Jesus Tells About Forgiveness and Faith
October 14, 2020
Commentary
As Jesus travels toward Jerusalem and eventually the cross, He is teaching His disciples and preparing them for the time He will no longer be with them. In the passage we are reading today he is teaching them about forgiveness and faithfulness:
Forgiveness (vv. 1-6) – It appears that Jesus was directing this warning at the religious leaders who taught their converts their own hypocritical ways. Human nature being what it is, there will always be occasions to stumble and offenses to come. However, Jesus makes it plain that it is a serious thing to cause a fellow believer to stumble or to tempt them to sin. In fact we should lovingly watch over each other and do all that we can to keep one another from sinning.Faithfulness (vv. 7-10) – Jesus now tells the disciples a story that emphasizes faithfulness to duty no matter what the demands might be. It is good to have faith to do the difficult and impossible tasks, but it is also essential that we have faith to do the routine things of life. Above all, when we have done all that God has commanded of us, we are never to be proud or expect any special rewards.
Application
When someone offends me, do I go privately and lovingly to that person and share with them my feelings or do I go to others and tell them what a terrible thing this person has done? I’m afraid that I have too often done the later.
Luke 17:1– 10 (NET)
1 Jesus said to his disciples, “Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 So the Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
7 “Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’? 8 Won’t the master instead say to him, ‘Get my dinner ready, and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink. Then you may eat and drink’? 9 He won’t thank the slave because he did what he was told, will he? 10 So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, ‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise; we have only done what was our duty.’”
Illustration: The Man Who Was a Witness Because of his Smile
Charlie Hainline is a layman at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is a man who radiates the love of Christ, and is serious about sharing his faith with others. One year, his goal was to lead 1650 people to faith in Christ (5 a day)! Once, he was out witnessing with a couple of other folks, and though he didn’t share the gospel, he sat there and smiled broadly as a teammate did. When the teammate was finished and asked if the person would like to trust Christ and receive the gift of eternal life, the person replied, “If being a Christian would make me like him (pointing to Charlie), I want it!” Charlie’s life wasn’t a bed of roses by any means. His daughter was kidnaped, killed, and her head was found floating in a canal. When the murderer of his daughter was caught and convicted, Charlie went to jail in order to witness to the man. (Source unknown).