Sunday School Lessons: Luke 17

Luke 17

17:1And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

There are enough temptations in the world without tempting others. Here, Jesus is pronouncing a ‘woe’ against anyone who would cause another person to sin, especially the little ones. This does not only mean small children. It can mean new Christians, too.

3Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

We must always be ready to forgive. Notice that we are not asked to simply overlook the sin. It’s proper to hold the person accountable for his sin, but when he repents, you must forgive, over and over. What if someone sins against you 8 or nine times in a day? Do you still have to forgive? Why or why not?

Not only must we forgive, but we should demonstrate our forgiveness through kindness and never bring the offense up again. Even if a person sins and doesn’t repent, we are not to take vengeance.

Do you think that this is a difficult thing to do? Jesus told his disciples to pay attention to themselves—to be on guard against sinning and against causing others to sin. Unforgiveness is a sin.

5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Notice the apostles (disciples) response to vs. 3 and 4. They realize what is being asked of them and they know that, apart from faith in Christ, they cannot do it! Read Luke 1:37, Mk 9:23)

7“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Jesus is teaching about servanthood again. It is our duty to work all day and to keep serving. It is right that the Master is served first. We are to follow his commandments. If we do follow his commandments, we have not earned our salvation—that is a gift from God. Our good works do not save us.

11On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Why were the lepers standing at a distance? Why did they lift up their voices? What did they ask of Jesus? What did Jesus do? Why was it important that they show themselves to the priests? Why didn’t he heal them right there? Why did the healing happen as they were on their way? Only one man ‘turned back, praising God’ and returned to thank Jesus and he was a Samaritan. What do you remember about the relationship between Samaritans and Jews? None of the other men came back. Their bodies were healed but only the Samaritan had faith.

20Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

The Pharisees are asking a question about the Kingdom of God. They want to know when it will come. The Kingdom of God was in their midst—their Messiah had come and he was standing right there with them, but they did not recognize him. They were looking for a military savior, a deliverer who would defeat Rome and make the Jewish nation strong and return to them their sovereignty. They did not recognize the Kingdom was a spiritual kingdom.

22And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Jesus will return someday. No one knows the time of his return. Christians will always long to see Christ. That is one of the marks of a true Christian—that they look forward to Christ’s return. However, in the meantime, many false messiahs will come at different times and at different places. Jesus is telling his disciples not to be fooled. When Jesus does return for the second time, all the world will know that he has returned, as if the whole sky was lit up and everyone will see his return. But first, he reminds them that he must suffer and that he will be rejected. The Cross was still to come and he continues to tell his disciples what is going to happen.

26Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Is there anything wrong with eating and drinking? What about getting married? No, but Noah had been warning the people about the coming judgment and they continued as if they had not heard—as if judgment was not coming. There are many, many people living their lives, going about their daily activities that do not know that judgment is coming. When Jesus comes back the second time, he will be coming back with salvation for his people and judgment.

31On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

Lots wife, turned and looked back at the destruction of Sodom, even though the angel had warned them not to look back.

34I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpseis, there the vultures will gather.”

At the final judgment, God divides the saved and the unsaved, the believers and the unbelievers. Jesus answers the question, “where, Lord?” with a proverb: Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. All will gather to that which attracts them; the evil will be known by their actions and so will the believers. Christ’s own will be gathered to him, but the wicked will not desire him.

*These lessons are written for use with elementary aged students. You can find lessons for previous chapters here . All scriptures are taken from the ESV.