Luke 17

Luke 17:1-5

Chapter 16 Strong Doctrine These few verses contain the strongest doctrine set forth in holy scripture. Here are the deep things of God. There is nothing here but strong meat. By comparison, the things taught here make predestination, election, reprobation, limited atonement, and efficacious grace appear to be mere milk for newborn babies in the kingdom of God. Certain Offences “Then said he unto the disciples.” The Master is addressing his disciples, those who trust him, believe his doctrine, follow his Word, serve him and seek to honour him. Our Lord’s words, then, are to you and me, people who profess to be his disciples, who claim to be washed in his blood, robed in his righteousness, and saved by his grace. Now, watch what he says … “It is impossible but that offences will come.” What are the offences he is talking about? How is it that these offences must come? Let me answer the second question first. Offences must come because God has purposed them and has purposed to use them and overrule them for the salvation and everlasting good of his elect and the glory of his own great name. Multitudes are of the opinion expressed by Charles Finney in his sermon on this text. Finney said, “The doctrine of this text is that sin, under the government of God, cannot be prevented.” Of course, Finney’s assertion is utter blasphemy. To suggest that there is something, anything beyond the absolute control of God is to deny Godhood altogether. The scriptures declare, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain” (Psalms 76:10). Our God asserts, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45:7). Offences come because God has purposed that they come for the benefit of his elect; and offences must come because by these things the Lord God distinguishes true believers from false professors (1 Corinthians 11:19; Acts 20:30; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 1:1-2). What are the offences our Lord has in mind in this passage? What are these offences that must come? The word that is translated offences means “stumbling blocks”, “things that cause people to fall”. It is a word that we would use to refer to the trigger device that makes the trap door of a snare catch its victim. We must read these words in their context. They immediately follow the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Our Lord is talking about offences that deceive the soul, offences that carry eternity bound men and women to hell. The offences our Lord is talking about here are not mere hurt feelings or injured pride, but damning heresies like those of the Judaisers at Galatia and the will-worshippers at Colosse. And the offences in this passage certainly include behaviour that leads others to ruin. The scriptures make it clear that the offences of one generation are visited upon succeeding generations in divine judgment (Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:7; Numbers 14:8; Deuteronomy 5:9). The whole world is a stumbling-block. There is not one thing in it which is not calculated to turn the heart from God. The dress, the vanities and vulgarities in the street, the political and educational systems, the flatteries of men, the fame and riches the world offers, and its religion, all tend to elevate the flesh, as in the case of the rich man in the parable. Christ’s Warning “But woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” Our Lord Jesus here refers to an ancient form of capital punishment reserved for only the most reprehensible criminals. He is saying that it would be better for a man to be guilty of any horrid crime, for which men are justly executed, than to be guilty of causing another to perish in hell. Who are “these little ones?” Again, the answer must be determined by the context. The little ones of whom our Lord is speaking here are those poor, despised publicans and sinners, who were sitting before him. Our Saviour has been talking to the scribes and Pharisees, who despised these little ones and would by their religion shut them out of heaven. Now, as he addresses his disciples, he waves his hand over the sinners sitting before him and says, “Woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” When do men cause “offences” to come? Certainly this is done any time they persecute believers, or endeavour to deter others from serving Christ. And offences come by heretical doctrine, which subverts the souls of men. But offences are not limited to such actions. We lay snares by which Satan traps the souls of many whenever we bring reproach upon the gospel by our behaviour. That was the result of David’s sin when he took Bathsheba and had Uriah killed (2 Samuel 12:14). “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.” That was the crime Paul laid against the Jews, when he said, “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you” (Romans 2:24). Let us take care that we give no offence to eternity bound sinners, that we lay no snare before them, that we destroy none (1 Corinthians 10:31-32). Forgiveness “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.” Here our Lord moves on to another of the deep things of God. He warns us to carefully avoid giving offence to eternity bound men and women in Luke 17:1-2. In Luke 17:3-4 he tells us (his disciples, you and me, all who believe the gospel) not to take offence at the actions of our brothers and sisters in the family of God. “Take heed to yourselves.” It is ever our proud tendency to take heed to others, to guard others, and to correct others. The scriptures constantly teach us to take heed to, to guard, to discipline, and to correct ourselves. “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him.” If your brother or sister in Christ says, or does something by which he wrongs you, graciously, kindly speak to him about it, and no one else, make him aware of it, and no one else, always presuming that there was no intention on his part to hurt, injure, or offend you. The word rebuke does not mean, “ream him out”, but show him what he has done. He may be shocked to discover it. In fact, the word carries with it the idea of showing honour. Yes, when I have been hurt, injured, or offended by my brother, it is my responsibility to show him honour. “And if he repent, forgive him.” As soon as he says, “I’m sorry. “I’m so sorry. I would not intentionally hurt you for the world”, forgive him. Drop all anger, show him nothing but sweetness of temper, the kindness of love, the respect of one who has done no wrong; and do it immediately! Perhaps you think, “Lord, that’s tough.” Oh, no. That is not tough. The next line is tough on our proud flesh! “And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” Our brothers and sisters are just exactly like us. Like us, they do the same, dumb things over and over again (Proverbs 24:16). Yet, nothing is