Faith and Miracles

I have been, I guess, in the midst of a series discussing faith. One of our points of business after church today will be adopting a faith statement. The last couple times I have been speaking with you we’ve been looking at some miracles and their overt connection to the individuals faith. In today’s passage we have in the gospel of Luke some sayings of Jesus and a miracle that happens on the way to Jerusalem. I’m not a genius but you don’t have to hit me between the eyes with a 2 x 4 to make me notice that in plain English the word faith appears prominently in these passages.

Sometimes I think that when the Holy Spirit was speaking to the evangelists that recorded the gospels, He would bring to their memory themes or truthsThat God wanted to record. I think this may be one of those places. Let’s see what we can discern here.

Saying 1: Sin of Causing Others to Sin. Luke 17:1–3a “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…

Saying 2: Luke 17: 3b-4 “ “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.”

In God’s economy, you are not of more worth than any other person.

This is service to the Lord; our true humility - not like the show put on by the religious rulers.

Saying 3: Luke 17:5–6 “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.” (Not so much a challenge to perform miracles - nor an emphasis on adding more faith - maybe pointing out a need TRUE faith)

The Parable of the unprofitable servant… Luke 17:7–10 ““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.’ ””

A little word study is in order here . ἀχρεῖοι (achreos) which is a negative of χρεῖος literally “no use” or “no worth” “not worthy of praise”. The more literal from the Greek, the uglier it seems to us, thus in NRSV “Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ”

So, for us the better understanding of “unworthy servants” or “unprofitable servants” NOT “vile” or “good for nothing” in a moral sense. The servant is not bringing or adding value to the master. Service is exactly what the Master is due.

I think , perhaps, the point is our Lord and Master does not NEED our service as much as he just LOVES the server.

The healing of 10 lepers.

Luke 17:11–13 “Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. (probably WHY he traveled that way - near the frontier) They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!””

Mode of the miracle? they asked for mercy….from FAR OFF… from the MASTER…. and the Lord just says, “Go.” Luke 17:14 “When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.”

One “SAW” he was healed and rather than continue off to the priests to be pronounced clean and re-enter society, eat drink, be merry etc. His compulsion was to return to Jesus to praise and worship Him. Luke 17:15 “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.”

Luke 17:17–19 “Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”” Jesus, perhaps with some irony, points out that only “this foreigner” ἀλλογενής “allogenes” little better than a heathen, is the only one to praise God. And again he pronounces to the man “your faith has made you well”.

Conclusion:

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Jesus had little compassion fro the religion of the Pharisees and rulers of his day. They lived in a compartmentalized world where they were in office and thus everything that they did in their religious capacity made them righteous or at least right and what they were doing in relation to the laws they knew it. But when they were acting outside of their religious rolethey had no problem with violating the things that God spoke as being dear and near to his heart.. Things like compassion for the poor, humility, justice, mercy. All this was something that was outside of their role or Office and thus when Jesus would speak out against them they would find him to be outrageous.

Jesus was challenging not only to the religious leaders of the day but to his own disciples as they began to learn about the ways of the kingdom. He warns them not to become stumbling stones or snares for people who are seeking him. He admonishes them to be people who forgive. He teaches them that true faith would make them humble servants For all. Then Luke records a miracle basically to celebrate all that.

What the Holy Spirit really poked me on was in verse 17. Luke doesn’t say that Jesus said something. No he records that Jesus asked a question. “We’re not all 10 cleansed? Where are the other nine?” The question I immediately asked myself was, “Who did he ask?”

I think he’s asking me. And he’s asking you today. Did we not all receive the gospel? Have we all not been cleansed from our sin? Now I appreciate everybody who showed up here today but I have to ask you why have you come?

Did you come like Thomas? Jn 20.26

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Or like Mary in John 12. “Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair…” While Martha served, Mary worshipped. Both preserved for us in scripture.

SO I ask again, why are you here? To serve? To worship? To seek a way out of doubt? To touch the Lord? Hear His voice? Good, all that is a good answer!

But if you can to check off your holy list and add to your good works, it won’t work. Somebody tripped you up with a works righteousness snare. All the service we can or ever will do is just that - due service. All the forgiveness we can muster is just that: what is expected of the Lord’s people. All the jewels in your crown end up at Jesus’ feet and that’s the real point of receiving your crown of life. That at the feet of Jesus, where this “foreigner” with leprosy ended up, death and sin and shame and separation and every vile and filthy thing were swallowed up in eternal victory.