| << Luke 17 | |
| << John 10 | |
| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
Luke 17:11-18:14; John 11:1-57 Listen 
In this passage, we see the following in Jesus' ministry:
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4 ¶ When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 ¶ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.
7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
8 ¶ The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”
9 ¶ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
12 ¶ Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”
13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
14 ¶ Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”
16 ¶ Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
17 ¶ So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
When they send word to Jesus, Lazarus is just sick. In the preceding chapter, Jesus went over the Jordan into Perea (John 10:40, see notes). If that is where Jesus is at the time of this emergency, that's about 30 or so miles from Bethany where Lazarus is, a little far to travel by foot in one day. That being the case, by the time the messenger arrives to the place where Jesus is staying, a day or so has already passed. However, Jesus waits two more days before leaving for Judea. Before he goes, he tells his disciples that Lazarus is now dead.
Apparently Jesus plans to travel by day rather than by night, even though the disciples point out that the Jewish leaders want him dead. There appears to be a double meaning to Jesus' reply in verses 9-10, both practical and spiritual, regarding walking in the daytime rather than at night.
Upon arrival, Lazarus is good 'n dead - four days' worth of good 'n dead. Jesus had healed sick people many times; everyone expected him to be able to do that. As a matter of fact, Jesus had raised the twelve-year-old girl from the dead back in Mark 5:38-43 (see notes). It's still interesting that everyone on this occasion seems to think that Lazarus' best odds for a healthy lifestyle would have been if he had been healed from sickness rather than raised from the dead. I guess they all figured that dying just sort of takes something out of you. As I indicated, the disciples were not crazy about the idea of going back to Judea to see a dead man - Jesus was almost stoned there earlier. I think I see sarcasm from Thomas in verse 16, don't you? "Yeah...let's just go on back there so they can kill us too!" The vicinity around Jerusalem was considered a danger zone for Jesus and his disciples.
Meanwhile...back in Bethany (John 11:18-46)
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.
19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 ¶ Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.
21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 ¶ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 ¶ Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 ¶ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 ¶ She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 ¶ And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”
29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.
31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
32 ¶ Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 ¶ Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.
34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” ¶ They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 ¶ Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
37 ¶ And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”
38 ¶ Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” ¶ Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40 ¶ Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”
43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”
44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
45 ¶ Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.
46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.
We see in verses 18-19 that this could not be a covert operation. Being only about 1.5 miles from Jerusalem, Martha and Mary were receiving Jewish visitors from Jerusalem upon the death of Lazarus. Two sisters agree (verses 21 and 32), if Christ had been there, Lazarus would not have died. It's obvious that they had gotten accustomed to the idea that Jesus could heal, but there seemed to be some doubt as to whether or not he could do something after a person had already died. I've always found verse 39 amusing. When Christ commands that the stone be rolled away, Martha (the pragmatist) points out that a body that has decayed for four days smells funny when she says, "...Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." Of course, that's the incredible part of this miracle, and why Jesus delayed coming after he heard that Lazarus was sick. If you want to make a point that you have power over death, make certain everybody understands how dead he really is - four days worth of dead! It was also a nice way to make the point to have Lazarus come forth still bound in burial clothing. The way they bound dead bodies back then, Lazarus must have been hopping because his hands and feet were bound...unless Christ floated him out. He also had his face wrapped with the burial cloth; that must have left Lazarus kind of speechless (just guessing). I wonder if Martha was right - did he stink? The bottom line that day is this: Jesus has power over death! Oh...and those Jewish visitors who had come to visit Mary and Martha, they head back to Jerusalem to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done.
Caiaphas, the unsuspecting prophet (John 11:47-54)
47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.
48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”
49 ¶ And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,
50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.”
51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,
52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.
53 ¶ Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.
54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.
Word of the Lazarus resurrection gets back to the Jewish big wigs. Jesus was giving these Jewish leaders fits. "What are we going to do?" the Jewish leaders wondered. Their conversation divulges their own selfish interests in this passage. It's obvious they weren't interested in any Messianic implications; they just wanted to retain their power over the Jewish people. Then Caiaphas, the high priest who didn't believe in the supernatural (the Sadducees did not), reveals the whole problem in their minds when he says essentially, "Better him than us!" Actually he said in verse 50, "nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." Caiaphas, you just said a mouthful. John points out (verses 51-52) that Caiaphas unknowingly prophesied that the death of Jesus Christ would serve as the propitiation for the sins of the world. From that day forward the Jewish leaders made it a point to find and arrest Jesus.