more constantly urged in the New Testament than the practice of forgiveness. Why? Because there is nothing to which we are more naturally disinclined. Our flesh wants vengeance. Grace teaches forgiveness. Pride wants to punish. Mercy teaches forgiveness. Self-righteousness demands retribution. Love demands forgiveness. If I cannot forgive my brother the few trifling offences he may have committed against me, I know nothing experimentally of that free and full forgiveness that sinners have by the grace of God in Christ (Matthew 6:9-15; Matthew 18:35). Our Lord warns, “Take heed to yourselves”, because nothing is so harmful to your soul, nothing makes you so miserable and useless as a proud, hard, unforgiving heart. Nothing makes a person more utterly wretched on the inside as nursing hurt feelings and feeding malice with the manure of resentment. Our Lord’s word to us here is, “Do yourself no harm.” The least degree of malice, hatred, or revenge is altogether contrary to the gospel we believe and totally inconsistent with the character of our blessed Lord. But he knows what is in us. He remembers that we are dust, ever encumbered by our flesh. He knows how very prone we are to offend one another, how quick we are to hurt and injure each other, how repeatedly we say and do things to quench the Spirit, disrupt the peace, and injure the fellowship of his body. Therefore, he tenderly teaches us how to correct the evil. When your brother does something against you, do not resent him for it, but pity him, pray for him. Call his name before your heavenly Father, his heavenly Father. If he aggravates his offence by frequent repetition, still, do not resent him, but pity him, pray for him, and do whatever you can to help him (Galatians 6:1-3). As often as he offends, that often forgive. If he repents, forgive him. If he does not repent, let that be his problem. Forgive him any way. William Mason wrote … “We must not, at our peril, entertain anger, or let the sun go down on our wrath, but in our hearts freely and fully forgive an offending brother. But what if he remains stubborn and persists in a spirit of bitterness? Even then we are to forgive him in our hearts, and be desirous of embracing him in love.” As God’s thoughts of love are toward us before we turn to him, so our thoughts of love should be to our offending brethren before they turn to us. Does the Son of God require us to forgive every repeated offence, even until seventy times seven, 490 times a day? I find something wonderfully glorious in that. Surely he will magnify his love and display his mercy in pardoning the innumerable offences of all who turn to him! Prayer For Faith Our Lord has been addressing his disciples in general. When the apostles, the preachers among them, heard his strong doctrine, this was their response: “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” They understood that this was strong doctrine, far too strong for flesh to embrace. Flesh can grasp eternal justification, distinguishing grace, sovereign predestination, reprobation, and limited atonement. By comparison, those things are a piece of cake. Flesh can understand and promote the most rigidly orthodox dogma. Flesh loves and revels in church doctrine and the mysteries of prophecy. But forgives requires a continual supply of grace, grace experienced deep in our souls, by which the Lord God continually increases our faith. And the more our faith in Christ increases, the more fully we learn that our only hope before God is free, constant, absolute forgiveness by the blood of the cross, flowing to our souls from the ever-springing fountain of his everlasting love, the more ready and able we will be to forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:2).

Luke 17:5-10

Chapter 17 “Lord, Increase Our Faith” Our Faith The first thing we are confronted with in our text is our faith, not the greatness of it, but the smallness of it, not the strength of it, but the weakness of it, not the victory of it, but the failure of it. These days there is far too much emphasis placed upon our faith. Thank God, Christ, the Object of our faith is great; but our faith in Christ isn’t much to brag about. Is it? We all (all who truly trust Christ alone as Lord and Saviour) have great need to cry with the apostles, “Lord, Increase our faith.” The fact is we all lack much in the matter of faith. We are not told why the apostles made this request; but the reason is at least hinted at in the context. Remember, this request came after these men had attentively heard our Master give out the words of instruction contained in the last two chapters and in the first verses of chapter 17. I can imagine how their hearts must have sunk within them, as they heard these weighty lessons, one after another, fall from the Master’s lips. Perhaps they thought, “Who is sufficient for these things? Who can receive such high doctrines? Who can follow such lofty standards?” One thing is clear and plain. The request they made was deeply important, “Increase our faith.” Faith in Christ is the root of the matter (Hebrews 11:6). “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” Until this question is settled, all others are meaningless. “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” That is the essential thing (John 3:36; 1 John 5:1; 1 John 5:10-12). Faith is the hand by which the soul lays hold on Christ, and is experimentally united to him, and saved by him. Faith in Christ is the secret of all spiritual comfort, assurance, and peace. According to a man’s faith will be his peace, his hope, his strength, his courage, his decisiveness, and his victory over the world. Certainly, there are varying degrees of faith. Some have greater, stronger faith, and in others the exercise of faith is less and weaker. And it varies in us day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment. There is “little” faith and “great” faith. There is “weak” faith and “strong” faith. Both are spoken of in the scriptures. Both are seen in the experience of God’s saints. I ask again, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” It is written, “All men have not faith” (2 Thessalonians 3:2). Saving faith is not merely being able to recite a creed, or give assent to facts. Religion is not faith. Doctrinal orthodoxy is not faith. Baptism is not faith. Church membership is not faith. A religious experience is not faith. There are multitudes in hell who had all these things; but they did not trust Christ. Faith is the gift of God. It is wrought in us by the omnipotent operations of his grace (Ephesians 1:19-20; Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 2:12). This faith is the result of what the old preachers used to call Holy Spirit conviction (John 16:8-11). Faith in Christ is essential to salvation. You must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, or