Leprosy, in Jesus' day, was very much feared. The word probably covered a group of skin diseases, in addition to modern-day leprosy, which were considered so infectious that the sufferers were totally excluded from normal society (2 Chronicles 26:21). They had to live outside the towns, separated from their families and were not allowed to join in worship at the synagogue or the temple.
Ten men, who had highly contagious leprous skin disease, lived near a village on the border between Galilee and Samaria. When Jesus travelled nearby, they knew they could not come close to Him; so they shouted from a distance for Him to have mercy on them (Luke 17:11-13). Jesus took them seriously. He did not heal them immediately but Jesus told them to have their skin examined by the priest (Luke 17:14). [The priests acted as the public health officials and followed the specific instruction in Leviticus 13:1-44 to decide if their skin was diseased or normal. I
Although Jesus had been preaching about the Kingdom of God for some time, the proud and legalistic Pharisees did not understand. Nor did the disciples (John 12:16). So, the Pharisees’ questions were also training opportunities for Jesus to instruct His trainee apostles, who would then teach the truth to the Early Church.
When the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come (Luke 17:20), He said that it was already among them (because He was the King - Luke 17:20-21). But speaking to His disciples, He said that they would not see it - because its fullness will only be seen when the King returns in glory (Mark 8:38). Many people were hoping that their Messiah would come in power, and some tried to make money and a reputation by trying to forecast the future out of trivial events - but Jesus said that such predictions would be fake: they did not have His approval.
Jesus likened His Second Coming to the flood in Noah's day and the volcanic destruction of Sodom. Interestingly, although both these Old Testament accounts have been ridiculed by some people, Jesus describes them as real events (linking them with the real people whose genealogy is known) to explain how the world will be when He returns.
When Jesus returns, the things of earth will have no value anymore. But for those who have invested all their hope in their possessions, the Day of the Lord will be a huge challenge (Luke 12:16-21). Like passengers on a sinking ship, they will want to salvage whatever is precious to them. Lot's wife made a fatal error: instead of getting away from the volcanic ash and lava that was consuming Sodom, she looked back longingly as her old lifestyle was destroyed, because her heart was there (Genesis 19:26).
Instinctively, we resist anything that threatens our security. So, Jesus' statement that: people who ‘keep their lives with lose them, and those who lose their lives will keep them’ may seem very strange. But think of a person with a life-threatening disease: the patients who submit to the authority of the doctor will save their lives, while those who pretend there is nothing wrong with them will lose theirs. In the same way, people who keep control of their lives and refuse to accept Jesus’ authority over them … will be eternally lost. But those who welcome King Jes
Some people are more persistent than others. Lots of people take the easy way of trying a few times and giving up if they cannot achieve their goal. For many of us, prayer can be like that. We may ask half-heartedly and let our praying fade when no immediate answer comes. Or we pray most earnestly for some time, but eventually we become disheartened and stop believing that God wants to deal with the matter which we have brought to Him. Jesus taught this parable so that people like us might take fresh courage and keep praying.
Jesus told the parable of the unjust judge who was goaded into action by a persistent widow who would not take 'no' for an answer (Luke 18:1-5). The focus of the story was on the woman's fervent belief that she had the right to ask for help until the assistance was given. It was a great lesson about persistent prayer. But then Jesus commented on the story, moving the spotlight onto the differences between the unjust judge - who eventually did the right thing for the wrong reason - and the loving, righteous motives of Father God.
The media pour out constant streams of self-help advice. We are told that it is good to be confident and have a positive attitude to life. There is some truth in that if our confidence is based on what is true. But none of us is ever going to be big enough for circumstances that are bigger than us. At those points of crisis, we rightly doubt ourselves.
