A Grateful Heart [Lk 17:1-6] …has an attitude of unending gratitude towards its Master. 

 In the beginning of chapter 17 of his Gospel, Luke shares the following statement made by Jesus – It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come. This was another teaching time that Jesus had with those closest to Him. There were many of those and there would be many more. Jesus was always trying to teach those whom HE had called to follow Him. This is what it means to be a disciple. The word disciple literally means to be a follower; and a follower of Jesus was someone whom gave Jesus permission to teach. Another word that’s synonymous with disciple is “learner.” Jesus wants all His followers to know that the only thing worse than experiencing a stumbling block, is being one. He then pronounces woe (eternal damnation) to those who choose to be a stumbling block. 

 Next, Jesus teaches about the responsibility to forgive those who wrong us [vss 3-4]. And not just those who wrong us once, but those who wrong us again and again. For some, once is hard enough, but Jesus says – seven times in the same day or seventy times seven (as He tells Peter in Matthew’s account in Mt 18:21-22). This verb, written in the imperative mood, means – to demand or require that an action be performed. Can Jesus demand or require us to do that which we cannot or do not want to do? We all know the answer to that question. 

 But let’s approach this from a more practical perspective. Aren’t we being too soft or enabling when we forgive one who keeps sinning against us over and over? Vs 5 helps to answer that. It was written not only to Jesus’ apostles then but to those of us whom He has called to follow Him now. “Increase our faith,” Jesus’ followers pleaded. This is what Jesus wants to do for each of us who are His – increase faith. Do you feel your faith is one that is increasing more and more? Jesus told His apostles in vs 6 – If you had faith like a mustard seed [smallest known seed], you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’ and it would obey you. 

 Now that’s both an outrageous and outrageously random statement. Yet, Jesus’ teachings were never random. In fact, they were like building blocks. Together they painted a larger and clearer picture of what walking by faith is like and how we are never to walk by and according to our own perceptions. But let’s be honest – Jesus’ statement is rather outrageous. It seems as if He is promoting some sort of Jedi theology. Is He? Well, not if we see each statement as building blocks. This statement is connected to Jesus’ requirement to willingly forgive. The mulberry tree could grow up to 35 feet, making it difficult to uproot. And the mustard seed was considered the smallest of seeds. So, when you put Matthew and Mark’s parallel accounts together, the overall context of each is forgiveness. Jesus is showing us how faith and forgiveness go hand-in-hand, with each affecting the other? It takes faith to forgive, especially those who have hurt us the most. In fact, Jesus requires us to forgive because that is what real faith does – it forgives!

 Let’s now process all that Jesus is teaching here in the beginning of Luke 17. If we have just a little bit of faith directed at and in our Great God and Father then He can empower us to do even what we consider the most difficult thing imaginable - to forgive. As one Bible commentator puts it -- We are never more like Christ than when we forgive. And as another proclaimed -- Forgiveness and faith must characterize the life of a disciple. This is the duty of a servant and arises out of a grateful heart. 

 And that is the title of Sunday’s sermon – A Grateful Heart. This Sunday, let’s all be challenged and encouraged by Lk 17:1-6. A grateful heart is one that has unending gratitude towards its Master. And unending gratitude is reflected in an undying loyalty and a willingness to do all that The Master says to do…even forgive.