Luke Part 3 Week 2

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:15-16 

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. 

Jesus had told the 10 lepers to go show themselves to the priests. On the way there the lepers were healed. One of them returned to thank Jesus. The last statement in this account is significant: “This man was a Samaritan.” This would have been a rebuke to Jews in general and to the Pharisees in particular who thought they were better than the Samaritans.  

REFLECT 

Is this a reminder to you to be thankful for all Jesus has done for you? 

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about having a life of thanksgiving rather than one of complaining and grumbling. Read Philippians 2:13-15 for encouragement.  

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:17-19 

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.” 

Jesus pinpointed the problem of discrimination by His listeners when He said the only one who returned to give thanks was a “foreigner.” The faith of this foreigner had made him well. It was not so much that he had faith, but in whom he had faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. The object of one’s faith is more important than just faith itself. 

REFLECT 

What is it like for you? Are you most thankful for your faith or for the object of your faith? 

RESPOND 

The great “faith chapter” in the Bible is Hebrews 11. Verses 5-7 highlight what faith is. Those who do not believe God exists (atheists) need more faith to believe what they see in the universe is by random chance and long ages than one who believes in the God of the Bible. Hebrews 11:3 reveals that one must take creation by faith because no one was there to witness it except God.  

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:20-21 

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.” 

The unbelieving Pharisees wanted to know when Jesus thought the kingdom of God would come. On the one hand, Jesus told them it would not come by what they could see; on the other hand, He said “the Kingdom of God is already among you.” The word “among” you is a translation of a Greek word (entos) that also means “in your midst.” Jesus, the King, was in their midst but they did not recognize Him as such.  

REFLECT 

Think of those people who do not trust in Jesus for salvation even though it is possible for everyone to do. 

RESPOND 

A verse of Scripture often used to show how Jesus wants to come into one’s life is Revelation 3:20. He is at the door of one’s heart, but the person must be the one to open the door and invite Him in by trusting in Him as Savior. 

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:22-25 

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.” 

Jesus predicted before He returned there would be those who would claim He was present when He was not. Jesus told His disciples not to follow such people. Jesus explained what it would really look like when He returned to the earth. This is not a reference to the time when believers are caught up to be with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). At this time He does not come to the earth. Instead, Luke 17:24 refers to the time when He returns to earth at the end of the seven-year Tribulation. 

REFLECT 

Notice that Jesus predicted He would have to suffer before the events in Luke 17:24-25 occur. 

RESPOND 

Join with a friend in reading 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 that refers to the “rapture,” meaning caught up in referring to believers. Read also Matthew 24:26-31 that parallels what is mentioned in Luke 17:22-25 when Jesus returns to earth.  

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:26-27 

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.” 

Jesus told the disciples that at the time of His return to earth it will be like it was in Noah’s day. The people then were living as if there was no tomorrow. They were not thinking about the future; only about their day of pleasure. The apostle Paul described what conditions would be like at the end of the age when he wrote 2 Timothy 3:1-5. 

REFLECT 

As you see the conditions in the world today, do they remind you of what Jesus said it would be like? 

RESPOND 

Encourage a Christian friend to stand strong for Jesus and His teaching today. Read Hebrews 13:8-9 to see what the writer told his readers about where to focus their attention.