Luke 17:11-18:8 - Where are the nine?

Today’s passage is found in Luke chapter 17, verse 11 through chapter 18, verse 8.

Before we begin, I want to give us an image to ground us in the text. Imagine receiving the greatest gift you could possibly get from God. You enjoy the blessing of that gift, but you never return to the Giver.

In Luke 17, Jesus is continuing His journey toward Jerusalem. He is getting closer to Jericho, teaching about the nature of the kingdom. He has been confronted by the Pharisees and religious leaders about what the kingdom of God is like. Jesus has continually spoken of how the kingdom is for those who are lost—not for the well, but for those who know their need. He has taught that to get into the kingdom, you cannot jump over the fence; you must go through the door. That door is narrow, and that door is Jesus Christ Himself.

As Jesus passes between Samaria and Galilee, He enters a village. We will see how Jesus is met by ten lepers. All get healed, yet none, except a Samaritan, return in faith. They take His benefits and go on with their lives.

We will also see what the kingdom of God is like. It comes and is in our midst. It is not about political gain or personal prosperity, but about being with God. This idea of the kingdom breaking into earth means judgment will come unexpectedly. In that sudden judgment, we can be discouraged and lose heart. Jesus explains how we can live with trust in Him. This entire section is framed by faith: faith in the story of the lepers, and faith in the parable of the persistent widow. We have a "faith sandwich," centered on receiving God’s gifts and trusting Him in our midst.

Just like the nine lepers, the Pharisees who want a visible kingdom, and the widow seeking justice, we can get discouraged. We can seek God’s gifts instead of the Giver, ultimately seeking temporal flourishing. That is our heart: we see temporal flourishing as the goal of our union with God, rather than God Himself.

This is our problem. Yet, today there is an opportunity. We can live seeking God for Himself in a world filled with injustice, living in prayer, praise, and rest, because our God is in our midst.

Luke 17:11–18:8 ESV

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

The first thing we see is how…

We use faith to secure temporal flourishing

So often we want the benefits of God. When we receive them, we are grateful because they make our lives comfortable. Yet so often we don’t return to give thanks; we don’t live lives of worship.

In verses 12 to 13, the ten lepers have faith that Jesus is Master and can have mercy on them. They come to Him, desiring and believing that God can bring flourishing to their misery. Lepers were isolated, legally required to stay at a distance. These ten men respected this law, crying out to Jesus, trusting He could heal them. They believe in God, yet they think that knowing God and receiving His help is primarily for their happiness.

In verses 14 to 18, we find that people often find temporal blessing from God but fail to praise Him. Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priests to fulfill the Levitical requirements. They weren't healed yet, but they trusted Jesus enough to go. As they went, they were cleansed. Notice the nuance here: "as they went." Their healing happened in the act of obedience. They looked at their bodies and saw the miracle. But they continued on to do the rituals to re-enter the religious system and social life.

None turned back, except one. These people found flourishing but failed to praise God once they found relief. They did not think they needed to live lives of worship returning to Jesus; they were satisfied with the religiosity of fulfilling requirements. This wasn't bad in itself, but it was the end of their journey. This is just like us. We live according to the flesh, treating God as a means to an end. We want the kingdom "now" in its fullness—glory without the cross, comfort without the groaning. We fail to live with God at the center of our lives in thankfulness.

In verse 20, the Pharisees ask when the kingdom of God would come. This desire comes from religious leaders who want God's kingdom to arrive in an observable manner, with temporal flourishing. We actually believe God's kingdom should bring us visible flourishing so our lives are comfortable. We often think this way in the Christian world. We cannot imagine living in persecution, though Jesus says His disciples will experience it. We want the kingdom to come in a tangible way so we can live easy lives.

