Friday, March 1, 2013

Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left


Jesus teaches not to offend others and the consequences for offending a new believer is grave. On the other hand, Jesus also warns us to forgive others always, when they offend us. The next paragraph teaching about faith and duty is somewhat difficult. The apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith and Jesus responded with a parable. The parable shows that a master is not likely to invite the servant to dine with him. Instead the servant will be ordered to prepare the meal, and the servant only eats when the master is finished. It may be that Jesus was telling them that they do not need anything extra to carry out their commission, and that faith as small as a mustard seed is enough.

Jesus cleansed a group of ten lepers just by speaking and telling them to show the priests. As they obeyed Jesus, they were cleansed of leprosy. However, the lesson here is that only one out of the ten lepers remembered to glorify God, and that leper was a Samaritan. Jesus emphasised this point since a Samaritan is a foreigner whereas His own people was expected to have a better relationship with God.

The Pharisee asked about when the "Kingdom of God" is coming, so the Kingdom of God is a well known term and the religious people would have been interested in it. Jesus explained the true meaning of the Kingdom of God, that it is not some physical kingdom or form of government. Instead the Kingdom of God will be established inside people's heart, as the come to believe and obey Jesus.

Following the teaching on the Kingdom of God, Jesus turned to His disciples to teach them about the end of times. There will be false claims that Christ has returned by the false Christs. Also the condition of society will like the days of Noah, which is described as people satisfying their own self with greed and pride abound. That will be the time when Christ returns. The people would flee their homes and cannot afford to turn back for their possessions. This is also the time of the rapture, where some people will be taken away in an instant. The disciples asked where but Jesus' reply seem to be that bodies will be left behind and surrounded by eagles or perhaps vultures.








Luke 17
Jesus Warns of Offenses

1 Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you,[a] rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you,[b] saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”


Faith and Duty

5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.[c] 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”



Ten Lepers Cleansed

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.”



The Coming of the Kingdom

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!’[d] 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!’[e] 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.”[f]

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.”

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