He said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” 5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to [this] mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7 “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? 8 Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? 9 Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’
Luke addressed the issue of church leaders being stumbling blocks for new converts in the community. They should not cause their brothers and sisters who believe to turn away from the faith. Disciples of Christ will be tempted in many ways and those who are weak in the faith are particularly vulnerable like helpless children. Anyone who leads them away from the faith will be treated harshly. The disciples are to live the ‘Our Father’ and forgive repeat offenders without limit (Mt. 18:22). Forgiving requires faith (Lk. 18:8).
The apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith so that they could withstand the forces of evil and Jesus told them that if they had a small amount of faith, they would not only be able to withstand evil, but be able to do things that seemed impossible. A mustard seed is very small. A mulberry tree has a shallow, invasive, extensive root system that spreads horizontally which makes it very difficult to uproot, and it would be impossible to grow it in the sea.
Jesus addressed the disciples and told them to be responsible in shepherding the flock. They are in a new covenant relationship with God bought with the price of his Son’s blood and are to obey His commands to forgive. They must work for the kingdom with the gift of God’s grace and, as unworthy servants, have only accomplished what they were obligated to do.
Almighty God, we ask you to increase our faith so that with your grace we can lead others on the path of righteousness and salvation as you command us. Fortify us so we do not grow weary and set our hearts ablaze with the fire of your divine love. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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