Day 35 Lent 2023
I have miscalculated. Today I’m doing chapter seventeen. When I started doing a chapter a day, I thought I had done the correct math, so we finished up Luke on Saturday before Easter. I think I miscounted Sundays somehow. To get the timing right again, I’m going to skip chapters 18 and 19 and pick up with chapter 20 tomorrow.
1He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!
2“It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.
3“Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
4“And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
Luke 17:1–4 (NASB95)
In small group, I say this all the time; “don’t put a stumbling block before a brother or sister.” It is explained a little more fully by Paul in Romans. This is long but should be considered in the context of Jesus telling people not to put out stumbling blocks.
1Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.
2One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.
3The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
4Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
6He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.
7For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;
8for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
9For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
11For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”
12So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
13Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.
Romans 14:1–13 (NASB95) Isaiah 45:23
God’s got this. Jesus is specifically telling us God’s got this. Jesus also warns us about interfering with what “Gods got” in verse two of the Luke passage. What is a stumbling block? Anything that slows someone down, hinders them, or prevents them from going about the business they are about. If we don’t agree with them, fine, we don’t have to help them, but for the love of Heaven, do not slow them down or stop them.
5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.
Luke 17:5–6 (NASB95)
I really struggle with this one. We hear stories all the time about people who pray for healing, and when they aren’t, someone else says, “You just don’t have enough faith.” This passage seems to indicate that the second person is right, but I absolutely disagree with the statement that someone doesn’t have enough faith when what they prayed for wasn’t instantly delivered to them. I also don’t have a good answer for why not, and this passage is the reason.
This is Jesus telling those who follow Him and directly ask Him to increase their faith. Christ didn’t tell them no or not now. He seems to tell them they don’t have any. Then He launches into a parable.
7“Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’?
8“But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’?
9“He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?
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.’ ”
Luke 17:7–10 (NASB95)
I don’t usually do this, but as I was reading, Halley’s Bible Handbook was very helpful on this particular scripture selection. I’m going to quote that here. It is a great explanation for these last two sets of scripture. It helped me greatly.
Then the disciples cried out, “Lord, increase our faith!” If we have to be that forgiving, we cannot do it without more faith.
Then, to help their faith, Jesus speaks of the unlimited power of faith, and by the parable of the obedient servant He shows them that humility is the foundation of faith. As we seek the Lord, our desire to serve Him and do His work will provide us with the power and faith we need to thrive as we serve others in His name.
Henry Hampton Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook with the New International Version., Completely rev. and expanded. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 674–675.
Halley’s comment about being forgiving refers to the stumbling block passage. And forgiving seven times seven etc. I struggle with that part too. Not the understanding part but the doing part.
11While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.
12As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him;
13and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
Luke 17:11–13 (NASB95)
Some forms of leprosy are very contagious but only through physical contact, as I understand it. I am not, nor have I researched, this disease. In Jesus’ time, it was such a social stigma, and so misunderstood that people had nothing to do with those afflicted. Imagine the crowd’s reaction to what Christ does next.
14When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed.
15Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice,
16and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.
Luke 17:14–16 (NASB95)
Recall the reaction the people had when Jesus forgave sin. Their reaction here would have been similar because oftentimes, leprosy was viewed as a punishment from God. It becomes even more of a lesson as Jesus again ties it into faith.
17Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they?
18“Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”
19And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 17:17–19 (NASB95)
This is another one of those “you don’t have enough faith” healing passages that troubles me. The other interesting point is that Jesus knew only one of the ten would come thank Him and glorify God, yet He healed them all anyway. This next part might be the most important part of this entire Lenten series.
Jesus talked a lot about the Kingdom of God. Luke spent quite a long time on that himself, highlighting those words and Christ’s discussions around it. Jesus gives a straight answer to a direct question here. It is also sometimes not any more clear after this answer.
20Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed;
21nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Luke 17:20–21 (NASB95)
The NASB does no service to the reader here with “…the kingdom of God is in your midst.” beyond telling us that Jesus is amongst the people. Let’s look at how the King James Version reads.
20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Luke 17:20–21 (KJV 1900)
“…the kingdom of God is within you.” That’s very different. Does the Greek word explain why this might be this way?
The Greek word translated as “within” for the King James means just that, inside. Very simple. The NASB Greek dictionary adds the “among” word that is not in the KJV version.
Regardless, the point made here, which Halley’s backs up, is that the Kingdom of God is about a person’s heart, not a physical kingdom on earth. That is incredibly important.