you must forever perish. Yet, faith is not our Saviour. Faith brings righteousness to us; but faith is not our righteousness. An imperfect faith cannot establish perfect righteousness. John Gill wrote … “Faith is imperfect in the best of saints; our Lord frequently called his own disciples, men of little faith; and so conscious were they themselves of the imperfection of it, that they prayed to him, saying (Luke 17:5), Lord increase our faith. There are some deficiencies, something lacking, in the faith of the best of God’s people. Every one has reason to say, more or less, as the poor man in the gospel did (Mark 9:24), “Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief.” And for this reason faith cannot be our justifying righteousness, for that ought to be perfect. Besides, were it perfect, it is but a part of the law. It is indeed one of the weightier matters of the law, as in (Matthew 23:23), but then it is not the whole of the law. Now the scripture says (Galatians 3:10), “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” And God whose judgment is according to truth, cannot reckon that a perfect conformity to the law, which is only a partial one.” Mustard Seed Faith When the apostles prayed, “Lord, Increase our faith”, rather than assuring them that their faith was just fine, he seems to deliberately aggravate their sense of utter weakness and insufficiency in the matter of faith. “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you” (Luke 17:6). Without question, this was a proverbial statement. It is not to be taken literally. Our Lord is using this proverbial statement to teach us a very, very important lesson. The reason we see so little of the glory of God, the reason we accomplish so little for the glory of God, the reason we constantly meet with things that appear to be insurmountable objects, the reason we are tossed about with so many fears, the reason we enjoy so little of our God is that we have such small, little, insignificant faith in our great God and Saviour, that it cannot even be compared to a grain of mustard seed faith (Mark 9:23; John 11:40). “Lord, Increase our faith”! Perhaps nothing about us is more shameful than our lack of faith in such a great God and Saviour. Nothing about me needs more to be bathed in his precious blood, covered with his spotless righteousness, and forgiven by his constant grace than my faith in him! “Lord, Increase our faith”! Faith And Forgiveness Clearly, there is a connection between the disciples’ prayer in Luke 17:5 and the Saviour’s instruction about forgiveness in Luke 17:3-4. Read the three verses together. “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” The Lord’s disciples were astonished at the infinite goodness the Lord Jesus had just expressed about the matter of forgiveness. Knowing that such faith is his gift, they begged his mercy to increase their faith. Longing to exercise the great grace of forgiveness to one another and knowing that they could never do so without his grace (John 15:5), they begged the Lord Jesus to increase their faith. Blessed are they who seek such grace, that they may be gracious (Colossians 3:12-13). Unprofitable Servants Not only is our faith in Christ so utterly weak that it can never merit anything from God, our best service to him is but the service and sacrifice of unprofitable servants (Luke 17:7-10). “But which of you, having a servant ploughing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” What a heavy blow our Lord gives to self-righteousness. We are all naturally proud and self-righteous. We think far more highly of ourselves, our deserts, and our character, than we ought. Self-righteousness is a subtle disease that manifests itself in a thousand ways. We see it easily and quickly in others; but seldom see it in ourselves. Great pride often wears the cloak of humility. There is not a heart upon earth that does not contain a piece of the Pharisee’s character. Yet, we must give up every claim of righteousness and merit before God, or we cannot be saved. If you would be saved, you must confess that there is no good thing in you, and that you have no merit, no goodness, and no worthiness of your own before God. You must renounce your own righteousness and trust the righteousness of another, even the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Once pardoned and forgiven, we must travel the daily journey of life under a deep conviction that we are but “unprofitable servants”. At our best, we only do our duty, and have nothing to boast of. And even when we do our duty, it is not by our own power and might that we do it, but by the strength which is given to us from God our Saviour. Claim upon God we have none. Right to expect anything from God we have none. Worthiness to deserve anything from God we have none. All that we have we have received. All that we are we owe to God’s sovereign, distinguishing grace. What is the root and cause of self-righteousness? How is it that such poor, weak, erring creatures as we are can ever dream of deserving anything at God’s hands? It all arises from ignorance. The eyes of our understandings are naturally blinded. We see neither ourselves, nor our lives, nor God, nor the law of God as we ought. Once the light of grace shines into a sinner’s heart the reign of self-righteousness is over. The pride remains and often raises its ugly head; but the reign of pride is broken when Christ comes to rule. The true believer does not trust himself, but Christ alone. Lessons The lessons set before us here are crystal clear. It is ever our responsibility to do our Master’s will, to obey his Word. When we have done all that he requires (even if that were possible and we did it), we should expect no reward for doing that which is our duty to do. We are the Lord’s, entirely his, lock, stock and barrel. All our time, strength, abilities, and possessions are his. We are obliged to love him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. When we have done all that he has commanded us, when our day of service in this world is finished, let us acknowledge, “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” The words “unprofitable servants” mean “servants who have benefited their master nothing”, “servants of no value”, or “worthless servants of no benefit”. A Great Contrast That is exactly how all God’s people look upon themselves. We are “unprofitable servants”, “servants who have benefited our Master nothing”, “servants of no value”, “worthless servants of no benefit.” But our Master’s sees things another way. His view of us is a little different. Look at the contrast (Matthew 25:21; Matthew 25:34-40; 1 Peter 2:5). What a great and blessed revelation of the gospel this is: All who are born of God, all who trust the Lord Jesus are “accepted in the Beloved”, and our works too!

