Podcast Introduction

Today we’ll read Luke 17-18.  Afterwards, I’ll have some thoughts to share with you. I’m calling today’s episode “The One Millimeter Difference.”

Comments on Luke 17

Luke 17 begins with Jesus speaking to His disciples about sin, forgiveness and faith.

1Jesus said to his disciples: 

There will always be something that causes people to sin. But anyone who causes them to sin is in for trouble. A person who causes even one of my little followers to sin 2would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their neck. 3 So be careful what you do. 

Correct any followers of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry. 4Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, “I am sorry,” you should still forgive that person.

5The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith stronger!”

6Jesus replied:

If you had faith no bigger than a tiny mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree to pull itself up, roots and all, and to plant itself in the ocean. And it would!

Luke 17:1-6 CEV

The first three verses are pretty straighforward: Stumbling blocks that cause people to sin are always going to exist. But you’re in deep trouble if you are the one who places the stumbling blocks in their path. 

Then Jesus gets into the more difficult teaching. Let’s break this down a sentence at a time:

a) If a fellow believer sins (and some translations say “sins against you”) then you are to correct them. Don’t cover it up or pretend it didn’t happen. Nip it in the bud, or this small offense can grow. Remember, Jesus was talking to His disciples about those times when a fellow believer sins. So the correction should be delivered with love, not with harshness. 

b) If the offender apologizes, forgive them. This instruction is not a suggestion from the Lord. He didn’t say, “Try to forgive them.” He said, “Forgive them.”

What if they don’t apologize or ask for forgiveness? Are we then not obligated to forgive them? Before I answer that question, let me ask you a question: Do you think Jesus would teach a *narrow* brand of forgiveness or a *broad* brand of forgiveness?

Let’s keep going, then return to the question.

c) If this someone mistreats you seven times in one day and then apologizes, you are to forgive them. Ok, but what if he doesn’t mean it? What if his apology isn’t sincere? As I look at this sentence, I do not see Jesus qualifying his description of the apology. The CEV renders the verse as, “…you should still forgive that person.” I looked it up in the original Greek. Jesus said, “…you shall forgive…”. In other words, you are obligated, it is your duty to forgive the person. 

d) And what was the reaction of disciples? “Make our faith stronger!” No kidding! To forgive like Jesus is telling us to do requires tremendous faith! I don’t know about you, but I am not a naturally forgiving person. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. I know some people who are quick to forgive. I’m not one of them. And judging from the disciples’ reaction to Jesus’ command, most of them weren’t either. They knew it was going to take a lot of faith to forgive like this.

So now let’s ask the question again: Do you think Jesus would teach a *narrow* brand of forgiveness or a *broad* brand of forgiveness? It seems to me that a narrow forgiveness doesn’t take much faith at all. Perhaps none. But a broad forgiveness? HUGE faith.

Commentator Adam Clarke wrote, “This work of pardoning *every* offence of *every* man, and that *continually*, seemed so difficult, even to the *disciples* themselves, that they saw, without an extraordinary degree of faith, they should never be able to keep this command.” 

e) Then Jesus replied to their “Make our faith stronger!” statement: If you had faith no bigger than a tiny mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree to pull itself up, roots and all, and to plant itself in the ocean. And it would!

Have you ever seen a mustard seed? They really are tiny…about 1 to 2 millimeters, or 0.039 to 0.079 inches in diameter. 

There is a reason Jesus pointed to the mulberry tree as his example. The roots of that species of tree, according to Norval Geldenhuys, a 20th century commentator, were thought to be incredibly strong, and mulberry trees could remain rooted for six hundred years.

When we have allowed unforgiveness to take root within us, it can rooted like one of these mulberry trees. Impossible to tear out by the roots. But with faith in Jesus, it can be removed, roots and all.  

So it is not really the size of the faith, but where the faith is placed. If that faith is placed in Jesus, look out! Miracles can happen.

Do you have a miracle story? 

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 17 CEV, Ch. 18 GWT

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The Team

Transcript Correction: Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Denise
Podcasting 2.0 Chapters: Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Sean of San Pedro and Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Michael Haner
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