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    Luke 17:11-37
    ​Lesson 144

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:
     
    Ten lepers. 
    Jesus talks about The Second Coming. 
    Study Tip:

    Putting difficult passages into our own words helps us better understand and retain longer.     
    Who was -
     
     
    Noe -
    An Old Testament patriarch usually called Noah.  Noah was the tenth descendant of Adam and Eve (Genesis 5:5-29).  The day came when God was sorry that He had created man (Genesis 6:6-7) and He warned Noah, "a just man" (Genesis 6:9), of a coming flood that would destroy mankind, "wickedness" (Genesis 6:5) and "violence" (6:13).  Despite living in an arid land 500 miles from the sea, Noah trusted God (Genesis 6:9) and followed His seemingly silly instructions to build an ark (Genesis 6:14-16) large enough to carry two of every unclean animal (i.e. pigs) and seven of each clean animal and birds (Genesis 7:2-3).  Noah, his wife, three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japhet), and their wives took refuge on the ark and were spared from the flood (2 Peter 2:5).  After the floodwaters subsided, Noah built an altar and made a sacrifice to God (Genesis 8:20).  This pleased God, and He promised not to flood the earth again (Genesis 9:11).  God sealed this vow with a rainbow (Genesis 9:13-15).  Noah lived to be 950 years old (Genesis 9:29).  Just as in Noah's day when few believed that disaster loomed no one will be expecting Christ's Second Coming (Matthew 24:35-39).  You can read more about Noah in Genesis 6:1-9:29. 
     
    Lot -
    The son of Haran (Genesis 11:27) and the nephew of Abraham (12:5).  Lot was a wealthy shepherd, city leader, and an Old Testament town judge.  When God's wrath settled on the wicked citizens of Sodom, He sent two angels to warn Lot of the pending destruction of the city.  Lot survived the devastation by obeying God's instructions to flee the city without looking back.  Unfortunately, Lot's wife disobeyed and looked back to see Sodom being destroyed and she was turned into a "pillar of salt" (Genesis 19:26).  Even today there is a tall strangely shaped rock south of the Dead Sea which the locals call "Lot's wife."  It bears a striking resemblance to a woman turned to stone in mid-stride.  The story of Lot appears in Genesis 11:27-14:29; 19:1-38    . 

    The Gospel According to St. Luke

    The King James Bible    ​

    Luke 17:11-37
    Jesus heals ten lepers 

    11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

    12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

    13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

    14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

    15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

    16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

    17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

    18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

    19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

    20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

    21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

    22 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.

    23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.

    24 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.

    25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

    26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

    27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

    28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank,
    they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

    29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

    30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

    31 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.

    32 Remember Lot's wife.

    33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

    34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

    35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

    36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

    ​    37 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.  ​​​
    Margin notes: 
     
    "Passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee." (17:11) - On His way to Jerusalem and the cross, Jesus and His group passed through Samaria and Galilee.  Then they crossed the Jordan River near Bethshean, joined a Galilean caravan, and made their way through Perea.  From there, they turned west and journeyed through Jericho (nineteen miles from Jerusalem) and the villages of Bethphage and Bethany (at the Mount of Olives) and finally arrived in Jerusalem.
     
    "Which stood afar off." (17:12) - Lepers had to stay away from people, so as not to spread the disease.
     
    "Go shew yourselves unto the priests." (17:14) - Mosaic Law required cured lepers to see a priest and be pronounced clean (Leviticus 13:1-46; 14:2-32; Luke 5:13-14).    
     
    "Samaritan." (17:16) - A citizen of Samaria, Israel's northern kingdom.  After Assyria defeated Israel in 722 BC, Assyrian King Esarhaddon deported many of the Jews living in Samaria and repopulated the area with Gentiles deported from other conquered territories (2 Kings 17:24).  These new settlers lived in peace with the Jews who remained in Samaria, intermarried with them, and in time blended their pagan religion (complete with idol worship) with Judaism.  When the exiled Jews were allowed to return, they looked down on this new hybrid religion.  They called the Samaritans "half breed Hebrews" and refused their help when rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:1-3).  In fact, they destroyed the Samaritan's temple on Mount Gerizim in 130 BC.  This led to a bitterness that still existed in Jesus' time.  Devout Jews would have "no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9) and tried to diminish Jesus by calling Him a Samaritan (John 8:48).  The Samaritans held the Jews in equal contempt.  They often refused Jewish travelers passing through Samaria a place to stay or food and water (Luke 9:51-53).  As noted in John 4:5-42, Acts 8:25 and 15:3, many Samaritan's accepted the Gospel early in Jesus' ministry.  Approximately 750 Samaritan's live in Israel today.
     
