1 THEN said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

3 ¶ Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, [ Jesus. ] Increase our faith. [this was a plea by those who already came out of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ they were members who already had testimonies of the gospel. They had already begun to know and understand the doctrines of the kingdom. I suppose that they talked of faith somewhat as we do. Saying that so and so has faith - meaning that he adheres to the standards of the gospel, and wants to walk uprightly before the Lord. He is one who is endeavoring to live the gospel. What is required of us now to have our faith perfected? What do we need to do to have the faith required that we can without any question over come every trail and obstacle in this life - that we will have lived worthy to return to him?.]

6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith [interesting to note that the Lord created the earth by faith - lectures on faith 3rd lecture says that "there are 3 things that are necessary in order that nay rational & intelligent being exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. 1) the idea that he God exists 2) a correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes 3) an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to his (Gods) will ] as a grain of mustard seed, [What do we know about the mustard seed? or rather what does the mustard seed know about itself? 1) It knows what its destiny is - it knows what it is to grow up and become 2) It knows the processes that are required to get it to that state - good soul, nutrients, and lots of water ] ye might say unto this sycamine tree, [The words seem to intimate that they were standing by such a tree. The sycamine is probably the same as the sycamore. The sycamine tree was a very hardy tree that grew in abundance in Jesus’ day and was used for making caskets. It was very hard to kill and grew very tall. You could cut into it and it would still grow because its roots went way down in the ground where it would be nourished by the water far below the surface.] Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. [Jesus is equating faith with power. Joseph Smith uses faith and power interchangeably.It is a test so to speak to determine the amount of and the quality of faith that we posses. The amount of influence that we have with God our Father to work works of righteousness.To do things that are far outside the normal mortal coarse of events.. 3 Nephi 18:20, Moroni 7:26]

7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? [When a slave has completed his labor in the field is he told to go inside and he will be taken care of or thanked for his service? No he just goes inside and continues his duties. He is not thanked because it is what is expected of him.]

9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

10 so likewise ye, [as disciples - so too should a disciple do the disciples labor and not expect to be rewarded for it. ] when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:[warning against self-righteousness and self-aggrandizement when they do the things required of them, cp. Mosiah 2:21-25.] we have done that which was our duty to do.[The attitude of the disciple should be one of duty and obligation, and not of looking for thanks and rewards.]

11 ¶ And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: [lepers were unclean according to the Law and therefore had to keep apart from the populace in general, cf. Lev. 13. Compare this with those who are outcasts in our wards and stakes today - those with habits that might make them feel as though thye need to stand a far off - smoking, don't have the proper dress, those that feel like everyone is judging them]

13 And they lifted up their voices, [the leapers had to yell to be heard - since they afar off] and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. [ This cry can be simular to help us get out of this state that we are in. ]

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. [after being cleansed of leprosy the priests were to declare them clean and they were to make sacrifice, cf. Lev. 14. Notice that they were required to do something on their part - they had to participate in the process, they had to work for the reward so to speak - it was not just given them (principle in church welfare system as well)] And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, [ weren't there nine that received the blessings of the healing? Interesting that it is the parable of the ten virgins, the 90 and 9 sheep, here 1 out of 10. Church welfare system helps about 1 out of 10 really change their life so that they can move on - or in this case as vs 19 says "Made thee whole".] when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. [ Note that the others were healed, but that only the one who followed all the way through was made whole or complete again. Why? In part because he came to know God in the process - which gave him the strength to become whole. ]

20 ¶ And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, [ They are asking when the second coming will be. They do this so that they can procrastinate until the last minute. The Pharisees are looking for the Kingdom of Heaven as they want it, which is a selective view. They want the restoration of the glory, power, and wealth of the ancient Davidic Kingdom restored but they don't want to repent in order to get it. ] he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: [ They ask Jesus for signs of when they will get this, and he tells them they are looking for the wrong thing and so they do not recognize the Kingdom of Heaven when it is right there. As such, Jesus doesn't give them any signs. ]

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. [ You must repent, believe and follow to become part of the kingdom of God. ]

22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the son of man, [ The son, is short for "son of Man of Holiness" (Mormon Doctrine p671; Moses 6:57. ] and ye shall not see it.

23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.

24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; [ The second coming will not go un-noticed just like lightening it will be obvious. When lightening flashes it can be seen for miles and miles, it is not confined to the one spot where it is. ] so shall also the son of man be in his day. [ IV:24 "For as the light of the morning, that shineth out of the one part under heaven, and lighteneth to the other part under heaven; so shall also the son of man be in his day." In the iV the imagery has changed from that of lightening (a bright, quick flash) to that of the sun and with the sun which lights the entire sky in the dawn - the beginning of a new day. Or it will be spectacular enough that the entire world will know. ]

25  But first must he suffer many things, [ You guys just want to know when the second coming will happen but before that I have much to do. ] and be rejected of this generation. [ Including your total and complete rejection and dismissal. ]

26 And as it was in the days of Noe, [ Noah - warned the people of his day. ] So shall it be also in the days of the son of man. [ A title for Christ - The "son of God" and the "son of Man" are synonymous... In the pure Adamic language, the name Elohim, the Father, is "Man of Holiness" (signifying that God is a Holy Man), and the name of Christ, the son, is short for "son of Man of Holiness" (Mormon Doctrine p671; Moses 6:57. ]

27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, [ They went about their merry way just as their predecessors did as if nothing were to change. No regard for the warning. ] until the day that Noe entered into the ark, [ They continued on their merry little way until it was to late, the day that Noah entered the ark. ] and the flood came, and destroyed them all. [ Luke provides a comparison to the end of the world situation, the end of mortality; the Judgment, his return, when he's going to come back. He compares this to mortality. In the days of Noah the people were warned of the pending destruction and they did not heed it, do we in our day? ]

28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; [ It was business as usual. Going on their way assuming that nothing in the future will change. This is Christ's second witness to what he is talking about. ]

29 But the same day that Lot went out of sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the son of man [ A title for Christ. 31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

32 Remember Lot’s wife. [ What is the Savior suggesting here? "The story, of course, comes to us out of the days of sodom and Gomorrah, when the Lord, having had as much as He could stand of the worst that men and women could do, told Lot and his family to flee because those cities were about to be destroyed. “Escape for thy life,” the Lord said. “Look not behind thee … ; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed” (Genesis 19:17; emphasis added). With less than immediate obedience and more than a little negotiation, Lot and his family ultimately did leave town but just in the nick of time. The scriptures tell us what happened at daybreak the morning following their escape: “The Lord rained upon sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; “And he overthrew those cities” (Genesis 19:24–25)". The Best Is Yet to Be BY ELDER JEFFREY R. HOLLAND ]

33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; [ Those who have not sufficiently prepared, they have to go back into the house one more time to get further provisions. ] and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

35 Two women shall be grinding together; [ Is this grinding wheat or each other? Only a singles ward bishop would ask that question. ] the one shall be taken, and the other left. [ This may not be a matter of math but rather the idea that each of us have two options, choose wisely. ]

36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, [ Many people think that this supports the rapture. But if we look closely what happens to those who are taken? IN the next verse they are dead, left for the eagles to eat. ] and the other left.

37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body [ Think carcases so just as the eagles go to the road kill so to will the saints flock to the body of Christ. JST suggests wherever the saints are gathered as the church. ] is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.