Realities, Responsibilities, and Responses of Jesus

Luke 17:1–10 “And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had 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. “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and…”

One of the challenges of scripture, whether you are studying it or preaching it, is discerning the proper application, especially when dealing with a passage that doesn’t specifically say “do this,” or “don’t do that,” especially when the contextual audience is different from us. Yes, we all have Pharasical tendencies, but we are not, by title, Pharisees, who were the primary audience in the last several chapters. We are, however, by title, Disciples of Christ, or Christians, and that is exactly who Jesus is talking to in Luke 17:1-10, our passage today. Jesus takes a break from his correction of the Pharisees, his hewing at the root of pride in their lives, which is certainly applicable to my life, and directs his instruction to a group of people who are, in name and occupation, just like us. “His disciples.” Is that not exactly who we profess to be? Then my brothers and sisters, I would suggest that this passage is specifically written for, and directly applicable to, all of us in this room. Here, in these ten verses, Jesus describes some of the Realities, Responsibilities, and Responses of his disciples. Let me pray, and we will open the Word together. 

Realities - 17:1-4

Luke 17:1–4 “And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.””

Jesus introduces his disciples to three stone cold facts in the first several verses. Right away in verse 1 we see him tell the disciples that “temptations to sin are sure to come.” There are two parts to that phrase, and I want to break them down, just briefly. The phrase “temptations to sin” appears in the NKJV as “stumbling blocks,” and in the CSB as “offenses.” Others call it “occasions for stumbling or offense.” Something that causes a disciple to have trouble in their walk with Jesus, an obstacle in the path. We’re talking about sin here, obviously, but I think Jesus is getting at the interpersonal nature of sin. He’s talking about a believer sinning against another believer, here. Hold onto that thought, we’re going to come back to it in a moment. Jesus also says that these temptations to sin are “sure to come.” Inevitable, guaranteed. In the Greek, this word, which is only used this one time in the entire Bible, essentially means that whatever is being described is a critical tennant of the world. A global pillar, something critical to the existence of the world as we know it. The world cannot exist in any other fashion other than the way it is, and this thing that’s being described is vital, and unavoidable. Essentially, Jesus says that there is no way around this, that people will be tempted to sin against each other, always. That is the first reality, and the second is closely tied to it. 

The second reality is a little bit more subtle, but it’s just as real. Verses 3 and 4 speak of “brothers.” Words matter, and Jesus the master teacher is a master wordsmith. He chose that word for a reason, because of several connotations that it has. I don’t think he’s specifically referring to a biological family member, I think he’s referring to members of the body of Christ. Brothers’ in faith, members of the same body, spiritual siblings. We’re sure to sin, that’s the first reality, and the second reality is that we’re sure to sin against the people in our church. And, if we go deeper into this word choice, we can make another inference. Contextually, Jesus is talking to at least two sets of brothers. Peter and Andrew, and James and John, who my brother and I are named after. Brothers are close. They lived in close proximity, they worked together, did stuff together, and much of that is true of me and my brother. We have worked together, we still live together, and we spend much time together. He and I are close, and I sin against him a lot, and vice versa. Applying the concept we’re talking about here, you and I are guaranteed to sin against our brothers, and I think we sin the most against the believers in our lives who are the closest to us. These two realities are tied at the hip, and they can lead to an attitude of apathy. If sin is inevitable, then why bother fighting it? That question is answered in a stern warning, the third reality. 

Verses 1a and 2 is where we go, and upon arrival we are greeted with a shocking image. Yes, sin is inevitable, it’s a part of life. But the consequences of causing someone else to sin, one of these “little ones,” who are children of God, not necessarily physical children, are serious. So serious, it would be better for the source of offense to have a two hundred pound stone tied to his neck and be dropped off a boat to drown horribly. Notice how Jesus doesn’t mention motive or intention here, he just says “cause.” A cause can be intentional. I can intentionally cause someone pain by smacking them. A cause can also be accidental. I can accidentally cause someone pain by landing on them while going for a rebound in basketball. Two very different causes, two very different motives, but the same outcome. The intention may be different, but the outcome is the same, and so is the consequence. These are some stark realities Jesus lays out for his disciples, and us. In light of these realities, there are some inherent responsibilities listed next. 

