Luke 17(01)–18(08)

Introduction

Last week we spent our time on Luke 16 and the parables of the shrewd manager and the rich man and Lazarus. And both were about our duty to use what we have for the good of others and especially for the poor and needy.

Just as the wise manager used his master’s money to help the tenant-farmers, so we’re to use what God has given us to help the people around us. That’s how we can be good and wise stewards of what God has given us.

And that means we mustn’t be like the rich man who disregarded Lazarus, who sat begging at the rich man’s gate. Instead we should be kind and generous to the poor. In the parable, after the rich man ended up in hell, he wanted Abraham to let Lazarus rise from the dead to warn his brothers so that they would do what God requires and help the poor. But Abraham made clear to him that his brothers already have the Law and the Prophets to warn them. In other words, the Old Testament Scriptures make clear God’s will for us and how he wants us to help the poor and needy. Even though Christ has come and the good news of the kingdom is being proclaimed, our duty to help the poor has not changed. This is always God’s will for his people.

That’s what we were thinking about last week. Today’s passage begins and ends with faith. In verse 5 of chapter 17, near the beginning of today’s passage, the disciples ask the Lord to increase their faith. And in verse 8 of chapter 18, at the end of today’s passage, the Lord wonders whether he will find faith on the earth when he comes again.

So, the passage begins with faith and it ends with faith. And in the rest of the passage, there’s the parable of the unworthy servant. And there’s the healing of the ten lepers when only one of them returned to thank the Lord Jesus. The Lord also teaches the people that he will come again and there will be a great separation, because there will be those who are taken into God’s presence and there will be those who are not. And then there’s the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow: the widow kept coming to the judge to ask for justice.

What’s the connection between all of those parts and faith? The point of the parable of the unworthy servant is that salvation is not something we deserve or earn, but it’s a gift from God which we receive by faith. The story of the healing of the lepers reminds us that since salvation is a gift from God which we receive by faith, then our proper response is to give thanks to God for his kindness to us in Christ. And Christ’s believing people are ready for his return, because while unbelievers will be sent away to be punished for all that they have done wrong, believers will be taken into the presence of God to enjoy everlasting life. And Christ’s believing people will keep believing and will keeping praying to our Heavenly Father to do what’s right and to save us from our enemies.

17:1–10

We start with verses 1 to 10 of chapter 17 where the Lord said to his disciples that things that cause people to sin are bound to come. They’re inevitable. The Greek word translated, ‘things that cause people to sin’ can also be translated ‘stumbling block’. So, things that cause us to stumble and to fall into sin are bound to come. But woe to the person through whom they come. So, woe to the person who causes another person to stumble and fall into sin and disobedience. The Lord says that it would be better for that person if he were drowned in the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. When the Lord refers to ‘little ones’, he might be referring to children. Or he might be referring to the little people: to the people he’s been talking about such as the poor and the needy and the weak and the vulnerable. Or perhaps he’s referring to believers in general. However, no matter whom he is referring to, the warning itself is clear enough, isn’t it? We’re not to do anything which might cause someone to stumble and fall into sin. ‘So watch yourselves’, says the Lord Jesus at the beginning of verse 3. Watch what you say and do to other people so that you don’t cause them to disobey God.

And if a fellow believer sins against you, what should you do? Should you go and complain about him to others? That’s what we often do in the church, isn’t it? We tell someone else about another person’s faults. Or people will sometimes leave the church and never come back because of what one person did to them. Or perhaps they’ll fight each other, either in an argument or perhaps even physically. That’s what we often do. But it’s not what we’re supposed to do. What we’re supposed to do is we’re supposed to rebuke our fellow believer who sins. In other words, we’re to point out his sin to him. And if he repents, then we’re to forgive him. Just as God forgives us when we confess our sins to him, so we’re to forgive one another. And even if he sins against you many times, every time he confesses it to you and repents, you’re to forgive him. Your willingness to forgive should be without end, because God’s willingness to forgive you is without end.