Luke 17:11-19

Chapter 18 Cleansed, But Not HealedHave you just been cleansed, or have you been healed? Have you merely been changed, or have you been made whole? During the days of our Lord’s earthly ministry, there were many who enjoyed the outward, temporal benefits of his works who never knew him. Many who touched his body never touched him. Many who drank the wine at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee never tasted the wine of his grace. Many ate the loaves and fishes who never tasted the Bread of Life. And there were multitudes who knew the power of his word to heal their bodies who never knew the power of his grace in the healing of their souls. Luke 17:11-19 demonstrates these things very clearly. How many there are like those nine lepers who want no more from Christ than power to correct their woes. Because that is all they seek, that is all they get. I have known many who in times of great danger, or great difficulty, or because they have brought upon themselves great misery; pray, profess faith in Christ, join the church, and become very religious (at least for a while). Their lives have been radically reformed. They have made great changes. Their troubles were healed. And once they got what they wanted, like the nine lepers in this passage, they “are not found”. They were cleansed, but only outwardly. They were cleansed, but not healed. There is a difference. Then there are others like the one leper who “when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at Christ’s feet, giving him thanks.” There are many, many lessons for our souls in this passage. May God the Holy Spirit be our Teacher and seal to our hearts the things revealed in these ten lepers. A Blessed Appointment “And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.” The Lord Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem for the last time. He was going there for the blessed purpose of laying down his life in the room and stead of his sinful people, to finish the work for which he had come into this world of sin and woe. There he would lay down his life for his sheep. There he would pour out his life’s blood unto death, bearing our sin in his own body on the cursed tree. There, he would suffer all the horrid wrath of God as our Substitute, all the unmitigated fury of divine justice to the full satisfaction of justice, until at last he would cry, “It is finished”! He was going to Jerusalem to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. As he made his way to the place of sacrifice, “he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.” Much speculation has been made about this; but the simple fact is that the nearest way to get from Galilee to Jerusalem was by going through Samaria. And our ever faithful Saviour had an appointment at Jerusalem that he must now keep, an appointment with God’s offended justice, an appointment of grace and redemption for us, and an appointment of death for him. His time had now come. His hour was now at hand. And the Lord Jesus would not turn back (Isaiah 50:5-7). “Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved us to the end”! Ten Needy Lepers “And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off.” We are told in Luke 17:16 that one of these lepers was a Samaritan. I find that interesting. The Samaritans and Jews despised one another. Normally, they would never be seen in company with one another. But affliction and misery, poverty and need often make men friends who in times of health and prosperity despise one another because of stupid prejudice. If misery will cause lost men to put aside such proud strife and division, how shameful it is when those who profess to know the grace of God cannot put away social, racial, and class distinctions! On the outskirts of one of the villages, ten leprous men were gathered to meet the Son of God, united in a community of deadly misery. They were far off, because they dare not approach, since their approach was pollution; and they were obliged to warn away all who would come near them by the shameful, heart-rending cry, “Unclean! Unclean”! No doubt these ten lepers had heard that the Lord Jesus was passing their way. Why else would they have come to meet Him? They had heard his fame, how that he had healed other lepers. So they came to the Son of God desiring that he might heal them. These men were lepers. There was something in that living death of leprosy, recalling as it did the most frightful images of suffering and degradation; corrupting as it did the very fountains of the life blood of man; distorting his appearance, making his touch loathsome, slowly incrusting and infecting him with a plague far more horrible than death itself, something, I say, which always seems to have aroused our Lord’s heart with keen and instantaneous compassion. Leprosy I doubt that anyone who has never seen a man in the condition of these men can imagine the scene before our Lord. Here are ten men who are lepers. Their voices are hoarse and raspy. They are covered with sores and scabs. Their faces like chunks of burned coal are bloated, but hard, cracked, and scabbed. Their flesh is rotting on their bodies. Their eyes are bloodshot and burning, their noses sunken because of decaying cartilage, their tongues black, swollen, and ulcerated. They are dying a miserable death together! Our Leprosy Transfer the picture in your mind to another. You are looking now into a mirror. Oh, what miserable, deplorable objects we are. You see, you and I are all lepers by nature. Leprosy stands before us in holy scripture as a vivid picture of sin. Leprosy was, according to Old Testament law, a disease that made a person unclean.

