Luke 17:1-10
In the gospel we heard last week, Jesus has just told the disciples the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, poor beggar and servant of any and everybody’s. Yet the servant/beggar is raised up and the rich man is tormented in the great reversal of death.
Today’s passage follows directly on from last week and Jesus now teaches his disciples what this servanthood means. It means that we seek to look at things, and think, and act, in ways that won’t cause the ‘little ones’ of God, so very, very precious to our Father, to stumble.
We can’t be the church, the people of God, if we cause others to stumble because that destroys the sacred community of Christ Jesus. The sacred oneness between Jesus and his bride the church.
It can seem at first glance that today’s gospel is just several disconnected sayings strung together rather loosely, but on a closer look, Jesus is speaking to us about faith for living in this sacred community.
For it is a life in community that Jesus calls his disciples and us to. This is apparent in the first two verses,
“Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! 2 It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
Be careful here! A woe is the opposite of a blessing and Jesus uses this very strong word when condemning and exploiting the powerless, like the rich man did to Lazarus.
Jesus reminds us to be aware of how our life and conduct may have a negative influence on others in the Christian community and starkly reminds us that life in this community is sacred and will not be blasphemed by anyone!
There is a stern warning here about causing others to fall into sin. Jesus pronounces woe on anyone through whom temptations to sin come. As I’ve said before because it’s such a great word, the word here that’s translated “temptations to sin” is the Greek word “skandala.”
“Scandals”–woe to the person through whom these scandals come. But the “skandala” here could be anything that causes someone else–particularly a weaker or less mature Christian–to stumble and fall in their Christian faith.
In this instance, the little ones that Jesus talk about are not children.
Jesus is concerned that we do not do anything that would cause another Christian to stumble and fall and perhaps even lose their faith.
Our words, our actions, our example – these can and do have an influence on others. Christ would have us be aware of that, because he has placed his disciples, he has placed us, in the community of his church.
So we try to be attentive to our life in community, Jesus says this is high priority for us - how do we care for one another spiritually?
Jesus suddenly links this with forgiveness. Churches just don’t become sacred communities of Christ by accident. It is, I think, a constant process of learning how to forgive and carry and love each other.
Sacred parishes come from the grace of our Saviour Jesus at work in his little ones by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The alternative is to withdraw and keep to ourselves, keep our distance, not let other people get too close. But today’s text says that Jesus has placed us in his community called the church, and we are to share our life together in sacred community.
This is what is perplexing the disciples are they listen to Jesus. They can sense that this is a tall order, this calling to live in community.
To be attentive that our words and deeds do not mislead a brother or sister and cause them to fall; that when someone does sin you forgive them and keep on forgiving them.
The apostles realized that this life in Christian community goes beyond what they can accomplish on their own. And so the apostles ask Jesus: “Increase our faith!”
Maybe that’s our prayer, too, when we realize we have a hard time living as a Christian in community. “Increase my faith, Lord! I need help!”
Yes, and so I do. I’m sure I have hurt others. Others have hurt me. And I am too often reluctant or shy or lazy or afraid when it comes to taking the initiative to restore what is broken. And I feel helpless that when often when I do it doesn’t work.
“Increase our faith, Lord! We need help!”
But then listen to what Jesus says in response to this plea: “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
The point being, even the tiniest amount of faith, if it is true faith in God and in Christ, even faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, is able to accomplish amazing things that otherwise would be impossible.
Things like forgiving your brother and caring for all our fellow humans with whom we shar this planet. You know, a mustard seed is probably the smallest seed this culture used, yet faith just as tiny produces results far beyond what we expect.
Just like a mustard seed that produces a big tree that provides shade, accommodation and food for God’s creation.
Just like our faith in Christ can.
And this is the faith that we have, dear friends. We do have faith in Christ! And so life together in the church is not beyond our reach. We do have the capacity to love, as the new person we are in Christ.
Here’s how it goes: God loves and forgives us, because of what Christ has done.
God has gifted us with the Holy Spirit, making us God’s children, giving us the gift of faith, and giving us new power to love and forgive others. The Holy Spirit calls us into community; we call it the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
We do have faith, and that includes faith for living in community.
Now one more thing, to complete the story today. It’s this last saying of Jesus about the unworthy servants who have only done their duty. That’s us. We don’t merit any special favours from God for passing on the forgiveness God has first extended to us.
That’s just normal duty in the Christian church. We’re simply doing what we’ve been commanded to do. But the amazing thing is, God is so gracious that he does invite us unworthy servants to come and recline at his table, as his very special and favourite guests.
Not because of any other reason than he loves