Passage Read: Luke 17-18
Meditation Verses: 17:1-6
Thought
How often have I read these two verses and heard the doom of the one who causes a little one to sin. And of course I think of truly wicked people who have no hope of repentance. But then it is immediately followed by Jesus' command to "watch yourselves." And the latter is tied to the former by a "so." In other words, the required response to the deserved judgment of one who causes little ones to sin is to rebuke the one who sinned, not to write off such a sinner! It would be better for one who causes a little one to sin to be cast into the sea with a great millstone tied around his neck. Or, he could repent and seek forgiveness. "So watch yourselves" means "this could be any one of you." Therefore, if one of you sins, rebuke him; if he repents, forgive him. No matter how many times he comes back repentant, forgive him. Which means, no matter how many times he causes another to sin, if he repents, forgive him. The disciples were right to ask for more faith; Jesus is asking something that should seem and is impossible without faith. Then Jesus says even tiny faith is capable of impossible things! The disciples don't need more faith, they need genuine faith!
Application
This hit so hard this morning. I am the man who has caused others to sin. I deserve a millstone and the sea. But God is willing to forgive even one such as me, if I am repentant. It is not that I have no hope, because this is in fact all of us. If there were no hope, then Jesus died for nothing. But in fact, He died even for the worst of sinners, people like me, so that we could have hope, so that we could be forgiven, so that I could be forgiven. If I can repent and receive forgiveness, then anyone who repents can likewise receive forgiveness, even if they repeat their sin seven times a day, and seven times come back in repentance, every day as long as days remain. If I can receive forgiveness every time I repent, then I must also extend forgiveness every time someone comes to me in repentance. That requires true faith, not great faith, because even a little true faith can do impossible things. And it's even more impossible: Because the instruction is not merely to forgive those who repent, but to guard one another by rebuking those who sin and receiving rebuke when I sin. It is far easier to overlook a sin or to forgive without saying anything. But that leaves the sinner in their sin and under their great judgment. That is not love at all, at least not love for a brother. That's love for self. If I don't have faith to do this, then do I have any faith at all? May God have mercy on me!