LEARNING FROM LUKE: FAITH

Luke 17: 1-10

After several weeks of three act plays that we callparables, today we find Jesus’ brief advice in four areas in just 10 verses (ifwe start with verse 1) These short, staccato sayings remind me of “The CountryCommandments” that I received in an e-mail from Cecil Rice who was proud tohave shared them! Instead of the usual sentences that make up the more wordyregular version of the Ten Commandments, the Country Commandments are these:

One God; No hankerin’ for other’s stuff; no cussin’,Sunday go to meetin’, no killin’; mind your ma and pa; no cheatin’; nostealin’, no gossipin’; no idols. It’s plain and simple, ain’t it? J Today we get four short sentences of wisdom fromJesus; they are not apparently connected to each other, yet each claim buildson the last one.  Let’s begin.

“Occasions for stumbling are bound to come but woe toanyone by whom they come.” Translation: Do not cause someone else to sin. Howmight someone cause another to sin?Out of love, friendship or even coercion, a girl might turn her testpaper in such a way that her neighbor can copy off of it. That’s an example.Another example: a boy who normally is kind and caring is part of a group thatconvinces him to become a bully toward a new boy in order to fit in. That’s anexample. Adults do it as well. A male boss who tries to create a personalrelationship with one of his married female co-workers is trying to causesomeone else to sin. That warning of Jesus fits many life experiences. He thenwarns:

“It would be better for you if a millstone was hungaround your neck and you were thrown into the sea, than for you to cause one ofthese little ones to stumble.” Translation: the causer is in more trouble withGod than the sinner!” Little ones are not just children, they are all peoplewho are new to the faith. The breaking of commandments is the definition ofhuman sinfulness from the time of the Exodus on. It happens; but for those who causeor coax others to sin, theconsequences are most severe. Coax someone else into sinfulness at your owneternal peril.

Jesus intensifies the consequences: “If anotherdisciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, youmust forgive.” This is the “we’re all in this together” teaching. “If we knowof a sin, it is our heavenly responsibility to address it.  I really don’t like this proclamationof Jesus! It’s hard enough keeping my own life in order rather than beingresponsible if someone else sins!Because of this statement, gangs can be a cesspool of sins since oneperson will not “rat out” or tell on another. If friendships go that far anddon’t confront dark actions a friend is doing, the one who says nothing is anaccomplice in a cover-up. But God sees it! How many sins do you see a day? Doyou watch people take things that are not theirs? That’s stealing. Do you watchthem break things that are not theirs to break, and they tell you not to tell? Inall cases, being a witness gives us a burden that trumps our hope that we canjust forget what we saw.  To makeit doubly hard, in the climate of our workplaces and classrooms, no one likes asnitch. But this verse is not about telling an authority (although some caseswarrant that it’s about addressing the offender. This is extremely hard, isn’tit? And Jesus makes it even harder, even for the disciples: “If the same personsins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says,‘I repent,’ you must forgive.” You are in good company if you think thisrequest goes too far or asks too much. Although Jesus addresses his discipleswho are present, and us who are listening in, according to Luke it is his Ateam that says no matter how much faith they have, if they have to do that, then they need more of it! Verse 5: “The Apostles said to the Lord, ‘Give us more faith!’ And Jesus says, you don’t need more faith! You already have plenty of faith for whatI’ve just asked you to do! You just aren’t using the faith you have! That’sreally what verse six says with its words about the faith of a mustard seed anda mulberry tree. Even if you have the tiniest amount of faith, when it is addedto life, (like when concentrated cleaner is added to water) it goes a long way!Scientists tell us that we use a fraction of our available brainpower. Ourbrain can do so much more than we ask of it! Now let’s plug in the word faithinstead of brain. “Jesus reminds us that we use a fraction of our availablefaith. We do not need more faith; we need to draw on the faith we have; faith,like a mustard seed, is potent. A little can go a long way if we will engageit.

Then another saying of Jesus’ sayings follows: “Whoamong you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tendingsheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table!’ Wouldyou not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serveme while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink.” Country commandmenttranslation: No matter how hard you work in someone’s house, you are still a servantin the house and not the owner. Therefore no matter what good things you do inGod’s kingdom, you are still a childof God and not God. Today we do not have a concept of first century slavery. First,it was generally not harsh; second, you did not have to be wealthy to have one;and third it was accepted in the culture. Several people who have lived inLatin America in our day have told me that everyone has a maid or a housekeeperor yardman. When I told them that in our household we generally do that workourselves, they said it would be considered an insult to move to that cultureand not hire workers for tending children or the home or the yard. But Jesus’point is clear, no matter how well a slave works, he will not become themaster; he will just be a slave doing a great job doing what he was hired todo. Even with our best work, we are still sinners who stand in the need offorgiveness. There is no ability to be promoted into an “immunity” status whenit comes to sin. Jesus final words: “Do you thank the slave for doing what wascommanded? No; when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say I wasonly a servant doing my duty!”This one needs cultural translation. I am most grateful for workers whodo their job well because it is expected, not because it is consideredextraordinary. But sadly, in some cases fine work is in short supply. In Jesus’day, there is an expectation for disciples to pray, to be an example, and toshare the word about Jesus with others. Those are not extra credit assignments!They are part of what we take on when we commit to Jesus Christ.

Today you will be offered the blessing of the Master –Jesus hosts our communion meal; but because he always models what he wantsfollowers to do, he is also a servant, sharing with those around him. We willnever be the master, but in the company of the Lord, it is our task to serveone another. It is expected, and because he cares for others, it is the rightthing to do. Today, as we are fed in Jesus name, Jesus expects us to, in turn, serve others.

Blessing, and responsibility: they are both part ofthe Lord’s Supper.

Jeffrey A. SumnerOctober 3, 2010