In verses 21 through 37, we see that those who walk by faith find salvation, but those who live for the temporal world—eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building—actually lose their life. Those who seek to preserve their life through temporal means lose it, but those willing to lose their life in the temporal find it. Verse 37 says, "where the corpse is, there the vultures were gathered." This likely refers to the judgment coming upon Jerusalem by the Romans. There are people who reject Jesus, who only want Him for what He can give, and do not live in worship.

This is what life looks like when we live as if we are outside the kingdom. If we live only for the pleasures of the world, we will be left on the outside—and that is terrible news.

But the issue is not whether we believe in God. The issue is what our faith is actually oriented toward.

True faith leads to God-centered praise

Jesus teaches that faith—the only thing He is looking for on earth—leads to worship.

In verses 18 and 19, Jesus shows this. While nine were cleansed, only one—a foreigner, a Samaritan despised as outside the faith—was saved. He returned to worship Jesus. He praised God with a loud voice and fell on his face in submission. Jesus asks, "Where are the other nine?" Though given the gifts and blessings, they didn't return. They lived for the temporal world. Yet to this man, Jesus said, "Your faith has made you well," or "Your faith has saved you." This word for "saved" is in the perfect tense. It implies a lasting condition, distinct from the temporary cleansing the others received. While the nine got their skin back, this man got God back. He understood that Jesus wasn't just a means to healing, but the End itself.

The picture is clear: true faith returns to Jesus upon receiving His blessings. True faith is centered on God Himself.

In verses 20 and 21, those who trust God desire His presence above observable flourishing. Jesus says the kingdom is not coming in ways you can observe. You cannot say, "Look, here it is," because the kingdom is in your midst. True faith centers on God's presence. This is why Christians can die for Jesus: they see God's presence as the ultimate joy.

True faith also trusts God in difficulty. In chapter 18, Jesus tells a parable so they would always pray and not lose heart. He wants them not to crumble under difficulty.

Those who desire God as an end in Himself cry out to Him when temporal flourishing doesn't happen. When they receive injustice or the world tries to crush them, they trust His action. This reminds us of Job: "Though he slay me, I will love him; I will trust him."

God requires we live in God-centered praise. There is a faith that is not true faith—one that seeks God’s benefits based on self-centeredness. But true trust sees God as the foundation. We often do not want to receive gifts that bring us to God Himself; that is our problem.

Here is the incredible news…

Jesus’s suffering, rejection, and resurrection secure our faith

As He heals the lepers, He secures the faith of the one who returns. That return is the love of Him for Himself, seeing the beauty of Christ.

Jesus gives us mercy through His own suffering. Isaiah tells us He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He bore our sickness and rejection. He bore what we deserved when we sought God only for temporal blessings. That failure to love God requires mercy. Jesus takes our sorrows and brings us to Himself. He says, "Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest." He gives healing through His own unrest.

But notice, Jesus does not just pay for our lack of worship; He fulfills the life of worship we failed to live. He is the True Human who lived in perfect doxology. He is the one who "returned to the Father" in everything He did. He lived in complete dependence, offering the thanksgiving we withheld. He is not just the object of our faith; He is the Author of it, living the faithful life on our behalf.

In verses 21 to 25, the days of the Son of Man come like lightning. He came and went quickly, but before He left, He had to suffer and be rejected by this generation. He was rejected so we could be accepted. He bore our sin. Jesus, the Judge of all the earth, bore our judgment.

Verses 26 to 37 describe judgment coming unexpectedly, like in the days of Noah and Lot. Unlike the popular view where being 'taken' is a rescue, Jesus warns that—just like the flood swept the wicked away—being 'taken' is judgment. Those who are 'left' are the ones preserved by grace. When this kingdom comes, those with faith in Jesus are saved, covered by Him. He becomes the corpse and dies so we might not be eaten by the vultures.

In verses 6 to 8 of chapter 18, Jesus settles God's justice for us. We cry out for justice from injustice. If we cried out for strict justice, we would receive it for our own evil. Yet Jesus says God is the just Judge who will bring justice to His elect. The reason God can bring justice to His elect is because He Himself bore their injustice. He took the injustice of man so we could cry out for justice and not be destroyed.

