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Luke Chapter
Seventeen
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Life that
One Watches and Waits for the Coming of the Lord
II. Walk by faith (v.5-6).
III. The parable of the unprofitable
servants------completely for the enjoyment of the Lord (v.7-10).
IV. The teachings of the healing of ten
lepers------having the hearts of gratitude (v.11-19).
V. Live in the reality of the
A. The
B. The day of the
coming of the Son of Man comes suddenly (v.22-32).
C. The judgment of
that day is based on how one lives today (v.33-37).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Luke. 17:1 “Then He said to the
disciples, ‘It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him
through whom they do come!”
YLT: “And he said unto the disciples, `It
is impossible for the stumbling blocks not to come, but wo [to him] through
whom they come;”
Literal Meaning: “it is impossible that no offenses should come”
“Offenses” indicates that one’s faith in the Lord is shaken, so that he goes
astray and even commits a sin. Wherever there are people, it is impossible that
no offenses should come, but the degree of seriousness of offenses differs.
“But woe to him through whom they do
come!” “Woe” indicates that one shall be punished by God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord regards offense as very
serious. If believers offend others, though they are unlikely to lose the
eternal life, they must suffer losses in the kingdom.
2) In the assembly it is impossible
that on offenses should come no matter it
is on purpose or not, however, if possible, we should always avoid offenses.
3) The main reason to offend others or
be offended is pride. The pride one either offends others or is offended by
others.
Luke. 17:2 “It would be better for
him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea,
than that he should offend one of these little ones.”
YLT: “it is more profitable to him if a weighty
millstone is put round about his neck, and he hath been cast into the sea, than
that he may cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
Literal Meaning: “if a millstone were
hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” “Millstone” refers to the
oblate stone in the mill that is used to grind grain and it is quite heavy.
“He” indicates the one who offends others.
If it was hung around one’s neck, not
only he would be drowned in the depth of the sea, but also it is impossible for
him to emerge from the surface of the sea.
“It would be better…, than that he
should offend one of these little ones.” “Little ones” indicate the young
listeners (See 10:21; Matt. 18:6; Mark. 10:24).
The Lord meant that we could let one
disappear in the sea rather than let him offend others.
Spiritual Meaning: “if a millstone were
hung around his neck” “Neck” symbolizes the stubborn will of men
(stubbornness). “If a millstone were hung around the neck” symbolizes making
one’s stubborn will be frustrated.
“Be thrown into the sea.” “Sea”
symbolizes the world of the Gentiles. “Be thrown into the sea” symbolizes that
we should treat them as the Gentiles and have no company with them (See 2Thess.
3:14), lest they may continually harm others.
“He should offend one of these little
ones.” “One of those little ones” indicates one
common and naïve believer.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Believers, in the assembly, should be those who
supply the spiritual bread (“a millstone”). However, if one always offends
others, even though he is spiritually talented, he is useless.
2) A millstone could help men grind grain for men’s
living. It could also be used to drown men into the sea and deprive the meaning
of men’s existence. Whether something is positive or negative depends on men’s
own spiritual state.
3) It is impossible that there are not the phenomena
of offenses in the assembly. If we seek the reason of it, we will find that
offenses are always caused by our pride and stubbornness.
Luke. 17:3 “Take heed to yourselves.
If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”
YLT: “`Take heed to yourselves, and, if thy
brother may sin in regard to thee, rebuke him, and if he may reform, forgive
him,”
Literal Meaning: “take heed to
yourselves” indicates that few men could “rebuke” and “forgive” properly.
“Your brother” refers to
fellow-believers.
“If your brother sins against you,
rebuke him.” If you do not rebuke him, he may be unaware of his wrongness.
“And if he repents, forgive him.”
“Repent” shows that he is aware of his sin, confesses it and repents. It
indicates that we should forgive brothers according to his repentance that he
has truly expressed.
Controversial Clarification: “if he repents, forgive him.” Many
believers, quoting this verse, hold that the other does not repent from his
heart and therefore he won’t forgive him. Actually the Lord here did not ask us
to discern the trueness of the intention of the other. As long as the other
repents orally, we should forgive him. The trueness of repentance is not our
matter but the matter between him and the Lord because it is almost impossible
for us to determine.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is a slight matter that your brother has sinned
against you and it is a great thing that he who has sinned against you is
unaware of his wrongness.
2) In order to let your brother be aware of his
wrongness and not run greedily in the error (Jude 11) and “gain” your brother,
we should rebuke him and point out his wrongness (See Matt. 18:15).
3) Pointing out one’s wrongness is not blame or
accusation but hoping that one would be corrected.
4) We should point out one’s wrongness in his
presence and should not tell his wrongness behind his back. Do not tell what we
dare not to say in the presence of your brother at his back.
5) We should put ourselves in others’ position and be
concerned about the other person. We should not let others know that he has
sinned against us unless absolutely necessary.
6) Believers should do the “right” thing by the
“right” attitude and way. If the attitude and method are wrong, even someone
has done the “right” thing, it would not receive the “right” effect.
7) Whether you forgive the other is not determined by
how much he has sinned against you, but that: 1) he is your brother; 2) he
hears your rebuke; 3) he expresses the repentance.
