1 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Believing in Jesus doesn’t immediately remove all temptation to sin. Temptations will come. Jesus warns that we should not be the source of temptation to others, especially not children (or those immature in the faith). Causing another to sin is so grievous that Jesus said it would be better if that person was drowned. Pay attention to yourself. We so quickly want to jump to the next step and rebuke those who sin against or around us. But first, pay attention to yourself and make sure you are avoiding temptation and sin (Matt 7:3; Gal 6:1). If someone sins against us we should point it out to them in a way that brings them to repentance. If they repent, then forgive them. Sin needs to be addressed and not swept under the rug, but forgiveness should be freely given. How often should you forgive someone who continues to sin and repent over and over? Every time they repent. Forgiveness frees both parties from bitterness, resentment, and hatred. We forgive because Jesus first forgave us (Eph 4:32; Col 3:13).
Jesus’ teaching to forgive others freely is not easy. We may feel, like the disciples, that we need great faith to obey such a high command. But Jesus assures us that with just a little faith we can accomplish much (if we are willing to just obey).
Jesus then provided an object lesson. The story describes a servant relationship but anyone who does a job they are required to do doesn’t get to relax until the job is done. Thanks for a job done may be nice but not required if the job is what was expected. In the same way, forgiveness is an essential duty of us as believers. All our service and obedience to God should be as humble servants.
Is there someone who has wronged you that you have not forgiven? Think carefully about why not. Consider how great your sin is against the Holy God and how He freely forgave you through Jesus Christ (Rom 5:8,10). If God reached out to forgive while you were still an enemy of His, what do you have to hold against someone else? Then consider that forgiveness is something He commands us to do? What do you need before you’ll forgive?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Caution in God’s Presence: Ecclesiastes 5-6