Read the Word:
Luke 17:1-4
Meditate on the Word:
Jesus gives two excellent commands in this short passage, and by extension, a third. We immediately see that we should not be the cause of someone else’s sin. Our Lord does not take kindly to our being a source of temptation for a brother or sister. This makes a lot of sense when thinking that we are all one body of Christ. If we cause another to sin and they become a less healthy believer, then the whole body is unhealthy. What one does really does affect all of us.
The second is a call to forgive. In the same way that sin in one member of the body affects the whole body, unforgiveness in one member of the body affects the body as a whole. Those who have not forgiven their brother or sister often seek to recruit others to share their resentment. An “us vs. them” mentality takes hold and division results. People get hurt and abandon the body. Churches split. And the Holy Spirit is grieved.
Implicit also in our Lord’s command is the call to repentance. Whenever we have wronged someone, we absolutely must confess it and repent. Unconfessed sin is a cancer which will cause sickness, not just in the individual believer, but in the body as a whole. Just as we cannot expect a hidden cancer to heal itself, we cannot expect unconfessed to resolve itself. We must take action. We must be the ones to repent, to confess, to forgive, and to not lead others into sin.
Pray the Word:
Ask our Lord to reveal to you any sin or unforgiveness which you may be harboring. Commit to making things right with someone today.
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