8) When one Christian is mistreated by another
Christian, he should forgive the one who has sinned against him from his heart
(See Eph. 3:32) and keep his spirit from hatred and evil thoughts.
Luke. 17:4 “And if he sins against
you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I
repent,' you shall forgive him.’”
YLT: “and if seven times in the day he may
sin against thee, and seven times in the day may turn back to thee, saying, I
reform; thou shalt forgive him.’”
The Background: according to the
traditional saying of the Jewish rabbis, one could forgive his brother four
times at most.
Literal Meaning: “if he sins against you
seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you” “Seven” is the number of perfection. Seven
times of offenses refer to the extreme offenses. It is not much if there are
seven times in a life, however, it is not little if there are seven times in a
day and this kind of condition is almost impossible. Generally, we hold that
his “return” is not sincere under this condition.
“You shall forgive him.” In other words,
forgiveness should be inexhaustible. “Forgive” in the original refers to “send
forth” and “let go”, i.e. to forgive the matter that one has been sinned
against. If one forgives others and still remembers “the times”, it shows that
he hasn’t forgotten the times that he has been sinned against and therefore it
cannot be counted as forgiveness.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God has forgiven our sins and God will remember
our sins and lawlessness deeds no more (See Heb. 8:12, 10:17). When we forgive
others, we should remember their sins no more.
2) When we have been sinned against by others, on
one hand, we should give consideration to them and hope them to be corrected,
on the other, we should not have resentment, grievance and hurt in our hearts.
3) The one who truly forgives others does not
remember the times that he has been sinned against by his brother at all
because he has forgotten the matter that he has been sinned against.
4) Men’s forgiveness is limited and its utmost is
seven times. The Lord’s forgiveness is unlimited. Therefore we forgive each
other by the forgiveness in the Lord instead of by men’s forgiveness.
Luke. 17:5 “And the apostles said to
the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’”
YLT: “And the apostles said to the Lord,
`Add to us faith;’”
Literal Meaning: “the apostles said
to the Lord” “The apostles” shows that many apostles made this request.
“Increase our faith.” Apostles made the
request because they heard the Lord’s teaching of forgiveness (v.3-4) that no
matter one’s repentance is sincere or not, you should forgive him. They felt
that they may lack faith in whether they have enough grace to forgive others
under this condition. Therefore they asked the Lord to increase their faith.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is difficult to put forgiveness (v.3-4) into
practice and therefore we need faith. If we believe that God would enable us to
forgive others, we will be able to forgive others.
2) We have to seize the unseen by faith and hope to
have more and more confidence in the eternal things in the daily life,
otherwise we cannot live by the standard of living which the Lord has required
of us.
3) Faith is not of our own and it is not determined
by our own will. It is the gift of God (See Eph. 2:8).
4) We have to look unto the author and finisher of
our faith (Heb. 12:2).
5) Whether one’s faith is great or not does not
matter and what matters is whether he has faith (See Matt. 17:20). However our
faith is always like that: 1) we are in the state between believing and
suspicion; 2) we trust sometimes and doubt sometimes. Therefore we need to ask
the Lord to increase our faith.
6) Many of our prayers have not been answered because
we lack faith. Therefore we should ask the Lord for help to increase our faith
first and then we could ask the Lord to solve our difficulties.
Luke. 17:6 “So the Lord said, ‘If you
have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and
it would obey you.”
YLT: “and the Lord said, `If ye had faith
as a grain of mustard, ye would have said to this sycamine, Be uprooted, and be
planted in the sea, and it would have obeyed you.”
The Background: the root of the
mulberry tree takes root very deeply and it is very difficult to uproot it.
Literal Meaning: “if you have faith
as a mustard seed” has two meanings: 1) Faith is able to grow “as a mustard
seed”. 2) Even if faith is as little as “a mustard seed” (See Mark. 4:31), it
does not matter. Whether one’s faith is great or not does not matter and what
matters is whether he has faith.
Spiritual Meaning: “if you have faith
as a mustard seed” “A mustard seed” symbolizes the power of life. There is life
in faith that could bring forth the immeasurable vitality.
“Mulberry tree” indicates the firm
difficulties that are hard to be rooted out and here it specially indicates the
stubbornness and hardness of hearts that block us from forgiving brothers
continually.
“Be pulled up by the roots and be
planted in the sea.” It symbolizes that not only overcome the difficulty but
also get it done once and for all.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The quantity of faith does not matter and the
quality of faith really matters. And what matters is not to have more faith but
to use the faith that one already has.
2) All things are possible to him that believes
(Mark. 9:23); Faith is to rely on God and let Him do and nothing is too
wonderful for Jehovah (Gen. 18:14).
3) Only the faith which has the strong vitality as
the mustard seed could realize what is impossible in the sight of men.
4) Christians should remember that we do not work
alone because faith binds our work with God’s work.
5) Because of unbelief believers are unable to be
united with the Lord and draw His power.
6) Though our faith is little, we could use the power
of the kingdom. Therefore all things are possible to him that believes and none
of the difficulties are unable to overcome.
