What is the meaning of Luke chapter 17 verse 11-19?

Answer 1

AnswerIn verses 13:11-16, Luke describes the scene where Jesus heals a woman who had sufferred with an infirmity for eighteen years, and the rulers of the synagogue accused him of doing work on the Sabbath. This passage is unique to Luke, and is followed almost immediately by a story about Jesus lecturing the Pharisees, in the home of one of them, that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath. It is also very similar to the story of Jesus healing the man with the withered hand, when the Pharisees once again accused him of doing work on the Sabbath (6-6-11), which the author of this Gospel is believed to have copied from Mark 3:1-6.

The author of Luke's Gospel and of Acts of the Apostles recognised that emphasis and acceptance can be achieved by repetition, and frequently relayed three versions of a story or of similar stories with the same message. Luke has introduced the passage from Mark's Gospel, but seems to have produced two further stories to emphasise that Jesus approved of healing the sick on the Sabbath.

Luke 13:11-16 is one of a set of three stories that achieve emphasis for Luke's objective.

Answer 2

The ministry of Jesus is described as mainly occurring in Galilee, far to the north of Jerusalem, which was in Judea, a Roman territory approximating the former kingdom of Judah. Between Galilee and Judea lay the province of Samaria, the successor state to the former kingdom of Israel. In first century times, there was much ill-will between the Samarians, or Samaritans, and the Jews, because some two hundred years earlier, the Jews had conquered Samaria and enslaved the people.

The passage begins by describing Jesus and the disciples as travelling to Jerusalem through Samaria. This would normally be a brave decision and most travellers would have travelled down the eastern side of the River Jordan.

On the way, Jesus encountered ten lepers, whom he healed. It was a requirement of the times that a former leper must be certified as clean before he could re-enter society, in order to avoid spreading the disease. In this story, one of the lepers, a Samaritan, turned around and glorified God for his cure, but the other nine continued on their way.

The moral of this story is that Jesus cared about the Samaritans, the enemies of the Jews, and that even the Samaritan was thankful for Jesus' mercy. Also in Luke's Gospel, at 10:25-37, is the famous story of the Good Samaritan.