Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost (Series C)
October 2nd, 2016
Gospel: Luke 17:1-10
Epistle: 2 Timothy 1:1-14
Lesson: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Psalm: Psalm 62
CLB Commentary – Dr. David Veum
This pericope addresses head-on the need for Christians to both confront sin in other Christians and to forgive sin even when committed against them by another believer. The gospel is found in the promise of Christ that the smallest amount of faith, because it is faith in the gospel, is great enough to forgive the most serious offences. He compares little faith to a mustard seed, which when sprouted, barely has any roots. But such faith can say to a mulberry tree, which has a very deep root system, “Be ‘unrooted’ and be cast in the sea,” and it will be done. Remember Christ’s blood provides all that is necessary to forgive another believer.
So how does the whole pericope hang together? Jesus begins by saying that offenses will come, even the kind that can cause a young believer to turn from Christ (skandalon). He gives a serious warning about the eternal consequences to any who might give such an offense. It would have been better for such a person to have been drowned in the sea with a millstone for a necklace than to offend a little one.
How can such offenses happen? First, our failure to forgive can become a skandalon for a young believer. From the context of this text recall the elder brother in chapter 15 who would not forgive his younger brother and rejoice that he had returned. Second, our failure to help could result in a skandalon. (See Lenski’s description of this word in his commentary on Luke 7:23, p. 407.) Even believers might do as the Rich man did in his failure to help the beggar Lazarus. A young believer who meets such cold hearted selfishness in a mature Christian might turn from Christ. Finally, when we are “the little ones” and others Christians hurt us, we need to be forgiving instead of holding the offense or we might be offended and turn from Christ.
The parable that follows illustrates further that God doesn’t owe us when we by faith forgive another believer. That is our duty inherent in the gospel.
This is a possible Goal, Fallen Condition Focus, and Gospel Answer which I shared with my preaching class:
Goal: I want my listeners to ask the Holy Spirit to help them remember what Christ has done for them whenever another believer hurts them.
FCF: Forgiving others who hurt us, especially other Christians, is impossible.
GA: The gospel of Jesus Christ removes every barrier to forgiveness.