What do forgiveness, service and the returning Samaritan show?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The chapter commands repeated forgiveness, describes service as duty, records one cleansed Samaritan returning to thank Jesus and warns about the Son of man’s day.

Chapter breakdown

# Luke 17 Jesus warns his disciples that scandals will come, but pronounces woe upon the person through whom they come. It would be better for that person to have a millstone about his neck and be cast into the sea than to scandalize one of these little ones. He directs them to reprove a brother who sins against them and forgive him if he does penance, even if he sins and returns saying he repents seven times in a day.

The apostles ask for increased faith. Jesus says that faith like a grain of mustard seed could command a mulberry tree to be rooted up and transplanted into the sea, and it would obey. He asks whether a servant returning from ploughing or feeding cattle would be invited immediately to eat, or instead told to prepare supper and serve before eating himself. After doing what is commanded, the disciples are to say that they are unprofitable servants who have done what they ought. A separate annotation explains that service is owed to the master, while grace gives value to good works and the promise of eternal reward.

Going to Jerusalem, Jesus passes through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. As he enters a town, ten lepers stand afar off and ask him for mercy. He tells them to show themselves to the priests, and as they go they are made clean. One, a Samaritan, sees that he is clean, returns glorifying God loudly and falls on his face at Jesus' feet giving thanks. Jesus asks whether ten were made clean and where the nine are, and notes that only this stranger has returned to give glory to God. He tells him to arise and go, saying that his faith has made him whole. The other nine's identities and later actions are not supplied.

Asked by Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come, Jesus says it does not come with observation, nor will people announce it here or there: the kingdom of God is within them. He tells the disciples that they will desire to see one day of the Son of man and not see it. They must not follow announcements of here or there. He compares the Son of man's day to lightning shining under heaven, but says first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

The days of Noe involved eating, drinking and marriage until he entered the ark and the flood destroyed them; the days of Lot involved eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting and building until he left Sodom and fire and brimstone destroyed them. Jesus says it will be thus when the Son of man is revealed. Someone on the housetop must not descend for goods, nor someone in the field return back. He tells them to remember Lot's wife and says that whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, while whoever loses it will preserve it. He describes one taken and one left among two men in one bed, two women grinding together and two men in the field. Asked where, he answers that where the body is, the eagles will gather.

The story inside

Teaching on scandal, faith and service precedes the ten lepers, the Pharisees’ question and warnings using Noe and Lot.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Repentance remains explicit in the repeated-forgiveness instruction.
2
Only the returning man is identified as a Samaritan; the nine’s identities are unstated.
3
The paired examples include men in a bed, women grinding and men in a field.

Test your recall

Sevenfold forgiveness; mustard seed; servant duty; ten clean, one returns; kingdom within; Noe, Lot and separation.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 119303–119341
17:1. And he said to his disciples: It is impossible that scandals should not come. But woe to him through whom they come! 17:2. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea, than that he should scandalize one of these little ones. 17:3. Take heed to yourselves. If thy brother sin against thee, reprove him: and if he do penance, forgive him. 17:4. And if he sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day be converted unto thee, saying: I repent: forgive him. 17:5. And the apostles said to the Lord: Increase our faith. 17:6. And the Lord said: If you had faith like to a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this mulberry tree: Be thou rooted up and be thou transplanted into the sea. And it would obey you. 17:7. But which of you, having a servant ploughing or feeding cattle, will say to him, when he is come from the field: Immediately go. Sit down to meat. 17:8. And will not rather say to him: Make ready my supper and gird thyself and serve me, whilst I eat and drink; and afterwards thou shalt eat and drink? 17:9. Doth he thank that servant for doing the things which he commanded him? 17:10. I think not. So you also, when you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which we ought to do. Unprofitable servants.... Because our service is of no profit to our master; and he justly claims it as our bounden duty. But though we are unprofitable to him, our serving him is not unprofitable to us; for he is pleased to give by his grace a value to our good works, which, in consequence of his promise, entitles them to an eternal reward.
Lines 119343–119368
17:11. And it came to pass, as he was going to Jerusalem, he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 17:12. And as he entered into a certain town, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off. 17:13. And lifted up their voice, saying: Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 17:14. Whom when he saw, he said: Go, shew yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were made clean. 17:15. And one of them, when he saw that he was made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God. 17:16. And he fell on his face before his feet, giving thanks. And this was a Samaritan. 17:17. And Jesus answering, said: Were not ten made clean? And where are the nine? 17:18. There is no one found to return and give glory to God, but this stranger. 17:19. And he said to him: Arise, go thy way; for thy faith hath made thee whole.
Lines 119370–119425
17:20. And being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said: The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. 17:21. Neither shall they say: Behold here, or behold there. For lo, the kingdom of God is within you. 17:22. And he said to his disciples: The days will come when you shall desire to see one day of the Son of man. And you shall not see it. 17:23. And they will say to you: See here, and see there. Go ye not after, nor follow them. 17:24. For as the lightning that lighteneth from under heaven shineth unto the parts that are under heaven, so shall the Son of man be in his day. 17:25. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 17:26. And as it came to pass in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 17:27. They did eat and drink, they married wives and were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. 17:28. Likewise as it came to pass in the days of Lot. They did eat and drink, they bought and sold, they planted and built. 17:29. And in the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 17:30. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man shall be revealed. 17:31. In that hour, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and he that shall be in the field, in like manner, let him not return back. 17:32. Remember Lot’s wife. 17:33. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose it shall preserve it. 17:34. I say to you: In that night there shall be two men in one bed. The one shall be taken and the other shall be left. 17:35. Two women shall be grinding together. The one shall be taken and the other shall be left. Two men shall be in the field. The one shall be taken and the other shall be left. 17:36. They answering, say to him: Where, Lord? 17:37. Who said to them: Wheresoever the body shall be, thither will the eagles also be gathered together.