So, we’re to watch ourselves so that we don’t cause anyone to sin. And when anyone sins against us, we should be willing to forgive. Since we’re sinners, we’ll offend each other continually. It’s inevitable, because we’re sinners. But we should always be ready to repent and we should always be ready to forgive so that the peace and unity of the church is preserved.

And that’s when the disciples asked the Lord to increase their faith. So, they know they have faith. They possess faith. But they don’t think it’s big enough. And people often think like that and one believer says to another believer: ‘I wish I had your faith.’ But look at the Lord’s reply, because he says that the believer with a small faith is able to uproot a mulberry tree. Why would anyone want to uproot a mulberry tree? Well, perhaps no one wants to uproot a mulberry tree, but it seems mulberry trees were renowned in those days for having long, long roots. And since they had long, long roots, then everyone knew it was impossible to move them. While it’s easy to pull up some flowers, and while it’s straightforward to move some bushes with a spade, it’s impossible to move a mulberry tree. And so, here’s the Lord saying that someone with even a small faith can do the impossible. And that’s because, when it comes to faith, what matters is not the size of our faith, but it’s the object of our faith.

What matters is not the size of our faith. What matters is whom we trust. Are we trusting in God or in an idol? Are we trusting in Christ or in ourselves? On whom do we rely for salvation and for eternal life and for the help we need each day? Whether our faith is big or small, what matters is whether we’re trusting in God our Father and in Jesus Christ his Son.

And the Lord went on to tell the parable of the unworthy servant. And we perhaps feel a bit uncomfortable about the parable, because none of us has servants and we’ve been taught that it’s good and right for us to serve one another. And so, we feel uncomfortable about the master who seems to be bossing his servant around. And so, let me say at the outset that the point of the parable is that salvation is not something we can earn or deserve, but it’s a gift from God which we receive by faith. That’s the point of the parable. And all the other good things which we receive from God are his gracious gift to us which we did not earn or deserve. That’s the point of the parable.

And so, here’s this servant who has been working out in the fields. Since he’s been working out in the fields, has he earned the right to sit down at his master’s table and eat dinner? No, he’s hasn’t earned the right to sit down at his master’s table and eat dinner. He hasn’t done anything special or praiseworthy. All he’s done is his duty. All he’s done is his job. And his duties for the day aren’t over, because he still has to get his master’s dinner ready and serve it to him. And after he has prepared his master’s dinner and served it to him, he still hasn’t done anything special or praiseworthy. All he’s done is his duty. It’s not that he has done his master a favour. All he’s done is his duty and he doesn’t deserve any kind of reward or special treatment from his master.

‘So you also’, says the Lord in verse 10, ‘when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”‘ He means God does not owe us anything when we obey him. God is not indebted to us when we do for him what we’re supposed to do. Some of us may be tempted to think that God owes us. We may be tempted to say to God: ‘Look at what I’ve done for you. Look at how I’ve obeyed you. Look at the sacrifices I’ve made for you. Look at how I’ve served you.’ We may be tempted to say to God: ‘You owe me for what I’ve done for you. You owe me a better life in this world. You owe me eternal life in the world to come.’ Some of us may be tempted to say to God: ‘I deserve something from you, God, because look what I’ve done for you.’

But God does not owe us anything. Even if we did everything right, even if we obeyed him perfectly, he would still not be in debt to us, because all we would have done is our duty. And the fact is that none of us has obeyed him perfectly and we fall short of doing his will every day. And yet the good news of the gospel is that he gives us what we do not deserve and cannot earn. He gives us salvation: the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of eternal life in his presence. He gives it to us and we receive it by faith.

And he’s able to give it to us because of what Christ has done for us by his perfect life of obedience and by his death on the cross in our place. By his death, he has paid for all our sins and shortcomings; and he shares his perfect obedience with all who believe. God owes us nothing, but he gives us everything in Christ our Saviour.

17:11–19

And how should we respond to God’s kindness to us in Christ Jesus? We should respond with gratitude. And that’s the point of verses 11 to 19 and the story of the ten lepers who were healed.