He was pronounced unclean by the priest (the law), put out of the camp of Israel, and isolated from society. Everything the leper touched was defiled and unclean. Leprosy, like sin, is a spreading disease, corrupting the whole life of a man, until he is destroyed by it altogether. The leprosy of sin corrupts the entire human race. It is spread through all our members. It has shut us outside the camp and made us far off from God (Ephesians 2:11-12).

Leprosy, like sin, is an incurable disease, incurable by any earthly, human means. Lepers were never sent to a doctor. They were sent to a priest. But all the priest could do was look at the leper’s condition, declare him unclean, and shut him out of the camp. He could do nothing for him (Leviticus 13:2-3; Leviticus 14:2-3). The whole Levitical law concerning lepers and leprosy is intended to show us the nature and use of the law. It identifies our leprosy, concludes that we are lepers, and declares that we are unclean, but does nothing to change or help our condition. Nothing but the precious, sin-atoning blood of Christ, nothing but the stripes inflicted by the whip of God’s holy law and justice can heal us of our disease and cleanse us of the plague of our hearts. Cleansing As leprosy portrays our sin, the cleansing of a leper under the law (Leviticus 13, 14) portrayed the healing of our souls by Christ. In order for the leper to be ceremonially clean, two birds were to be taken, clean and alive (Leviticus 14:5-6; Leviticus 14:50-52). Both were typical of Christ. One of the birds was killed in an earthen vessel over running water, showing that Christ must be killed, his blood must be shed for the cleansing of leprous sinners. The earthen vessel denoted his human nature, his flesh, in which he was put to death. The running water signified the purifying nature of his blood, and the continued virtue of it to cleanse from all sin. The living bird, along with cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop was dipped in the blood of the slain bird. Then, the priest let the living bird go, typifying the resurrection of Christ and our resurrection with him, declaring redemption accomplished, acceptance assured, and sin put away. Cry For Mercy Ten men who were lepers met the Lord Jesus on his way to Calvary. “And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” These men knew full well that no mere man had ever healed another of leprosy. But they had heard that this Man had. So they called upon him, the Man who stood before them in human flesh as God, asking him to have mercy upon them. Our blessed Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, is Jehovah-Rophe, the Lord who heals us. You Are Clean “And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.” When these lepers begged him to show them mercy, the Lord Jesus said, “Go show yourselves unto the priests.” In the Old Testament law those who thought they might be lepers were required to go show themselves to the priests, so that the priests (the Levites, the law) could confirm that they were indeed lepers (Leviticus 13:2-3). Obviously, these men had already been through that procedure. They were already declared to be and identified as lepers. Why, then, did the Lord Jesus command them to go show themselves to the priests again. You will find the answer in Leviticus 14:2-3. There the leper who was clean was required to go show himself to the priest, not to be made clean, but to be pronounced clean. In other words, the Lord Jesus said, “You are clean”, and sent them on their way to be ceremonially pronounced clean. These men believed his word. They headed straight to the priests to be pronounced clean. “And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.” As they started to the priests, they looked upon themselves and realized that they were clean. Their leprosy was gone. They had been healed by the mere sovereign will of the sovereign Saviour! One Who Turns Back “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: And he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.” These verses are full of instruction. Why did the other nine go on to the priests? And why did this one Samaritan stranger return to the Lord Jesus, glorifying God with a loud voice, as he fell down on his face at the Saviour’s feet? The answer should be obvious. The other nine called the Lord Jesus by his name, Jehovah-Jesus, God our Saviour, and acknowledged him as Master, and were cleansed of their leprosy in their bodies; but this man, being both cleansed of his physical leprosy and healed of the leprosy that plagued his heart, came back to worship the Lord Jesus as God his Saviour. He was not only cleansed of his leprosy, he was made whole. Made Whole “And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” When the nine were cured of the ailment of their bodies, they had obtained all that they wanted. They needed and wanted nothing else. But this Samaritan stranger had experienced something else. He was healed of his leprosy, and grace was poured into his soul. The nine were content to go on just as they had before, living under the yoke of bondage and ceremonialism. But this man was forever done with Jewish priests, religious ceremonies, legal sacrifices, and carnal ordinances. He fled away to the Son of God, the Author and Finisher of his salvation. Countless multitudes, like those nine lepers, being healed only outwardly in their bodies, by a religious encounter of one kind or another, never know or worship the Son of God. But poor, wretched sinners, knowing the leprosy of their souls, as soon as they are made whole by the Lord Jesus, fall at his feet, glorifying God with thankful hearts. They go no more to the law of carnal commandments, but ever come to the Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, made our Priest forever after the power of an endless life (Hebrews 7:16). To all who thus believe on the Son of God, he declares, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” Did the Lord Jesus actually say that? Surely not! Oh, but he did, didn’t He? He did not just say it here; he said it many times. In Matthew 9:22 he said to the woman with an issue of blood who touched him, “Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole.” In Mark 10:52 he told Bartimaeus, whom he had just healed of his