The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Love of God, and The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you All. Amen.
Luke 17:1 “And He said to His disciples, ‘It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, “I repent,” forgive him.’ 5 And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ 6 And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. 7 But which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, “Come immediately and sit down to eat”? 8 But will he not say to him, “Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me until I have eaten and drunk; and afterward you will eat and drink”? 9 He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? 10 So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, “We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”
By the time we get to Luke chapter 17, the assigned reading for this morning Jesus has finished telling a series of stories/parables to a large crowd, including a group of Pharisees and scribes. He told the parables of “The Lost Sheep,” “The Lost Coin,” and “The Prodigal Son.” He followed up those parables with the parable of “The Dishonest Steward,” in which Jesus was addressing the fact Christians are not as good at achieving the goals of the church as the children of this world are at achieving the goal of self-preservation. Then finally, the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus,which is a parable that teaches the necessity of repentance.
This morning’s Gospel lesson began by telling us that Jesus shifted His words to a more exclusive group, His disciples. Unlike the parables and sayings in chapter 15 and 16, which are centered around some obvious themes (Lost and Found, repentance, and the like), the opening ten verses of chapter 17 sound like some kind of theological free association. The sayings here seem somewhat eclectic: Stumbling blocks, forgiveness of sins, faith of a muster seed, a slave who isn’t thanked for tending sheep, plowing, or serving dinner to the master all of which don’t seem to have a common or clear theme.
In order to make sense of this section, it’s necessary to understand that Jesus was no longer talking to a large crowd of friends and foes about how the lost soul is found and saved. Jesus was now talking to His disciples. He is talking to the men who will pastor the sheep of His flock. He was teaching them how they must think and what they must do and not do in order to make sure those who have been found/saved aren’t lost again. Jesus and the text are signaling that what He is about to teach is something of particular importance to the disciples.
While these sayings have something to teach all Christians, they are to be particularly championed by the pastors, the teachers of the church and that is the context into which Jesus was saying these things. As future pastors the disciples will be primarily responsible for getting the message out, getting it right, and performing the duties of their office with the greatest fidelity. This is something the preachers of just about every stripe are having trouble doing today.
It was to these soon to be teachers that Jesus said, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
On the heals of several parables teaching how it is that the kingdom of heaven, Christ and His Church work Jesus issues a warning to the first generation (and all generations that followed). It is a rather sobering way to begin a class session with theology students. Don’t mislead the children of the church into sin. Preach and teach rightly! Teach the Law and the Gospel. Teach the Word of God and the way of salvation. Teach Christ and Him crucified for the forgiveness of sins. Preach a baptism of repentance for the remission of sin.
By-the-way, the phrase “little ones” could apply to new born Christians irregardless of earthly age or new born baptized babies and toddlers. Remember, Jesus calls all of us “children” and little children because we are children of the heavenly Father. Jesus is teaching here that pastors are to take their job seriously and not to preach and teach things that harm true Christian faith.
Jesus tells His disciples that in their line of work sin comes with the territory, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come.” Falling into sin is going to happen. The world is a sinful mess and so are we, but we ought not to be the people who happily and willingly cause others to fall into sin.
Having acknowledged the reality of sin/stumbling blocks to which we will succumb, Jesus went on to say 3 “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
We are to be people who deal in forgiveness. The Christian is to be marked by three primary characteristics. 1. We are to be marked by our confession of faith. That’s a fancy way of saying, by our doctrinal beliefs. The people around us ought to know at least something of what we believe. 2. Love for their neighbor, even their enemies. 3. Our willingness to forgive those who fall into sin, especially if that sin is against us. These are also the qualities that are to mark a man’s time in the pastoral office.
Here is one of those rare occasions when the disciples understand the seriousness of what they were being taught. Jesus just told them that job of shepherding the flock is a very hard one. Don’t mess up the doctrine, don’t cause Christians to fall into error and sin, and forgive the unforgivable. These things are to be the all consuming way of life for the pastor. The disciples understand and respond immediately with this plea; “Increase our faith.”