7) There isn’t any reason for believers to be proud
and the intention of self-importance has to be pulled up by the roots.
Luke. 17:7 “And which of you, having
a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from
the field, ‘Come at once and sit down
to eat'?”
YLT: “`But, who is he of you having a
servant ploughing or feeding who, to him having come in out of the field, will
say, Having come near, recline at meat?”
The Background: at that time a
servant had five features:
1) He did not have the so-called human rights and
he had to receive the ceaseless work willingly.
2) He had to understand that his work would neither
be shown any consideration nor appreciated by others.
3) He was not of his own and all his work was for
the enjoyment of the Lord.
4) Even if he had tried his utmost, he had to still
acknowledge that he was the unprofitable servant.
5) He had to acknowledge that all he had done and
borne were his duty to do.
Spiritual Meaning: “plowing” refers to
reclaim land and sow and it symbolizes the work of preaching the glad tidings
to save sinners (See 8:5-8, 11-15; 1Cor. 3:6-9).
“Tending sheep” refers to shepherd the
flock and it symbolizes the work of feeding and taking care of believers (See
1Pet. 5:2; John. 21:15-17).
“Sit down to eat” It symbolizes the rest
and enjoyment.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) A Christian is of Christ (“servant”). The time and
everything of us are of Him.
2) To believers, the servants of the Lord, preaching
the glad tidings and taking care of believers are what we should do. And no
matter how much we have done, there won’t be the end of this forever.
3) Our rest and enjoyment cannot be based on the
achievements of our work.
Luke. 17:8 “But will he not rather
say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me
till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?”
YLT: “but will not [rather] say to him,
Prepare what I may sup, and having girded thyself about, minister to me, till I
eat and drink, and after these things thou shalt eat and drink?”
Literal Meaning: “gird yourself and
serve me” is to cheep yourself up and to serve the Lord Himself.
Spiritual Meaning: “gird yourself and
serve me” is to gird your waist with truth (See Eph. 6:14).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) A servant does not have the right to decide when
he could have rest. He has to listen to the order of the Lord at any time.
2) When we live on earth at present, we are
fulfilling the duty of serving the Lord. We have to follow the Lord’s
instructions absolutely and we should neither do presumptuously nor act
carelessly.
3) “Gird yourself and serve me.” When the Lord’s
servants serve Him, they have to gird themselves with truth. If one has not
girded himself in one’s heart, there will be no service. Whenever one is girded
with truth in his heart, there will be service.
4) “Gird yourself and serve me.” Whenever we are
slack, there won’t be service, power or way. The moment we gird up the loins of
our mind (1Pet. 1:13), we will have power, be humble and diligent and watch.
5) “Gird yourself and serve me.” The service of the
one who girds himself is the true and acceptable service. The service of the
one who does not gird himself is inacceptable to the Lord.
6) The work in the fields is not as good as that in
the house. The field and sheep (v.7) are not as good as the Lord Himself.
Apparently we serve the Lord and actually we do serve the Lord------the Lord
Himself is the aim of our service.
7) “Till
I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink.” Our service should let the Lord have
enjoyment first and then we could have enjoyment. We should satisfy the Lord
first and then we could have our satisfaction. No matter how hard we toil in
service, it is all in vain if our service could not let the Lord have enjoyment
and satisfaction.
Luke. 17:9 “Does he thank that
servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.”
YLT: “Hath he favour to that servant because
he did the things directed? I think not.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Servants are debtors in serving the Lord. However,
they won’t be lenders forever in gaining the Lord’s reward.
2) God does not owe thanks to us. If we have received
something from God, it is all due to the mercy and love of Him who gives us
grace freely and it is not because of what we have done for Him.
Luke. 17:10 “So likewise you, when you
have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable
servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”
YLT: “`So also ye, when ye may have done
all the things directed you, say We are unprofitable servants, because that
which we owed to do we have done.’”
Meaning of Words: “unprofitable”:
unworthy, useless.
Literal Meaning: “we are unprofitable
servants” It does not indicate that they consume rations in vain and are
useless. It indicates that their work is their duty to do and they have not
made the additional profit to the lord, thus they could hope for the lord’s
reward.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Even the spiritual ones could have the spiritual
pride and hold that their service towards the Lord deserves some rewards.
2) In the life of Christians, the so-called merits do
not exist. When one has made his great effort, he is still “an unprofitable
servant”.
3) Even if we serve Him at the cost of our lives, we
could only say that “we are unprofitable servants” compared to His sacrifice
and grace to us.
4) “We are unprofitable servants” shows the true state
of us. We are actually useless and we could not serve the Lord unless His power
upholds us.
5) It is right that a servant dedicates all his
strength to the Lord. What we have done for the Lord is our duty.
Luke. 17:11 “Now it happened as He
went to
YLT: “And it came to pass, in his going on
to
Literal Meaning: “He went to
“He passed through the midst of
Luke. 17:12 “Then as He entered a
certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.”
YLT: “and he entering into a certain
village, there met him ten leprous men, who stood afar off,”
Literal Meaning: “who stood afar off”
The lepers have to keep their distance from the multitudes and shout out that “Unclean!
