SCRIPTURE: LUKE 17
SIN, FAITH, DUTY (vs. 1-10)
SIN:
“Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves. (vs. 1-2)
“If you brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, “I repent,”, forgive him.” (vs. 3- 4)
FAITH:
“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.” (v. 8)
DUTY:
“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat?” Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” (vs. 7-10)
TEN HEALED OF LEPROSY (vs. 11-19)
While Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee, ten leprosy men met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” (v. 13). When Jesus saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests” (v. 14). As they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back praising god in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (v. 17-18). Then he said to him, “Rise and go, your faith has made you well.” (vs. 19)
THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD (vs. 20-37)
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.
Jesus said to his disciples: “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, “There he is!” or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them. all.
It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep hi life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding rain together; one will be taken and the other left. They asked: “Where Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” (v. 37)
THOUGHTS:
What Jesus meant by to rebuke sin means to bring sin to a person’s attention with the purpose of restoring him to God and to fellow human beings. Your attitude in rebuking should be coupled with love and tied to forgiveness.
The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith. What is faith? It is complete trust and loyalty to God. It is genuine and humble obedience to do the will of God. A mustard seed is small but it is alive and growing. Almost invisible at first, it will begin to spread first under the ground and then visibly. Like a tiny seed, a small amount of genuine faith in God will take root and grow. The change will be gradual but it will soon produce major results as it grows.
It takes faith to do your duty in serving the Lord. Whatever you are doing for God, regard it as a privilege and honor and not to boast your self-esteem or spiritual pride.
Jesus sent the ten lepers to the priest before they were healed and they went. They responded in faith, so Jesus healed them on the way. Do you have a strong trust in God that you act on what he says even before you see evidence that it will work?
Among the ten lepers that were healed by Jesus, only one returned to thank Him. Have you received God’s great gift with an ungrateful spirit? God does not demand that we have to thank him, but he is pleased when we do so. Count your blessings and thank Him for what He has done for you.
The Kingdom of God is not like an earthly kingdom with geographical boundaries. Instead, it begins with the work of God’s Spirit in people’s lives and in relationships. We must resist looking to institutions or programs for evidence of the progress of God’s kingdom. Instead, we should look for what God is doing in people’s hearts.
Jesus warns us never to believe in people claiming to be the Messiah or that the Son of Man has returned. When Jesus returns, his power and presence will be evident to everyone.
Life will be going on as usual on the day Christ returns. It will be like Noah’s day when the flood came and Lot’s day by the destruction of Sodom. Nobody knows when he will come but we must be morally and spiritually ready to meet Jesus.