If he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times a day returns to you, saying, "I repent," you shall forgive him

 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  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.  Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

"And if he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

"And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.' "

- Luke 17:1-10

In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus to the Pharisees:  "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.  Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'  Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'  Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'  But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' "

 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  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."  Turning back again to His disciples, Jesus teaches about discipline and discipleship.  There's a quality here of instruction for the matters of the Church after He is gone, and we know He is on His way to Jerusalem, to the Passion.  My study bible points out that "little ones" are "small children or those of humble status who are unable to defend themselves, but are under God's care." Offenses are like debts -- they are the things that hurt others in some way.

"Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."   Justice and right relatedness are at the heart of Jesus' teachings for behavior in the Church.  These men will become stewards of the Church, and He is laying the foundation for regulation of behavior among them.  We note the justice here (which is akin to "right relatedness" or "righteousness"):  Repentance goes hand in hand with forgiveness, both on conditional upon the other!  Each party bears their own responsibility under His command.  At the same time, an offense doesn't go unnoticed, there is a kind of mutual discipline among the members -- and we remember that "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline" and that "the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in."  This is discipline with love, and Jesus goes into mutual correction even more deeply in Matthew's Gospel, where He notes quite carefully the requirement of one who would point out the speck in another's eye!  At repentance forgiveness is given so that reconciliation is a constant practice among them.  My study bible says, "Christians are to practice unlimited forgiveness."  We note the reciprocal relationship He encourages: the practice of mercy goes both ways. 

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."  There are stories of the Desert Fathers in which instruction is given regarding forgiveness, and more, turning the other cheek.  There the monks ask a Father to help them in this difficult endeavor, and he replies teaching them with baby steps in this practice.  Here, I believe the desire to increase faith is so that they may incorporate these practices of self-discipline, mutual correction, and forgiveness, even "seven times a day."  So we understand faith from these verses in the context of the strength that gives us the discipline to truly follow Christ's teachings and commands.  Christ responds that even a very little faith will enable them to fulfill their duties as His servants and disciples. My study bible teaches that "Jesus uses a deliberate exaggeration to emphasize the strength of genuine faith."

"And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.' "  Beyond teaching them that even a little faith will help them to follow His commands, Jesus teaches the disciples, the future bishops of the Church, that when they follow such commands of discipline, they are doing only what their Master calls them to do.  Their attitude must be one of servant leadership, and in treating the flock a particular way, in practicing mutual love and discipline among themselves, even "seven times a day" they must consider that they are doing their duties.  He is setting in order the proper relationships among them.  My study bible says, "The purest faith is that which recognizes that we are servants who owe everything we are and have to God our Master.  Thus, after fulfilling His commandments, we should humbly recognize that we are still unprofitable, never worthy of all His gifts."

Let us remember that forgiveness is the backbone of Christianity.  I find often that I have confused reconciliation with forgiveness.  In the teaching above, Jesus gives a formula:  we must first regard our own sins or offenses as seriously as possible!  Correction for offense comes as loving rebuke, forgiveness given upon repentance, up to seven times a day:  a number that means "unlimited."  But what of those who cause offense who do not repent, and who cannot take or hear a rebuke?  We know that forgiveness is still possible through the faith of a mustard seed, because it is divine help that increases our faith so that we may follow His practices.  Reconciliation may not result, but one can always turn to God to practice forgiveness, to "give up" a debt and put it in God's hands.  One may turn to God in prayer to find how best to respond.  In cases of great abuse, it will still require us to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves, but we can still practice forgiveness even though we may need discernment for how to live in peace with a particular relationship, and even separately from someone.  But we can still "pray for our enemies" and thereby "do good to those who hurt us."   What we remember most of all is that Jesus' discipline is for the good of everyone; He doesn't call us to masochism but to peace.  Justice and righteousness here are "right relatedness" -- to one another but also to God and within ourselves.  Let us remember the mustard seed, and turn to God in prayer for illumination for all our questions:  God's unlimited forgiveness  is ours:  God asks us to practice forgiveness ourselves but not in the dark.  In a constant context of self-correction and mutual correction, awareness, repentance, and God's faith at work in us.