October, 2001

“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.” Luke 17:6

In one occasion, Jesus taught His disciples not to be a stumbling block for others. We can hinder people from following Christ in many ways: by what we say or how we live. When we open Luke 17, we are faced with a clear, yet stern warning: Don’t be a stumbling block! “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come . . .” (v.1) The word “sin” is not the usual word we often see in the Bible. The Greek word here means “stumbling block.” Jesus is saying that people are bound to fall into temptation and suffer sin’s consequences, but he who causes such a person to fall by setting up the trap is in big trouble. It would be better for the one who sets the trap to be buried under a deep ocean. Jesus wasn’t suggesting suicide as a way to express remorse. In literature, this is called “hyperbole,” a style of writing used to make a point stands out, but should not be understood literally.

What does forgiveness have to do with stumbling block? On one level, unforgiving potentiates the possibility of a brother continuing a sense of guilt. More importantly, forgiveness releases the person to God’s grace and frees ourselves to live without grudges. By releasing those who offended us, we release ourselves from the bitterness and anger that could easily cause our lives into stumbling blocks to others. So, Jesus said, “watch yourselves.”

When a brother is clearly in the wrong, rebuke comes easy, but forgiveness is not. Our forgiveness provides a savor of Christ’s forgiveness. But to do that seven times in a single day? Now, that takes more than love, it takes faith! No wonder the disciples said, “Increase our faith!” Then Jesus taught them that it is not the “amount” of faith, but the “object” of our faith that matters. It is well said by a Bible commentator, “It is not so much great faith in God that is required as faith in a great God.” If we have just “little” faith, as tiny as a mustard seed, in a great God, we can accomplish great things because it is not our faith that overcomes, but the God whom we have faith in. Jesus again used a “hyperbole” illustration to indicate the significant effect of having faith in a great God. Things that seemed impossible may turn into reality only if we direct our faith to the right “object,” who is an omnipotent God.