Slices
Prepare
Would you describe yourself more as a realist or an idealist? Which approach to life do you aspire to? Today, Jesus will speak into both those realities.
Bible passage
Sin, faith, duty
17 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied round their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves.
‘If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying “I repent,” you must forgive them.’
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 has a servant ploughing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, “Come along now and sit down to eat”? 8 Won’t he 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 Will 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.”’
Explore
Stand in the shoes of the disciples for a moment. Jesus launches a missile in verse 2, then another in verse 6, then yet another in verse 10. All hit their target: how our faith affects our daily lives. He calls them to square up to the reality of a fallen world, but then calls them to live as though that world is fully in God’s control.
Their response in verse 5 is both achingly simple and deeply profound. Faced with the challenge of living as God’s faithful servants, their first awareness is of their own inadequacy. That’s the right place to start! There are no heroic Christians, only faithful ones through whom God does heroic things.
Discipleship demands that we address the reality of temptation and sin in our lives and the lives of those around us. Bad stuff will happen. But (and it’s a big but) the real issue for us is how we respond: ridiculous levels of genuine forgiveness, outrageous faith in God’s power to intervene, servant-heartedness as we go about living for him. And underneath all is the determination not to be the cause of sin in the lives of others.
Respond
Who do you need to forgive? What mountain have you given up trying to move? What sin are you failing to confront? Where have you fallen into the trap of thinking that God owes you something?
Deeper Bible study
Read 1 Corinthians 10:12,13 as a way of watching yourself. Invite the Spirit to show you where change or a way out is needed.
Since Jesus turned to address the crowds travelling with him,1 there’s been no mention of the journey continuing. Instead, we read of different groups crowding around Jesus and being addressed in different ways. For example, Luke 16 switches from addressing the disciples to the Pharisees, presumably in the same conversation. Before the journey to Jerusalem resumes (v 11), Jesus challenges the disciples to go further than the Pharisees in three ways.
The first challenge is to live grace. The Pharisees weighed down people with heavy burdens,2 making it likely that they would stumble, but the disciples are called to do all they can not to do so (vs 1–3). Even more than this, they’re to practise forgiveness towards one another, regardless of how often that’s required (v 4), seeking a right attentiveness before God as a safeguard (v 3).3
The second challenge is to live faithfully. Now identified as apostles, which means those sent by the King with the message of the kingdom, they ask Jesus to increase their faith. Even a tiny amount is enough to do his bidding. The point is not to ask for more, Jesus responds, but to put what faith you do have to work and see it reshape the world around you. Then it grows of its own accord.
The third challenge is to live humbly. The parable of the servant and the master (vs 7–10) reminds us that, however beloved we are by God, he remains our Master. It’s not right for us to expect Almighty God to do our bidding. With delight, we get to play our part working with God for the kingdom, but we’re challenged to remember that this is an undeserved privilege.
How are you putting your faith to work in the world around you? Ask God for fresh empowerment in doing so and for inspiration for new faithful risks to take.
1 Luke 14:25 2 Cf Matt 23:3,4 3 1 Cor 4:4
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 20,21; Matthew 8
Pray for Scripture Union
Faith Guide Mick, SU Mission Enabler Jordana and volunteer Lottie did not grow up in Christian homes. Praise God for bringing them to faith, and for now working through them to help young people without church backgrounds to discover Jesus. (This week's prayers all relate to this story)