blindness, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” In Luke 7:50 our Saviour said to the woman who was a sinner, who worshipped him as her Saviour, “Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” In Luke 18:42 the Master gave sight to another blind man and said, “Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.” I know many who would cringe if they heard a preacher say that to any sinner. They are scared to death that the plain statements of holy scripture will utterly destroy their wonderful system of doctrine. Any system of doctrine that cannot bear the plain statements of holy scripture is a corrupt system and needs destroying. Such statements as this, “Thy faith hath made thee whole”, must never be explained away, but delightfully embraced. No, faith is not our Saviour! We are saved altogether by the work of God’s omnipotent grace, without our aid. But there is no salvation without faith in Christ! Yes, Christ gives us faith. It is the gift and operation of God the Holy Spirit. But having wrought faith in us and given it to us, it is our faith. And we receive all the bounteous blessings of God’s rich, free grace by faith in Christ. The Lord God promises eternal salvation to faith in his dear Son, declaring that all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ have everlasting life. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” And every sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ glorifies God, falling at the feet of his all-glorious Saviour, worshipping him alone as his Saviour, with a heart of never dying, deeply felt gratitude, crying, “By the grace of God I am what I am! Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift”! I ask you again: have you just been cleansed, or have you been healed? Have you merely been changed, or have you been made whole? May the Lord Jesus now make you whole for his own dear name’s sake.

Luke 17:20-37

Chapter 20 The Distinguishing Grace Of GodThe Lord Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to lay down is life for us, to die as our Substitute, “the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” This passage in Luke (Luke 17:20-37) is thought by many to be an abbreviated version of our Lord’s Olivet Discourse given in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 24, 25), because there are portions used in it that are exactly the same. But that is a mistake. Though some of the words used by the Master are the same, the occasion is different. In Matthew 24 our Lord Jesus had already come to Jerusalem. Here he is on his way to Jerusalem, passing through the regions of Samaria and Galilee (Luke 17:11). In Matthew 24, 25 our Lord is answering questions raised by his disciples concerning the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem and the time of his coming. Here, his message begins as a response to the Pharisees who accosted him as to “when the kingdom of God should come” (Luke 17:20). Our Saviour answered these Pharisees by telling them that their notions concerning the kingdom of God were carnal and altogether wrong. He told them that the kingdom of God does not come with observation. These three things, at least, are meant by his words: The kingdom of God does not come with pomp and pageantry. It does not come with an outward show of any kind. In fact, the translation given in the margin of your Bible is, “The kingdom of God cometh not with outward show.” The kingdom of God does not come in such a way that men can observe it. God’s kingdom is a kingdom no one can see, except those who are born again. It is a kingdom none can enter, but by the new birth (John 3:3; John 3:5). Our Lord’s words in Luke 17:20 also mean, perhaps primarily mean that the kingdom of God does not come by the observation of religious laws, ceremonies, traditions, and ordinances. A Warning “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there”! (Luke 17:21). That is just an amplification of what our Lord has just declared: “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation.” Many in those days, in the days immediately following our Lord’s earthly ministry, and at various times throughout the past 2000 years have said that this or the other false prophet is the Christ. Many have said the kingdom of God will appear here or there, at this or that time. Our Lord warns us to ignore such claims, no matter who makes them, no matter how convincing their arguments are, and no matter how many people follow them. Within You “Behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” It is a spiritual kingdom not a carnal kingdom, a heavenly kingdom not an earthly kingdom, an inward kingdom not an outward kingdom. It lies not in outward things, but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17). The kingdom of God is established in the hearts of chosen, redeemed sinners when Christ the King of Glory enters into the heart and establishes his dominion in them by his omnipotent grace. Great Trouble In Luke 17:22-25 our Lord turns to his disciples. He is now talking specifically to his own and warns us here of a time of great trouble. The time he is talking about is not any specific day, but any day in which the words of these verses are applicable. “And 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. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For 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. