Luke 17

Luke 17:5

Upon another occasion, (most probably that Matt. xvii. 20, where, in the discourse between his disciples and him, he taxeth their unbelief,) he was intrcated by some of the disciples (who were not able to cast out a devil, or cure the young man of the epilepsy, Matt. xvii. 16.) that he would give them more of this gift of miracles, that they might be able to do all to which they were by his designation sent, but were not able to do them for want of some higher degree of this miraculous faith than as yet they had attained to.

Luke 17:6

And he said unto them, If you had but the least degree of true faith, you should by my power be enabled to work any the greatest miracle, remove mountains, Matt. xvii. 20, make trees grow in the sea, &c. But what I mean by this true faith, I will express to you by a parable or similitude. 7—10. As it is with an hired servant, it is not sufficient for him to do that one business for which he was hired, but other common offices there are which belong indifferently to all servants, as waiting at table, &c.; and when he hath done his other works in the field for which he was hired, as ploughing, &c., he must first set cheerfully to the other offices before he think he have done his duty, or expect to receive his ordinary food, his daily wages; so must ye (whose task it is to cure diseases, cast out devils) do all those things with all fidelity which are means to that end, or never think you have performed your duty. When confidence of my power and using the mention of my name will not cast out devils, then solemn prayer is your duty, to be superadded to that; and when that and prayer alone will not do, you must add fasting also, Matt. xvii. 21, and not think that it is free for you to do or not to do this, (and that if you do it, it is eminent virtue in you,) but you must look upon it as necessary duty, which when you have done, you have done no more than was commanded you, and was strictly required of you to do. This is the best answer which is likely to be given to your request of having your faith increased. Do not you neglect the means, and you shall be able to do what miracles you will; but as long as you think your partial obedience will serve the turn, and will not take the pains to fast and pray, to cast out a devil, and the like; this is an infidelity in you, Matt. xvii. 17. 20, which will disable you from doing those miracles which otherwise you would easily be able to do.

Luke 17:10

[a] unprofitable servants] What is meant by ἀχρίος δοῦλος, unprofitable servant, will be matter of some question, because of the somewhat distant character set upon it, Matt. xxv. 30. There he is to be cast into utter darkness, his unprofitableness is a damning sin, expressed also by wickedness and slothfulness; but here they that have done all that is commanded, (which sure is not a state of so much danger,) must yet call themselves unprofitable servants, because they have done no more than so, have done nothing for which they should be thanked or rewarded above ordinary, ver. 9. To this it were answer sufficient to say, that the same word is often used in several notions, sometimes in a stricter, (for barely not profitable,) sometimes in a larger sense. Thus ἠχριώθησαν might seem to be used, psalm xiv. 3; and from thence, Rom. iii. 12, (see note [g] Rom. i,) for all kind of impiety, (as ἄνομος is sometimes he that lives not exactly according to law, sometimes the most wicked, lawless person); but that word in that place must be understood according to the notion of the Hebrew there, which signifies putrid, or stinking, which is therefore useless, good for nothing, as rotten, Ephes. iv. 29, is opposed to good for use. Beside this, therefore, there may be yet a further account given of the word in that of Matt. xxv, thus, The phrase ἀχρίος δοῦλος signifies a servant that brings in no profit to his master. Now, according as the office or employment of this servant is, so this will have more or less of guilt in it; he whose office or service consists in trafficking for his master, to whom it is under precept, (as it was in that servant, Matt. xxv, he had been commanded by his master to trade with his talent, Luke xix. 13, and from thence an obligation lay upon him, he ought to have put the money to the exchangers, Matt. xxv 27,) his not bringing in profit is downright disobedience; and accordingly as he is called unprofitable in one place, ver. 30, so he is formerly, by the same evangelist, styled wicked and slothful, ver. 27, which he could not have been, if he had done all that was required of him. And so, though a bare unprofitableness, founded in a