Luke reminds us in verse 11 that the Lord was on his way to Jerusalem. And on this occasion, he was travelling along the border between Samaria and Galilee. And as he came into a village, ten men with leprosy met him. I’m sure you know that the word for leprosy in the Bible refers to a range of skin diseases and conditions, some more serious than others. But, so long as a person had leprosy, they were required to stay away from everyone else. They had to leave their family and home and village and live elsewhere. Presumably these ten lepers lived together to support one another. And since they had to stay away from everyone else, they stood at a distance from the Lord Jesus and called out to him with a loud voice so that he could hear them. They shouted, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us.’

And Luke tells us that when the Lord saw them, he told them to go and show themselves to the priests. The Old Testament law said that when someone was healed of a skin disease, he had to show himself to a priest who would confirm that the disease had gone and that he was free to return to his family. And Luke tells us that as they went on their way to the priest, they were cleansed. Can you imagine what it was like? All ten of them walking down the road, perhaps wondering why the Lord had sent them to the priest. And then one of them says to his neighbour: ‘Hang on! Your skin looks better’. And another one looks down at his hand and sees that the skin blemishes have disappeared. And another one lifts his cloak and sees that the rash on his legs has gone. And another looks down at his chest and stomach and sees that he’s clean too. Can you imagine their excitement and joy?

The Lord had healed them of their disease by means of the Holy Spirit who was working through him. All he had to do was say the word and they were healed! And now the men knew why he sent them to the priest, because the priest could confirm their healing and let them return to normal life.

Luke then tells us in verse 15 that one of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back. He came back, praising God in a loud voice. No doubt he praised God for sending the Lord Jesus into the world with the power to heal the sick. And as well as praising God, he also threw himself at the feet of the Lord Jesus and thanked him. He thanked him for healing him.

And Luke tells us that this one man was a Samaritan. That is to say, he was an outcast, half Jew and half Gentile. And the Lord Jesus remarked on this, because it was remarkable that the only one of the ten who returned and praised God was a foreigner. But what happens when even a foreigner believes? He is made well. Do you see that in verse 19? And so, whether our faith is large or small, and whether we’re a Jew or Gentile or something in between, what counts is whether or not we believe in God the Father and in Jesus Christ, God’s Spirit-Anointed And Conquering King who came into the world to save us. And he came to save us, not only from our misery, but also from our sin and to give us eternal life in God’s presence. And since our salvation is not something we deserve or can earn, since our salvation is a gift, which we receive by faith, then what should be our proper response? Our proper response should be to give thanks to God for his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. If we think that we deserve to be saved, or if we think that God owes it to us, then we wouldn’t think of thanking him. But once we realise that we don’t deserve it and that God was under no obligation whatsoever to save us, then we’ll want to fall down before him and thank him for his mercy and kindness to us, for all we are are unworthy sinners who have been saved by grace.

17:20–37

Let’s move on now to verses 20 to 37. The Pharisees asked the Lord when the kingdom of God will come. And this displays their spiritual blindness, doesn’t it? It displays their spiritual blindness, because the things the Lord Jesus had done made clear to those with eyes to see that he is God’s Spirit-Anointed King and he had come to establish his kingdom on the earth and to save his people from their sin and misery. He’s made it clear, but they could not see it.

Anyway, the Lord answered them by saying that it doesn’t come by careful observation. That is to say, it doesn’t come in ways that can be observed or seen. We’ve seen before that some of them wanted the Lord to perform some kind of great sign from heaven. They wanted the Lord Jesus to prove himself to them by doing something spectacular in the sky. But the Lord wasn’t going to give them that kind of spectacular sign. And he tells them in verse 21 that the kingdom of God is what? The NIV has ‘the kingdom of God is within you’. But a better translation is ‘the kingdom of God is among you’. It’s among them, because he’s the King and he’s standing among them. And there are people standing among them who are now members of his kingdom, because the way into his kingdom is through repentance and faith: turning from our old life of unbelief and sin and turning with faith to Christ the Saviour-King. So, the kingdom has already come on the earth, because Christ is the King and whoever repents and believes is added to it.

