CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Luke 17:1-10
Ernie Arnold
Don Carson
Matt Chandler
Tim Keller
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.’”
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.”
ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
release, remit, forgive, permit
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.”
Symbolic of fullness, completeness
In Hebrew, the expression literally translated as "to
seven oneself" means "to swear a covenant")
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.”
Symbolic of fullness, completeness
In Hebrew, the expression literally translated as "to
seven oneself" means "to swear a covenant")
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 sycamine 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.’”
A generous forgiving spirit must characterize all
Christians.
Because some people owe you a debt because of
how they’ve treated you.
FORGIVENESS: AN ENOURMOUS TASK
FORGIVENESS: AN ENOURMOUS TASK
v5 “Increase our faith!”
FORGIVENESS: AN ENOURMOUS TASK
v5 “Increase our faith!”
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.”
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.”
Imagine a person who wrongs you as completely and
as fully as any person could wrong another human
being
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.”
Imagine a person who wrongs you as completely and
as fully as any person could wrong another human
being
v5 “Increase our faith!”
v3 “So watch yourselves!”
v3 “So watch yourselves!
If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke
them; and if they repent, forgive them.”
v3 “So watch yourselves!
If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke
them; and if they repent, forgive them.”
v3 “So watch yourselves!”
v3 “So watch yourselves!”
v3 “So watch yourselves!”
17:3 “So watch yourselves!”
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one fails to obtain
the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs
up and causes trouble, and by it many become
defiled”
17:3 “So watch yourselves!”
“If you stay angry at them, bitterness takes hold and
it defiles you. And anger never wants to expose itself
as anger. Anger will always tell you that it’s not
anger. It will always say ‘I just want justice!’ Or ‘I just
want the truth!’”
ANGER
wrath, wreath, writhe, and wraith
ANGER
wrath, wreath, writhe, and wraith
All come from the same anglo-saxon root writhan,
meaning “to weave or twist”
“INCREASE OUR FAITH!”
Because of the enormity of the danger
we can not shrink from the enormity of
the challenge.
PRACTICE FORGIVENESS
PRACTICE FORGIVENESS
7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old
wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For
physical training is of some value, but godliness has
value for all things, holding promise for both the
present life and the life to come.
“I can’t forgive them—I’m still angry at them!”
“I can’t forgive them—I’m still angry at them!”
forgiveness is granted before it is felt.
Its practiced before it is felt.
THREE STEPS TO TRULY FORGIVING
THREE STEPS TO TRULY FORGIVING
1. Refuse the caricature the wrong-doer. Instead,
identify with them.
3 … “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke
them; and if they repent, forgive them.
Recognize the relationship—
they are your BROTHER or SISTER.
Don’t focus on the discontinuities, but focus on what
you have in common.
“Forgiveness flounders when I exclude the enemy
from the community of humans and I exclude myself
from the community of sinners.”
-Miroslav Volf
“Forgiveness flounders when I exclude the enemy
from the community of humans and I exclude myself
from the community of sinners.”
-Miroslav Volf
THREE STEPS TO TRULY FORGIVING
2. Inwardly surrender your right to repayment and
pay the debt yourself.
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.”
ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
release, remit, forgive, permit- often to release from
a financial debt-- your have to bear this yourself
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.”
ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
release, remit, forgive, permit- often to release from
a financial debt-- your have to bear this yourself
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.”
ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
Either you pay it or the other person pays it. You can
only forgive if inwardly you forgo seeking repayment.
Most wrongs are not financial wrongs.
Happiness
Reputation
Opportunity
How do you make these people “pay?”
You make them unhappy or try to hurt them.
Most wrongs are not financial wrongs.
Happiness
Reputation
Opportunity
How do you make these people “pay?”
You make them unhappy or try to hurt them.
How do you make these people “pay?”
You make them unhappy or try to hurt them.
Ways we do this:
-Directly- try to hurt them or make their life worse
-Indirectly- go to others and ruin their reputation
-Inwardly- internally replay actions and root against
“And what happens every time that you hurt them
directly or indirectly, or even inwardly when you are
rooting against them and see what something has
gone wrong, you feel good. Because you feel like the
debt is being paid. And you’re being twisted. … In the
short run you feel good but in the end, the evil has
come into your life and its going to suck out your joy
and it’s going to make you a harder person. You’re
being twisted.”
Dan Hamilton
“once upon a time I was engaged to a young woman
who changed her mind. And I forgave her. But it was
done in small sums, over a year. It was done whenever I
spoke to her and refrained from rehashing the past.
Done whenever I renounced jealousy and pity when
seeing her with another man. Done when I praised her to
others when I wanted to slice away at her reputation.
Those were the payments. And she never saw them. Pain
is the consequence of sin. Wood, nails, and pain are the
currency of real forgiveness and a love that heals.”
THREE STEPS TO TRULY FORGIVING
3. You must will the good of the wrong doer.
Just forgive them?!
3 …“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke
them”
Proverbs 14:4
Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
But much increase comes by the strength of
the ox.
Proverbs 14:4
Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
But much increase comes by the strength of
the ox.
Just forgive them?!
3 …“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke
them”
Just forgive them?!
3 …“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke
them”
Purpose of the rebuke:
Matt 18 “If your brother sins against you, rebuke
him. And if he listens to you, you have your brother
back.”
“The line between moral outrage for the sake of God
and of truth, and the immoral outrage because I’m
on the losing side, is painfully thin. On the issue I
may be right but in my heart I may be terribly wrong
because I’m less motivated by the glory of God and
justice and I’m actually out for personal vindication,
saving face, putting a person in their place, revenge.
To quote passages on justice to justify the nurtured
bitterness of personal injury is, for the Christian,
inexcusable.”
THE POWER TO FORGIVE
Disciples:
“Increase our faith!”
THE POWER TO FORGIVE
Disciples:
“Increase our faith!”
Jesus answers this with a parable and a metaphor
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.’”
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant …
slave
employee
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant …
slave
employee
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.’”
Here is what is going on
Here is what is going on
“God owes me blessing and answers and people
owe me respect” – you are a SERVANT acting like a
MASTER.
Here is what is going on
“God owes me blessing and answers and people
owe me respect” – you are a SERVANT acting like a
MASTER.
What did he do?
Tippy Herndon
Tippy Herndon
“You don’t get it—he ruined my career; he didn’t
ruin my life. I appreciate him as a great director.”
When Jesus becomes your life; your self-worth; the
source of your love, then you are free.
And though it may be hard—and in the end, they
can’t touch you. You’ll be free.
Watch yourself. But even a mustard seed worth of
faith in the Gospel grace of Jesus can turn you into a
person who forgives radically and who lives
generously.
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.’”