Unclean!” (See Lev. 13:45-46) so as to remind others that they should not
approach them lest they may be infected.
Spiritual Meaning: “there met Him ten
men who were lepers” According to cases recorded in the Old Testament, leprosy
is connected with disobeying authority and commandments (See Num. 12:1-10,
2Kings. 5:9-14), therefore a leper is the type of the disobedient people, i.e.
In the Bible, leprosy is the type of
men’s unclean sins:
1) Leprosy starts from the inner part, symbolizing
that sin is of men’s nature.
2) Leprosy is difficult to be healed, symbolizing
that sin is difficult to be removed.
3) Leprosy is contagious, symbolizing that sin is
contagious.
4) Leprosy makes men rot and stink unto death,
symbolizing the dirtiness of sin and the dreadful and miserable end of sin.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men’s flesh and nature, full of dirties of sins,
always offend God. We are lepers in the sight of God.
2) “There met Him” The one who truly seeks the Lord
should meet Him in His presence and should not turn unto Him the back.
Luke. 17:13 “And they lifted up their
voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’”
YLT: “and they lifted up the voice, saying,
`Jesus, master, deal kindly with us;’”
Meaning of Words: “Master”: the lord,
an appointee over, commander.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The conditions that a sinner could be healed: a)
he has to acknowledge his corruption and hopelessness; b) he has to confess his
sins to the Lord; c) he has to believe in the power of healing; d) he has to
beseech the Lord Jesus.
2) “Have mercy on us!” It is the humble cry of
repentance and God will not despise a broken and a contrite heart (Ps. 51:17).
Luke. 17:14 “So when He saw them, He
said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they
went, they were cleansed.”
YLT: “and having seen [them], he said to
them, `Having gone on, shew yourselves to the priests;’ and it came to pass, in
their going, they were cleansed,”
The Background: according to the law
of the Old Testament, when a leper was healed, he would be looked by the priest
(See Lev. 13:9-10). After the priest had pronounced him clean, he would be able
to offer sacrifice to the Lord. Since he had sacrificed to the Lord, he bore witness
before the folk and it became a fact which was unable to be overthrown (Lev.
14:2-20).
Literal Meaning: “Go, show yourselves
to the priests” means “obtain the proof of cleanness from the priests according
to the law of the Old Testament”. Therefore it includes the promise of being
cleaned, showing that when they came to the priests, their leprosy would be
healed because the priests did not have the power to heal them.
“And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.” “Went”
shows that they were healed because they have believed and listened to the word
of the Lord (See v.19). It is valuable that they even did not ask a word and
immediately went to see the priests according to the command of the Lord.
Controversial
Clarification: The Lord Jesus asked them to show themselves to the
priests and it did not indicate that He asked believers of the New Testament to
walk according to the regulations of the law of the Old Testament. The reason
why He asked them to do so is that the Lord Jesus had not been crucified to
fulfill the redemption. And it was not the dispensation of grace but the
transitional period and therefore the Jewish believers still walked according
to the regulations of the law of the Old Testament.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord did not fully disregard the righteousness
of the law (Matt. 3:15). Believers should not disregard to give just and lawful
testimony before men in excuse of being of spirit.
2) “And
so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.” If they waited until they were clean and then
went to see the priests, they won’t be healed. God waits to cleanse them and as
long as their faith works the blessing comes.
3) The true faith should be based on the word of the
Lord. Faith should be built upon the word of the Lord, otherwise it would turn
into superstition.
4) A way of faith is a way of practical walk------we
walk while believing, which brings in the living experience.
Luke. 17:15 “And one of them, when he
saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,”
YLT: “and one of them having seen that he
was healed did turn back, with a loud voice glorifying God,”
Literal Meaning: “returned, with a
loud voice glorified God.” It shows that he believed that his being healed was
due to God’s work.
Luke. 17:16 “and fell down on his face
at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.”
YLT: “and he fell upon [his] face at his
feet, giving thanks to him, and he was a Samaritan.”
Literal Meaning: “and fell down on
His face at His feet, giving Him thanks” “Fell down” indicates the right
attitude of worship. “At His feet” indicates the right object of worship.
Spiritual Meaning: “And he was a
Samaritan” Samaritans were despised by the Jews and here it typifies that the
Gentiles will partake in the salvation of the Lord (See Acts. 11:18).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We have to come down from our own throne and come
to the Lord with the humble heart (“fell down on his face at His feet”) and
then we will experience His power.
2) Giving thanks is the key to receive grace. The
more one gives thanks, the more he will receive grace.
Luke. 17:17 “So Jesus answered and
said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?”
YLT: “And Jesus answering said, `Were not
the ten cleansed, and the nine where?”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Only one of the ten gives Him thanks. The common
trouble of believers in their daily life is that they receive grace and do not
give Him thanks.
2) The nine only sought to be healed and therefore
after they had been healed, they rejected the Lord. The one valued the Lord
Himself and therefore he still came to seek the Lord Himself after he had been
healed.
3) “But where are the nine?” The Lord’s words show
that He hopes that all that have been healed and granted His grace would come
to meet Him and remember, thank and praise Him.
