Chapter
Verse

Luke chapter 17

English Standard Version

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. 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. 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. 32Remember Lot’s wife. 33Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 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.” 36 37And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

22And He said to the disciples, 'The days will come when you will long 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 leave, and do not run after them. 24For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. 25But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man: 27people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, and they were building; 29but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day, the one who will be on the housetop, with his goods in the house, must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one in the field must not turn back. 32Remember Lot’s wife. 33Whoever strives to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it. 34I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36[ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.'] 37And responding, they *said to Him, 'Where, Lord?' And He said to them, 'Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.'
Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

King James Version

20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 22And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. 23And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 24For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. 25But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. 26And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 31In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 32Remember Lot's wife. 33Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 34I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 37And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

What does Luke chapter 17 mean?

In the section sometimes called "Jesus' Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27), Jesus prepares the disciples. They must be ready to witness His death and resurrection and then build the church. That building process requires teaching believers about the kingdom of God: the influence, power, and authority of God in creation. Jesus' first coming—His birth—inaugurated the kingdom, and His work will be completely fulfilled at His second coming. Until then, it will be the work of His disciples to live as citizens and ambassadors of that kingdom. They are to invite others in so they can live lives glorifying God and experiencing His love and presence in eternity. Luke 17 lists several responsibilities expected of those who live in God's kingdom: proper understanding of sin, faith, humble service, thanks, and watchfulness.

The travelogue is notoriously difficult to organize. However, Luke 16:1—17:10 seem to detail behaviors which do not reflect kingdom living. Luke 17:11—18:34 is the third of four groupings that start with a miracle and continue with more general teachings about the kingdom. These teachings are not necessarily presented in strict chronological order; if Luke found an event or a lesson that matched a passage's theme, he had no problem inserting it. The "orderly account" Luke promised Theophilus is often thematic, not always chronological (Luke 1:1–4).

In Luke 17:1–10, Jesus corrects thoughts and behaviors inconsistent with being citizens of God's kingdom. He is especially focused on leadership. First, He speaks about the disciples' responsibilities regarding others' sin. Their teaching must never tempt someone. They must confront others about their sin. They must forgive everyone who sincerely repents no matter how often (Luke 17:1–4). As if such responsibilities are too difficult, Jesus corrects the disciples' understanding of the power of their faith. Their ability to serve the kingdom is not dependent on the size of their faith but on the God in whom they have faith (Luke 17:5–6). Finally, Jesus again reminds the disciples that they are servants. Following Him does not mean using Him or their positions for their own gain (Luke 17:7–10).

Luke 17:11–19 begins a section which includes a series of comparisons. Ten lepers maintain a respectful distance while begging Jesus to heal them. He sends them off to the priests: a necessary step for someone to be declared healed. As they go, they realize they are all healed, but only one man, a Samaritan, returns to thank Jesus. Jesus praises his faith.

In Luke 17:20–37, Jesus makes several comparisons regarding reactions to the kingdom of God. Pharisees still look for God's kingdom while Jesus' followers know better. They realize His ministry is the in-breaking of the kingdom on earth. There will be a day when His disciples long for Him, and false prophets will come to proclaim false messiahs. But Jesus will return with flashes of lightning across the sky. First He will suffer and be rejected in His own time. When Jesus returns, many will be caught off guard, living normal lives like those in the days of Noah and Lot; Jesus' followers need to watch the signs and be ready.

In the next chapter, Luke continues the pattern of comparisons. A persistent widow receives justice from a corrupt judge. A tax collector shows more humble faith than a self-righteous Pharisee. Trusting children receive the kingdom of God while a devout ruler hesitates if it means losing his possessions. The section ends with Jesus, once again, warning the disciples of His coming death. The chapter ends with the healing of a blind beggar as Jesus travels through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem.
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