Luke 17:1-10

Luke 17:1-10

1 He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2 “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 “And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. 7 “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? 8 “But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? 9 “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? 10 “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”

Sin is a reality in life with which we must deal for all our lives.  We must learn to deal with out own sinfulness as well as the sinfulness of others.  However, we must never allow the prevalence of sin became an excuse to become complacent about sin.  Avoiding sin is one of our first priorities and forgiving sin comes closely behind.  Jesus warns and instructs His disciples about how they should handle these various aspects of sin.  These are important truths that all of us would be wise to learn and follow in our struggle with sin.

BE CAREFUL: Due to our sinful nature, it is inevitable that we will sin against one another.  However, we also face the danger of being a stumbling block by leading others into sin.  Jesus warns His followers that this is to be taken very seriously.  Sinning is serious in and of itself.  Causing others to sin is even more serious.  Jesus says that it would be better to die than to become a stumbling block to young people who are impressionable and can be easily deceived.  Being careful about our testimony is a priority that cannot be overestimated.  That fact that sin is constantly tempting us should never become an excuse for tolerating it.  We must fight against sin with every fiber of our beings and when we do fail, we must quickly deal with that sin by repenting and seeking forgiveness from those who we have hurt. 

BE MERCIFUL: Just as we will sin against others; they will also sin against us.  One way that we can become a stumbling block to others is by refusing to forgive.  When someone sins against us, we are to rebuke them, so they understand that what they have done is wrong.  We often offend people without knowing it.  However, when we are offended we know it right away.  Instead of becoming bitter and angry about the offense that the person’s failure to recognize their sin, we are to let them know that they have offended us.  The expected response to a rebuke is repentance.  Believers will repent when they are rebuked.  The expected response to repentance is forgiveness.  It is not our job to judge the sincerity of someone’s repentance.  Even in the face of repeated offenses, we are to forgive those who say they have repented and ask us to forgive.  It is far better to be fooled by insincere repentance than it is to hold a grudge against someone who has repented.  God is merciful to us and expects us to be merciful with one another.  Even when someone does not repent, we must stand ready to fully forgive in order to reflect the grace of God and avoid any bitterness in our own hearts.

BE FAITHFUL:  When Jesus told His disciples to forgive the same person seven times in one day, they responded with a request to have greater faith.  Jesus responds to that request by telling two parables.  He says that even a tiny bit of faith can mover mountains.  It seems that Jesus is letting His disciples know that forgiveness is not a matter of faith.  We are not to use a lack of faith as an excuse for failing to forgive.  He then tells about the servant who is asked to serve his master after a hard day of work before he refreshes himself.  The point of this parable is simply to demonstrate that forgiveness is a simple matter of obedience.  Forgiving others is exactly what our Master expects us to do.  It is not some extraordinary thing to forgive; it is simply an act of obedience that all who have been forgiven should naturally perform.  Forgiveness does not require more faith; it is simply a matter of being faithful.

APPLICATION: Don’t take sin lightly.  Be careful not to lead others into sin by refusing to repent or by refusing to forgive.  Don’t judge the sincerity of those who seek our forgiveness.  It is impossible for us to read their hearts.  We are to let others know when they have sinned and then rejoice in their repentance by restoring them in love.  Don’t view forgiveness as some extraordinary demonstration of faith.  Faithful believes who have experienced the forgiveness of Christ will gladly repent.