Luke. 17:18 “Were there not any found
who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’”
YLT: “There were not found who did turn
back to give glory to God, except this alien;’”
Literal Meaning: “this foreigner”
indicates the Samaritan (See v.16). Samaritans are the people of mixed blood of
Enlightenment in the Word: the reason of our salvation is our faith. However,
faith is the manifestation of God’s grace in men and it is not men’s own
achievement. Though God does not ask men to pay Him back, we should have a
thankful heart.
Luke. 17:19 “And He said to him,
‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’”
YLT: “and he said to him, ‘Having
risen, be going on, thy faith hath saved thee.’”
Literal Meaning: the word of the Lord
shows proves that his being healed is due to his faith to the Lord.
Luke. 17:20 “Now when He was asked by
the Pharisees when the
YLT: “And having been questioned by the
Pharisees, when the reign of God doth come, he answered them, and said, ‘The
reign of God doth not come with observation;”
Meaning of Words: “observation”:
inspection, review, pry (in the original it shows hostility).
Literal Meaning: “when the
The Pharisees asked this problem with
satire, meaning that since you called yourself the Messiah, then when you would
build the
“The
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God executes His authority in heavens without
obstruction. However, His authority could only be executed in us with the
submission of our will.
2) The
Luke. 17:21 “nor will they say, ‘See
here!' or ‘See there!' For indeed, the
YLT: “nor shall they say, Lo, here; or lo,
there; for lo, the reign of God is within you.’”
Literal Meaning: “‘See here!' or ‘See there!'” indicates that the
“For indeed, the
1) “You” indicate the Pharisees who
asked the Lord. The
2) “You” indicate “men”. Christ the
Savior lives in those who believe in Him (See John. 14:20;
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Since God is the omnipresent God, the
2) The
3) If God establishes His throne among believers and
reigns and rules us, and believers are of one mind, it is the kingdom of God
that is within us (See Matt. 18:19-20).
Luke. 17:22 “Then He said to the
disciples, ‘The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of
the Son of Man, and you will not see it.”
YLT: “And he said unto his disciples, `Days
will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and
ye shall not behold [it];”
Literal Meaning: “The days will come”
indicates that the day of the departure of the Lord Jesus was coming.
“One of the days of the Son of Man” It
has two different kinds of explanations:
1) It indicates the days of His second coming
because the context all speaks of the Lord’s coming and the states of the last
days. After the Lord Jesus departed out of the world and was taken up into
heaven, the disciples suffered persecutions and tribulations and they early
looked forward to the prompt coming of the Lord. However, they would not see
it.
2) It indicates “the time when the bridegroom is
with them” (See Matt. 9:15), i.e. the days that the Lord hadn’t departed out of
the world. After the Lord had suffered, been raised up and taken up into
heaven, His disciples hoped to turn to the days that they were with the Lord so
as to regain the sweet fellowship with Him. The days, to a certain degree,
indicate the foretaste of the days after the Lord comes back.
Enlightenment in the Word: Sufferings benefit us because men long for the
vision of the Lord more in sufferings and hope that He could come to save us.
Luke. 17:23 “And they will say to you,
‘Look here!' or ‘Look there!' Do not go after them or follow them.”
YLT: “and they shall say to you, Lo, here;
or lo, there; ye may not go away, nor follow;”
Literal Meaning: “‘Look here!’ or
‘Look there!’” “Here” and “there” both indicate a certain place, showing that
the Christ they talked about was risen on earth (i.e. men of the earth) instead
of coming on the clouds of heaven (See Matt. 24:30). Though nobody could
predict the day of the coming of the Lord, everyone would see Him when He
comes.
“Do not go after them or follow them.”
It indicates that we should neither depart from our positions rashly nor follow
men blindly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord does not want us to hear and trust men’s
words rashly because He is near us, even in our mouth and in our hearts (See
2) The coming of the Lord Christ is not shown to a
small part of people, but to be seen by all people (See Matt. 24:30).
3) Christ is exceeding and He fills all in all and
He will never be limited by men.
4) Today anyone who calls himself Christ who was
born in the world must be the false Christ undoubtedly.
Luke. 17:24 “For as the lightning that
flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so
also the Son of Man will be in His day.”
YLT: “for as the lightning that is
lightening out of the one [part] under heaven, to the other part under heaven
doth shine, so shall be also the Son of Man in his day;”
Literal Meaning: “as the lightning…so
also the Son of Man will be in His day” “Lightening” dazzles at high speed and
lightens the skyline. It describes that when the Lord comes, the conditions are
as follows: 1) It is unexpected. 2) It happens quickly as a thunder and makes
men be caught unawares. 3) Men of all the land will see His coming and it is
not hidden. 4) It is shocking and terrible.
Annotation:
there are two phases of the Lord’s second coming. The first phase is that
He comes in the clouds and it is hidden and at that time, the Lord will catch
up the overcomers; the second is that He comes with clouds (See Rev. 1:7, Acts.
1:11) and it is public and at that time, the Lord will judge the whole world
and the failing Christians. The first phase will last a period of time and then
the second phase will come suddenly.