Jesus Christ, the Judge, will give justice speedily. We find this justice and are protected from losing heart by seeing that our prayers are answered because of what Jesus has done.

Jesus secures our faith through His suffering and resurrection. He gives us the grace to trust Him. Because He rose and gave us the Holy Spirit…

We can live in praise and prayer in a world full of injustice

Because we are united to Him, Christ lives in us. He perfectly praised the Father and lived in faith. Because He is in us, we can live in worship. We can go our way in gratitude.

This union reorients how we view suffering. We no longer see suffering as abandonment, but as fellowship. Because we live in the tension of the "already" and the "not yet," we know that our flesh may groan, but our spirit is alive. Suffering becomes a place where we "fill up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions"—not adding to His atonement, but participating in His life.

In chapter 18, verse 7, the Spirit dwells in us, giving us faith to trust Jesus’s justice even when the world tries to crush us. We know Jesus Christ is with us.

What does this look like in day-to-day life? What does living by faith in the Son of God look like?

When I face difficulty, injustice, or discouragement, I don’t need to lose heart. Jesus Christ is building His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail. He alone will bring final justice. Even my own failures and the injustices I do have been judged in Him; I can stand clean and call out for justice without being consumed. I don’t need to be a vigilante in my workplace or family, fighting for the kingdom as if it depended on me to fix every wrong. I can trust that by the Spirit, I can live in suffering because the Judge of the earth will do right.

When I expect Christianity to guarantee a good life—free from chronic pain, financial stress, or relational loss—I can release that expectation. Faith does not mean constant ease or visible success. The kingdom is present, but not in triumphalistic ways. God is gathering His people through the narrow door of Christ into the wide table of His grace. Communion with God is the goal, not circumstantial favor. The heart of the gospel is that God is in our midst. Instead of expecting a guarantee of temporal pleasure, I can delight in the fact that God is with us in community.

When I am tempted by an imperial vision of Christianity—believing we must have cultural dominance to be safe—I don’t need to force the kingdom on people. I don’t need to lose hope when Christianity doesn’t look powerful. Though the church is pummeled by heresy and distress, I don’t need to force the kingdom into a place of ascendancy. Jesus will bring justice in His time.

By the Spirit, I can pray and not lose heart. I can live as a citizen of another kingdom, under Jesus Christ. I can walk in the quiet, cruciform life of Christ that offers hope to a world that cannot produce joy. Instead of producing what the world produces—war, battling, and power—I can rest in Jesus’s words: whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it. Whoever seeks to find the kingdom in the present world will lose it. But whoever seeks the world to come will keep it.

My question for you is this: Are you living for temporal flourishing? Are you using God to give you pleasure, or are you living to worship God, giving thanks for His blessings and crying out when He doesn’t give what you want?

If you are not living with God as your foundation, desiring Him in our midst—if you are not living in faith, worship, doxology, and praise—you might be outside this kingdom.

I warn you: the world, like the days of Lot and Noah, might be eating, drinking, buying, and building. Yet judgment will come. Jesus offers Himself as the true ark. He offers Himself as the true temple where you can stay outside of judgment. If you are walking as the nine lepers or the Pharisees, Jesus offers you today to come to Him. Be united to Him by faith, rest in Him, and desire Him above all.

He calls you: "Come to me." Will you give your life to Him and find true saving grace?

But if you are in Christ, if He is your Savior, will you live by faith, praising and praying in a world of injustice? Will you trust He is working things out in His time for your good? Will you live not trying to get ascendancy, but seeing yourself as part of God's elect to whom He will give justice speedily?

This is your opportunity to walk by the Spirit and enter the suffering, rejection, and resurrection life of Christ—not to earn favor, but to walk in Him. Let us live as kingdom people, walking in faith and thanksgiving, trusting God to bring out His purposes even when we live in injustice.