Sharing Jesus’ Ministry Values (preaching resource for 10/5 & 10/12/25, 17th & 18th Sundays after Pentecost)

This post exegetes Luke chapter 17 providing context for the Gospel readings on 10/5 & 10/12/25, the 17th and 18th Sundays after Pentecost. Insights are drawn from Warren Wiersbe ("The Bible Expository Commentary"), Howard Marshall ("New Bible Commentary") and Robert Farrar Capon ("Kingdom, Grace, Judgment").

"The Exhortation to the Apostles" by James Tissot
(public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Introduction

In Luke chapter 17, Jesus continues his final trip to Jerusalem. A key concern is preparing his disciples for what lies ahead: his death and resurrection—and also his ascension, when he will leave them bodily, but, in the Spirit, will continue sharing with them his ongoing ministry on earth. In this chapter, Luke records important lessons from Jesus concerning the values that undergird this ministry: forgiveness, faithfulness, thankfulness and preparedness. Jesus calls us to share these ministry values today.

Sharing Jesus’ forgiveness 

Luke 17:1–6

1 Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." 5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."

In Luke chapter 16, Jesus warned the Pharisees about their covetousness and lack of concern for others. Now he turns to his disciples and warns them that “things that cause people to sin” are “bound to come” into their ministries. If left unchecked, certain “little ones” (new believers) might stumble, nullifying the disciples’ effectiveness in Jesus’ ministry. In criticizing Jesus, the Pharisees are, themselves, causing some of Jesus’ new believers to stumble. This is so serious, that the offenders would be better off cast into the sea, never to be seen again. Those who share with Jesus in his ministry must be careful not to cause such offenses. But what do we do when we are the ones who have been offended? First, says Jesus, “watch yourselves” (check your motive), and then go to the offender quickly and privately. Reach out to them, “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). Don’t seek to embarrass or to hurt, but seek to encourage positive change and to extend forgiveness. Continue in the spirit of forgiveness, even if the offender sins against you seven times in one day (Luke 17:4).  Jesus uses this hyperbole to emphasize that we are not to enumerate the sins of others in our hearts and minds, for, as Paul wrote, love “keeps no record of wrongs” (1Cor. 13:4–6). 

We might have expected the disciples to respond to this instruction by exclaiming, “Lord, increase our love!” Certainly love is a key element in forgiveness, but it is by sharing in Jesus’ faith, that we share in Jesus’ forgiveness for those who have offended us. Jesus perfectly relies on the Father to take care of the consequences, handle the misunderstandings, and work everything out for good. This kind of forgiveness is not like squabbling children who flippantly say, “I’m sorry.” No, it means sharing in Jesus’ heart of forgiveness which involves faith and pain—somebody has been hurt and there is a price to pay in healing the wound. It is God’s own love that motivates such forgiveness, and it is our sharing in Jesus’ faith that activates that forgiveness as God works to bring healing. Jesus’ speaks of this faith using the image of a mustard seed. It starts small, but has within it abundant life and, therefore, the promise of abundant fruit. If we share in the living faith of Jesus, it may be small now, but it will grow, enabling us to share more and more with Jesus in forgiving those who offend us. Human nature being what it is, there will always be offenses that can easily become opportunities for us to fall into the sin of grudge-bearing and unforgiveness. As disciples of Jesus, we share in Jesus’ love, faith and forgiving spirit. Thus we, in Jesus, forgive those who offend us, even as we seek to avoid offending others.

Sharing Jesus’ faithfulness 

Luke 17:7–10

7 "Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? 8 Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? 9 Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"

Here Jesus balances instruction about sharing in his miracle working faith (by which we forgive), with the necessity of faithfulness. We might get so fixated on the miraculous (vv1-3) and the impossible (vv4-6), that we ignore the everyday responsibilities of life! Faith that does not result in consistent faithfulness will not accomplish the ministry of Jesus. It was not unusual in that day for people with modest means to have a household servant. But here Jesus describes an unthinkable situation: a master ministering to his servant! Jesus is speaking of his own example. Already, he has promised to serve his disciples (Luke 12:35–38), and now Jesus is urging his disciples to share in his heart of service. It’s an argument from the lesser to the greater. If a common servant is faithful to obey his master who does not reward (thank) him, how much more ought Jesus’ disciples obey their loving master, who has promised to reward them graciously! Jesus is also noting that we should not serve him out of a desire for reward. Instead our attitude should be that we are his “unworthy servants”—he owes us nothing. The fact that Jesus will reward us is wholly a matter of grace. We are neither to serve Jesus in a slavish way because we have to, nor serve him because we are seeking a reward. Both extremes are seen in the attitude of the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:25–32). What then is the proper attitude for Christian service? “Doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph. 6:6). “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). To the person experiencing the new birth in Christ, Jesus’ “commandments are not grievous” (1John 5:3). Serving Jesus is a delight, not a duty. We faithfully serve him because he is the faithful servant and we love him. 