But while it has already come, there’s a sense in which it is yet to come, because we’re waiting for the day when Christ the King will come again in power and with glory and everyone will see him and everyone will acknowledge him and his enemies will be sent away to be punished and his people will reign with him over a new and better world to come. So, in one sense, the kingdom has already come. In another sense, it has yet to come and we’re still waiting for it. Think of how King Charles became king as soon as Queen Elizabeth died, but he wasn’t crowned as king until some months afterwards. The Lord is already king, but we’re waiting for the day when he will be revealed as king in all his glory and power.

And so, the Lord said to his disciples in verse 22 that the time is coming when they will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but they will not see it. He’s the Son of Man. And he means that there are days coming when his disciples — in their lifetime — will long to see him coming to them in glory and with power. For instance, when they’re suffering for the sake of Christ, they will long for him to come in glory and with power to overthrow their enemies and to save them from persecution. But you will not see it, he says. And there will be people who will claim that he has come. They’ll say ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ But don’t listen to them, because the coming of the Lord in glory and with power will be obvious. It will be obvious. It won’t happen secretly or in a corner. His coming will be like a flash of lightning that flashes and lights up the sky and everyone sees it from one end of the sky to the other. Everyone will see the Lord when he comes again.

Before he comes like that, he must first suffer many things and be rejected by the people of that generation. That must happen first. But even after that happens, his second coming will not happen immediately. And so, it will be like the days of Noah. People were getting on with their lives, eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage. They were doing normal things. One day was the same as the next. Nothing unusual happened. But then, the rain flood came and everyone — apart from those in the ark — was destroyed.

So it will be with the coming of the Lord. People will be getting on with their lives, eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, going to work, going to school, going to church, doing normal things. One day will be the same as the next. And then the Lord will come.

The Lord likens his coming to the days of Lot who lived in Sodom. Everyone was getting on with their lives. Every day was the same as the previous one. But then fire and sulphur fell from heaven and destroyed the city. It will be just like that when the Lord returns. People will be getting on with their lives. Nothing unusual is happening. And then the Lord will come.

He mentions Lot’s wife and says we should remember her. Why should we remember her? Because Lot and his wife and their daughters were heading for safety. They had been warning about the coming judgment and they were able to escape. However, Lot’s wife stopped. She was on her way to safety, but she stopped. She looked back. And she was destroyed. And the Lord is warning us not to become like her. So, we’ve been told the Lord is coming. We’ve been told about the day of judgment. We’ve been told that whoever trusts in Christ will be saved. We know the way to safety. But unless we actually believe in Christ, and put our faith in him for salvation, then we’ll end up being destroyed like Lot’s wife.

And since the Lord goes on to refer in verse 33 to those who seek to keep their life in this world, he perhaps means that, under the threat of persecution, many will be tempted to turn back from trusting in Christ. They will renounce the faith in order to save their life in this world. But while they may keep their life in this world, by giving up the faith, they will lose out on eternal life because they have stopped believing in the only Saviour of the world.

And the Lord then imagines two people in one bed: a husband and his wife. One will be taken and the other left. That is, one will be taken into God’s presence for eternal life and the other will left behind to suffer God’s wrath and curse forever. Two women will be working side by side. Who are they? A mother and her daughter perhaps? One will be taken and the other left. The Lord once spoke about how his coming divides families, because one member of the family believes and the others do not. And the divison which begins in this life will become permanent when Christ comes again and the one who believed is taken to glory and the others are left to suffer the punishment of God, because they did not believe in the Saviour when they had the opportunity.

The disciples heard all this and asked the Lord, ‘Where?’ Presumably they mean, ‘Where will this take place?’ And the Lord replies cryptically: ‘Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.’ What does it mean? The commentators aren’t sure, but I take it that this is a kind of proverbial saying which means that it will be obvious where it will happen. Just as everyone can see the vultures gathering over a carcass, so everyone will see the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord will come suddenly. Whenever everything seems normal, when people are getting on with their lives, he will come. And his coming will bring diaster for many, because all those who did not believe in him will be sent away by God to be punished forever for all that they have done wrong in this life. But his coming will bring joy for all those who believed in him as the only Saviour of the world. Whether their faith was large or small, and whether they were Jew or Gentile or something else, so long as they’re trusting in Christ for salvation, then they will be brought into the presence of God when he comes, where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore, which we do not deserve and cannot earn, but which God freely and graciously gives to all who are united to Christ by faith.

