Faith vs. Stones, Trees & Servants
Luke 17:1-10
Luke 17:1-10 - Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 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. 3 So watch yourselves.
“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
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.
7 “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Would he not 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 Would 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.’” 1
In the past, when I have viewed this passage, I have only looked at one part at a time. For a message on forgiveness, I would use verses 1-5. For a message on faith, I would use verse 6. For a message on serving, I would use verses 7-10.
That’s not how it was written, though. Luke 17:1-10 was a conversation between Jesus and His disciples. He told them what godly forgiveness was like, they responded by acknowledging their need for more faith, Jesus then said that it only took a little faith to accomplish great things and proceeded to tell them what that looked like.
As the drama of this conversation unfolds, it’s important to recognize the characters in the drama and their relationship to each other. There’s sin (since Jesus is talking about forgiveness, let’s name the sin Unforgiveness), there’s a millstone, there’s forgiveness, there’s a mustard seed, there’s a mulberry tree, there’s a servant and, interacting with all of them, faith.
Unforgiveness & Millstones
We must start by acknowledging that it is not difficult to get offended. It’s not hard to get my feelings hurt. It is hard, however, to forgive. That goes against our nature. It is so natural to get offended and not to forgive that many times we don’t even notice when it happens. We might wake up one day and realize that we are becoming tense. We may find that certain people just get on our nerves for no apparent reason. Then of course are those times we are offended, and rightfully so, but we cant seem to get over it.
The problem comes when we hang on to an offense. It’s not hard to get offended but it becomes really burdensome to carry that offense around with us. If we are not careful, we can quickly become resentful and bitter. To carry that unforgiveness around could be like a millstone hung around you neck.
I would submit to you that the first relationship between unforgiveness and the millstone is this: since the millstone is already there, it is better to be thrown into the sea than to carry it around for the rest of your life. It’s going to kill you anyway. You might as well get it over with before you hurt someone.
Hebrews 12:15 - See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;2
The second relationship between unforgiveness and the millstone is how it affects others. You might think you can hide your resentment. Of course you might not even try. But unforgiveness doesn’t just affect you. It affects those around you and especially the one who caused the offense. Bitterness, or unforgiveness, is a heavy weight to carry. But equally heavy is the weight of not being forgiven. It seems like sometimes there is nothing worse than hurting someone so bad that they won’t forgive you.
Jesus says that unforgiveness is sin. And he takes that sin very seriously.
Luke 17:2 - It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. (NASB)3
Luke 17:2 - It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. (NKJ)4
Luke 17:2 - It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. (KJV)5
Hebrews 12:15 - See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;6
The solution? FORGIVENESS!
Forgiveness vs. Unforgiveness
Of course we don’t just forgive when we are asked. We are called to forgive the way that Christ forgave. We are to become forgiving people.
Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 7
Mark 11:25 - And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” 8
That kind of forgiveness, though, goes completely against our nature. To forgive someone who truly offended us without that person asking us? Yes! Absolutely! Consider Jesus on the cross. He looked down and said “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”.
Just think about the way we have been forgiven. Forgiveness was ours when Jesus Christ chose to go to the cross. He has forgiven us for so many things. And he asks us to forgive others in the same way.
Of course all of this talk doesn’t make it any easier. To even think about it forces us to cry out to God the way His disciples did - “Increase our faith!”
Mark 11:22-25 - “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” 9
Mulberry Trees & Unforgiveness
When unforgiveness, bitterness or resentment find a place in our lives – and they will – it is next to impossible to get rid of it. Because of our sinful nature, the deceit of Satan, and the ease by which we are offended, when bitterness comes it comes to stay. Most of us will find that only a supernatural act of God will free us from us. It’s a good thing we serve a God who’s into that!
Jesus’ response to the disciple’s request for increased faith was to talk about seeds and trees. What was His deal? Well I think that he was saying two things. First of all, the faith that is available for us through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer is so great that only a small amount is needed.
Secondly, I don’t think that Jesus was all that concerned with trees. To the best of my knowledge, God has never uprooted a tree and thrown it into the sea to show his power. He tends to raise the dead for that. But God is interested in freeing us from the power of sin in our lives. I think that Jesus was comparing sin, in this conversation, the sin of unforgiveness, with a mulberry tree. With that in mind, consider this:
Mulberry Tree Facts
* Mulberries are about the easiest trees to grow
* Mulberry trees are able to grow in very poor soils.
* Salty soils should be avoided.
* The mulberry tree has extensive roots that run deep into the soil
* Mulberry trees are nearly impossible to uproot
* Mulberry trees are long lived and often rejuvenate themselves even after falling to the ground because of decay.
* Mulberry trees do not begin to bear fruit until they mature
* Trees that have been blown down and have some roots showing may continue to grow and fruit for many years.
* The juice of the Mulberry is used as a laxative
* If you have plenty of room, plant one. If not, it will take over your yard, house, garden, power lines, alley, your neighbor’s yard, smaller trees, etc.,
* The fruit is extremely messy
* These are hardy trees and severe pruning probably will not kill it.
Hebrews 12:15 - See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;10
The Solution – Faith – Uprooting the Mulberry Tree by Becoming a Servant
To fully deal with the sin of unforgiveness, to really break the hold that bitterness has on us and to make sure we stay free calls for radical action. I believe that within this conversation, Jesus talks about the faith that it takes, and then He describes what that faith looks like. As He is talking about uprooting trees by faith, He goes on to talk about servanthood. He describes what the nature of a servant is like. He basically says that servants do their job without question and without the need for approval. What I believe He is saying is that our faith allows us to become servants and this “becoming a servant” will uproot the sin of unforgiveness in us.
Of course the idea of servanthood is not a new one to most Christians. Most of us that have grown up in the Church have heard tings like “the first shall be last and the last shall be first” many times. We are familiar with scriptures like:
Mark 10:43-45 - “… whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”11
Our problem is not conceptual; it’s in the application. Most good Christians know what it’s like to serve. We do so many things. We serve in so many ways. But what I think that Jesus is getting at here is so much more. It’s not that we need to serve, it’s that we need to become a servant. It’s just a subtle change, but its implications are huge!
Consider the nature of a servant.
Servants basically have no rights
Servants don’t need to be told please
Servants don’t need to be told thank you
Servants don’t need an “I’m sorry”
Servants are used to cleaning up messes whether they’re his or not
As Jesus said, they simply respond with “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”
I know this sounds impossible but consider the enormous freedom we receive by becoming a servant.
I am free from offense because I don’t demand my rights
I am free to serve fully
I am free to forgive
I am free from the need of man’s approval
I am free to get my self-worth from God and who He creates me to be
I am free to love without distraction
Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
As a Christian, it’s not what you do, it’s what you become!
Religion commands us to do the right thing; Christianity provides for us to be transformed!
We need to get past the urge to do and let Jesus transform us.
I don’t have to try to serve more - I become a servant
I don’t have to try to give more – I become generous
I don’t have to try to stop sinning – I become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!
Jesus – Our Example
Philippians 2:4-11
All of these things are wrapped up in our faith. Knowing that, consider this verse.
Matthew 13:58 - And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.12
1The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
2The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
3The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
4The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.
5The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
6The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
7The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
8The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
9The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
10The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
11The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
12The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
