Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Luke
Chapter 17: Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole
Luke 17 gathers Jesus' teaching on the life of the disciple and the coming of the kingdom. He warns of the guilt of causing 'one of these little ones' to stumble, and calls for a forgiving heart that pardons a brother again and again. When the apostles cry, 'Increase our faith,' He answers that faith as small as a mustard seed can uproot a tree, and that even after doing all we are commanded we are but 'unprofitable servants' who have only done our duty. On the road He cleanses ten lepers, but only one, a Samaritan, turns back to give God thanks, and to him alone Jesus says, 'thy faith hath made thee whole.' Then, questioned by the Pharisees about when the kingdom would come, He teaches that 'the kingdom of God is within you,' and warns His disciples of the day of the Son of man: sudden as lightning, as unlooked-for as the flood in Noah's day and the fire in Lot's, when 'the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.' 'Remember Lot's wife,' He says, for 'whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it.' The chapter calls us to forgive, to serve humbly, to give thanks, and to be ready for the Lord.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Luke chapter 17. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus teaches about offences and forgiveness, faith and humble service, heals ten lepers and commends the one thankful Samaritan, and instructs His disciples about the kingdom and the sudden day of the Son of man. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
If He Repent, Forgive Him
Pardon a brother again and again, from the heart.
Unprofitable Servants
A little faith moves trees; humble service claims no merit.
Where Are the Nine?
Only one of ten returns to give God thanks, and he a Samaritan.
Remember Lot's Wife
The coming is sudden; be ready, and do not look back.
We Are Unprofitable Servants (Luke 17:1-10)
Jesus calls for a forgiving heart, teaches that little faith does much, and reminds His servants they earn no merit by mere duty.
If Thy Brother Trespass Against Thee, Forgive Him
"Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: 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. 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. 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. But which of you, having a servant plowing 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."
Word Study
"forgive," Greek aphiemi (ἀφίημι). The word means to send away, to let go, to release, to remit. To forgive is to release a debt, to let go of the offence rather than hold it against the offender. Jesus commands, "if he repent, forgive him," even "seven times in a day," that is, without limit. Forgiveness is not the pretense that no wrong was done, for He also says "rebuke him"; it is the deliberate release of the wrong once repentance is shown. This is the very word for God's forgiveness of our sins, the sending away of our guilt; and those who have received such boundless pardon are to extend it freely to others.
Explanation
Jesus warns against causing "little ones" to stumble, commands a forgiveness that pardons a brother "seven times in a day" if he repents, and answers the disciples' plea for more faith with a startling word: faith like a mustard seed could uproot a tree. The point is not the size of faith but the greatness of the God it trusts. Then the parable of the unprofitable servant guards against pride: when we have done all, we have only done our duty, and can claim no merit. Faith works great things not by its quantity but by clinging to a great Master, and it never leaves us boasting.
Gospel Focus
Jesus begins with a solemn warning about causing others to stumble. "Offences will come" in a fallen world, but "woe unto him, through whom they come!" To lead "one of these little ones," a weak or young believer, into sin is so grave that it were better to be drowned with a millstone about the neck. Then the flip side: not only must we not cause offence, we must forgive it. "If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him", and even "seven times in a day," a number meaning without limit. Forgiveness includes honest rebuke, not the ignoring of sin, but once there is repentance the heart must release the wrong every time. No wonder the apostles cry, "Increase our faith", such limitless forgiving seems beyond them. Jesus answers that the issue is not the quantity of faith but its reality: faith "as a grain of mustard seed," tiny but genuine, could uproot a sycamine tree and plant it in the sea. Real faith, however small, lays hold of the power of God. Then, lest such promises breed pride, He tells of the servant. When a servant comes in from plowing, the master does not wait on him; the servant serves the master, and is not thanked as if he had done a favour, for he only did his duty. "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." Even our fullest obedience earns God nothing; we are His servants, and obedience is simply what we owe. This guards the disciple from thinking his forgiving, his faith, or his service puts God in his debt. We serve not to earn but because we belong to Him, and all our righteousness is but our reasonable duty to the God who saved us. Forgive freely, believe truly, and serve humbly.
Where Are the Nine? (Luke 17:11-19)
Ten lepers are cleansed, but only one, a Samaritan, returns to give God thanks, and to him Jesus speaks a deeper word of wholeness.
Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole
"And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 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. 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. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."
