FAITH
AND FORGIVENESS
LUKE
17:1-6
(see
also Matthew 18)
Luke
17:1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will
come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
Susan: “Offences”
in this context does not refer to saying something unkind or slanderous about a
person. It is the idea of putting a temptation in their way—i.e. offering a
drink to an alcoholic—causing them to stumble. These offences are one person
being the cause of another straying from the right direction. Do not be an
“enabler”.
Susie: Jesus
indicated that it is inevitable that people will cause (willingly or unintentionally)
others to stumble; but cautions that we should avoid being that person that
tempts others. Paul reinforces this same idea in his letter to the Romans:
Romans
14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge this rather,
that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
Luke
17:2 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.
Susie: A millstone
was a large stone that had to be turned by a donkey in order to grind a large
amount of grain. Tying a large stone to someone and casting them into a body of
water to drown was an execution method used by the Gentiles and, therefore,
despised by the Jews. Jesus was saying it would be better to be dead than to
cause one of His little ones to stumble. But who are these “little ones”?
Susan: In the
Matthew passage, Jesus had just stood a child in front of them and told them
they must trust in Him as a child trusts—believing with conviction and without
any doubt. “Little ones” are those who believe in the Lord in this manner,
those who are His children, true believers.
Luke
17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him;
and if he repent, forgive him.
Susan: If
someone sins against us, hurts us physically or emotionally in any way, we
should go to that person immediately rather than letting feelings fester. This
is what I call “carefrontation”. This is confronting them in love because I
care in order to nip the problem in the bud, give them an opportunity to
apologize and me an opportunity to forgive them. Even if they don’t repent, it
is on me to forgive and let Jesus deal with them.
Ephesians
4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even
as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Susie: To
rebuke someone is not to just make them aware that they have hurt you, but to
do so with healing the relationship in mind.
Luke
17:4 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.
Susie: The
number seven was not intended to limit the number of times a person was to be
forgiven. Rather it was to indicate a continual attitude of forgiveness when
one responds with repentance each time. Keep in mind that we are to forgive
freely as we have been forgiven. However, this does not mean that we put
ourselves in the place of continuing to be hurt by someone who has no regret.
We can forgive that person but avoid them until they demonstrate a truly
changed life.
Luke
17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Susan: The
disciples are saying, “Lord, if this is a requirement, we will need some
fortification of our faith in order to withstand the onslaught of temptations
that messy people are going to put before us.”
Susie: They
realized, as should we, that humanly we are incapable of forgiving to this
extent. It must be a work of the Holy Spirit within us as a result of our trust
in the Lord.
Susan: We
must have divine fortification in order to live as Jesus would have us live.
Luke
17:6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might
say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou
planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Susan: What
is a sycamine tree? I thought this was a misspelling of sycamore, but it is
not. Here is an excerpt from an interesting article on this passage:
The
sycamine tree was known to have one of the deepest root structures of all trees
in the Middle East. It was a vigorous and robust tree that grew to a height of
thirty feet or more. Because its roots went down so deep into the earth, it was
very difficult to kill.
Susie: It is
not the size or the amount of faith that matters in our lives. It is in Whom
that faith is placed. Even the tiniest amount of faith in Jesus—here
represented by the tiny mustard seed—can accomplish mighty things. The point
isn’t about relocating the landscaping but that we can see the Lord work
miraculously when we place our trust in Him.
Ponder
this an apply it: Forgiveness of a repeat offender is difficult,
but with the Lord all things are possible. It is in and through Jesus that true
forgiveness is possible as we recall how He has forgiven us. As believers we
must tap into the Holy Spirit within us in order to live a life of obedience to
the Lord. Having a rough time forgiving someone? Ask the Lord to infuse you
with His strength to do so. Forgiveness is choice not rooted in feeling but in
trusting the Lord to make things right.
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