Tuesday, October 19 - Miriam

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Luke 14:25-17:10; John 11:1-37.

There were several verses that jumped out at me while I was reading today's passages.  My Bible study group studied the book "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" last spring, which covers the story in John about the raising of Lazarus.  It is directed toward those who are feeling frazzled or worn out by all the day-to-day details and rushing around of life. 

I've chosen to do this post on Luke 17:1-10, and some of the material below is from Putting Faith in Perspective by Bob Deffinbaugh.

It was difficult for me to understand how the different parts of this passage fit together, until I read the commentary noted above.  It starts off with how serious sin is and how we dare not become a stumbling block to those around us.  Not only are we to avoid tripping others up (which is fairly passive) but we are to rebuke and seek to restore those who have fallen into sin (much more "active" and often very difficult).  Not only that, but when we are asked for forgiveness, we are to grant it unconditionally - not requiring a test of the other person's sincerity first - just as God forgives us when we ask.  This is true whether the other person has sinned against us once, often, or even again after having said he or she repented.  Not an easy command!  Forgiveness can be difficult even when we know the other person is sincere and repentant, but if they seem not to be it is even more difficult - yet there is no doubt that we are commanded to forgive.

As I understand our text, it is Jesus’ words about forgiveness which precipitate the apostles’ petition for more faith. They seem to understand that forgiveness must be granted by faith. They also appear to believe that such forgiveness would require more faith than they possessed. Thus, they petitioned the Lord to give them greater faith, with the implied commitment to obey His instructions when such faith was theirs.

I think that the apostles were sincere in their request, but that something must have been wrong with it. It does not seem to me that faith is what was lacking here, but simple obedience.

Ouch.  That hurt.  Forgiveness is an act of obedience.  Jesus corrects their response, in a way, by saying that a small amount of faith can accomplish great things.  Also, as Mr. Deffinbaugh noted in the commentary, though they made their request sincerely, Jesus is not said to have granted it - a point that could easily go unnoticed. 

A friend of mine pointed out that this request of the apostles is most interesting in the light of the power and authority already granted them by our Lord. They had been sent out to preach the kingdom of God, with the power and authority to heal and to cast out demons (Luke 9:1ff.). In spite of such great power, some of which seems to abide with them on an on-going basis, they found that they did not have sufficient “faith” to forgive.  The disciples asked Jesus for more faith, but Jesus did not grant it. A lack of faith must therefore not be the problem.

And this is where the first part of the passage connects to the part about the slave who does his duty for his master.  At that time, in their society, people owned slaves.  This was normal and accepted.  Jesus used the example of the master and the slave because this was something they could all understand, even though it seems strange in our society.  A master expects, rightly, that his slave will do his duty and do all that his master requires of him without expectation of congratulations for a job well done, or even gratitude for having done it.  It was no more than was expected of him.  It was his duty to comply with his master's commands, just as it is our duty - not something for us to congratulate ourselves or expect to be rewarded for having done, but what is expected of us as followers of Christ.  Let's face it, we all like recognition and congratulations and thank-yous, but we are expected to be obedient to the commands of our master, not because of the accolades and rewards we expect from doing so, but because it is our duty as those who belong to Him, recognizing that we are unworthy of the grace and mercy extended to us by our Saviour.

WHY DOES JESUS INSTRUCT HIS DISCIPLES TO THINK OF THEMSELVES AS UNWORTHY SLAVES, WHEN OUR CULTURE IS TELLING US THAT MEN NEED A BETTER SENSE OF THEIR SELF-WORTH?

Frankly, this is a good question. I will leave it to those who advocate a “good self image” to explain. I cannot. Jesus’ words, in my estimation, are too clear to brush aside. It is the Pharisees who had a “good self-image” and were destined for hell. It was those who knew themselves “unworthy” who came to Jesus and found grace and forgiveness.

Our Lord’s words in this text teach us a vitally important principle, which can be summed up in this way: FAITH ALWAYS OPERATES IN THE ARENA OF GRACE AND MERCY, AND IS EXERCISED BY THOSE WHO KNOW THEMSELVES TO BE UNWORTHY.

Jesus would have us learn that while a master has every right to demand total obedience from his slaves, and the slave has every obligation to obey his master completely, the master has no obligation to be grateful to his slave, even though he obeys him completely. Pharisaical faith becomes a kind of “work” which obligates God to respond. Biblical faith requires obedience to God, without any demands on Him at all. Biblical faith thinks in terms of duty; Pharisaical faith thinks in terms of benefits, obligated by faithfulness.

It occurred to me as I have reflected on the Lord’s command to forgive and the apostles’ petition for greater faith that the key to our obedience is not only in petition, but in praise. How often, when we pray, we ask God for something, rather than to praise Him for what He has given. How often we assume that the reason we have not acted in obedience is because we lack the faith to do so.  Many times, I believe that we lack the gratitude to act, rather than the faith to act.  (emphasis mine)  Often, it is not that we lack the means to obey God, but that we lack the motivation to obey Him. Peter tells us in his second epistle that God has given us all that is necessary for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), and this through the knowledge of Him. Let us therefore take praise much more seriously. Let us not seek petitioning God for that which we truly lack, but let us also grow in our grasp of all that He has given, and give thanks to Him.

Appropriate, having just celebrated Thanksgiving, to be reminded that thankfulness and praise should be given to God all year round, in everything.

Tomorrow's passage: John 11:28-57; Luke 17:11-18:8.