Luke. 17:25 “But first He must suffer
many things and be rejected by this generation.”
YLT: “and first it behoveth him to suffer
many things, and to be rejected by this generation.”
Literal Meaning: the Lord here
seriously told the disciples that He had to suffer many things and be killed
before He comes back in glory (See 5:35; 9:22, 43-45; 12:50; 13:32-33; 18:32;
24:7).
Luke. 17:26 “And as it was in the days
of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:”
YLT: “`And, as it came to pass in the days
of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man;”
Literal Meaning: “as it was in the
days of Noah” The features of “the days of Noah” are as follows:
a) The world was corrupt and evil (See
Gen. 6:5-13). b) They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in
marriage (See v.27). c) They did not believe that the flood would come suddenly
(See 2Pet. 2:5). d) They did not believe in the salvation of the ark (See 1Pet.
3:20).
“So it will be also in the days of the
Son of Man.” This passage is the teachings especially for believers of the New
Testament (See v.22 “He said to the disciples”) and therefore the Lord here
showed that believers may act like the world who indulge themselves in the
needs of the flesh (i.e. eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage)
and are unaware of preparing themselves for facing the judgment of the Lord’s
second coming (they did
not know until the flood came and took them all away).
Luke. 17:27 “They ate, they drank,
they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah
entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”
YLT: “they were eating, they were drinking,
they were marrying, they were given in marriage, till the day that Noah entered
into the ark, and the deluge came, and destroyed all;”
Literal Meaning: “they ate, they drank,
they married wives, they were given in marriage.” “Eating and drinking” speaks
of maintaining the existence of the flesh and the enjoyment of soul. “Marrying
and giving in marriage” speaks of continuing the life of the flesh and the joy
of soul.
This verse shows that the Lord will come
suddenly and execute judgment when men are absolutely unconscious.
Spiritual Meaning: “Noah entered the
ark” typifies that men are able to enjoy the salvation of the cross by
believing in Jesus Christ and are saved from God’s judgment of wrath (the
flood).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The world who do not believe in the Lord only
makes provision for the flesh (“they ate, they drank, they married wives, they
were given in marriage”) and seeks the earthly enjoyment, however, their hearts
are hardened and they are unwilling to receive the salvation (“entered the
ark”).
2) Believers in last time should live in Christ all
the time, lest we may be judged by God.
3) Everything and everyone that are not related to
Christ will be taken away by the flood. What we should seek is what can not be
taken away by the flood.
Luke. 17:28 “Likewise as it was also
in the days of
YLT: “in like manner also, as it came to
pass in the days of
Literal Meaning: “they ate, they
drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built.” These are the common
and reasonable activities of human beings. The problem is that they live only
for these things and there is not the place of God in their thoughts. They have
not left any time for God and they pay no heed to His warning. The Lord will
come suddenly when they are not alert at all.
Luke. 17:29 “but on the day that Lot
went out of
YLT: “and on the day Lot went forth from
The Background: at that time the
sins of the city of
Luke. 17:30 “Even so will it be in the
day when the Son of Man is revealed.”
YLT: “`According to these things it shall
be, in the day the Son of Man is revealed;”
Literal Meaning: “the day when the
Son of Man is revealed” indicates the day of the Lord’s second coming. “Being
revealed” indicates that all will see Him clearly (See 1Cor. 1:7; 2Thess. 1:7,
1Pet. 1:7, 13; 4:13).
“So will it be” indicates that in the
day when the Lord comes back, He will destroy all the wicked and cast them into
the lake of fire (See v.27, 29).
Luke. 17:31 “‘In that day, he who is
on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take
them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.”
YLT: “in that day, he who shall be on the
house top, and his vessels in the house, let him not come down to take them
away; and he in the field, in like manner, let him not turn backward;”
The Background: the houses of the
ancient Jews were terraces and there were the outside ladders to climb to the
housetop.
Literal Meaning: “in that day”
indicates the day when the Lord comes again in last days.
“He who is on the housetop” “housetop”
indicates the roof and it is outside of the house.
“Let him not come down to take them
away.” It means that do not go down from the outside ladder to take things.
This verse indicates that the situation
is too urgent for them to delay at that time and they should run immediately.
Spiritual Meaning: “he who is on the
housetop” symbolizes those who have reached the heavenly realm. “His goods are in the house” symbolizes the worldly and material
things.
“The one who is in
the field” symbolizes bondmen who serve the Lord (See v.7). “Turn back” is to
turn back to the former worldly position.
This verse spiritually means that, we
should not desire the earthly things or be reluctant to give up the pleasures of
sin. We should fix our eyes on the heavenly things and what’s more important is
to fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Every believer who has already got some spiritual
attainments (“he who is on the housetop”) should take care and avoid being
dragged by earthly things (“not
come down to take them away”).
2) The true servants of the Lord (“in the field”)
regard the will of God as the most important in all circumstances and should
not be influenced by the love of their family members (“not turn back”).
3) Those who love the Lord with pure hearts (“in
the field”) should not turn back to their former lives (“not turn back”).