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.” The warning continues in Luke 17:26. “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” Notice that our Saviour specifically says, “in the days (not day) of the Son of man.” He is talking about any day when he appears to make himself known: his first advent, his second advent, or his day of grace when he comes to save chosen sinners. While most are convinced that the verses before us are talking about our Lord’s coming in judgment at the last day, I am convinced otherwise. In this passage our Saviour is talking to his disciples about God’s great distinguishing grace. Everything in life decidedly illustrates and confirms his doctrine (Matthew 11:25-26). The State Of Man In Luke 17:26-30 our Lord teaches us a lesson about the state of man in this world, a lesson about fallen humanity that we tend to forget. The lesson is this: man never changes. We all tend to think that the present generation is the worst that has ever lived. Do not misunderstand me. I do not in any way minimize or excuse the horrid ungodliness of this generation. But, in these verses our Lord Jesus tells us plainly that the state of man upon the earth today is exactly as it was in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot. The human race is not getting better, and, really, it is not getting worse. It is just bigger and less capable of hiding the things it would like to hide. In the days of Noah, before God finally destroyed the whole race, except for Noah and his family, in the flood of his wrath, the whole human race lived to gratify their own lusts, and nothing more. The same was true in the days of Lot. The same thing is true today. And that is the way things will continue, until Christ comes again to gather his elect unto glory in complete salvation and to destroy the rest of the world in the execution of his just wrath. What is the state and condition of this world? What is the state and condition of mankind? Let me make the question more personal. What is your state and condition before God right now? If you are without Christ, turn to the book of Genesis, and see. Read what God says, and tremble. Tremble, because this is the state you are in. You are ripe for and incessantly asking for the wrath of God. Our Lord’s comparison between the days preceding his own coming and the days of Noah and Lot throws us back to the book of Genesis, chapters 6, 18, and 19. In those days, as in ours, ungodliness, corruption, lust, vanity, pleasure, engrossment with the business of life in this world so utterly consumed the hearts of men, that there was no room for God, either in man’s thoughts or his world (Genesis 6:2; Genesis 6:5). Men and women lived, but lived as they pleased, gratifying their own lusts in this world. They had no other concern than food and drink, family and home, business and pleasure. The same was true in Sodom (Genesis 18:21). When the Lord God looked upon that city, he saw one righteous man there who “vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds” (2 Peter 2:8). I cannot help noticing that our Lord makes no mention of the horrid perversity of homosexuality practised in Sodom in either Matthew or in Luke as he describes the wickedness of Lot’s generation. Why? The omission is certainly not intended to imply that there is nothing in that reprobate behaviour, so common and so promoted in our day, to make rational men shudder and cringe with anger. That immoral conduct is ever the result of self-willed idolatry, the ruin of social order and decency, and the result of divine judgment upon men. So why didn’t the Saviour mention the one horrid sin for which Sodom is known throughout the world? The reason is obvious: he would have all to understand that all who live unto themselves, for themselves, with no regard for God, his Son, his gospel and eternity, are like those reprobate, filthy Sodomites, “children of wrath”, abiding under the wrath of God, courting eternal damnation. The just and righteous sentence of God upon Noah’s generation and upon Sodom was announced, and men were urged to repent by God’s servants; but they continued in their hellish rebellion, living in the lust of their own hearts until Noah entered into the ark and the Lord God rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom (Genesis 6:3; Genesis 6:7; Genesis 6:13; Genesis 19:11-14). Yet, even in those evil days, the Lord God had an elect remnant he was determined to save, and he would not destroy the world until Noah was safe in the ark, or Sodom until Lot was safe in Zoar. “The longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Peter 3:20). So it is now. And so it shall be until the end of time. God’s determination to save his elect makes him longsuffering toward them, because he is not willing that any should perish, but that every loved, chosen, redeemed sinner be saved. And his longsuffering is the salvation of his people (2 Peter 3:9; 2 Peter 3:15; Genesis 19:17-22). As in the days of Noah and Lot, God’s sovereign, distinguishing grace was both manifest and effectual, so it is now and so it shall be until time shall be no more. “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” And Christ, the Angel of the Lord, brought Lot out of Sodom, “the Lord being merciful unto him”! Read Luke 17:30 and rejoice! “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Oh, clap your hands and sing praise! “The foundation of God standeth sure. The Lord knoweth them that are his.” He knows how to deliver his own; and he will! God’s Distinguishing Grace In Luke 17:30-36 the Lord Jesus displays the distinguishing grace of our God, calling us to continually consecrate ourselves to him. As in Noah’s day and in Lot’s day, so it is today. None will repent and believe, until the Lord God Almighty, by an act of omnipotent grace, brings them into the Ark Christ Jesus, and mercifully forces them to flee for their lives from Sodom, finding refuge in Zoar. But, blessed be his name forever, some shall be shut up in the Ark. Some shall flee to Christ. God will see to it. “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” The Lord God has mercy on whom he will have mercy. He saved Abel and passed by Cain. He saved Noah and his family and passed by the world. He chose Abraham and passed by all the rest of the inhabitants of Ur. He saved Lot and passed by his wife, his sons-in-law, and his other daughters, along with all the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. He loved Jacob and hated Esau. He takes one as it pleases him, and passes by another as it pleases him. An Undivided Heart Here is a third lesson plainly taught in our text: the Lord Jesus Christ demands consecration to himself. He demands an undivided heart (Luke 17:31-33). “In 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. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” What a solemn warning our Lord here gives us about divided allegiance. He says to all who profess to be his disciples, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Remember, she left Sodom with her husband, Lot. Remember, she was married to a righteous man. Remember, she worshipped God with Abraham. Remember, she wilfully disobeyed God’s explicit command. She looked back!