Responsibilities - 17:3-4

Luke 17:3–4 “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.””

“Pay attention to yourselves!” Jesus says. A direct command, a responsibility, but why? Jesus didn’t speak in chapters and verses, that’s just an organizational tool we use today. Let me read verse 2 and the first part of 3 to make this point. “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he cause one of these little ones to stumble. Pay attention to yourselves!” In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul writes the church concerning food offered to idols. Verses 7-10 are at the heart of Jesus’ teaching here in Luke 17. Verse 9 of 1 Corinthians 8 uses the phrase “stumbling block,” the same thing we’re talking about here. What was happening in the church of Corinth, some members eating food sacrificed to idols, is not inherently sin. But, some of the believers there were less spiritually mature, “little ones,” or “weaker brothers,” and they believed it was sin. The more mature Christian, by eating this food, had unintentionally caused his brother to sin. That’s part of what Jesus means when he says “pay attention!” The Psalmist, in chapter 139:23, asks God to “Search me and know me. See if there is some wicked way in me.” Of course God already knows the contents of every human heart. What the Psalmist is asking is for God to help him perform an accurate self-examination and discover sinful choices and ways that he is either ignorant of, or ignoring.  He also means, of course, that we examine ourselves for areas in our lives where we are intentionally causing others to sin. Picking fights, engaging in gossip and slander, intentional false teaching, any number of things. Pay attention to yourself, and look for the log in your own eye, because the second responsibility requires some examining of your brothers. 

After we pay attention to ourselves, we are commanded to rebuke our brothers, seen in verse 3. We are called to be involved in the lives of our brothers to the point that when we are sinned against, we have the relational equity to go to them in love and confront them. The parallel passage to Luke 17 is Matthew 18, and I’d like us to turn there. Known amongst many as the “church discipline” chapter, there is a big misconception about these passages and the concept of rebuke. Someone once told me that Matthew 18 was a passage “used only to excommunicate people you don’t like or agree with.” That is entirely false. Matthew 18:15 tells us that the end goal of confrontation and rebuke is to “gain your brother.” We don’t want to excommunicate brothers, we want to be reunited with them! To restore unity in the body of Christ, to get back to doing Gods’ business together in harmony. My friends, we are called to have hard conversations, and they’re not about us. Not having hard conversations is selfish, it makes the other persons’ sin about you and your desire to be comfortable. If you see someone in sin, someone who has sinned against you, and you don’t talk to them about it, how can you claim to love them? They’re out of fellowship and harmony with Christ and his body, and you’re refusing to participate in Gods’ plan of restoration, refusing to honor the responsibility given to you? That’s sad and shameful, let it not be said of us. Have hard conversations, but also, hard conversation or not, forgive your brother. 

Verses 3b and 4 give instructions to both parties involved in the conflict. “Repent, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” Let’s remember here that this is instruction specific to believers in conflict, to those who claim the name of Christ. The first instruction is to repent in response to loving rebuke. Repent, to turn around and go the other way, to stop the sin, ask for forgiveness, and be restored. Repentance is the appropriate response to rebuke, and is the hallmark of a Jesus follower, just as forgiveness and restoration are the appropriate responses to repentance. We know, however, that people do not always repent when rebuked. So, what does that mean? 

