1 And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that
occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom
they come! 2 It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about
his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he
should cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Take heed to
yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent,
forgive him. 4 And if he sin against thee seven times in the day,
and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt
forgive him.
5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And
the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye
would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou
planted in the sea; and it would obey you. 7 But who is there of
you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto
him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit
down to meat; 8 and will not rather say unto him, Make ready
wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have
eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9 Doth
he thank the servant because he did the things that were
commanded? 10 Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the
things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants;
we have done that which it was our duty to do.
After the severe rebuke given by our Lord to the Pharisees in view of
their selfish abuse of wealth, Luke records four apparently disconnected
warnings given to the disciples. The first, vs. 1, 2, was against the
peril of causing others to sin. In this world of selfishness and of evil
desire, our Lord declared, it is inevitable that such offenses will be
committed, but he pronounced a solemn woe upon anyone guilty of this
grievous fault. He declared that it would be better for such a person to
be drowned in the sea rather than to allow himself to become guilty of
such a sin. The death of the body is far preferable to the death of the
soul. Therefore, Jesus warned his followers lest they might lead anyone
astray or causes anyone to stumble, particularly such as might be in years
or experience less mature than themselves. No age of the Church has been
without its tragedies in which power and influence have been selfishly
used to mislead innocent souls, and no life is beyond the possibility of
placing stumblingblocks in the paths of others or of exerting even
unconsciously influences which may cause others to sin.
In the second warning, here recorded by Luke, vs. 3, 4, Jesus guarded his
disciples against lack of charity. He intimated that his followers should
be ready always to forgive. He did not advise weakness or indifference to
sin; he suggested that a brother who offends may deserve and should
receive a rebuke. It is proper that he should be made to feel and to
appreciate his fault. Nevertheless, he is to be treated with kindness and
if he sincerely repents, he is to be forgiven freely. Even if he repeats
his sin with frequency, no revenge is to be harbored against him. Jesus
suggested that his offense might be committed “seven times in the day,” by
which he meant an unlimited repetition of the fault; even then if his
repentance is sincere, forgiveness must not be denied.
The twelve apostles, probably in view of the particular responsibilities
which rested upon them, turned to their Master with the petition, “Lord,
increase our faith.” The reply contains a solemn warning, that there is
need of such increase, a far greater need than the petitioners realized.
Nevertheless, there is also in the reply a gracious promise. They were
lovingly rebuked for their lack of faith, but they were reassured by a
revelation of the unlimited power of faith. Our Lord asserted that if they
possessed real faith, even so small as to be compared with one of the most
minute objects in nature, namely, “a grain of mustard seed,” they would be
able by a word to accomplish incredible results, speaking figuratively, to
cause a mulberry tree to be rooted up and planted in the sea. The
followers of Christ to-day need to be reminded of these same truths,
namely, of the narrow limits to which faith is usually confined and the
unbounded possibilities which might be theirs if their trust in Christ
were more simple, more unquestioning, and more real. Vs. 5, 6.
The fourth warning here recorded rebukes the pride, the self-confidence,
the desire for praise and for reward, which too often characterize the
followers of Christ. Jesus taught that no human works, however perfect,
give a claim upon God, but are merely the fulfillment of duty. This truth
is set forth in the parable of the Unprofitable Servant. Vs. 7-10. The
word “unprofitable” does not mean worthless, but merely implies one who
has not gone beyond his obligation or duty. The picture is that of a slave
who has labored faithfully in the field and who when the day is done
merely continues in the evening to accomplish his appointed tasks. His
master does not show any particular gratitude to one who is doing that
which he is expected to do. He does not especially praise his servant for
doing the things commanded.
So in the case of every man, a life of the most blameless holiness and
love is no more than God requires. It is no ground on which a special
reward can be demanded. It is no reason for expecting promotion or praise.
To do less would be to neglect an obvious duty, and to do more than duty
is impossible. While this parable rebukes all pride and cuts off all merit
of works, it is nevertheless true that in other parables our Lord taught
the certainty of rewards which he is to grant faithful servants not as a
matter of compulsion on his part but in loving grace.