The image of someone with only a small amount of faith, comparable to the size of a tiny seed being able accomplish great things whether the casting of a tree as in Luke 17, mountain (Mark 11:22) or both (Matthew 17:20), is an evocative one. It is central to Jesus’ teaching about faith in Luke 17.
25.1 Read Luke 17:1-10
Jesus acknowledges that we live in a world where testing, or temptation are unavoidable. The Fall means that we will constantly face trials and suffering. These trials become temptations when they tempt us to seek identity, security and/or comfort above all else and not from God. Whilst temptation is unavoidable, this doesn’t remove the responsibility of those who cause it. Whether Jesus is referring here to those who cause others to suffer or those who encourage them into sinful responses to trials through wrong advice is not stated. Perhaps it doesn’t matter, both are causes of temptation.[1] Jesus uses hyperbolic language to describe the seriousness of this, especially when “little ones” or those young in faith and vulnerable are put at risk. It would be better to have them removed so completely from the scene that there is no chance of them coming back to cause further damage (v1-2).[2]
Jesus’ remedy to this is to “watch yourself”. That we should keep a careful watch on our own thoughts and actions seems obvious both in terms of guarding ourselves from unavoidable temptation and ensuring that we are not the cause of others stumbling. However, the way that Jesus tells his disciples to watch or guard themselves may not seem so obvious. Jesus says first that we are to guard ourselves by rebuking our brother if he sins and secondly we are to continuously forgive them when they sin against us (v3-4).
Why is this the remedy? I would suggest three reasons. First, I think the point is that we can either respond to their sin against us by being tempted ourselves so that we too fall into sin by seeking to retaliate. Instead, we are to challenge directly the sin, to warn them whilst guarding against temptation by having a forgiving disposition.[3] Second, it contrasts the kind of person who seeks to tempt and provoke his brother with one who goes beyond abstaining from tempting to positively seeking to care for his brother’s spiritual well-being. Thirdly, it reminds us that there is a collective dimension to this. We watch ourselves by watching each other but not in a judgemental manner.
The 12 apostles see this as a challenging requirement. How are they to consistently and perfectly forgive. They ask for more faith for this, a commendable desire. However, Jesus’ response is that they don’t need their faith increasing because with even a small, fragile faith, they can do big things (v6). We often take the description of “faith the size of a mustard seed” to show that it isn’t the size of our faith that matters but rather the one we have faith in. The point is true and may be the application in other contexts but this doesn’t seem to be the one Jesus is making here. Rather, his parable of the servant coming in from work on the farm and being given further duties suggests that although these things seem great and impossible, they are in fact the reasonable duty of a believer. The sense could even be “I’m not really asking too much of you. I’m not asking you to move objects into the sea with your mind! If so, then God will equip us with the amount of faith we need (v7-10).
25.2 Read Luke 17:11-17
On the way, Jesus encounters a group of ten lepers. Leprosy was both a contagious disease and identified by the Law as rendering you unclean. S, lepers were outcasts from normal society. They call out to Jesus, begging him to pity them (v11-13(. Jesus tells them to go to show themselves to the priest. This was the Law’s requirement; the priest could validate if a person was cured and declare them clean. They set off and, on the way, the miracle happens, they are healed. We see here that faith involves an obedient response to Jesus. They trust him to heal them and so they set off, responding as he has instructed (v13-14).
However, one of the ten, a Samaritan comes back to say thank you. Jesus observes that only one has done this “where are the other nine”, not only that but it is the one who is a foreigner, not part of God’s people who has returned to praise God. Note the link between thanking Jesus and praising God (v15-16). Jesus affirms that it is this man’s faith, confirmed not just be following Jesus’ instruction but his expressed gratitude to God which has healed him (v17-19).
25.3 Read Luke 17:18-37
Some Pharisees approach Jesus and ask him when God’s kingdom will be inaugurated. This is another way of asking about when the Messiah will come which is kind of ironic given that he was standing right in front of them. Jesus says that the kingdom is now found by observation, in other words “one need not hunt for the kingdom.[4] This may partly point to the fact that this is not a political/physical/geographical kingdom. This would take a common reading of “entos” to mean “within you”, so that God’s kingdom is in the people’s hearts. This however would struggle with a context where Jesus is addressing the Pharisees who very clearly did not have God’s kingdom inside of them.[5] Some have also suggested that Jesus is referring to “legal observation”, to keeping the Law. However, this does not seem to fit the context where no legal controversy is suggested[6]. Most likely, the point is that the Pharisees did not need to be looking for cosmic signs. God’s kingdom was already present, in their midst in the person of Jesus (v20-21).[7] Nolland further suggests that the unobservable kingdom was the one that came without warning “it’s right here” and so could not be prepared for.[8]
The focus of the kingdom is on the king himself is a real, physical person, the son of man. Jesus tells his disciples that soon he will not be with them. They will long for his presence, to be able to hear his teaching and witness his miracles but he will not be there.[9] There will be people who claim to have seen him but they are not to pay attention to them. This is because when the Messiah is revealed, it will be like lightening, lighting up the whole sky, it will be obvious and unmissable to all. However, before that can happen, he must first suffer and be rejected (v22-25).
Jesus offers two comparisons, the day of the Son of Man will be like Lot’s and Noah’s time. People will be complacently going about their business unexpectant and unready for what is to come (v26-29). In the same way, the Son of Man’s Day will be sudden, unexpected and bring judgement. The imagery here is of an invading army bringing destruction. When that happens, your priority is to flee to safety, even leaving behind the things that you consider your life, your property and possessions in order to save what really matters your physical life because for everyone who survived and gets to safety one will be taken, either capture or killed (v26-35).[10]
The Pharisees ask “when” and the disciples “where”. The morbid imagery of a battlefield scene and vultures seeking dead bodies simply reinforces the point that the arrival of Christ’s kingdom will be just as visibly obvious as the aftermath of death marked by the presence of carrion hovering above (v36-37.[11]
The attitude we should have towards the day Jesus is talking about should be the same as those who flee, to seek safety and salvation first before all else.
