Lesson 26

STUDY NOTES on previous study

The Coming = of the Kingdom (Luke 17:11-37)

In this week’s reading, we have two distinct topics. The first (17:11-19) is the story = of Jesus healing ten lepers. The second has to do with the coming of the kingdom of God.

The story of the ten lepers is another of the Bible stories that we = know quite well if we were fortunate enough to attend Bible school as children.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I can still remember the first tim= e I heard this story. It was duri= ng Vacation Bible School when I was in 2^nd grade. The story made such an impact on me that I remember the room, the picture I was coloring, and the glue on the table in front of me. This may not surprise you, but I h= ave almost no specific memories of my early elementary years. This is one of the very few. I remember the picture of the one cleansed leper at Jesus’ feet while the others walked joyfully away.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> It broke my heart that only one sa= id “thanks.” The story still impacts me. I have been told by some that I say “thank you” too often. But I would rather annoy you with t= oo many “thank you’s” than be guilty of taking a gift or blessing for granted. Can you imagine? A leper was a complete outcast, sl= owing dying of a degenerative disease with no hope of a cure. They stayed in colonies, and if th= ey wandered out, they had to shout “unclean, unclean” if anyone approached. In their deep mis= ery, they cried out to Jesus, acknowledging Him as Master, begging for His mercy= . His response was immediate. He asked them to seek reclassifica= tion of their status by the priests, as required by the law.

Luke tells us that as they went, they were healed. Can you imagine what they must have felt? The new birth they experienced is beyond comprehension! Think about how they must have felt as they watched the transformati= on to their bodies that occurred. Amazingly, only one was immediately moved to thank the healer. And he was a Samaritan.=

Why was this important? Especially in view of the coming verses, only one of the ten chose to experience kingdom life. Only one acknowledged the wonderful work of God, t= hus demonstrating his faith in God. Ten received healing, only one received the blessing. We must not miss the deep meaning of this passage.

I am convinced many receive blessings daily from God, but few stop to thank him and acknowledge their faith in Him. I am not talking about non-believers. I am thinking = of those who call themselves Christians but choose to live as if all they have= is of their own doing. They may = call out in times of despair, and God with His gracious mercy responds. But the help is immediately forgot= ten as they celebrate their good fortune and continue on their way. The kingdom of God is available to them, but they choose not to fall at the feet of the gentle healer and acknowledge their thanksgiving and their constant need for their Lord. And they quietly wonder= where the kingdom of God might be.

This leads us into the next story in our reading. All those around Jesus saw what He= was doing. None were untouched by it. However, many were blind = to it. They saw the healings, but missed the message. So, the clueless Pharisees asked, “When is the kingdom of God coming?”<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Jesus had already responded direct= ly to this in Luke 11:20. If He were working by the power of God (which no one could openly deny), then the kingdom of God had indeed come! But the Pharisees preconceived ide= as concerning the kingdom of God did not allo= w them to see it! They thought it wa= s all about them. So the crippled c= ould be cured, the blind given sight, the lepers cleansed, the dead raised ̵= 1; and it meant nothing to them! Now, clearly there is a second issue here. While the kingdom<= /st1:PlaceType> of God was among th= em in the work of Jesus, there was yet to be a day, a final day when the kingdom would be realized in its fullness. So Jesus here is dealing with two issues. The first is the Pharisees inabili= ty to recognize who Jesus was; the second was that final day = of judgment yet to come. =

Jesus’ discussion of his second coming contains images that are unpleasant. Some will not be saved. And there will be no s= econd chance. His teaching concerni= ng his final coming, calls us to live in the kingdom of God in the present, then we will have no need to fear. It will be much like it was in the= days of Noah, when most continued living normal lives right up until the flood destroyed them. It will be li= ke those in the days of Lot, who were focused on the things of this world, rig= ht up until Sodom was destroyed. There were yea= rs of opportunities for repentance in both cases, but life went on as if it would continue forever. Jesus wants= us to know that the end is coming, and there will be no opportunity to go back and redo that which is done. The = idea of not going back to the house refers to the uselessness of possessions at = that time. It will be a time of dividing. Those who have give= n up their life to the kingdom will secure it; those who have tried to secure th= eir life in this world will lose it. What will happen to us on that day?= Will we immediately try to gather into our arms that which we have accumulated, or will we celebrate that our riches have been entrusted to Him who is to come?

Jesus’ disciples, clearly concerned, don’t know really w= hat to ask. They have a need to k= now something more concrete, and so they ask “Where, Lord?” They are wanting to know where the favored or saved will be taken. There are many different ideas abo= ut Jesus’ answer. It is no= t an easy one to understand. “Where the corpse is, there the vultures gather” is a proverb of Jesus’ day. Likely, He is referring to the destruction that is to come. But the proverb itself does not ha= ve to be understood as negative. So= me would suggest that Jesus is telling the disciples they need not worry. When the time comes, they will gat= her to Him as naturally as vultures to a dead body. Whatever the meaning, Jesus is tel= ling us all that if we are living faithfully in our relationship with God, we ne= ed not worry about the day of the Son of Man.= Jesus is not finished with this discourse. We will visit it again in chapter = 21.

Our Standing Before God (Luke 18:1-17)

After havin= g read the study notes answer the following questions:

1. Can you think of times when you ha= ve received a blessing from God but failed to be thankful for it? How might that have kept you from enjoying true kingdom life?

2. Is it possible for us to make the = same mistake as the Pharisees and miss the coming of the kingdom in our lives? How?

3. Are we living in such a way as to = have no fear of the Lord coming in the next moment? If we knew He = were coming, what would we do differently?

Read Luke 1= 8:1-8a

1. Why did Jesus tell this parable?

2. Who does the judge represent in th= is parable?

3. What does the widow have going for= her in this story?

4. How do you think this parable appl= ies to us?

Read 18:8b “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

1. Reflect on Jesus’ question.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Why do you think he asked it?=

2. What does faith have to do with as= king God for things in prayer?

3. When is the moment to which Jesus = is referring when he talks of the “Son of Man coming”?<= /span>

4. Do you ever think about the Lord&#= 8217;s return? Why or why not?<= /o:p>

Read 18:9-1= 4

1. To whom was Jesus directing this parable?

2. What was wrong with the Pharisee&#= 8217;s attitude in prayer?

3. Who of the two was justified before God? Why?

4. Who are we most like when we go be= fore God in prayer?

Read 18:15-= 17

1. Why would the disciples rebuke tho= se who brought babies to Jesus to be blessed?

2. How do you think the kingdom of he= aven belongs to those like infants?

3. How are we to receive the kingdom = like a child?

4. Do you think you have received the kingdom like a child? = Why or why not?