Word Study
"made thee whole," Greek sozo (σῴζω). The word means to save, to rescue, to make whole; it is the great gospel word for salvation. All ten lepers were "cleansed" (katharizo) of their disease, but to the one who returned in faith and thanksgiving Jesus says something more, "thy faith hath made thee whole", literally, thy faith hath saved thee. The nine received a physical healing; the one received salvation, a wholeness of soul as well as body. The word marks the difference between merely being blessed by God and being saved through faith in Christ. Faith that comes back to Jesus in worship and gratitude receives more than the gift; it receives the Giver, and with Him salvation itself.
Explanation
Ten lepers cry for mercy and are sent to the priests, and "as they went, they were cleansed" -- healing granted in the path of obedience. But only one, "a Samaritan," turns back to fall at Jesus' feet giving thanks, and Jesus marks the absence of the other nine: "where are the nine?" The foreigner alone returns to worship, and to him alone Jesus says, "thy faith hath made thee whole" -- a deeper wholeness than clean skin. Luke, the Gospel of gratitude and the outsider, sets the thankful Samaritan against the nine who took the gift and forgot the Giver.
Gospel Focus
As Jesus travels toward Jerusalem along the border of Samaria and Galilee, ten lepers meet Him, keeping their distance as the law required, and cry out together, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." He does not touch them or pronounce them healed on the spot; He simply says, "Go shew yourselves unto the priests," the step the law appointed for a leper already cleansed. To obey was itself an act of faith, to set out for the priests while still visibly leprous. "And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed." As they acted on His word, the healing came. But here the story turns. Only one of the ten, seeing himself healed, "turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks", and, Luke pointedly adds, "he was a Samaritan," a despised outsider. Jesus' response is a gentle sorrow over ingratitude: "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" Nine received the gift and forgot the Giver; only "this stranger" returned "to give glory to God." How like the human heart, quick to cry for mercy in need, slow to return with thanks when blessed. And then Jesus gives the grateful Samaritan a word He gives to none of the others: "Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole." All ten were cleansed of leprosy, but this one, who came back in faith and worship, was made whole, saved. His gratitude was the mark of a faith that laid hold not merely of the blessing but of the Blesser. The account quietly rebukes prayerless ingratitude and exalts the faith that returns to Christ in thanksgiving. It also lifts up the outsider, the Samaritan, over the nine of Israel, a foretaste of the gospel going to all peoples. Cry to Christ for mercy, yes, but come back to Him with thanks, for the faith that worships is the faith that saves.
The Kingdom of God Is Within You (Luke 17:20-37)
Jesus teaches that the kingdom is present in Him, and warns that the day of His coming will be sudden, universal, and dividing.
The One Shall Be Taken, and the Other Shall Be Left
"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: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 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. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 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. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 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. 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. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 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."
Word Study
"within," Greek entos (ἐντός). The word means within, inside, or in the midst of. "The kingdom of God is within you," Jesus tells the Pharisees. The phrase carries a rich double truth. The kingdom does not come "with observation," as an outward political display men can point to and say "Lo here"; it comes in the reign of God in the heart, an inward, spiritual rule. And it was even then "in the midst of" them, present in the person of the King Himself, Christ standing among them. God's kingdom is not first a matter of maps and armies but of His rule established within, wherever the King is received; and its King had already come. To enter the kingdom is to submit to the reign of God in Christ within.
Explanation
Asked when the kingdom comes, Jesus answers that it does not come "with observation" -- it cannot be spotted by watching for signs -- for "the kingdom of God is within you," already present in the King standing among them. Yet the day of the Son of man will also come suddenly and universally, like lightning across the sky, catching a heedless world as in the days of Noah and Lot. "Remember Lot's wife" who looked back; "whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it." The kingdom is here in Christ now, and it will be consummated in a coming as unmistakable as it is unexpected.