At this point, we are told that Jesus and his disciples left the Jerusalem area and headed "into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim." We're not certain where that city was located, but it was undoubtedly north of Jerusalem some distance...away from the long arm of the religion police, the Sanhedrin.
Jewish leaders: Get Jesus! (John 11:55-57)
55 ¶ And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
56 Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?”
57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.
These three verses lead right into chapter 12. After Caiaphas (the High Priest) had declared that Jesus must be removed, they now look for an opportunity to find and eliminate him. Jesus had not gone to Jerusalem on the preceding Passover (the third of his ministry). He was in Bethsaida up in Galilee at that time (John 6:4, see notes). However, Jesus did go to Jerusalem after that for the Festival of Booths (John 7:10, see notes). During that trip to Jerusalem, Jesus had some major confrontations with the Jewish leaders. That was just six months or so before this Passover that is coming up in Jerusalem, which turns out to be the Passover on which Jesus was crucified. So, here the Jews are looking for Jesus to appear in Jerusalem for the Passover so that they might seize him and eliminate him. Make no mistake about it: These Jewish leaders saw Jesus do the inexplicable miracles, but rather than believe on him, they determined that he must be eliminated. There is no way to sugar coat their intent; their intent was truly diabolical.
The ungrateful lepers (Luke 17:11-19)
11 ¶ Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.
13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 ¶ So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 ¶ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 ¶ So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
We are not told the exact location of this healing - just that it was in "a certain village" somewhere on his journey through Samaria and Galilee. Jesus heals ten lepers, but only one of them, a Samaritan, returns to thank him. The nine others, presumably Jews, were obviously just plain ol' greedy; they thought of themselves and their plight only, lacking consideration for others. According to Leviticus 14 (see notes), there was an established procedure of going to the priest after being cleansed of leprosy. In verse 18 the Samaritan is referred to by Jesus as a "foreigner." That's the term reflecting the Greek word ("allogenes") meaning "not a Jew." Presumably, the Samaritan was not headed to the same destination to show his leprosy-free skin to the priest since he was a Samaritan and not welcome in Jewish circles. Once he realized he was healed, he returned to Jesus to give thanks; the other nine just continued to make their way to the priest.
This is not the rapture! (Luke 17:20-37)
20 ¶ Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
21 nor will they say, “See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
22 ¶ Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
23 And they will say to you, “Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them.
24 For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.
25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
31 ¶ “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.
32 Remember Lot’s wife.
33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
34 I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left.
35 Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left.
36 Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”
37 ¶ And they answered and said to Him, “Where, Lord?” ¶ So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”
I know this passage sounds to Christians like a description of the events accompanying the rapture of Believers, but it is definitely not. To be scripturally accurate, while I Thessalonians 4:15-18 (see notes) and I Corinthians 15:51-53 (see notes) are clearly references to a yet-future event when Believers are caught away and taken to Heaven (aka rapture), this passage is NOT A DESCRIPTION of that same event.
So, you might ask, what is the event described by Jesus in this passage? Without question, Jesus is describing the second coming when Jesus actually comes back to earth and sets up the long-anticipated rule of the Messiah over the entire earth. As a matter of fact, that's the exact question in verse 20 when the Pharisees query him on "when the kingdom of God would come." That's a question about the millennium aka the kingdom rule of the Messiah. Consider the following prophetic timeline.
First of all, let me point out that NO SIGNS must be evident prior to the rapture of the church (Believers). This event takes place seven years prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. When Jesus raptures the church, we who are Believers go to Heaven with him. When he returns after the tribulation period of seven years, he sets up the Kingdom prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. This event is properly called the "second coming," not the "rapture" of Believers.
