RSV ~ Luke 17 Notes

Lk 17:2 | ISB Notes

a millstone: A large stone used in a grinding mill (Rev 18:21). The severity of such a punishment corresponds to the severity of Christian scandal and indicates that God’s curse will fall on anyone who sets a stumbling block before the faith of his little ones, i.e., disciples (10:21; 12:32) (CCC 228487).

Lk 17:4 | ISB Notes

seven times: A call for limitless mercy (Jas 2:13; CCC 2227). See note on Mt 18:22.

Lk 17:10 | ISB Notes

unworthy servants: Disciples should not expect congratulations for their service. Their work is important but not beyond the call of Christian duty, and no one can fully repay God for his gifts.

Lk 17:12 | ISB Notes

stood at a distance: Because lepers were unclean, they were excluded from the Temple and ostracized from Israelite society (Lev 13:45-46; Num 5:2-3). Only when they recovered, and passed Levitical inspection, could they be reinstated into Israel’s covenant life. See note on Lk 5:12.

Lk 17:18 | ISB Notes

this foreigner: Of the ten who were cleansed, only the Samaritan expressed gratitude (17:16) and faith (17:19). See note on Lk 9:52.

• Jesus’ actions recall how Elisha cleansed a foreign leper while living in Samaria (2 Kings 5:114). At another level, he initiates the adoption of foreigners into God’s covenant family as prophesied in Is 56:3-8.

Lk 17:21 | ISB Notes

in your midst: The expression probably means “among you” or “within your reach” and is used to stress the nearness of the kingdom (10:9; 21:31).

Lk 17:22-37 | ISB Notes

Jesus announces the coming of the kingdom of God in the days of the Son of man. Two considerations suggest he is forewarning the disciples of the downfall of Jerusalem. (1 ) Many of the sayings collected here appear in the Olivet Discourse, where they more explicitly refer to the doom that awaits the city and the Temple (Mt 24-25; Mk 13). (2) Mention of the days of the Son of man (17:22) is echoed later in Luke when reference is made to the “days” when foreign armies will besiege the city (19:43) and the “days” when the Temple will be devastated (21:6).

Lk 17:22 | ISB Notes

you will desire to see: The disciples will long to see the vindication of Jesus as he avenges the city that condemned him to a violent death. They will not see it firsthand, however, because Jesus will order them to evacuate Jerusalem and flee from Judea before the onset of judgment (21:20-21; Mk 13:14-16). To stress the importance of fleeing without hesitation, Jesus reminds them of how Lot escaped from Sodom before its demise and yet his own wife perished for turning back (17:28-32; Gen 19:24-26).

Lk 17:34 | ISB Notes

taken … left: Depicts the fate of the wicked, who will be swept away, and the righteous, who will be mercifully spared. .

Lk 17:37 | ISB Notes

Where the body is: An image of Jerusalem surrounded and besieged (19:43; 21:10). See note on Mt 24:28.