25.4 What is the time/event that Jesus is talking about?
There have been two approaches when looking at this passage and similar ones in the Gospels, particular the discussion that follows Jesus’ prophecy of the destruction of the Temple.[12] Matthew includes the description found here in Luke of two men and two women with one each taken and one left behind as part of the Matthew 24 discourse on the destruction of the Temple.[13] He also incorporates the warning about false sightings of the Messiah in that section.[14]
On the one hand, there are those who see these prophesies as all referring to the last day, to Jesus’ return. This has at times been accompanied by an interpretation of the description of the two pairs of people with one taken and one left behind as a description of what has become known as “The Rapture.” This is the belief that at some point in the end times, God’s people, the church will be raptured, or taken up to heaven to be with Jesus. In some end times systems, especially dispensationalism, the belief is that there will be a period of time when those “left behind” continue to live on, facing a great tribulation and the rise of the Anti-Christ before Jesus finally returns as judge and king.
It is worth noting that the language of Matthew 24:40 and Luke 17:16-37 does not naturally fit with Rapture imagery. Rather, it is the imagery seems more fitting with a sudden military raid. So, the person looking from his roof top is to flee quickly without pausing to rescue his possessions. In such a scenario, it would surely be the one left who are safe, those taken are not caught up into the sky. Rather, they are either captures as prisoners of war or killed.[15]
On the other hand, there are those who believe that the things described by Jesus in these passages refer to events much closer to his life, death and resurrection. Is Jesus talking solely about the destruction of the Temple in AD70. Or is he even using the imagery of the future physical destruction of the Temple to point to the immediate near future and his own death and resurrection.
That Jesus describes a period of time when the disciples will long for one of his days suggests that we are meant to be expecting a future event. That there will be no question marks as with the rumours and speculation he warns about also rules out the AD70 interpretation. The best fit interpretation is that Jesus is pointing to his own coming Messianic reign when he returns.
Another linked discussion has been concerning what Jesus meant when he talked about God’s kingdom coming. Did it come with him or was it merely near with its arrival in the future. This passage points to a view where the kingdom “comes in stages”,[16]it is “already-not-yet”.[17] There was a sense in which the kingdom had arrived with Jesus’ incarnation but at that stage, the world was still subject to the reign of sin and death. There is a deeper and greater coming with Jesus’ death and resurrection which defeats the false ruler. The coming of the Spirit means that God’s kingdom is present in the Church and the lives of believers. We work for the extension of his kingdom influence. There is however a future and further sense in which his kingdom finally and fully comes with his physical return.
25.5 Faith
The theme that runs through this section is true faith. We need faith in order to be able to obey Christ by living together as faithful believers who look out for one another, warn and encourage each other and forgive each other rather than harming one another, causing suffering and leading into temptation.
It’s faith which enables us to find salvation. There is a strong relationship between the idea of being healed and being saved (the same Greek word is at times used for both) in Luke’s Gospel and here the point of healing lepers is so that they will be clean and so reconciled into God’s people. Faith is put into action both in obedience to Christ’s word and in joyful, grateful praise for his salvation.
It is faith that will enable us to persevere whilst Christ is not physically present with us. This faith enables us to ignore false and premature announcements of his return. This faith will give us hope for the day when he does come back because we know that we are safe in him. In other words, this is all about persevering faith in The Now and Not Yet. This is faith to obey, faith to rejoice and faith to hope.
[1] Bock places the emphasis on false teachers here. Bock, Luke 9:51-24:53, 1388.
[2] Matthew includes a similar warning at Matthew 18:6. Matthew 18 seems to parallel Luke 17 and is perhaps picking up on the same teaching occasion with additional material. Matthew adds in the point that it is better to lose limbs than be cast into Gehenna In the following section (18:15-20), Jesus expands on how to respond to the brother who sins against you.
[3] It may well be the description of being sinned against and forgiven seven times in a day is what prompts Peter’s question about how many times he is meant to forgive “Wow am I meant to forgive 7 times) and Jesus’ response More than that Peter, you don’t give up forgiving at the end of that bad day, even if they keep up that level of wronging you and letting you down doe the next 70 days, you are still to forgive them (Matthew 18:21-22).
[4] Bock, Luke 9:51-24:53, 1414.
[5] See Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, 853.
[6] Bock, Luke 9:51-24:53, 1413.
[7] See Bock, Luke 9:51-24:53, 1413014.
[8] Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, 854.
[9] The phrase “days of the son of man” is unique to this passage. Bock, Luke 9:51-24:53, 1428.
[10] Lot’s wife is a notable example. When warned to flee Sodom, she turned back for a last glance and was caught in the apocalyptic event so that all remaining was a pillar of salt.
[11] Green, Luke, 636.
[12] Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21.
[13] Matthew 24:39-40.
[14] Matthew 24:26-27.
[15] Contra Morris, Luke 279. I’m surprised to see that a few commentators seem to stick with rapture imagery even if not dispensationalist in their theology. Morris seems to do so by linking the passage to 1 Thessalonians 4:17 where the followers of Jesus, both dead and alive are caught up to meet him. This is also used as a Rapture proof text but in fact, the imagery there is more of Christ’s people coming out to meet their returning king and then accompanying him. So Paul is making a different point to Jesus here and I’m not convinced by the linking or conclusion.
[16] Bock, Luke 9:51-24:53, 1418.
[17] Bock, Luke 9:51-24:53,1418.
Faithroots 