Luke 17:1-10 –Faith, forgiveness and obedience

As Jesus travelled with His disciples, He seized every teaching moment to instruct them. Luke 17:1-10 is one of those teaching moments, so He gave some instructions on faith, forgiveness and obedience. In verses 1-3, He dealt with being sensitive to others. As His followers we must be more responsible in our deeds and words. Like it or not, we are being watched every moment. How we behave and what we teach must not become a stumbling block to others - believers or otherwise. The Lord wants us to be accountable for every deed and word. We must ensure that we do not cause others to sin. While not causing others to fall is important, equally important is the need to help others when they fall. So in verse 4, the Lord urged us to be alert and forgiving. When a mistake is identified, deal with it. Rebuke when necessary, but do so firmly and gently, with the view to restore. When repentance is evident, forgive. Don’t hold a grudge, even with recalcitrant.

Verses 5-6 deal with the issue of faith and forgiveness. Jesus was responding to the Apostle’s request to increase their faith. The request they made must be seen in connection with the Lord's instruction to forgive. How could one ever forgive a recalcitrant limitlessly without faith? In His illustration, Jesus was not asking His disciples to uproot trees and deplete the forest. He wanted them, as well as us, to know there is no deep rooted problem that faith in Him cannot deal with. Whether with one's ability to forgive or one's ability to repent, with faith it can be done. If we find it hard to forgive or see that an errant one is unrepentant, we need to ask the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

In verses 7-10, The Lord gave a mini parable by asking three questions. The first and final questions presupposed a ‘no’ for an answer, while the second, a ‘yes’. Let's put it in a way that we can see clearly. Question one: "Which of you, having a slave ploughing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’?" The answer: no. Question two: "Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink"? The answer: yes. Question three: "He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?" The answer: no. In verse 10 the Lord gave His conclusion. As His followers, acting responsibly toward others, rebuking and forgiving wrongs, are just basic expectations a servant must do. They are nothing extra-ordinary. These are ways Christians should live. However, know that we are people of worth in His eye.

The Lord does not expect us to denigrate ourselves. In saying that we are unprofitable servants has nothing to do with self-worth. He is saying that this is the way every one of us is expected to act and behave. He owes us nothing and we cannot credit any debt to Him. Hence, we can never credit any debt to God for the services we render. Whatever service we offer to Him is due Him. So as we render them, we must do so with an attitude of gratitude to Him, without expecting a reward.