Day #303

Sermon - Audio
Luke 17:11-18:14 - Reading
Luke 17:11-18:14 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

17.1: The picture of things that cause people to sin is the bait in a trap.

17.2: “little ones” are those who are weak in their faith and so struggle to stand up to temptation. Paul will later speak of the “weaker brother”.

17.2: The forgiveness is tied to a rebuke. If the person who is rebuked repents we are to forgive.

17.7-10: Jesus points out that offering forgiveness to a repentant person is part of the job description of one of his followers.

17.14: When a person was healed of leprosy they were to show themselves to the priests.

17.21: “The kingdom of God is within you” may also be interpreted “the kingdom of God is among you.” i.e. Jesus is with them and so the kingdom is already there.

17.22: Many people believed that the kingdom would come in through a great battle and the fall of Rome. Jesus tells his followers that the reality is the kingdom will come from the heavens with spiritual power.

17.26-29: Jesus points out that people simply are not ready for the coming of his kingdom. They go on with their daily lives without a thought of the great and final day of the Lord.

17.31: Leave what you have behind to either greet the coming of Christ or to attempt to flee his wrath (cf. Rev. 6.12ff).

17.34: One will be taken for judgment, the other will find salvation.

17.37: Jesus indicates that the spiritually dead attract judgment.


Luke 18.3: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men." Here is a judge who doesn't fear God, meaning he doesn't care if God exists or not, he doesn't care what God says, he has no fear of a coming day when he will be called into account for what he has done.

18.3: Widows were poor, powerless, and penniless in Jesus’ day.

18.4-5: The way the widow gets through to the judge is by pestering him until he can take it no more.

18.7: The contrast here is that we are not like the widow; we are God’s chosen ones. God, unlike the judge, longs to hear from his children and give them good things.

18.7: The word justice here is a word that means to be vindicated, it means to have it proved that you were on the right side, that you were in the right. Justice means having it proved that all the sacrifices you made to follow Jesus, to be like him, to live as he called you to live, to serve as he called you to serve, to sacrifice as he called you to sacrifice, all of that is shown to have been the wisest choice you could have made.

18.8: Will he find faith on the earth? i.e. will he still find people praying for justice, will he still find courageous people who ask God to empower them to live fully for him or will he find people who have given up praying great and risky prayers.

18.11: The people of Jesus’ day considered it pious to thank God for their righteousness—which out shone the righteousness of others.

18.12: Fasting twice a week was a regular practice for pious Pharisees. They were also scrupulous about tithing. When they added up all their “tithes” it would amount to more than 20% of their income.

18.14: The conclusion of Jesus’ parable would have been shocking to his hearers. It would be like our saying that a gay-activist was justified before God while a faithful elder in the church was not. We lose the shock value because we don’t see catch the cultural background.

18.14: The proud being brought down is an on-going theme of the book of Luke from the opening hymns of Mary and Zachariah to the final resurrection of Jesus.

18.21: He is exalting himself and Jesus cuts through his exaltation with his next command that shows reality. Now he is humbled by the words of Jesus.

18.23: Jesus tests whether this man is willing to love God with all his strength i.e. with every penny in his wallet—he is not.

18.27: “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” God can bring a rich man into relationship where he is humbled and loves God with all of his strength—Zachaeus will be proof of that.

18.28-30: These people are in proper relationship to God, they will find joy in the giving away of their lives, joy in loving God with all of their strength

18.32: They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. 33On the third day he will rise again.” Jesus will be humbled and then he will be exalted.

18.38: “He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” One who cries out for help, he is humble, he is lifted up contra the rich man who is lifted up and is made humble

18.43 “Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God.” Cf. Matthew 5.16 “they will praise your father in heaven”