Sharing Jesus’ thankfulness 

Luke 17:11–19

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-- and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

At the border of Samaria and Judea, Jesus encounters ten lepers. Jesus uses this event to teach about thankfulness to God. One of the lepers is a Samaritan (and here we are reminded of the parable of the good Samaritan). Jews and Samaritans did not normally live together, but what difference does birth make if you are experiencing a living death? However, these ten lepers have hope, for Jesus is there. And so they cry out for mercy. The word translated “Master” is the same one Peter uses (Luke 5:5) and means “chief commander.” They know that Jesus is in total command of even disease and death, and they trust him to help them. Jesus commands the lepers to go show themselves to the priest, which in itself is an act of obedient faith—for they had not yet been healed. When they turn to obey Jesus’ command, they are healed. You would have expected all ten to then run back to Jesus to thank him, but only one did—the Samaritan. He falls at Jesus’ feet to praise him and give thanks. It would have been logical for him to have followed the other men to the temple, but he first comes to Jesus with a sacrifice of praise (Psa. 107:22; Heb. 13:15). This pleases Jesus more than all the sacrifices the other men offered, even though they were obeying the demands of the Law (Lev. 14:2-3). By coming to Jesus in praise and thanks, the Samaritan receives and celebrates the salvation he has in Jesus. And thus Jesus says, “Your faith has saved you” (literal translation), the same words he spoke to the repentant woman who anointed his feet (Luke 7:50). The Samaritan’s nine friends are declared clean by the priest, but the Samaritan is declared saved by the Son of God! While it is wonderful to experience physical healing, it is even more wonderful to experience eternal life in Jesus. Jesus’ heart is a heart of deep gratitude to God. That  heart opens us to a deep experience of God’s own life and love.

Sharing Jesus’ preparedness 

Luke 17:20–37

20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." 22 Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot's wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." 36 -  37 "Where, Lord?" they asked. He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."

The Jewish people longed for a deliverer-Messiah. Some had hoped that John the Baptist was the deliverer, and then their attention focused on Jesus (John 6:15). The fact that he is now headed for Jerusalem excites them (Luke 19:11). Perhaps he will establish the kingdom! As custodians of the Law, the Pharisees have the right to ask Jesus when he thinks the kingdom will appear. Jesus here gives them a brief answer, noting that the kingdom does not come with “careful observation” (v20b)—it does not come in such a way as to be seen—thus people will not be able to predict its arrival and plot its progress. The inference is that with all their careful observation and biblical interpretation, they are missing the fact that the kingdom is now present in the person of Jesus. But “seeing” this is possible only for those who die to themselves and thus experience a spiritual re-birth (see John 3:1–8)—indeed, this kingdom is “within” (v. 21b)—the Greek can mean “within,” “among,” or “in the midst of.” Jesus seems to have a double meaning in mind—the kingdom is present within people who are open to Jesus, and it is now present among them in the person of Jesus. In both cases, Jesus is challenging the Pharisees to open their eyes to see what they are yet unwilling to see. 

Then Jesus turns to his disciples and instructs them about the coming of the fullness of the kingdom at his future return (his parousia, his appearing in glory). He warns them not to become so obsessed with his return that they end up doing nothing else but trying to track him down. This is a good warning to believers caught up in “prediction addiction.” Certainly we should look for and pray for Jesus’ return and long to see him come, but at the same time, we should be busy doing his work until he returns (note Acts 1:6–11). To begin with, Jesus’ coming will affect the whole world, so it is foolish to listen to any who would say, “He is here!” or “He is there!” Furthermore, his coming will be as sudden and unpredictable as a flash of lightning (Matt. 24:27, 30). It is thus futile to fixate on signs, trying to pinpoint the date of his coming. Jesus then uses two Old Testament events to illustrate the certainty and the suddenness of his coming: the Flood (Gen. 6–8) and the destruction of Sodom (Gen. 19). In both examples, the people of the world are caught unprepared as they go about everyday life. Noah witnessed to his generation in the years preceding the Flood (2 Peter 2:5), but his preaching did not convert them. Only Noah and his family (eight people), were delivered. Peter saw this as an illustration of the salvation Christians have through faith in Jesus (1Peter 3:18–22). Both Noah and Lot lived in days not unlike our own. During “the days of Noah,” population growth was significant (Gen. 6:1), lawlessness was on the increase (Gen. 6:5), and the earth was given to violence (Gen. 6:11, 13). In Lot’s day, the immorality of Sodom and Gomorrah was legendary. Only Lot, two of his daughters, and his wife (who later turned back) were willing to leave and thus avoid destruction.  

These events point to the time of final judgment when Jesus will return (appear) on earth to establish the fullness of his kingdom in a new heaven and new earth. The verb taken in vv34–36 means “taken away in judgment.” The person “left” is a believer who enters the fullness of the kingdom. Noah and his family were “left” to enjoy a new beginning, while the whole population of the earth was “taken” in the Flood. In spite of their sins, Lot and his daughters were “left” while the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were “taken” in destruction. The disciples ask the logical question, “Taken where, Lord?” Jesus’ reply has the sound of a familiar proverb: “Just as vultures gather at a corpse, so the lost will be gathered together for judgment.” This imagery is repeated in Revelation 19:17–21 where carrion-eating birds gorge themselves on the flesh of Jesus’ enemies. Jesus’ visible return will lead to a separating of those who embrace Jesus and those who reject him. Whether it be day or night, whether people are working or sleeping, this time will come for all. Those who embrace Jesus are left to enter the kingdom, while those who reject him are taken away. Jesus then ends this instruction with a fundamental principle of the Christian life (v33)—be prepared! And the only way of preparation is not our achievement, but our death—our willingness to “lose our life”—to give our lives up to Christ. In that way we share in his preparedness.

Conclusion

Our part in Christ's life and ministry is not about what we do—it’s about sharing, by the Spirit, in who Jesus is and what he is doing. Fundamental to both his being and his doing is what he values. And here we’ve seen that he values forgiveness, faithfulness, thankfulness and preparedness. Let us die to the values of a world that turns its back on Jesus and embrace our Lord and his kingdom values! That is real life and real ministry!