Faith To Forgive

Do we have enough faith to forgive? Let’s see what Jesus says about how much faith is needed to forgive in Luke 17:5-10.

Faith to Forgive

Let’s not isolate Jesus' comments from their context.

“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! 2 It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. 3 So watch yourselves! If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. 4 Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.’ ” (Luke 17:1-4 NLT)

So actually the disciples are asking for enough faith to forgive frequently and always. “Temptations to sin” is translated various ways: “Things that cause people to trip and fall into sin” (CEB), “offenses” (HCSB, KJV, NKJV), “stumbling blocks” (NASB), “occasions of stumbling” (WEB). We just can’t escape these “offenses.”

Smallest Faith

“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Show us how to increase our faith.’ 6 The Lord answered, ‘If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,” and it would obey you!’ ” (Luke 17:5-6 NLT)

How much faith do we need to overcome offenses? Mulberry trees are great for preventing soil erosion but have invasive root systems. That’s why it’s not a good idea to plant them near buildings. Like the roots of a mulberry tree, lack of forgiveness will invade our lives and cause damage, but the smallest faith is powerful enough to forgive and toss that mulberry tree of unforgiveness in the sea.

Our Duty

“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’ ” (Luke 17:7-10 NLT)

Even today, if an employee is hired to do both farm work and cook the evening meal, then the job is not done until his duty is finished. We have enough faith. We just need to decide to forgive. Forgiveness is not going above and beyond in faith. It is our Christian duty.

We must understand the difference between forgiveness and trust. Full reconciliation may be impossible without trust. We do not have to trust a toxic personality, or even be around them, but we must forgive them. Let’s remember the cross, when Jesus said, Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.

The disciples were like us. They had a little faith, and just needed to put it to work. The smallest amount of faith, like what we have, is enough to forgive and overcome great offenses. When we forgive, let’s not brag that somehow we have gone above and beyond to do great things. We have just done our duty.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.