Luke 17

Luke 17 belongs to the section of the Gospel that depicts Jesus' journey toward Jerusalem. Following Luke 16, which contains the parable of the unjust steward and the account of the rich man and Lazarus, this chapter presents brief teachings addressed to the disciples, a healing narrative, and sayings about the end times.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 Jesus warns against those who cause little ones to stumble, that is, who lead others into sin. He commands His disciples to forgive a brother even if he repents seven times in a day.
• Verses 5–6 The apostles ask Him to increase their faith. Jesus replies that with faith as a grain of mustard seed, even a sycamine tree would obey them.
• Verses 7–10 The parable of the servant. Even after doing all that they have been commanded, the disciples are to say, "We are unprofitable servants."
• Verses 11–19 The ten lepers are healed. Only one of them, a Samaritan, returns to give thanks.
• Verses 20–21 The Pharisees ask when the kingdom of God will come.
• Verses 22–37 Jesus speaks about the day of the Son of Man. That day will come like lightning, but the Son of Man must first suffer. As in the days of Noah and Lot, it will come while people are absorbed in everyday life; "the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left."

Key Verses

• Luke 17:10 "We are unprofitable servants" — teaches that service gives no ground for demanding a reward.
• Luke 17:17 "But where are the nine?" — a verse frequently cited in discussions of gratitude.
• Luke 17:21 "The kingdom of God is within you" — a verse whose interpretation divides readers over the nature of the kingdom of God.

People and Places

• Jesus Christ, the apostles, the Pharisees
• The Samaritan leper: the only one of the ten who returned to give thanks after being healed. Jesus calls him "this stranger." See also Samaritans.
• Noah and Lot: cited as examples illustrating the day of the Son of Man.
• Lot's wife: as she was leaving Sodom, she looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).
• Samaria, Galilee, Jerusalem, Sodom

Interpretive Notes

• The translation of verse 21: The Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version render the phrase "within you," while the New Korean Standard Version and others render it "among you." "Within you" tends to be read as referring to a kingdom that comes in the heart; "among you" tends to be read as referring to a kingdom already present in the person of Jesus.
• "Taken" in verses 34–35: Some who hold to dispensationalism read this passage in connection with the rapture. Others interpret being taken as judgment, pointing to the preceding context, in which the flood "destroyed them all," and to the image of the "body" (that is, a corpse) in verse 37.
• Verse 36: Because this verse appears only in some later manuscripts, the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version retain only the verse number. Its content resembles Matthew 24:40.
• Leprosy: Many scholars hold that biblical "leprosy" refers to a broader range of skin diseases than modern Hansen's disease. The command to show themselves to the priests relates to the purification regulations of Leviticus 14.
• Verses 22–37 overlap considerably with the eschatological discourse in Matthew 24. This passage is also discussed in the article Luke 17:22–24.

In the Korean Church

The account of the ten lepers is frequently used in sermons on gratitude for Thanksgiving and Midyear Thanksgiving (the Feast of Harvest). The phrase "unprofitable servants" in verse 10 is often cited in ordination service sermons on the humility of church officers and in sermons on service.