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Jesus said to his disciples, "Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must be forgiving. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive." The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' " and it would obey you. "Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'? Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!' "

Lesson Aim: That each person might come to know the patience of the Lord and understand his teaching.

Prayer Focus: Pray that each in your group grow in their understanding and demonstration of patience. Pray that they also come to recognize what we are to do as followers of him.

Lesson
An old legend says that when God created the world, the angels were in awe. As he created the animals, the angels asked if they might have a try at it. God agreed and the animal-creation committee was formed. The committee designed the platypus, a creature with the bill of a duck, the fur of a dog, the tail of a beaver, and the feet of a frog. Since that day, there have been no committees in heaven.

If only that were so on earth, don't you agree? Sometimes we can get tangled in the bureaucracy and red tape of getting through life. We just don't get it, and we end up confused and frustrated. There were times when the disciples felt that way, too. The teachings of Jesus were often hard and puzzling. He demonstrated great patience as he carefully instructed his followers. Today we take a look at some of those hard teachings of the patient teacher.

Background Of The Text
The basis for our look into the Word today is a teaching section in Luke's gospel. Jesus has been explaining, in parables, the nature of the kingdom of God. He has addressed the issue of the law and divorce. He told the crowds the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Now, as chapter 17 opens, he is teaching again. Jesus is speaking to his disciples. We can infer from this that he is addressing a crowd of followers. We also get the sense that as he speaks, he is transferring some important truths, hard truths, regarding living the Christian faith. These teachings seem so difficult that in the middle of this discourse, the apostles cry, "Increase our faith."

What does Jesus say about living the faith? Let's take a look....

Christian Living Is Evidenced By ...

Being Mindful Of Your Example (vv. 1-3)
Jesus begins by noting the example of every Christian. He says, "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 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. So watch yourselves." Jesus in this text is warning believers about being mindful of their example. To cause someone to sin, especially one of these "little ones," would bring devastating consequences.

That warning applies to us today, too. We need to be aware of our example and not do anything that would cause someone else to sin. This is a hard teaching but an important one. The call here is to not what is acceptable and right, but to what is best. Our example should be one of the "highest" calling. It is a call to holiness.

We need to ask ourselves this hard question, "Are others led astray by my indulging in 'fun?' " This applies to every area of living. We must understand that people are watching, especially our children.

A little girl of about six was playing in her room with her dolls. Her mother heard shouting and went quickly to her room. She opened the door and saw the little girl pointing at one of her dolls and yelling at her, threatening her. "What are you doing?" the mother asked, somewhat surprised. The little girl replied, "Oh, we're playing house and I'm the mommy and she's the little girl." The mother could only gulp, wondering where she might have learned that.

Being Willing To Forgive (vv. 3-5)
The second teaching of Jesus in this passage is on forgiveness. He says, "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." Jesus here is noting the importance of being willing to forgive. This is another of those "hard" and "puzzling" teachings. This one is so difficult that the apostles plead, "Increase our faith."

Being willing to forgive is never easy. When we are wronged it is much more "simple" for us to magnify that wrong and dwell upon it. A grudge can build up and soon our outlook is poisoned. Forgiveness, though, can be liberating.

Ask the one who writes to the prisoner who murdered her son.

Ask the wife who forgave her husband's indiscretion.

Ask the parents who reach out to assist the drunk driver who injured their daughter.

I hear what you're saying. "That's impossible. I could never do that." It does sound difficult. To me, though, forgiveness is given when it is first realized. When we accept the forgiveness that God offers, then we are more able to share that same forgiveness.

Growing In Faith (v. 6)
Jesus heard the apostles' plea for more faith. He replied to them, "If you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea; and it will obey you.' " Jesus is talking about having a genuine faith that can make a difference. As I hear him say this, I think of his encounter with Jairus. When Jairus was faced with the prospect of his daughter's death, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid, just believe."

My friends, that is true for us. Faith is knowing that God is going to work all things to the good, regardless of what is seen right now. Faith is trusting that it will come together even when it seems as if all is hopelessly confused.

Have you ever tried to put together a puzzle? Now I know some of you are really into that, but I'm just not all that good at it. My nieces like to do puzzles, but they like to turn them over and mess up the pieces. They expect me to put them together again. Fortunately, they don't do large puzzles. However, I have seen some 1,000- and 5,000-piece puzzles. It seems like they will never get put together correctly. If you just keep working, though, and believing that it will come together, in time it does. I think that's how God works. It seems so big and so disjointed at first. It doesn't seem like it is ever going to be anything. Just keep at it and keep believing. In time, God makes it come together.

Be Responsible And Humble (vv. 7-10)
The final lesson that Jesus teaches on this day of hard teachings is one of responsibility and humility. He talks of a servant and how the servant is to do what he is supposed to do. His point is clear and comes at the end of the story. "So you also, when you have done everything that you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "

This hard teaching points out the need for humility and responsibility. We are called to do what God has told us to do. He has given each one of us talents and gifts. He expects that we will use them for the kingdom's sake. In addition to the responsibility of doing what we're supposed to do, we are to be humble about it. We are not to brag about what we do or get "big headed" about the things we do. We are not to suppose that what we do is so important or that God couldn't possibly get along without us. We are to recognize that we are servants. We are to do our duty because it is the right thing to do. We do not do what we do for the accolades. We do not expect people to notice. We do not even intend to be thanked for it. We do it because it is what God has called us to do.

Conclusion
Jesus is a patient teacher. The disciples didn't always get what he taught and neither do we. We are inching ever closer to the crucifixion. Understand what Jesus is saying and what he wants from those who follow him.


Thought Questions

1. Are you "mindful of your example"? Identify some of those who are watching you. What do they see?

2. Why is it so "hard" to forgive? What prevents us from really forgiving?

3. Is it hard to trust God when the pieces don't fit? How do we see our faith "increased"?

4. How is humility displayed? Does a humble person know or say that he/she is humble?


Suggested Songs And Hymns
"Have Thine Own Way"
"Trust and Obey"
"Humble Thyself In The Sight Of The Lord"