A Dual-State Forgiveness - 17:3-4

I think we have to define our terms here. The doctrine of forgiveness is a nuanced one, and in that nuance there is great freedom. Scripture teaches a dual-state forgiveness, expressed by Tim Keller as “internal and external forgiveness.” An internal working of the heart, and an external shaking of hands with the offensive party. Internal forgiveness is demonstrated by Jesus, when he cries out “Father forgive them,” in Luke 23:34, and by Stephen, in Acts 7:60, who prays that God will “not hold this sin against” his executioners. What was happening to these two men was undoubtedly sin, yet we see in their hearts, an attitude of forgiveness. There was certainly not a repentance, reconciliation or a restoring of the earthly relationship in either one of those cases, yet there was an internal forgiveness. Internal forgiveness is a releasing of moral debt, a relinquishing of hatred, anger, bitterness. Mike Wittmer, writing for The Gospel Coalition, describes this as “the agonizing task of releasing the offender's moral debt, and this must occur whether or not the offender repents.” Forgiveness is a release. It releases them from any debt they owe me, and it releases, in my own heart, any feelings of anger, resentment, or bitterness. We are commanded to exercise internal forgiveness, always, regardless of repentance. That does not mean that we have unity with people who are unrepentant, the rest of Matthew 18 teaches that. We are not supposed to have unity with people living in sin, that’s clear in scripture. It does mean that, regardless of the repentance of others, we are not to harbor ill will towards them, hate them, or be angry. We are supposed to forgive, to release debt and bitterness and hard feelings, forever. 7 is the biblical number of completion, which to me suggests that we are supposed to keep on forgiving as long as people keep on sinning, and do it until the day we die. These are some incredibly difficult responsibilities to fulfill, and there are two responses that are illustrated in the upcoming verses. 

Responses - 17:5-10

The disciples, upon hearing this, must have been very distressed. They asked Jesus to “increase their faith!” The entirety of this passage has been focused on the other person. We’re supposed to walk carefully, to pay attention to ourselves to see if we’re causing the other person to sin. We’re supposed to lovingly rebuke and correct sin in the lives of our brothers and seek restoration, and forgive them. We’re supposed to repent when we’re rebuked, and then be restored to the body. This entire passage is about responsibilities to the other person, and the disciples missed it. They thought it was impossible for them to do, and that they needed more faith to do this herculean thing. They thought that these were tasks to be completed, but they’re not. They’re part of the makeup of a believer. These responsibilities aren’t just responsibilities, they’re like DNA. Inseparable from the daily lives of believers. These are fruits of faith, basic duties, but the disciples didn’t get that. Jesus sets things straight, switching from specific instruction to imagery and parables, makes a rebuttal to their thought and illustrates the correct response. 

The disciples thought the task was impossible, and that they needed more faith to complete it. Jesus gives an example of an actual impossibility. Speaking to a tree, and it moves, and then it is planted in the sea and grows. I was a landscaper for a while, and I planted and transplanted a great many trees. Every last tree job involved a shovel, and none of them grew in the sea. Yet Jesus says that it takes faith the size of only a mustard seed, which is only 1 millimeter across, to do it. Faith isn’t the issue, its attitude, as Jesus shows them next. 

The correct response to these responsibilities, these basic duties, is found in verses 7-10. Jesus asks his disciples if they would reward a servant for just doing his job, give him special treatment and honor, any pats on the back. The answer is no, of course, and Jesus knew that it would be. The reality sets in in verse 10. Upon receiving instruction, this servant recognizes himself as “unworthy, only doing what was our duty.” The word for servant here isn’t even servant, it's doulos, which means slave, and that’s the attitude Jesus is looking for. Often when I’m not following the instructions given in this text, when I’m not examining myself, or repenting, or forgiving, it’s because I have too high an opinion of my own self. No slave has a high opinion of themself. We are slaves, and we should have a slave-like attitude. We have been forgiven, and we are still in need of grace. We should not act like we’re better or like we don’t need grace, we are to walk in humility. It is only through a correct understanding of our own nature and the reality of our state that we can see our need for a savior and walk in humility with others. 

Closing

How’s your walk? Are you aware of the realities of life as a Jesus follower? Can you see specific areas in your lives where these realities show themselves? And how are you handling the responsibilities in light of reality? Are you practicing self-examination, loving rebuke, repentance, continual forgiveness, and restoration? Are you trying to meet these goals for the wrong reasons, or are you trying to love Jesus by loving his people? Pray for me as I pray for us, that we would all walk as slaves of Christ, in humility, and in the forgiveness of Him.