Luke. 17:32 “Remember
YLT: “remember the wife of
The Background: when angels led
Literal Meaning: “Remember Lot’s
wife” It indicates that the story of
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) No one, having put his hand to the plow, and
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (See 9:62).
2) Believers are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13)
and they take effect in preventing and eliminating sin towards the sinful
world. However, if one covets the world in his heart, he will not only lose the
function as salt but also become a pillar of salt, i.e. the sign of humiliation
and warning.
3) Though believers have been saved, if they have not
borne good witness on the earth, they will be punished by the Lord when He
comes back.
4) Lot’s wife departed from
Luke. 17:33 “Whoever seeks to save his
life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”
YLT: “Whoever may seek to save his life,
shall lose it; and whoever may lose it, shall preserve it.”
Meaning of Words: “save”: heal,
preserve; “lose”: omit, miss, ruin.
Literal Meaning: “life” is “soul” in
the original. It includes thought, feeling and will.
This verse has two meanings:
1) He who seeks comfort and ease in this
time and satisfies his soul will suffer in the coming age and lose the
enjoyment of soul. He who suffers for the Lord’s sake will receive the
enjoyment of soul in the coming age.
2) In Tribulation, he who is only
concerned about his safety of body and neglects his soul will lose life.
Whoever loses his life for his faithfulness to the Lord actually preserves his
life unto eternity.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Whoever wants to save actually loses and whoever
wants to lose actually saves. Whoever gains actually loses and whoever wants to
lose actually gains (Mark. 8:36). The knowledge of this principle will save men
from grudging eternally.
2) “Losing his life” in this verse also refers to
“denying oneself” and “taking up his cross”; what the cross finally deals with
is the self and the life of soul.
3) Taking up one’s cross and denying oneself always
make the soul suffer. Everything that is unable to make the soul suffer could
not be counted as the cross.
4) One meets the
5) We should not lose life because of the concern of
the material and we should pay attention to the matter of life. He who
sacrifices himself temporarily in order to gain the Lord gains life contrarily.
Luke. 17:34 “I tell you, in that night
there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be
left.”
YLT: “`I say to you, In that night, there
shall be two men on one couch, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be
left;”
Meaning of Words: “be taken”: receive,
associate with oneself; “be left”: lay aside, yield up.
Literal Meaning: “the one will be
taken and the other will be left.” “Be taken” means “associate with oneself”;
“left” means the one has not been taken away. Which is good of “being taken” or
“being left”? We should see the one who takes or leaves one. The former passage
refers to the coming and the appearing of the Son of Man (See v.24, 30) and
therefore we could conclude that blessed is the one who has been taken by the
Lord and woe to the one who has been left by the Lord. Being taken does not
refer to being judged. Being taken and being left are the results of the Lord’s
judgment when He comes (1Thess. 4:13-18).
“The one will be taken and the other
will be left.” It does not
indicate that only a half of men will be taken and the other half will be left.
It indicates that there are only two kinds of people: a kind of them will be
taken and the other will be left and besides these two kinds, there is not the
third kind.
Controversial Clarification: who does “two men” refer to? In the past,
the majority of the Bible exegetes held that it referred to the whole world
(including those who have been saved and those who have not been saved) and the
“taken” one indicated that the one who has been saved will be taken and the
“left” one indicated that the one who has not been saved will be abandoned by
the Lord. However, we hold that this kind of explanation is inappropriate and
the reasons are as follows:
1) The talk concerning the coming of the
Lord (v.22-37) was said to the disciples instead of the world.
2) If all believers, after they have
been saved, are taken and enjoy the glory of the kingdom with the Lord, whether
their states are good or not, it does not accord with the consistent principle
of rewards and punishments of the Bible and it also disobeys the word that
“judgment begins at the house of God” (1Pet. 4:17).
3) We believe that every true believer
gains the eternal life and will enjoy the everlasting pleasures in a new heaven
and a new earth for ever. However, after Christ comes back, there will be a
period of time for the punishments of the failing believers when they could
lean in “losses” (See 1Cor. 3:15).
4) “Being left” does not indicate that
one is abandoned and perishes for ever. Here it refers to being temporarily
abandoned and left.
In a word, when the Lord comes, first He comes
secretly in clouds of the air and catches up the living believers in the clouds
to be with Him. This is the meaning of “being taken”. As for believers who do
not watch, they will be “left” on the earth and experience the Great
Tribulation of three and a half years and then they could see the countenance
of the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “There
will be two men in one bed.” In disregard of
men’s intimate relation on the earth (they are in one bed), one may be punished
by the Lord and the other may be rewarded by Him when the Lord comes. The
intimate relation on the earth does not ensure that they would be with each
other in future.
2) The Lord whom we believe in is just and wise. He
uses “the one
will be taken and the other will be left” to encourage believers so that we could pursue
the spiritual growth and should not waste the remainder of our life after we
have been saved.
Luke. 17:35 “Two women will be
grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left.”
