Radical Living in a Dysfunctional World

     Over the years of walking with the Lord and learning from His Word, He has on many occasions pointed me to a particular portion of Scripture, usually one with which I am well acquainted, and said: "Hey, this is for you!"  This passage is one of those Scripture portions.  I have read it numerous times, heard it preached, and taught on it myself.  But this time around it has taken on new and deeper meaning for me.  The Holy Spirit knows what we need when we need it and I pray that He will use this in your life as He has in mine.

Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. ² It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. ³ So watch yourselves.

"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

⁶ He replied, "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.

⁷ "Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? ⁸ Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? ⁹ Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' " (Luke 17:1-10; NIV)

      This is a passage in which our Lord teaches life principles and corresponding life actions that He expects from those who choose to follow Him.  While the context indicates that it was first directed to His disciples and apostles, the principles involved are applicable to all who seek to follow Him.  From the response of the apostles to the words of Jesus these principles and actions are not easy to do.  However, it is a teaching that when property understood and put into action will demonstrate a radical departure from the "norm" of this dysfunctional world in which live and show that dysfunctional world a better way.  Unless we believers start living radical Christianity as Christ taught and commanded, the world will never see a reason to change.  He has ordained for us to be the instruments of communication by demonstrating to the world, through our lives and words, a better way.  This passage is one of His teachings on Radical Living in a Dysfunctional World.

     Whenever I had read this passage before the phrase that stuck in my mind was the "seven times a day" that I am supposed to forgive someone.  But there is so much more than that, in fact, that is not the major point at all.   Emphasizing the "seven times a day" focuses the verse on me and it is not about me as an individual. It's about my responsibilities to other members of the body of Christ. Christian living is about more than how you and I live our lives; it is about how we can help each other live lives that honor Christ.

There are three radical teachings of Christ in this passage that ministered to me:

1)  Jesus taught the reality of sin (vs. 1a & 3).  Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come . . . so watch out for them."

 

Ø  Sin here is an interesting word.  Not the normal word we would expect but the Greek word σκάνδαλον [skandalon] from which we get our word scandal.  It literally refers to a trap or snare; or any impediment placed in the way that causes one to stumble or fall.   (TDNT)

 

Ø  The NIV reads that these stumbling stones are inevitable.  A more literally rendering is:  "it is impossible that temptations not come."   Why?  Because we are all sinners living in a sinful world. As Paul said in Romans 5:12-14 (The Message):  "You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we're in—first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. . . Even those who didn't sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this separation from God."

 

Ø  Can we, this side of glory, ever experience a time and/or place where we will not have to deal with sin, our own sin nature, and the sin nature of others?  NO!  That's why He tells us to watch out, to be on our guard, for stumbling blocks; they are all around us!

 

2)   Jesus taught in this passage that we must not only watch out that we don't stumble, but we also are responsible not to cause others to sin or stumble.  After Jesus' warned about the inevitability of stumbling stones, He said: "Woe to that person through whom they (the stumbling blocks) come."

 

Ø   It is a serious thing to cause or tempt another to sin.  In Rom. 14:13 Paul tell us:   "make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way."  The liberties that we each take for granted in our lives must be examined to see if we are causing others to sin by our actions.

 

Ø  I fear that we do not take this responsibility seriously.  Some of that is because of our culture, after all we are Americans and we have our rights.  What I do is my business and no one can tell me what I can or cannot do.  That is faulty thinking for a Christian – we are first followers of Christ.  Our earthly citizenship is secondary to that!  And some of not taking our responsibility seriously is because of our sin nature which loves company.  If we can bring someone else down to our level, we can justify our actions and sins by looking at them instead of looking at Jesus. Too often we forget that people are watching us - believers and unbelievers alike.  People observe us hoping to find actions that will justify their own wants and desires. 

 

ü  After I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior back in 1972 I learned quickly that others, with whom I had associated for a long time, were watching my every action.  I had been a drinker and the Lord convicted me that alcohol was not something He wanted in my life anymore.  At a party we attended, shortly after my conversion, I was drinking a Diet Coke in a glass and was confronted with:  "I thought you had religion now, and you are still drinking?"  I immediately realized that any appearance of evil could cause others to stumble.  I had to be very aware of my actions which, in and of themselves, may not be wrong but which could be misunderstood and give offense to Christ's cause.

 

ü  Others who watch us very closely are members of our own families, especially our children.  Who of we parents has not wanted to take back something we have said that our children parrot back at the most in opportune time?  We must remember that our actions and words are being observed and heard by others and may cause them to stumble.

 

Ø  In the second verse He amplifies the seriousness of causing others to stumble and He also explains the ones for whom He is particularly concerned.

 

o    The Message paraphrases verse 2 like this: It would be "better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time!" 

 

o    In Matthew 18:6, Jesus refers to these "dear little ones" as those who believe in Him.

 

o    If you have never thought about the seriousness of the consequences to sin, this verse ought to get your attention.  The literal point here is that one would be better off committing suicide than causing one of God's children to stumble.  Let me be perfectly clear, it is obvious that Jesus is teaching a principle here that believers are responsible for helping each other by not causing another to stumble. He is not advocating suicide but he is pointing out the seriousness of our actions and their impact on others.  If we would each stop and think before we engage our mouths, we would stop a lot of the problem.  Then, if we would stop and think about our actions and how they influence others, we would stop the majority of what is left.

 

3)   Jesus taught in this passage: "If your brother sins, rebuke him and if he repents, forgive him." Not only are we to live lives that do not cause others to sin; but we must also confront and help each other get the victory over sin.

