For what have Jesus’ disciples
been called? For what have Moses and the Prophets been called? Is it for duty
or voluntary service? In Chapter 17 of Luke’s Gospel, Dr. Luke shines light in
answering the question. I think the answer is both. It’s for our duty because
all is called to be the servant of God. It’s for our voluntary service because
any offerings will not be acceptable to God if not accompanied with thanks and
gratitude (Psalm 50:14). Dr. Luke begins with Jesus’ word of woe that if anyone
causes people to stumble there will be a serious consequence. It is a very
serious warning uttered by the mouth of our Lord Jesus. All disciple of Jesus
ought to forgive the brother who sins against him and repents, not once in
lifetime but seven times in a day. No wonder the disciples cried out, saying
“Increase our faith!” Forgiveness is what the disciple of Jesus must do
continually as the unworthy servant who is only doing his duty just as our Lord
Jesus demonstrated the unconditional love of the Father on the cross in
Calvary.
“Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone
through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea
with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones
to stumble.’” (Luke 17:1-2)
Woe to anyone through whom they
cause people to stumble, says our Lord Jesus. How serious is it? Jesus
continues, “It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a
millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to
stumble.” Causing other brothers in Christ to stumble means to cause to sin.
For example, one of frequent and commonplace practices is to judge others for
the cause of self-righteousness. We’re to judge other brothers in Christ in due
course as our Lord Jesus says. First we must take the plank of our own eye to
see clearly to remove the speck from our bother’s eye (Matthew 7:5).
It teaches us that if we sin
either ignorantly or unwittingly we must take a drastic action like being
thrown into the sea with millstone tied around our neck. Our Lord Jesus doesn’t
mean to practice it literally because the Scriptures say exactly the opposite.
It’s a figurative language to take heed and watch not to cause anyone to sin.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that if our right eye causes to sin then
gouge it out and throw it away. Again, he says if our right hand causes to
stumble then cut if off and throw it away.
“If your right eye causes you to
stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part
of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right
hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you
to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”
(Matthew 5:29-30)
Our Lord Jesus says not to take
it lightly but very seriously because causing to sin draws to the wrath of God.
It’s a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of living God, warns the author of
Hebrews (Hebrews 10:31) Instead, we shall fall into the bruised hands of our
Lord Jesus Christ who saves in his unsearchable riches of glory.
“So watch yourselves. ‘If your
brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive
them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come
back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them. The apostles said to the
Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a
mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in
the sea,’ and it will obey you.”’” (Luke 17:3-6)
Jesus says if our brother sins
against us, then rebuke them. Our Lord also says if they repent, then forgive
them. First Jesus says to rebuke our brother who sins against us. It is
important to speak the truth to our brother in the love of Christ. If they
repent, then forgive. One of the hardest things for the fallen race to do is to
forgive others. If not, there haven’t been so uncountable number of divorces
and separations in marriage. Humanity doesn’t really know how to live each
other. Quarrels, fights, struggles, divisions, cliques are stubbornly and
rampantly manifested everywhere. But Jesus says even if they sin against us
seven times in a day and seven times come back saying “I repent,” then we must
forgive them. Matthew records, “I tell you, not seven times but seventy-seven
times.” (Matthew 18:22) The disciples were shocked and doubted their ears,
saying “Increase our faith!” It’s not forgiveness if there is limit in number.
It’s the honest plea of the disciples that they simply expressed the
impossibility of doing it.
Forgiving someone is not only
forgetting of what they have done wrong but accepting as our brother in heart.
Why must we forgive one another? It’s because we’re constantly and faithfully
being forgiven by the Father in heaven through the Son Jesus Christ. If we
simply admit our faults and missteps before God in contrite and repentant
heart, then there is an advocate who defends us from all accusations against
us. If he doesn’t forgive someone who repents is the same as denying himself as
God.
“If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Jesus answers the decrying
disciples that if they have faith as small as a mustard seed they can uproot
the mulberry tree and plant in the sea by just saying. Faith is not quantity
but quality. The power of faith doesn’t lie on human being but solely on God.
In fact, the object of faith is nothing else than God himself. Even faith as
small as a mustard seed is so powerful enough to move a mountain into the sea
by saying. So, nothing is impossible for those who have faith in God. What our
Lord Jesus is saying is that forgiving one another is like uprooting a mulberry
tree and planting in the sea or moving a mountain into the sea. It is
impossible with man but all things are possible with God. He forgives and never
remembers our faults and transgressions because they have been paid and
cleansed by the blood of Christ Jesus.
"I, even I, am he who blots
out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”
(Isaiah 43:25)
“For I will forgive their
wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)
As God keeps on forgiving his
children whoever admit their sins and transgressions and repent in contrite
heart, so shall we do continually forgive one another. By faith we not only
forgive other brothers but also accept the forgiveness of God in Christ Jesus.
Our Lord Jesus gives an example to illustrate why his disciples must forgive
others, not judge them.
“Suppose one of you has a
servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he
comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather
say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and
drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he
did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were
told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our
duty.’” (Luke 17:7-10)
This is the reason the disciples
of Jesus have been called to forgive others as their obligation and voluntary
service to God. We’re unworthy servants and have only done our duty when we
have done everything we were told to do. Our God is pleased to give lavishly
what we desperately need every day—love, joy, and peace. What we heed is not
just taking it for granted but deeply appreciating the provisions of God from a
single breath of air, the heart running without fail, and feeding billions of
people and animals in the earth, to forgiving his children through the blood of
the Son Jesus. Apostle Paul explains why we’re unworthy servants in the Epistle
to the Ephesian saints.
“As for you, you were dead in
your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the
ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who
is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at
one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and
thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of
his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ
even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
(Ephesians 2:1-5)
Yes, we were dead in sins and
transgressions and by nature deserving of God’s wrath. We used to follow the
ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, and the spirit
of disobedience, gratifying the urges of our flesh and following its desires
and thoughts. Borrowing the language of Prophet Isaiah, we were no soundness
from the sole of our foot to the top of our head but only wounds and welts and
open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with olive oil (Isaiah 1:6).
Again borrowing the language of Apostle Paul, although we knew God, we neither
glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but our thinking became futile and
our foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:21). Prophet Jeremiah says that
we’re totally useless in the sight of God and completely powerless to get out
of the mess.
“These wicked people, who refuse
to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after
other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt--completely
useless!” (Jeremiah 13:10)
But because of his great love
for us, God who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ even when we were
dead in transgressions. It is by grace we have been saved. How difficult it is
to raise the dead! It’s Impossible! How powerless and helpless the dead is! But
by the power of resurrection, God raised us up from the dead with Christ and
seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6-7). It
is expressed in his kindness in Jesus Christ to show us the incomparable riches
of grace in the coming ages.
“For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created
in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
(Ephesians 2:8-10)
By grace we have been saved
through faith, so it is not from ourselves, it the gift of God. It’s not by
works, so no one can boast. We’re God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do
his good works which God prepared for us to do before the creation of the
world. Just as we’ve been forgiven and saved by grace, so also are we indebted
to forgive and save others in Christ Jesus. That’s the good works prepared for
us in advance to do.
“For if you forgive other people
when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if
you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
(Matthew 6:14-15)
Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
thank you for forgiving our sins unconditionally in Christ Jesus through faith,
so we’re called to forgive one another continually as our duty and voluntary
service to God. Help us Lord to remember your grace and kindness so that when
we have done all we were told to do we simply say that we’re unworthy servants
because we have only done our duty. In Christ’s name. Amen.
January 30, 2016
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