YLT: “two women shall be grinding at the
same place together, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left;”
Literal
Meaning: “Two women will be
grinding together” Generally, grinding and being in the field (v.36) take place
in the day. Being in one bed (v.34) should be at night. The Lord’s prophecy of
two thousand years ago accords with the present scientific principle: the globe
is round and the day of the Eastern Hemisphere is the night of the
This verse mentions “two women” and the
next verse mentions “two men” in the field. When the Lord comes back, there
will be some who will be taken and some will be left, whether one is a brother
or sister.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Grinding” and farming (See v.36) are both related
to grain. The most important work of believers in the church is to supply
spiritual food to each other.
2) Not only brothers are responsible to supply
spiritual food (work in the field), but also sisters partake in this work (“two
women will be grinding together”). There is no male or female in the church
(See Gal. 3:28).
Luke. 17:36 “Two men will be in the
field: the one will be taken and the other left.’”
YLT: “two men shall be in the field, the
one shall be taken, and the other left.’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Today, believers seem to be the same in appearance
and they all live and labor for the Lord, however, God knows the one who loves
Him (See 1Cor. 8:3).
2) There is no doubt that we should work in toil,
however, we must work “in the Lord” and then our labor will not be in vain (See
1Cor. 15:58), otherwise, though one works in toil, he may be left by the Lord.
3) There is no doubt that workers who serve the
Lord are building, however, they must take heed how they build upon it. If
their work is wrong, it may be burned one day (See 1Cor. 3:10-15).
4) To servants, it is our duty to work in the field
and serve the Lord in the house (See 17:7-10). The problem is that what the
real motive and attitude of us to serve the Lord are.
Luke. 17:37 “And they answered and
said to Him, ‘Where, Lord?’ So He said to them, ‘Wherever the body is, there
the eagles will be gathered together.’”
YLT: “And they answering say to him,
`Where, sir?’ and he said to them, `Where the body [is], there will the eagles
be gathered together.’”
The Background: wherever the body
is, the raptors such as the eagles will be gathered from unknown places
suddenly. The reason for their coming may be their keen nose or sense of sight
and they do not need men’s notification. Therefore when men see groups of
eagles hovering around, there must be the body there.
Literal
Meaning: “Where, Lord?” The
disciples were still clumsy and asked “where” these would take place (See
v.23).
“Wherever the body is, there the eagles will
be gathered together.” Seeing the unusual scenes in the last age that the Bible
has predicted, we should know that the day of the Lord’s coming is near.
Spiritual Meaning: there are three
different kinds of explanations about this verse:
a) “Body” typifies the corporate
sinners. They are like body which does not have life in God’s sight (See Eph.
2:1). “Eagles” typify God’s judgments. It indicates that when the Lord comes
with His Angels, He will execute judgment over the whole world (See Matt.
25:31).
b) “Body” typifies the antichrist and
its evil army. They are stinky body in God’s sight. “Eagles” typify Christ and
His angels and they will wipe them out (See Rev. 19:17-21).
c) “Body” typifies Christ who has been
crucified. “Eagles” typify God’s people (See Is. 40:31; Deut. 32:11). Where
Christ is, those who believe on Him will be gathered there. Since the Lord’s
coming is as sudden as the lightening (See v.27), those who truly believe on
Him will know immediately and be gathered in the place where He is.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Secret of
Success of Life in the Assembly
I. How to deal with others------do not
offend others (v.1-2).
II. How to deal with others’
treatment------rebuke and forgive the brother who has sinned against you
(v.3-4).
III. How to fulfill the above
requirements------live by faith (v.5-6).
God’s Servants
I. The work of servants------plowing and
tending sheep (v.7)------preaching the glad tidings and taking care of
believers.
II. The life of servants------serving the
master (v.8)------serving and satisfying the Lord.
III. The spirit of servants------not seeking
the thanks of the Lord (v.9)------being willing and content.
IV. The attitude of servants------confessing
themselves as unprofitable servants (v.10)------having done all things and
feeling that they owe to the Lord.
The Virtue that the
Lord’s Servants should Have
II. One should try his best in serving the
Lord (v.8).
III. We do not have the right to request the
Lord’s special praise or reward in serving Him (v.9).
IV. One should be truly humble in service
(v.10).
The Lord Healed the
Ten Lepers
I. The ten lepers typify that the world is
born in sins (v.12).
II. Only the Lord Jesus could deliver men
from sins (v.13).
III. Hearing and obeying the word of the
Lord is the condition for one to be saved (v.14).
IV. There are few believers who value His
grace and give thanks to Him (v.15-18).
V. Believers who give thanks to Him could
stand by faith and run on forward (v.19).
Knowledge of the
Kingdom
I. The
II. The
The Prophecies of
the Coming of Christ
I. Believers long for the coming of the
Lord, however, we should not trust men’s words rashly (v.22-23).
II. The Lord’s second coming happens
suddenly (v.24).
III. The world rejects the Lord and He comes
again to destroy the world (v.25-30).
IV. Believers should not love the world,
lest they may be punished when the Lord comes (v.31-32).
V. Believers should not love their souls in
hope of gaining rewards when the Lord comes (v.33).
VI. One’s being punished or rewarded when
the Lord comes is based on believers’ present pursuit (v.34-36).
VII. There must be punishments when the Lord
comes (v.37).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren