Luke 17:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, “I repent”, you must forgive.’
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Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, “I repent”, you must forgive.’
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The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.6
Have you ever planted a tree?
It takes some work. You need a shovel. In Georgia clay, you need determination and a little bit of physical stamina.
Modern gardening wisdom says that you should only dig as deep as the tree's root ball, but you should dig 3 to 5 times as wide, loosening the dirt so that the roots can spread and get really healthy.
That's a lot of dirt to turn, but the results are immediate and gratifying. A tree is planted, and the hope of years of shade and enjoyment stretches into the future.
Jesus' talk of mustard seeds and mulberry trees is a little more abstract.
What does it take to "plant a tree in the sea?"
According to Jesus, "faith." The Greek word behind this text is "pistis," perhaps best translated as, "conviction."
Deeply held belief.
If we have the tiniest kernel of conviction, Jesus says, the impossible moves within our grasp.
Think a mulberry tree in the ocean is impressive? What about forgiveness?
Restoration of broken relationships?
Healing? Newness of life?
Jesus says it's possible. Do we believe it?
Prayer: Father God, increase our faith and "conviction." From a mustard seed planted within us, may you move mountains.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.
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