12:39-40). Jesus was emphasizing that the unbelievers will not recognize that He is
coming until it is too late.

Note 6 on Luke 17:30

This terminology, “the day when the Son of man is revealed,” is referring to the second coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Note 7 on Luke 17:31
In the Middle East in Jesus’ day, as well as today, the houses had flat roofs that the people used
as additional living areas.

Note 8 on Luke 17:32

This is a very stern warning not to become ensnared by the lust for things. Just as Lot’s wife
looked back with longing for the things she was leaving behind and suffered the judgment of
God (Genesis 19:17, 22, and 26), so it will be possible for those who recognize Christ’s coming
to miss their deliverance and be condemned with the world if their hearts are set on earthly
things (Matthew 6:19-21 and 24).

Note 9 on Luke 17:34

There has been much confusion over these few verses. Some say that the ones who are taken are
spared the judgment that the others experience, just as Noah (Luke 17:26) and Lot (Luke 17:28)
were both removed from the destruction. Others say that it is the ungodly who are taken away in
judgment and destroyed and that the godly people are the ones who are left, as in the cases of
Noah surviving the Flood and Lot escaping the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Because of the illustration in Luke 17:37, it is probable that Jesus was speaking of the godly
being taken away and the others being left to suffer God’s judgment. One point that everyone
can agree on is that Jesus was saying that the godly will be spared and the evil will be punished
(see note 10 at Luke 17:37).

Note 10 on Luke 17:37

The disciples’ question was, “Where will the ones who are taken go?” Jesus answered them in
parable form, which still leaves the answer open for questions.

There are two schools of thought on what Jesus’ answer means. (1) The body spoken of is
referring to the slain at the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16), with the eagles being the
fowls spoken of in Revelation 19:17-19. (2) “Body” is referring to the body of Christ (Ephesians
1:22-23, 5:29-30; and Colossians 1:18), and the eagles are believers (Isaiah 40:31) who are still
on the earth and will be caught up to join Christ and His body (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) at the
second coming.

Matthew 24:28 also uses this same example of the eagles: “For wheresoever the carcase is, there
will the eagles be gathered together.” This verse in Matthew begins with the word “for,” which is
a conjunction meaning “because.” That makes Matthew’s account about the eagles being
gathered together tie into Jesus’ teaching in the previous verse about His coming being public, as
illustrated by His example of the lightning (Matthew 24:27, see note 2 at Luke 17:24). Therefore,
Jesus was putting away all anxiety about anyone missing His coming by saying, “Just as the
eagles are drawn to a carcase, so my own will be drawn to Me.” If that is the meaning of this
parable in Matthew, then it is possible that the same meaning is intended here in Luke.