Now, let's deal with this passage. To get our perspective, let's pay close attention to verse 20, "Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation." These Pharisees are not asking about the rapture; that was a concept completely foreign to them. As a matter of fact, no such doctrine (the rapture of Believers) had been revealed up to this point. They want to know specifically when the Old Testament prophecy of the Davidic rule on earth is going to be established. Click here to see the article on the Davidic Covenant. They understand that Jesus is proclaiming himself to be that Messiah; they want to know if he intends to establish that Kingdom right now...or when? Jesus points out that it will not come with the evidences they anticipate. In verses 21-24 he further explains that it will not come indiscreetly, but as lightning, a good description of the second-coming events of Revelation 19:11-21 (see notes). In Luke 17:21 Jesus is saying that this Kingdom is within their grasps, but we know now what Jesus knew then (and was prophesied by Isaiah, Daniel and others); they would reject Jesus as the Messiah, thus passing on the immediate realization of the Davidic Kingdom on earth. In verse 25 Jesus reveals that he (the Messiah) must "suffer many things" first. That was a prophecy of his crucifixion, prophesied also in Isaiah 53 (see notes).
Now notice two illustrations of the second coming given by Jesus here. The first is that of Noah. In that scenario, who left the earth, and who stayed behind? The wicked were swept away by the flood leaving the righteous family of Noah. Secondly, with regard to Lot and his family, who left the earth, and who stayed behind? The wicked were burned up, and Lot's family survived on the earth. Neither of these illustrations are compatible with the rapture when just the opposite happens - the righteous are caught up to Heaven and the wicked stay behind. However, at the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation, the wicked are caught away (destroyed) and the righteous are left behind to populate the Millennium. Now for the twos - two men in a bed, two women grinding, two men in a field - one is taken and one is left. Who is taken? The wicked is swept away to judgment and the righteous stays to populate the Millennium. See? This is not the rapture, but the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the end of the Tribulation just prior to the Millennium Kingdom about which the Pharisees were asking in verse 20.
Humorous addendum: A lady pointed out to me that while the two men were sleeping in verse 34, the two women were working in verse 35. That just goes to show you that different folks pick up on different aspects of a passage.
NOTE: Later on, in Jerusalem, Jesus would once again deal with the issue of the Second Coming (aka the establishment of the Davidic Kingdom) using much the same terminology and analogies. While similar, that is definitely a separate, later occasion when Jesus was teaching. Click here to see the notes on Matthew 24:1-31, Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-28.
Now notice Luke 17:37, "And they answered and said to Him, 'Where, Lord?' So He said to them, 'Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.'" At the Battle of Armageddon, there will be unprecedented death of the wicked. The Greek word translated "eagles" there is "aetos," which merely means "something that flies." Jesus uses the same phrase later on in Jerusalem when he teaches on the second coming and the Battle of Armageddon (Matthew 24:1-31, Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-28). Notice the comparison between the passages:
Matthew 24:28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
Luke 17:37 And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.'"
It is quite clear that Jesus intends for the disciples to understand the "something that flies" following the Battle of Armageddon to be vultures over dead bodies.
Parable of the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8)
1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.
3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, “Get justice for me from my adversary.’
4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, “Though I do not fear God nor regard man,
5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”
6 ¶ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.
7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?
8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Verse 8b makes it clear that this parable ties in with the comments made by Jesus regarding the Messianic Kingdom when he says, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" Jesus gives this short parable to make a point. God will answer the persistent prayers of His people when He returns to establish His kingdom on earth in the person of Jesus Christ. If persistence in petitioning works on an unjust judge, how much more effective will that same persistence be with a just God?
Another blast against the Pharisees (Luke 18:9-14)
9 ¶ Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Here's another parable, and Jesus frames it with these words in verse 9, "Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others." So, going back to the two men sleeping and two women working in 17:34-35, who's righteous here? Is it the Pharisee who boasts of all the righteous-looking things he is doing (tithing, fasting, etc.), or is it the common man who stands before God in prayer and simply says, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." You see, it's always been about trusting (believing faith) God for forgiveness, and it's never been about doing righteous-looking things.
The word "tax collector" (KJV "publican") comes from the Greek word "telonace." To the Jews, these were among the worst kind of sinners; they were Jewish tax collectors. More appropriately, they were "tax farmers." These publicans contracted with the Roman government (having secured the contract with the highest bid) for the right to collect taxes from the people in their assigned region. They paid a lump sum to the Roman government in advance for this contract and added a markup to the individual taxes they imposed upon the people to provide themselves with a nice profit. It was up to them how much markup they added, and they had the full force of Roman law behind them to facilitate their collections. You can see why, though they were wealthy and Jewish, they were despised by...almost everyone.
Incidentally, Matthew (disciple of Jesus and author of the Gospel account that bears his name) was one of these publicans before he followed Jesus. His call is found in Matthew 9:9 (see notes).