The Pharisees were asking about kicking out the occupying Romans. They expected an earthly monarch with weapons of war to liberate them. That isn’t who Jesus is. That wasn’t what He was about to do in their midst. He stated plainly here that very fact. The kingdom of God is inside you and me. It is the “why” behind what we do and say. It is our motivation for every action; God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit know all of it.
After Jesus answered the Pharisees, He turned to His disciples and spoke. This is a warning He gave to those then, but it is also a warning to us now. It was a future for the Christian people of the world from that point to this one and beyond. We would do well to heed it because these words last until Christ comes again.
22And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
23“They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them.
24“For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.
25“But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26“And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
27they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:22–27 (NASB95)
We’ve talked about Jesus’ return as a “thief in the night.” The lightning flashing and then gone is a hint. The reference to Noah is even better. Consider Noah as Christians warning the world about the dangers of sinful behavior. Now think about all the people Noah warned about the coming flood laughing at him. They went about their lives as though they would continue forever, just as they always had. Then it started raining.
At first, it was like any other rain, and the people reacted to it like any other rainstorm. But then, it didn’t stop. Noah kept doing what he was told, and the waters began to rise, just as God said they would. There had been floods before, and the people reacted as they had before to floods. But the waters didn’t recede as they had before. Slowly at first, then in ever larger numbers, people began to remember what Noah had said, but it was too late. By the time the ark floated off its pilings, people were begging Noah to let them in, but he did not because God desired that only Noah’s family should survive.
28“It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building;
29but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
30“It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
Luke 17:28–30 (NASB95)
Lot is another similar story in the end of two cities. Those inhabitants had no idea either. But it was their end too.
31“On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back.
Luke 17:31 (NASB95)
The people in my small group know I like prepper stuff. I enjoy all that entails, from storing enough food to last my family months and months to home defense and the ability to survive in the wilderness. However, this passage indicates when the time comes, we are not to take any time to go and get all that nifty survival stuff; just run, it seems. I struggle with that.
32“Remember Lot’s wife.
Luke 17:32 (NASB95)
I shouldn’t struggle with that.
33“Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
Luke 17:33 (NASB95)
In case Lot’s wife wasn’t a big enough clue or someone said, “I won’t look at the destruction” Jesus added that last bit to make it clear that if we go back for our stuff, we won’t make it. In fact, I don’t think whatever comes with the return of Jesus will be like anything in scripture or that we have considered. I think the return of Jesus will not only strike like a thief in the night, catching us off guard but be something so unexpected as to make all of our human plans irrelevant.
34“I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.
35“There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left.
36“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”
Luke 17:34–36 (NASB95)
This is one of the passages that creates the doctrine of the rapture. The idea is that the faithful shall be taken up and the unfaithful left behind. However, that’s not what this passage says. The Greek word behind “taken” doesn’t clarify anything, as it has the added meaning of assuming an office or “collected.” The point comes later, but no outward sign can clue us into who is or is not going to be “taken.” This chapter ends with a question and a simple, ominous answer.
37And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”
Luke 17:37 (NASB95)
37And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
Luke 17:37 (KJV 1900)
I included both versions because the King James uses eagles. Some in the United States misunderstand Jesus’ point when they read “eagles” in this passage and let their patriotism lead them astray. I love my country and the symbol that represents it, the eagle, but that is not Christ’s meaning.
Eagles are not pure hunters in the raptor world. They eat carrion as well, dead things. Yes, they prefer to hunt prey, but if they can find and secure something already dead, they will. With the word for “eagles” in conjunction with the word for “body” in the same sentence, there is no question about what Jesus means. Jesus’ point is this; where dead things are, there are the things that consume and prey on dead things. From a Christian perspective, what are “dead things?” Those things are still under the Law. What things aren’t “under the Law?” Those things that live by faith in Jesus Christ are the only things not under the Law. How do we know the Law is synonymous with the dead body here?
This is long, but it is fully explaining why the “body” the “vultures” or “eagles” feed on refers to those who will die.
1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Romans 8:1–13 (KJV 1900)
That passage has it all. That passage has the Kingdom of God as spiritual inside of us. That passage has the Law leading to sin and death. That passage has life being from Jesus alone. It also has the only path weaving through that sin and death to life as through Christ alone. If we pursue the things of the flesh, we die. If we pursue the things of the spirit, we live. It’s as simple as that. God bless and Godspeed.