Luke 17:13

And being far from him, they cried aloud to him, and said—

You shall be healed; and therefore go and shew yourselves to the priest, which by the law you are required to do when the cure is wrought, that he may pronounce you clean: do you go immediately to the priest, and before you come thither you shall be cured. And accordingly it fell out, as they were on their way, they were healed.

now came near unto him, being cured of his unclean disease, which before made him stand afar off, and fell down before him on his face, giving him—

Luke 17:18

No one hath returned to acknowledge the mercy, save this one, who is a Gentile, or no Jew (for so are the Samaritans accounted by the Jews).

when that kingdom of God, which John Baptist and he had preached so often, should come, he said, It comes not in any splendid manner, as you expect, with a pompous solemn court along with it, for men to gaze and look upon it, and say, Lo, here it comes! as it is wont to be with ordinary courts of kings when they remove: for indeed it is already among you, the gospel preached, which is the sceptre of this kingdom; and all other parts are but attendants of that. See note [c] on Matt. iii.

Luke 17:19

[d] a certain rich man] That this is not a story, but a parable, may appear by Gemara Baby, ad Cod. Berachoth, where thus much of it is set down: that “a king made,” כְּעוֹרָה גְּדוֹלָה, “a great feast, and invited all the strangers; and there came,” עֲנִי אֶחָד, “one poor man, and stood at his gates, and said unto them, Give me,” פְּרוּסָה אֶחָד, “one bit or portion” (almost the Latin pars); וְלֹא הִשְׁנָהוּ עָלָיו, “and they considered him not, and he said, My lord the king, of all the great feast thou hast made, is it hard in thine eyes to give me,” פֶּת אֶחָד בִּינֵיהֶם, “one bit or fragment among them?” And the title of this passage there is מִשָּׁל לְסַלֵּךְ בָּשָׂר וְדָם, “A parable of a king of flesh and blood.”

Luke 17:22

And turning to his disciples, he tells them of these Pharisees, and other the like contemners of his preaching, that they that now despise this sceptre of the kingdom, receive not the gospel, there shall come out against them that iron rod, destruction for this great sin; and then it will be too late for them to wish for these days of mercy which now they despise and make no use of.

Luke 17:23

Then many shall put you in hopes of a deliverer, pretend that there is a Messias in this or that place; but do not you follow nor heed any such report, nor look for any such deliverer. (See Matt. xxiv. 25.)

Luke 17:24

For a destruction shall come like lightning, quick and fearful, upon the Jews from the Romans in this day of Christ’s vengeance upon his enemies. (See note [a] on Heb. x.)

Luke 17:25

But this shall not be till after Christ’s being rejected and crucified by the Jews.

26, 27. And as it was in the old world, when for the great provocations thereof God was pleased to send the flood upon it, without any visible change or omen or presignification of the particular time, Matt. xxiv. 36, (only Noah preaching repentance to them, and they not hearkening to him, and then his building an ark, and going into it with his family,) no man expecting it, the flood came and swept away all but those in the ark, so shall it be when Christ comes to work his revenge upon his crucifiers; when they expect it not at all, as soon as ever a course is taken for preserving the faithful from the destruction, (see note on Matt. xxiv. 9, and Rev. vii. 3.) the vengeance shall light upon the rest, and destroy all that are left in Jerusalem. And that is all the foreknowledge of the time you shall have in answer to your question, ver. 20.

28-30. And as when the sins of Sodom were filled up, and their cry was gone up to heaven, and God determined to destroy them, the people went on in their ordinary course, doing all things according to their wont, and then on that very day when Lot went out of Sodom the fire and brimstone fell on that city; so, as soon as the faithful penitent Christians depart out of Jerusalem, that fatal day shall come upon the rest, that day, I say, wherein Christ shall reveal himself by his judgments on his enemies and crucifiers: (see note [a] on Heb. x.)

[e] receivedst thy good things] The phrase of receiving thy good things seems to be agreeable to the Hebrew style, which useth קָבַל עוֹלָמוֹ, “receiving his world” for an uninterrupted course of secular felicity, when all things succeed according to a man’s will in this world; according to an ancient saying of theirs, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלָיו אַרְבָּעִים יָם, כָּל