CONNECTING POINT: Depths of Discipleship

As Christians, we find ourselves on a journey, from being lost sinners without Jesus to being found and made righteous in Christ. We move from simply a follower of Jesus to a disciple who grows in character, found in personal conduct and our relationships, as we surrender to the Holy Spirit and obey principles in the Bible. No Christian is perfect on this side of eternity; thus, the term journey.

In Luke 17, Jesus directs His teaching to the disciples, unlike most previous chapters, where His teachings focus on confronting the Pharisees in their pseudo-spirituality. Religion is dead when there is an absence of a relationship with Christ. “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. So watch yourselves. ‘If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; 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.’ 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 17:1-10). Take notice of the following.

One: Refrain from setting snares or traps that cause others to sin. The ESV reads, “And he said to his disciples, ‘Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!’” (vs. 1). In Greek, skandala refers to something that brings a person into sin or error. In Romans 14:13, the same word is used in conjunction with judging other believers on disputable matters. Jesus reminds us that as His disciples, we must be careful in creating stumbling blocks for others.

Two: Foster and practice forgiveness regularly. One of the greatest traps people can fall into is withholding forgiveness for a perceived offense or sin. Jesus taught the power of forgiveness through a meaningful rebuke, not a nasty one. Remember, forgiveness is the goal. How many of us have the patience or understanding to forgive someone seven times a day when they are sincerely seeking forgiveness?

Three: The measure of forgiveness isn’t based on how great our faith is but on how great Christ is. Jesus again compares faith to a mustard seed, tiny but very potent. He adds that simple faith can uproot a mulberry tree with a strong and deep root system, some possibly living up to 600 years. Unforgiveness and bitterness can create deep relational wounds; however, forgiveness can be incredibly freeing as we grow in Christ. Let us grow in the depths of His grace. Charles Spurgeon said, “Growing saints think themselves nothing; full-grown saints think themselves less than nothing.”