Why did she look back? She had a divided heart. She left Sodom with Lot, but she left her heart in Sodom. Remember, she perished with the Sodomites, though she was standing in the presence and company of three angels and her righteous husband. God struck her dead in an instant! Remember this, too: as it was in that day, so it is today, and so it shall be until the end of days.

There are many who make a profession of faith because they fear the wrath of God, who live with their hearts in Sodom, many who hope to go to heaven with a divided heart. It shall not happen. “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” Eagles And The Carcass “And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together” (Luke 17:37). The disciples failed to understand what the Lord was saying, as they often did and we often do. They wanted to know where this manifestation and division would take place, looking upon our Lord’s words as a prediction of something that was to take place at a specific time and in a specific place. What is the meaning of our Lord’s answer? Modern translations have not helped, but only compounded the confusion. Most translate the word “body” as “carcass” and the word “eagles” as “vultures”. In both cases such translations are wrong. Our translation is exactly as it should be. “He said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.” The word “body” means the body of one who has been slain. Notice the definite article. Our Lord said, “Wheresoever the body is (not wheresoever bodies are), thither will the eagles be gathered together.” Also, notice that he speaks of eagles (not buzzards) in the plural. Remember the context. Our Lord is talking to us about the distinguishing grace of God. He is talking about faith in himself. The body of the One slain is our Lord Jesus Christ. “The eagles” are God’s elect who are gathered to him in faith. Let’s see if the Book of God teaches this. God’s elect are spoken of in the scriptures as eagles (Deuteronomy 32:8-12; Job 9:25-26; Isaiah 40:31; Revelation 12:14). Our Lord’s answer to his disciples’ question, “Where, Lord?” is this: “Wherever Christ crucified is set forth in the preaching of the gospel, wherever the crucified Christ is revealed to men by the power and grace of his Spirit through the preaching of the gospel, there will his elect be gathered unto him ‘in the day when the Son of man is revealed.’” Christ’s eagles “gather” to him who is their food. He is the One upon whom we live. He is to us life eternal. The body of our slain Saviour, Christ crucified, is the meeting-point of his elect. He is the great magnet drawing needy souls like eagles to the carcass. He said, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” God our Creator in the Book of Job says of the eagle, his creature, “she abideth upon the rock from thence she seeketh the prey; her eyes behold afar off … where the slain are, there is she.” God our Saviour adds his application: As the eagles gather round the corpse, so the souls of men chosen, redeemed, and called by My grace are gathered unto Me. Keen and swift as eagles for the prey, so are God’s elect for Christ crucified. These are the words of our blessed Saviour. Let not one of them fall to the ground. “Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.” The eagle is a bird of prey. In all birds of prey there is great, vast quickness of scent to smell their proper food, even from a great distance. Added to its sense of smell, the eagle has a ravenous appetite. Compelled by hunger and its sense of smell, it flies quickly, at every opportunity, to its feast. But the eagle is not a vulture. It does not feed on dead things, but living. And the crucified Christ, upon whom our souls feed, though once slain as our Substitute, is alive for evermore! If Christ has given us life in himself, if he has made us alive by his grace, he gives us a continually increasing appetite and hunger for himself. Does he not? Do you not hunger for him, for his grace, for his embrace, for his righteousness, for his blood, for his presence? Hungering for him, his eagles fly to the place where he is, as famished birds hastening to the prey: his house, his Word, his ordinances, his throne of grace. “If”, Robert Hawker observed, “Jesus be indeed the one blessed object of thy desire, will not this be manifested by the earnestness of thy desires?” As David longed for the waters of Bethlehem when he was thirsty, O let my soul long for Christ. “As the hart panteth after the water brooks”, so he longed for his God. May the same be true of you and me. Oh for grace to have my soul hungering for Christ crucified day and night! As the eagles gather together unto the prey, so should we be found feasting upon Christ crucified relentlessly. In him, in his glorious excellencies is everything our souls need. His name is our salvation and our high tower.

His blood is our atonement. His righteousness is our dress. His perfections are our delight. His promises are our meditation. His grace is our assurance. His visits are our sweet memories.

His presence is our joy. His strength is our comfort. His glory is our ambition. His coming is our hope. His company forever is our heaven! Wherever Christ is, there will his people fly, as eagles to the prey and as doves to their windows (Isaiah 40:8).