171 And he said to his disciples, It cannot be but that offences come, but woe [to him] by whom they come! 2 It would be [more] profitable for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea, than that he should be a snare to one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother should sin, rebuke him; and if he should repent, forgive him. 4 And if he should sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times should return to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him.
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, Give more faith to us. 6 But the Lord said, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard [seed], ye had said to this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea, and it would have obeyed you.
7 But which of you [is there] who, having a bondman ploughing or shepherding, when he comes in out of the field, will say, Come and lie down immediately to table? 8 But will he not say to him, Prepare what I shall sup on, and gird thyself and serve me that I may eat and drink; and after that thou shalt eat and drink? 9 Is he thankful to the bondman because he has done what was ordered? I judge not. 10 Thus ye also, when ye shall have done all things that have been ordered you, say, We are unprofitable bondmen; we have done what it was our duty to do.
11 And it came to pass as he was going up to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village ten leprous men met him, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up [their] voice saying, Jesus, Master, have compassion on us. 14 And seeing [them] he said to them, Go, shew yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass as they were going they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, seeing that he was cured, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, 16 and fell on [his] face at his feet giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were not the ten cleansed? but the nine, where [are they]? 18 There have not been found to return and give glory to God save this stranger. 19 And he said to him, Rise up and go thy way: thy faith has made thee well.
20 And having been asked by the Pharisees, When is the kingdom of God coming? he answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor shall they say, Lo here, or, Lo there; for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. 22 And he said to the disciples, Days are coming, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and shall not see [it]. 23 And they will say to you, Lo here, or Lo there; go not, nor follow [them]. 24 For as the lightning shines which lightens from [one end] under heaven to [the other end] under heaven, thus shall the Son of man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected of this generation. 26 And as it took place in the days of Noe, thus also shall it be in the days of the Son of man: 27 they ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all [of them]; 28 and in like manner as took place in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 17:1-28
Commentary on Luke 17:1-10
(Read Luke 17:1-10)
It is no abatement of their guilt by whom an offence comes, nor will it lessen their punishment that offences will come. Faith in God's pardoning mercy, will enable us to get over the greatest difficulties in the way of forgiving our brethren. As with God nothing is impossible, so all things are possible to him that can believe. Our Lord showed his disciples their need of deep humility. The Lord has such a property in every creature, as no man can have in another; he cannot be in debt to them for their services, nor do they deserve any return from him.
Commentary on Luke 17:11-19
(Read Luke 17:11-19)
A sense of our spiritual leprosy should make us very humble whenever we draw near to Christ. It is enough to refer ourselves to the compassions of Christ, for they fail not. We may look for God to meet us with mercy, when we are found in the way of obedience. Only one of those who were healed returned to give thanks. It becomes us, like him, to be very humble in thanksgivings, as well as in prayers. Christ noticed the one who thus distinguished himself, he was a Samaritan. The others only got the outward cure, he alone got the spiritual blessing.
Commentary on Luke 17:20-37
(Read Luke 17:20-37)
The kingdom of God was among the Jews, or rather within some of them. It was a spiritual kingdom, set up in the heart by the power of Divine grace. Observe how it had been with sinners formerly, and in what state the judgments of God, which they had been warned of, found them. Here is shown what a dreadful surprise this destruction will be to the secure and sensual. Thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. When Christ came to destroy the Jewish nation by the Roman armies, that nation was found in such a state of false security as is here spoken of. In like manner, when Jesus Christ shall come to judge the world, sinners will be found altogether regardless; for in like manner the sinners of every age go on securely in their evil ways, and remember not their latter end. But wherever the wicked are, who are marked for eternal ruin, they shall be found by the judgments of God.