But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

LUKE 17:25KJV
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Luke 17:25 (KJV)

What does Luke 17:25 mean?

Luke 17:25 says that before anything else happens, Jesus must go through much suffering and be rejected by the people of his own time. This verse points out that hardship and rejection are necessary parts of Jesus’s mission, coming before other events he has been talking about.

In this part of Luke, Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the coming of God’s kingdom. He tells them that, despite expectations for glory or immediate victory, he will first face great suffering and rejection from "this generation"—meaning the people living at that time. This sets the stage for understanding his path and the nature of his work.

The Greek behind Luke 17:25

  • The word "must" (δεῖ, dei) means something is necessary or unavoidable. Here, it stresses that Jesus’s suffering and rejection are not accidental but required.
  • "Rejected" (ἀποδοκιμάζω, apodokimazō) carries the sense of being examined and found unworthy or cast aside. This highlights that Jesus will be deliberately dismissed by the people of his generation, not just ignored.
  • "Generation" (γενεά, genea) refers specifically to the people living at that time, not all people everywhere. This focuses the rejection on those who are present during Jesus’s ministry.

Why Luke 17:25 matters

  • Luke 17:25 corrects any idea that Jesus’s mission would be easy or immediately accepted; it emphasizes that suffering and rejection are central, not accidental.
  • This verse prepares the disciples (and readers) to understand why Jesus’s path leads through the cross before any final victory or fulfillment of the kingdom.
  • By naming "this generation," Luke 17:25 shows that the rejection Jesus faces is a real, historical event involving the people of his own time, grounding the story in a specific context.

Where else these words appear

“rejected” Greek G593 · used in 9 verses

  • Matthew 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
  • Mark 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
  • Hebrews 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

“generation” Greek G1074 · used in 37 verses

  • Matthew 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
  • Mark 9:19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
  • Luke 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

“suffer” Greek G3958 · used in 41 verses

  • Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
  • Acts 3:18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
  • Hebrews 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

“first” Greek G4412 · used in 61 verses

  • Matthew 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
  • Luke 10:5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.
  • Romans 2:9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;