They plead for faith and that is a pretty good thing to pray for in regard to Jesus, His Word, and the work of His Church. But once again Jesus gives a response that seems strange to us. They ask “Increase our faith” 6 “And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.” (Lk. 17:6)
The reply sounds like a criticism and that is how it is used in many a sermons this morning. But remember, true faith in Christ and His Word is not a work of the human will and mind. Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 1 Corinthians 12:3 “no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus’s response to the disciples’ plea points to the reality that we simply do not have the right kind of faith. Saving faith is not the same thing as the faith you have that the person who is driving down the street toward you is going to obey the rules of the road.
God gives the forgiveness of sins and creates and sustains true Christian faith. Saving faith is unique. When the apostles said, “increase our faith” they were confessing their sin. They understood their faith was inadequate. They could not do what was expected of them without help.
Part one of today’s Gospel lesson: Preach and teach rightly. Don’t be one of the reasons one of the little ones fall into false belief and sin.
Part two. Pastors in particular are to be about the business of forgiving sins in the stead and by the command of the Lord Jesus Christ and Christians in general on a personal level are to be about forgiving their neighbor for every kind of offense.
On to part three. 7 “But which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? 8 But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me until I have eaten and drunk; and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? 10 So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”
This is one of those parable that lends itself to getting lost in the woods. The biggest part of the parable is about what is and is not customary and expected of a slave. The slave has a place and specific duties. He does not eat first, then serve the Master second. Rather, he tends to the Master’s household and the Master’s dinner. The slave is to do what the Master commands. He is to do his duty. So also the disciples– soon to be apostles and pastors are to tend to their duties. They are to do what they are being commanded to do. They are to fill the job description of a pastor.
Only after the master is taken care of and his instructions are carried out does the slave tend to his own needs. St. Paul was speaking of this kind of thing in 1 Corinthians 9:19, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.”
In performing his assigned duty, the slave, be he pastor and layman isn’t doing anything other than what he is suppose to do. Think of the military, at least as it use to be. The military gives metals and awards to service men and women who go above and beyond the call of duty. Who do something extra and perhaps extra ordinary. The military doesn’t give metals and awards for just doing the basic job. They get their salary and benefits. They get what is owed them.
Jesus is teaching the first generation of New Testament pastors (and all who will follow in that office) that they have a job to do and specific duties associated with that job. And just as importantly He is teaching that they (and all who follow in that office) are to undertake these duties in all humility. That is to say in full recognition that we are unworthy to preach and teach the Word of God, to administer the sacraments, and to absolve sins. 10 “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’” Think of that– sinners who have the authority to forgive the sins of other sinners in Christ’s stead.
Along the same line, all the recipients of the Gospel and all of its gifts are also called upon to recognize that they are unworthy slaves for they have not only been called into the Gospel, they have also been called and enlisted in the service of their church, their families, and their neighbors.
Nowhere in the Old or New Testament, does God thank a man or woman for carrying out His instructions. God the Father doesn’t. God the Holy Spirit doesn’t. God the Son doesn’t.
To the pastors these parables and sayings tell us to;
- Preach and teach rightly and forgive sin, don’t be one of the reasons little ones fall into false belief and sin.
- Be about the business of forgiving sins in the stead and by the command of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Not look for the praise of men. Just be faithful to what the Master has sent you/us to do. For the pastor it is the public preaching and teaching of the Word of God and the right administration of the sacraments.
These parables are also description of what and how Jesus conducted Himself in the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. He preached and taught the pure Law and Gospel. He did not cause even the littlest one to stumble in their faith. He served as an unworthy slave in His heavenly Father’s household and did not expect to be thanked or praised by men. He plowed and sowed the seed of His Word into the hearts and minds of people. He came into the house on Maundy Thursday and prepared a meal for His Father’s guests, you and me.
Having served as a slave and considered unworthy, for He who knew no sin became sin for us. He was once considered unworthy by the God the Father, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and was seated at the right hand of God with the name that is above all names, with the only name by which salvation is found, and now rules as the head of His household the Church.
Christ was once considered unworthy on your behalf. You too were once considered unworthy by God the Father. But through Christ’s obedience and through your adoption of God’s child, you became worthy and all that is Christ’s is and shall be yours.
Jesus Christ does not come here to thank you for all the wonderful things you do. He comes here not to say thank you, but rather to say, your sins are forgiven.
AMEN.
May the peace that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.