It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!

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 in a day, and seven times in 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 this parable:   "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."  My study bible suggests here that little ones refers primarily to children, and by extension to anyone whose heart is humble and dependent on God.  We could also think of Lazarus the beggar, from yesterday's parable (above), as one of the little ones.  That is, one humble and without power.  My study bible further describes the virtues of those who enter into heaven, reflective of "little ones" -- humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.

"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 in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him." Seven times a day is a number to symbolize fullness, completion.  This is a teaching on how to be "God-like."  God not only stays the punishment we deserve, says my study bible, but forgives us the entire "debt."  Because God forgives us, it says, we are required to grant the gift of forgiveness to others.   Let us remember this is not asking us to welcome those who will abuse relationships; repentance also must be a meaningful choice and acknowledgement of error.

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."  My study bible tells us that the mulberry tree, in this passage, is symbolic of the works of the devil.  Silkworms feed on the leaves of the mulberry tree -- worms being an image of hell and true spiritual death (Mark 9:42-48).  This patristic interpretation is confirmed by many images in scripture of evil being destroyed in the sea (8:33; Exodus 14:27; Matthew 21:21; Revelation 20:10). 

"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.'"  Unprofitable means literally "without merit."  But it does not mean without intrinsic value.  It indicates instead that everything we have comes from God and is owed back to him.  In fact, this is an extension of the notion of what a "steward" is.  It is also a kind of sacramental image:  whatever we have to offer God is already His.   Consistent with the passages before it, Jesus enforces the idea of humility, forgiveness, and community under the direction and image of God -- and strength God gives us to follow such commandments.

Clearly Jesus is speaking to His disciples here.  He's giving the tough examples of what it means to live in community, in His Church, and what kind of leadership and followers He wants for Himself.  Who is the good servant who follow His commands without thinking he is doing something special or beyond the call of duty?  The first command here behind all others seems to me to be humility.  It runs through all of these teachings, and counter to the character traits He disparages in the Pharisees and scribes, those who treasure the best seats in the synagogues and greetings of honor in the marketplaces (Luke 11:43).  Jesus' warning about offenses, especially to the little ones, the ones having no power nor "currency," is as dire as it gets.  And these warnings are not to the Pharisees but to us, His nominal followers, His would-be disciples and servants.  This is all about how we think of the use of power.  He warns us against exploitation, and dishonoring those who haven't got much of a voice.  This image of power and stature was so prevalent, it is something Jesus must teach in the most extreme terms.  We are to think of ourselves as good servants, whose duty is not "special" but that which is asked of us and expected of us.  Couple this with the story of the unjust steward in Friday's reading, and we have a suggestion for how we are to treat our fellow servants -- particularly if we have any position of authority.  The disciples respond in an interesting and appropriate way.  They demand, "Increase our faith."  These are not easy teachings!  And I don't believe Jesus expects them to be easy or simple.  He is asking for a community, the Body of His Church, that works against the ways of the world.  His response is to teach about faith and the power of faith, that which will help them to be good stewards, servants, and those who fulfill the commands asked of them.  This is where we take our cue, for the power to forgive, the strength to pray with the power of God's truth, the capacity for humility in doing our duty and following His commands.  Faith becomes a kind of circulation system, the sap in the tree that gives it life and strength.  It shapes a communion that helps us to become His representatives in what we do and how we choose; it forms community by linking us with God's holy power.  This is where we turn for the strength to be good servants, for the transcendence required for true humility and not some form of self-degradation, for an understanding of forgiveness that also contains both God's mercy and God's justice.  It is that place in which we seek to stand and to fulfill His commandments, to be the light in the world that reflects His light.