Gospel Focus
The Pharisees ask when the kingdom of God will come, expecting a visible, political event. Jesus corrects them: "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation... behold, the kingdom of God is within you." The kingdom is not first a matter of outward spectacle but of God's reign in the heart, and, more than that, its King was standing in their very midst, present in Christ Himself. They looked for a kingdom to point at and missed the King before their eyes. Then Jesus turns to His disciples and speaks of "the days of the Son of man," His future coming in glory. He warns them not to chase after false reports, "See here; or, see there: go not after them," for His coming will need no announcement: "as the lightning" flashes across the whole sky, "so shall also the Son of man be in his day", sudden, visible, universal, unmistakable. But "first must he suffer many things, and be rejected", the cross before the crown. He illustrates the suddenness with two solemn examples from Scripture's history. In "the days of Noe" and "the days of Lot" life went on as usual, eating, drinking, marrying, buying, building, ordinary and unsuspecting, "until the day" judgment fell and "destroyed them all." So the day of the Son of man will break upon a world absorbed in daily life and heedless of God. Therefore, "In that day," let no one cling to earthly things; the man on the housetop must not go back for his goods. "Remember Lot's wife", who, told to flee and not look back, lingered in her heart toward Sodom and perished. The principle is stated plainly: "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it." To grasp this world is to lose everything; to let it go for Christ is to be saved. And the day will divide even those closest together: two in one bed, two grinding, two in the field, "the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left." Outward nearness, sharing a home, a task, a bed, is no guarantee; each stands or falls before God alone. When the disciples ask "Where, Lord?", He answers with a proverb, "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together", judgment will find its object surely, wherever it is. The whole section calls the disciple to see the King already come, to reject false messiahs and date-setting, to hold this world loosely, and to be ready, for the day of the Son of man will come suddenly upon an unready world. Remember Lot's wife, and do not look back.
Chapter 17 in Review
Luke 17 moves from the daily life of the disciple to the coming of the Lord. Jesus warns against causing "one of these little ones" to stumble, and calls for a heart that forgives a repentant brother again and again. To the plea "Increase our faith" He answers that even mustard-seed faith does much, and that after all our obedience we are still "unprofitable servants" who have only done our duty. He cleanses ten lepers, but only one, a Samaritan, returns to give thanks, and to him alone He says, "thy faith hath made thee whole." Then He teaches that "the kingdom of God is within you," and warns that the day of the Son of man will come as suddenly as the flood in Noah's day and the fire in Lot's, dividing those closest together, "the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left." "Remember Lot's wife."
For the Apostolic reader the chapter binds together grace and readiness. Because we have been forgiven an infinite debt, we forgive our brother freely; because we are servants and not masters, we serve without claiming merit, resting all our hope on grace and not on our works. The healing of the ten lepers rebukes prayerless ingratitude and exalts the faith that returns to Christ in thanks, the faith that receives not merely the gift but the Giver and salvation with Him; and the thankful Samaritan foreshadows the gospel reaching every people. Above all the chapter fixes our eyes on the King already come and the King who will come again. His kingdom is His reign in the heart, entered by receiving Him; His return will be sudden, visible as lightning, and it will find a world eating and drinking and building as in the days of Noah and Lot. So hold this world loosely, for "whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it"; do not look back like Lot's wife; and live forgiven, thankful, humble, and ready for the day of the Son of man.
- Do not cause the little ones to stumble; forgive a repentant brother without limit (17:2-4).
- Even mustard-seed faith is mighty; after all obedience we are unprofitable servants (17:6, 10).
- Return to Christ with thanks; the faith that worships is the faith that saves (17:15-19).
- The kingdom of God is His reign within, and its King has come (17:21).
- The day of the Son of man will be sudden, as in the days of Noah and Lot (17:26-30).
- Hold this world loosely: "Remember Lot's wife" (17:32-33).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you forgive your brother freely, as you have been forgiven?
- Do you serve God humbly, or expect Him to be in your debt?
- Do you return to Christ with thanks, or forget the Giver once blessed?
- If the day of the Son of man came suddenly, would it find you ready or looking back?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Causing others to stumble and forgiving a brother: Matthew 18:6-7, 21-35; Mark 9:42. Faith and humble service: Matthew 17:20; Romans 3:20; 1 Corinthians 9:16. Gratitude and salvation by faith: Psalm 103:2; Luke 7:50; 18:42. The kingdom present in Christ: Luke 11:20; John 18:36; Romans 14:17. The sudden day of the Son of man: Matthew 24:37-41; Genesis 7; 19; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3. Losing and saving one's life: Luke 9:24; John 12:25. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Forgiveness, faith, and humble service: Luke 17:1-10; Matthew 18:6-35; Romans 3:20.
- The ten lepers and the thankful Samaritan: Luke 17:11-19; Luke 7:50; Psalm 103:2.
- The kingdom and the day of the Son of man: Luke 17:20-37; Matthew 24:37-41; Genesis 19.