18:1–8

And so, we come to the last part of today’s passage, verses 1 to 8 of chapter 18 and the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow.

And Luke explains in verse 1 of chapter 18 that the Lord told this parable to show us that we should always pray and not give up. In other words, we should persevere in prayer. But is he referring to prayer in general or to a specific kind of prayer? Since the conclusion of the parable is about getting justice, then that suggests that he’s talking about praying for justice. People may oppose us. They may persecute us. They may hate us for believing in Christ. But instead of taking matters into our own hands and taking revenge on those who hurt us, we’re to trust the Lord to act on our behalf.

So, there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. He didn’t care what other people thought of him. He didn’t care if they thought he was godless or uncaring or mean. He didn’t care.

And then there was a widow who kept coming to him with a plea for justice. She had an adversary. An enemy. There was someone who was against her. And since she was a widow, there was no-one else to help her. She was relying on the judge to stand up for her. And notice, that she’s not asking for vengeance, but for justice. Her adversary is treating her unfairly and she wants the judge to do what is right for her.

For some time he refused. He would not give her the justice she asked for. However, finally he agreed to her plea. And why did he agree? He didn’t care about God. He didn’t care about other people. He therefore didn’t care about being seen to do the right thing. However, he agreed to her plea because he was tired of her. She kept bothering him and he realised she would not stop until he gave her what she asked for.

And since this is a parable, then we know it’s not really about an unjust judge and a persistent widow. It’s about God and us. The Lord’s point is this: if an unjust judge is willing to give justice to a woman who perseveres, how much more likely is God our Heavenly Father to give justice to his people who keep praying to him. Will he not bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? ‘I tell you’, the Lord says, ‘he will see that they get justice and quickly.’ So, instead of taking revenge ourselves, instead of taking matters into our own hands, instead of fighting against our adversaries who hate us because of Christ, we should look to the Lord and pray to him and keep praying to him to do what’s right and to save us from out of their hands. We may not have done anything to deserve our salvation, but neither have we done anything to deserve abuse and persecution and opposition and hatred from an unbelieving world. And so, we turn to God our Heavenly Father and pray: ‘Will you help us? Will you rescue us from our adversaries? Will you give us justice?’

Conclusion

The disciples asked the Lord to increase their faith. But the size of our faith doesn’t matter. What counts is that we’re trusting in God our Father and in Jesus Christ, our Saviour–King, who saves his people from our sin and misery and who promises us everlasting peace and joy in the presence of God.

And there’s nothing we can do to earn or to deserve salvation, because salvation is a gift from God, which we receive by faith in Christ the Saviour.

And since salvation is a gift from God, which we receive by faith and it’s not something we can earn, then the proper response is gratitude. We should give thanks to God always for our salvation.

And Christ is coming again. And when he comes, unbelievers will be sent away to be punished for all that they have done wrong. But those who believed in him and who trusted in him for salvation will be taken into the presence of God to enjoy everlasting life.

And when we suffer in this life, because of our faith in Christ, we should turn to God in prayer, believing that he will hear and answer us and rescue us from our enemies.

And when the Son of Man comes, when Christ the Saviour–King comes in his glory, will he find faith on the earth? If he came today, would he find faith in you? Would he see that yes, here’s a believer. This man trusts in me. This woman trusts in me. This child, this young person, trusts in me. It might be a small faith. It might be a large faith. It doesn’t matter what size it is, so long as you’re trusting in Christ and so long as you keep trusting in him throughout your life here on earth.

And if you have faith already, then rejoice. Rejoice because of the salvation which Christ has won for you; and rejoice because of the glory that awaits you when Christ your Saviour–King comes again.