 

Ø  Look at verses 3-4:  "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.  If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."   What does it mean "to rebuke" someone?  It is an interesting word literally meaning [ἐπιτιμάω [epitimao] to show honor and/or to reprove, to admonish.  The essence of this word is that we honor someone by admonishing them because we are showing them how much we care about them.  We care enough to help them become more Christ like.

Ø  This is the most difficult part of this passage for me.  I have enough trouble dealing with my own sin that I sure don't feel comfortable pointing out someone else's sin to them.  Who am I to rebuke another?  Isn't that like judging someone?  I don't have my act together so why should I attempt to straighten out someone else?  While those are interesting questions, they are irrelevant because each of those questions is "I" centered!

 

 

Ø  On the other side of this coin are those who look for opportunities to "rebuke" others, usually without showing love, and they do it to elevate themselves in their own eyes.  Both of these extremes are wrong and sinful.

 

Ø  It has also become fashionable in Christian circles to become the "victim" of being rebuked and thus appear more spiritual than others. Jesus didn't intend any of these responses to His command.  He wants us to be brothers and sisters who to build one another up.

 

Ø  Remember, these principles that Jesus teaches are not just about me.  They are about teaching me how I can love and help another brother/sister become all they can be in Christ and how I can allow other brothers and sisters to love and help me become all can be in Christ. When we get our eyes off of ourselves and onto the Lord, we begin to see that He desires to use us in the lives of others and to use others in our lives – no part of the body of Christ is independent of the other parts.  The end goal here is the building up the body of Christ.  "Speaking the truth in love, [so] in all things [we] grow up into Him who is the Head, that is Christ."  Eph. 4:15

 

 

Ø  One other caution about rebuking that needs to be said.  Before you rebuke a brother or sister, be certain, after prayer and seeking God's wisdom, that you are addressing something that really is a stumbling stone and not something that irritates you or a personality trait that you dislike in another person.  This is not about changing or conforming someone to fit your image.  It is about helping each other grow up into the Lord.

 

 

Ø  Jesus' aim is not to embarrass or hurt a brother or sister in the Lord, but to encourage him or her to repent (Gal. 6:1). If they do repent, Jesus says, then we must forgive.  How many times?  Every time they sin and repent!    In fact, we must be in the habit of forgiving.  What is the end goal for rebuking and forgiving? Is it getting our way?  Is it fighting back?  No!  It is demonstrating love with the desire for repentance and restoration!

In these four verses Jesus gave three very important principles for radical living in a dysfunctional world: 

1.  Sin is a reality and stumbling stones, are inevitable.  Each of us will experience them.  So watch out for them!

2.  Be careful that you are not the one causing others to stumble.

 

3.  If a brother or sister sins, or stumbles, we have a responsibility to rebuke them with the goal of seeing them repent and be restored to fellowship.

Notice the response of the apostles in verse 5:  "The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith!"

Ø  They saw the magnitude of what Jesus was advocating.  They saw the uncomfortable position in which they would be responsible for their actions and how those actions affected others; they did not like the thought of "rebuking" a brother; and they did not like having to forgive habitually.  In essence they were saying to Jesus:  "You want us to do what?  You must be kidding; we don't have that kind of faith.  That's way too far out of our comfort zone.  You have got to increase our faith!"

 

Ø  I can relate to their sentiments.  Last year I met with a group of men for a retreat during which we all took a personal gift/strengths/values assessment.  One of the items that was high on my assessment inventory was "harmony".  That does not, by the way mean harmonizing as in singing.  My musical abilities would not fill a thimble.  It speaks of desiring harmony in relationships, not wanting discord or contention.  Like so many others, I desire that everyone get along and like the apostles in this passage cringe at confronting and rebuking a brother or sister even if I know it is in their best interest.  I am convinced that is why the Holy Spirit stopped me at this passage.  He said, "Time to move out of your comfort zone!"   And to quote my granddaughter, I responded much like the apostles:  "I can't want to!"

In verse 6-10, Jesus responds to the apostle's demand for increased faith by talking about a mustard seed and a servant both of which are illustrations that this is not about faith – it is about obedience.

Verse 6:  "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."

Ø  Literally Jesus is saying that it takes more faith to move a mulberry tree into the sea than it does to simply obey His commands.  And it only takes faith the size of the tiniest seed to move the tree.  Faith is not the issue here; obedience is!

 

Verses 7-10:  "Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? ⁸ Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? ⁹ Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "

 

Ø  As a servant would you expect special privilege or praise for doing what you are told to do?  Of course not. What Jesus is commanding in these verses is something that is expected of those who choose to follow him.

 

Ø  Our response to Jesus ought not to be asking for more faith. It ought not to be: "I can't want to."   It ought to be: "Yes, Lord."  And after obeying Him we ought to praise Him for using us as He sees fit. "We are unworthy servants, we have only done our duty."

 

     It is obvious that Jesus does not want us to respond to His teaching the way the apostles did, He rebuked them.  He wants us to do what he commands, by choosing to abbey Him, not because of His prodding. 

 

He has given us three principles in this passage:

 

1.  Sin is a reality and stumbling stones, are inevitable.  Each of us will experience them.  So watch out for them!

2.  Be careful that you are not the one causing others to stumble.

3.  If a brother or sister sins, stumbles, we have a responsibility to rebuke them with the goal of seeing them repent and be restored to fellowship.

 

How can we take these principles and demonstrate radical living in a dysfunctional world?  It is not as difficult as we might think.

 

     In 1988 Nike began an ad campaign that was, I think, based on this passage – it went something like this:  "Just Do It!"  Although I have never heard Nike give Jesus credit for the idea, it is literally what Jesus was saying as He responded to the disciples.  He is responding to our reservations and fears the same way.  He is asking each of us: "Do you trust Me?  Then just do it!"