A Seed Covered in Mud (Luke 17:1-10)
Mari Ikeda
A. We are covered in mud
1. “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come” (1-2)
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.
2. What does it mean to forgive others’ sin? (3-4)
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.”
B. Having the seed in us
1. A mustard seed is enough (5-6)
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.
2. The power to change our relationship with others (7-10)
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.’ ”
Summary
No one is free of sin before God. We all equally need God’s forgiveness and mercy. Only by the fact that we are forgiven through Jesus, are we able to truly encourage and accept each other. Though a seed may seem to be covered up in mud, it is there; as long as it is there, it has every possibility to grow.
For Discussion
1) What does it mean to forgive others’ sin?
2) What kind of faith is faith as small as a mustard seed?