Gospel Meditation

Luke 17:1–10

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.

1.         These three stories may or may not be connected.

2.         In the first, “temptations to sin,” was spoken to Jesus’ disciples, likely more than just the Twelve. He warns them that they will be tempted to sin, and it is awfully wrong to tempt another person to sin.

3.         There will be wrongdoing and sinning, and when this happens, the sinner must be spoken to, and just as important, forgiveness is to be given, and repeatedly.

4.         Then the apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith, they must have felt that the faith they had could not be sufficient. Jesus then, using a parable says that even if their faith seems small or weak, even then still that faith is powerful, and this taught by using what is termed “oriental hyperbole,” meaning reference to a tiny little mustard seed and the uprooting of a tree that was known for its strong roots.

5.         Now a separate story, Jesus speaks of a servant whose master does not invite that servant to dinner when the servant has completed a task. And does the master even thank the servant for his work? No is the answer, and the lesson is that as His servants His disciples are to consider themselves to be unworthy, as the labor they engage in was only their duty.