    "There are not found that returned." (17:18) - Means, "There are none who returned."
     
    "Save this stranger." (17:18) - "Except this foreigner."  Remember, the cured leper was a Samaritan.
     
    "Thy faith hath made thee whole." (17:19) - Faith will make us whole (Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34) and save us (Luke 7:50; 18:42).
     
    "Not with observation." (17:20) - "Not with visible signs."
     
    "The kingdom of God is within you." (17:21)  - Many Christians believe this means that the Kingdom of God is in our hearts.  Others take a different meaning.  They feel it means that the Kingdom of God is within our power to reach, if we have faith 
     
    "The days will come." (17:22) - "The days" refers to the Second Coming.
     
    "Must suffer." (17:25) - God's plan called for Jesus to be betrayed, beaten, and crucified (Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31).
     
    "They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage." (17:27) - The people in Noah's day were oblivious to the pending disaster awaiting them.
     
    "In the day when the Son of man is revealed." (17:30) - "The day I return."  Here, Jesus is promising to return.  Jesus also promised to return in Matthew 16:27, 24:27, 24:29-30, 24:37, 25:31, Mark 8:38, Luke 21:27 and John 14:2-3.  Remarkably, Daniel prophesied the Second Coming of Christ in Daniel 7:13-14, six hundred years before the first coming. 
     
    "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it." (17:33) - An important message reinforced in Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24;  and John 12:25.  This is Jesus' second most quoted phrase in the Bible.  His most quoted is, "follow me." 
     
    "Eagles." (17:37) - Means, vultures."  ​
    Jesus also compares mankind's complacency before The Second Coming to the days of Noah in Matthew 24:37-39 (lesson 50). 


                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Luke 17:11-37
    Ten Healed of Leprosy
     
    11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria.

    12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance,

    13 crying out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
     
    14 He looked at them and said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.
     
    15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, "Praise God!"

    16 He fell to the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.
     
    17 Jesus asked, "Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?

    18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"

    19 And Jesus said to the man, "Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you."
     
    The Coming of the Kingdom
     
    20 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the Kingdom of God come?"
     
      Jesus replied, "The Kingdom of God can't be detected by visible signs.

    21 You won't be able to say, 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!' For the Kingdom of God is already among you."
     
    22 Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won't see it.

    23 People will tell you, 'Look, there is the Son of Man,' or 'Here he is,' but don't go out and follow them.

    24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes.

    25 But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation.
     
    26 "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day.

    27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.
     
    28 "And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business-eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building-

    29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

    30 Yes, it will be 'business as usual' right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

    31 On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home.

    32 Remember what happened to Lot's wife!

    33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.

    34 That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left.

    ​35 Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left."
     
    37 "Where will this happen, Lord?" the disciples asked.
     
      Jesus replied, "Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near."
    ​This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version." 
    Today's question:
     
    1. When will Christ return?



    You can receive these lessons up to five times per week.  Let me know if you'd like to change the number of times you receive them.
    Answer: (Do you agree?)
     
    1. No one knows when Christ will return, it could be today, next year, or hundreds of years from now.  Since Jesus' return will come when no one expects (17:26-30), Christians must always be morally and spiritually ready.  Believers should live as though Jesus is coming tomorrow.       As Jesus said in verse 17:23, people will claim that  Christ has already returned.  Some will even claim to be Him, but don't be fooled.  Verse 17:24 makes it clear that when Jesus returns, we won't have to be told, it will be obvious.
    ​


    Application task for the day: 
     
    The ten lepers followed Jesus' instructions to see the priest (17:14).  As a reward for their faith, they were cleansed!
    What would you do if God asked you to back up your faith with action?  Believers shouldn't be afraid to show their faith; it brings good things.
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible".  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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