Luke 17:1-10
Sin, Faith, and Duty
1 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 around 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 plowing 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.’”
Jesus is teaching His Disciples and believers on sin, faith, and our duties as followers of Jesus...The Disciples, believers, and readers of Luke, are to be mindful of our actions and their potential impact on others...People watch followers of Jesus and observe their behaviors and how they act...
Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come...Jesus acknowledges the inevitability of temptations and situations that can lead people to sin...Faith in God's Guidance is necessary to avoid leading others astray...This includes having faith in God's ability to guide us towards righteous behavior and away from causing harm to others...And the duty of believers is to act responsibly and avoid causing harm to others, especially those who are vulnerable and to people young in their beliefs in their faith journey...
This duty arises from faith in God and a desire to follow his teachings, which include love, compassion, and building each other up in faith...Since believers of Jesus are observed and watched we should live a life that reflects God's LOVE and compassion...He tells us we should avoid actions that could lead others to sin...We should promote the spiritual growth of others, especially those who are new to faith...
Jesus message is a teaching on love, forgiveness, and building each other up...Leading someone astray contradicts these values and hinders their spiritual growth...