Daily Scripture: Luke 17:1 Yeshua said to his talmidim, “It is impossible that snares will not be set. But woe to the person who sets them! 2 It would be to his advantage that he have a millstone hung around his neck and he be thrown into the sea, rather than that he ensnare one of these little ones. 3 Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Also, if seven times in one day he sins against you, and seven times he comes to you and says, ‘I repent,’ you are to forgive him.” 5 The emissaries said to the Lord, “Increase our trust.” 6 The Lord replied, “If you had trust as tiny as a mustard seed, you could say to this fig tree, ‘Be uprooted and replanted in the sea!’ and it would obey you.
Reflection Questions:
Jesus told his disciples that, in his Kingdom, they needed to be ready to forgive someone, even seven times in the same day if that were necessary. (In Matthew 18:21-22, he told them they needed to forgive either “seventy-seven” or “seventy times seven” times.) That seemed really hard, so the disciples cried, “Increase our faith.” But Jesus said faith isn’t a matter of “size.” Any faith can produce big changes in our hearts and lives.
- This is a clear example of the way Jesus used “hyperbole” (overstatement to make a point) in his teaching. Throwing trees (or mountains—cf. Mark 11:23) into the sea would not do anything to advance God’s Kingdom. Changing our inner anger and hurt into forgiveness can be a mountainous challenge. In what ways have you sensed God’s grace changing you into a more gracious person?
- The Old Testament at times echoed our natural human response toward people who hurt us (e.g. Psalm 139:21: “Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD?”). Jesus taught, very clearly (if uncomfortably), “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). How can you recognize and deal with your times of hurt and anger, but in ways that allow you to pray for, and seek the good of, people who offend or hurt you?
Today’s Prayer:
Lord, in some ways, saying “increase my faith” could let me off the hook. It could leave it up to you to change me while I am passive. Instead, I trust you to guide me in the steady work of growing more like you every day. Amen.Insights from Brandon Gregory
Lord, in some ways, saying “increase my faith” could let me off the hook. It could leave it up to you to change me while I am passive. Instead, I trust you to guide me in the steady work of growing more like you every day. Amen.Insights from Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at the Vibe, West, and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
I don’t know if you’ve ever gotten a gift from someone that they clearly didn’t pick out. I did once, from a high school girlfriend whose mom picked out a coffee mug warmer for me. The girl, who shall remain nameless, halfheartedly shoved a wrapped box into my hands as her mom smiled warmly. As I opened the gift, the girl let loose an embarrassed laugh and turned away from me. Clearly, the coffee mug warmer was not her idea, but it was labeled as being from her. The mom’s smile melted when she saw her daughter’s reaction.
Overall, the experience was a bit insulting, and uncomfortable for everyone involved. Somewhere along the line, either the mother or the girl forgot that it’s the thought that counts when giving a gift. Having someone else pick out the gift for you robs the gift of its integral meaning.
In today’s parable (Luke 17:1-6), we have to confront the fact that forgiving someone over and over for the same thing can be really hard. Jesus’s quip about the mulberry tree (“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”) is often quoted out of context, but its placement here carries great meaning: forgiving someone seven times for the same thing (or 490 times, in Matthew) can be more difficult and more amazing than a tree replanting itself in the ocean.
Forgiveness is hard, which is what prompts the apostles to ask for more faith in forgiving as Jesus asked. Asking for more faith to forgive others is like saying, “I can’t do this, God–You do it.” A lot of times, God is ok with us saying this. But this is one time when God says that we don’t need a lot of faith–we need to just do it.
Asking God to take care of the hard task of forgiveness for us is like asking someone else to pick out a gift for you–the very act of delegating this robs it of its value. Each time someone does the same thing wrong, it becomes harder to forgive–but that forgiveness gains value as it becomes harder to give, adding up to a much bigger gift over time. I probably wouldn’t ask someone else to pick out a gift for my wife; but I most certainly wouldn’t ask someone to pick out a very costly gift for my wife for our anniversary.
This is why forgiveness has to come from you. It’s hard, and repeat offenders make it harder–sometimes, it can feel like asking a tree to replant itself in the ocean–but the value of the gift is in the cost of its giving.
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
I don’t know if you’ve ever gotten a gift from someone that they clearly didn’t pick out. I did once, from a high school girlfriend whose mom picked out a coffee mug warmer for me. The girl, who shall remain nameless, halfheartedly shoved a wrapped box into my hands as her mom smiled warmly. As I opened the gift, the girl let loose an embarrassed laugh and turned away from me. Clearly, the coffee mug warmer was not her idea, but it was labeled as being from her. The mom’s smile melted when she saw her daughter’s reaction.
Overall, the experience was a bit insulting, and uncomfortable for everyone involved. Somewhere along the line, either the mother or the girl forgot that it’s the thought that counts when giving a gift. Having someone else pick out the gift for you robs the gift of its integral meaning.
In today’s parable (Luke 17:1-6), we have to confront the fact that forgiving someone over and over for the same thing can be really hard. Jesus’s quip about the mulberry tree (“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”) is often quoted out of context, but its placement here carries great meaning: forgiving someone seven times for the same thing (or 490 times, in Matthew) can be more difficult and more amazing than a tree replanting itself in the ocean.
Forgiveness is hard, which is what prompts the apostles to ask for more faith in forgiving as Jesus asked. Asking for more faith to forgive others is like saying, “I can’t do this, God–You do it.” A lot of times, God is ok with us saying this. But this is one time when God says that we don’t need a lot of faith–we need to just do it.
Asking God to take care of the hard task of forgiveness for us is like asking someone else to pick out a gift for you–the very act of delegating this robs it of its value. Each time someone does the same thing wrong, it becomes harder to forgive–but that forgiveness gains value as it becomes harder to give, adding up to a much bigger gift over time. I probably wouldn’t ask someone else to pick out a gift for my wife; but I most certainly wouldn’t ask someone to pick out a very costly gift for my wife for our anniversary.
This is why forgiveness has to come from you. It’s hard, and repeat offenders make it harder–sometimes, it can feel like asking a tree to replant itself in the ocean–but the value of the gift is in the cost of its giving.
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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