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LUKE CHAPTER 17
Luk_17:1,2 Christ teacheth to avoid giving occasions of offence,
Luk_17:3,4 and to forgive one another.
Luk_17:5-10 The power of faith, and defect of merit toward God in
our best services.
Luk_17:11-19 Christ healeth ten lepers,
Luk_17:20,21 showeth the spiritual nature of the kingdom of God,
Luk_17:22-37 and instructs his disciples concerning the coming
of the Son of man.
Ver. 1,2. See Poole on "Mat_18:6". See Poole on "Mat_18:7". See Poole on "Mar_9:42". This term skandala is used in the New Testament very variously; in general it signifies any thing which may be an occasion of mischief to another. Man, consisting of body and soul, may by something be made to stumble and fall, either with reference to the one, or to the other: thus, Lev_19:14. Thou shalt not put a stumblingblock before the blind: lyvbm Hebrew: so Pro_24:17. The mischief done to our souls is by sin; so as in the New Testament it often signifies any action of ours by which our brother is made to sin: which actions may be,
1. Good and necessary, and then the scandal is taken, not given. Or:
2. Wicked and abominable; hence we call some sins scandalous sins, such as give offence to others, and are examples alluring them to sin. Or:
3. Actions which in themselves are of an indifferent nature, neither commanded nor forbidden in the word. Our taking one part in these actions, rather than another, may be a scandal, that is, an offence.
What our Saviour here saith is certainly true concerning all these kinds of offences: considering the complexion of the world, and the corruption which is in man’s hearts,
it is impossible but that offences will come. But I must confess that I incline to think, that the offences primarily intended by our Saviour here are those of the second sort; and that by them are meant persecutions of the people of God; to the authors of which our Saviour denounces woe. So that our Saviour by this lets the world know, the special protection under which he hath taken his people; so as though he knew there would arise those who would hurt and destroy in his holy mountain, yet he declares that they shall not go unpunished, but they had better die the most certain death imaginable, (such must be the death of him who is thrown into the sea with a millstone about his neck), than to that degree expose himself to the vengeance of God; a guilt of that nature that there is not much more hope for him to escape God’s vengeance, than there would be of a man escaping with his life whom we should see thrown into the sea with a millstone appendant to him. I do very well know that it is also highly dangerous to tempt or solicit a child of God to sin, either by our words or actions; but I do not think it the design of our Lord in this place so much to express that as the other.