July 26th, 2025

The season of Pentecost continues on, and this Sunday is the “Seventh Sunday after Pentecost.” And the Gospel Reading of Luke 11:1-13 brings up the topic of prayer. And Jesus continues to make his way toward Jerusalem.

The current writings of this website are also going through the Gospel according to Luke, taking the entire work into account, and giving it in the order in which it was laid out by the writer. And with this week’s writing we a bit farther than the Gospel Reading.
But the reading below also mentions that Jesus was making his way toward Jerusalem. This has been connected to the living creature of this account, the ox, the one who easily will pull some farm machinery through the rough soil, so that it would eventually bear fruit. And it does help for that ox to go in a straight line, if that is what may be helpful for the one planting the crops.

If you have been reading the previous writings of this website, you would know that the previous two writings both covered an entire chapter of the Gospel according to Luke. They were relatively short chapters, and they essentially covered one topic.

If chapter seventeen were divided into two parts, the first would deal with the troubles that come to the follower of Christ. And the second would deal with the second coming of Christ. Both those topics are important, since the first one will happen until the second. (A hint of this perspective is given below by calling the disciples “apostles” and calling Jesus “Lord”.)

If this is the first experience with the writings of this website, there are a couple of things to mention. First of all, it is good to know that there are a LOT of ways to translate a text. The biblical text below is an EXTREMELY literal translation of the text. It takes into account the word order of the text in the original language of the New Testament. In general, the earlier in the sentence, the more important the word is. There are also some words below that have been chosen to show their close connection to the Greek language. And since the writer of this account is a doctor, it should not be too surprising that the words he has chosen are sometimes very rare ones. An attempt was made to have that characteristic also reflected in the words below.

All of this was attempted within this translation, and all of this can make it a difficult text to follow. Looking at another translation or a study bible is HIGHLY recommended. And here is Luke 17:1-19:

Now  he-said  toward  the  disciples,  his,  “Impossible  it-is,  of  the  scandals,  not  to-come;  now  woe  through  whom  they-come.  It-profits  him  if  a-stone  of-a-mill,  is-put-around,  around  the  trachea  of-him,  and  he-has-been-thrown  into  the  sea,  than  that  he-should-scandalize  the  microns  of-these,  one.  Take-heed  to-yourselves.  If  he-sins,  the  brother  of-you,  rebuke  him,  and  if  he-repents,  release  him.  And  if,  seven-times  of-the  day  he-sins  into  you,  and  seven-times  he-turns  toward  you  saying,  ‘I-repent,’  you-will-release  him.”

And  they-said,  the  apostles,  to-the  Lord,  “Add  to-us  faith.”

Now  he-said,  the  Lord,  “If  you-have  faith  as  a-grain  of-mustard,  you-would-say,  then,  to-the  sycamine-tree,  to this,  ‘Be-uprooted,  and  be-placed  in  the  sea,  and  it-would-obey,  then,  to-you.  Now  who  of  you,  a-slave  having,  plowing  or  herding,  who  on-the-coming-into,  out-of  the  farm,  he-will-say  to-him,  ‘Immediately  coming-up,  recline.’  But-on-the-contrary,  not  he-will-say  to-him,  ‘Prepare  something  I-may-dine,  and  having-girded-yourself,  be-a-deacon  to-me  until  I-eat  and  I-drink,  and  after  these-things,  eat  and  drink,  you?  Not  he-has  grace  to-the  slave  because  he-did  the-things  completely-arranged?  Thus  also  you,  when  you-do  all  the-things  completely-arranged  to-you,  say,  ‘Slaves  unprofitable,  we-are;  what  we-ought  to-do,  we-have-done.’”

And  it-happened  in  the  to-journey  into  Jerusalem,  and  he,  he-was-coming-through,  through  midst  of-Samaria  and  Galilee.  And  coming-into,  he,  into  a-certain  village,  they-encountered,  for-him,  ten  leprous  men,  who  stood  faraway,  and  they,  they-lifted  a-voice,  saying,  “Jesus,  overseer,  pity  us.”
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And  having-seen,  he-said  to-them,  “Having-journeyed,  show  yourselves  to-the  priests.”  And  it-happened,  in  the  going-away,  they,  they-had-a-catharsis.  Now  one  from  them,  having-seen  that  he-was-cured,  he-returned  with  a-voice,  a-mega-one,  glorifying  the  God,  and  he-fell  upon  face  next-to  the  feet  of-him,  eucharisting  him;  and  he,  he-was  a-Samaritan.  Now  having-answered,  the  Jesus,  he-said,  “Not  the  ten,  they-had-a-catharsis?  Now  the  nine,  where?  Not  they-were-found,  having-returned  to-give  glory  to-the  God,  if  not  the  other-race-one,  this?”  And  he-said  to-him,  “Having-risen-up,  travel;  the  faith  of-you,  it-has-saved  you.”