LIVING THE CHRISTLIFE

WAYNE BARRETT

SEPTEMBER 3, 2025

Luke 17:1-6

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom

they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into

the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your

brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the

day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of

mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would

obey you.

______________________

vv 1-2 – “And he said …”

more lit. “It is impossible for the stumbling blocks not to come …”

stumbling blocks – skándalon, the trigger—bent sapling—of a trap

“And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord!

This shall never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me,

Satan! You are a hindrance [scándalon] to me. For you are not setting your mind on

the things of God, but on the things of man.’”—Luke 16:22-23

skándalon – “sin”

It’s fine to translate skándalon as “temptation to sin,” but the more common Greek word for

temptation is peirazó – to test, or put to the test, to examine …

The image of skándalon is

• A person is seeking to walk in the way of the Lord (you can’t stumble if you are not

walking)

• An effort is made by another party to entrap the person who is walking (a person does not

entrap himself)

• The trap may seek to exploit the natural desires of the person walking (baited traps)

• The trap may be mainly one of surprise if the person is not paying attention

• Sinning is often described as “stumbling”—which continues to picture a person seeking

to walk in the Lord’s way who trips or even falls

So “sin” should not only be viewed, or even mainly be viewed, as a kind of inward corruption. It

IS that. But it is commonly understood as a person’s actions gone awry (hamartanó –

missing the mark), or falling short, whatever the person’s original intention.

A skándalon is an effort, a trap, seeking to cause another to stumble in his walk

“… but woe to the one through whom they come!”

When Jesus says something like this—it is good to pay attention.

What follows is all in present tense in the Greek, which makes it even more direct: “It is better

for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and he is thrown into the sea …”

This is graphic enough and final enough for us, but the Jewish people in Jesus’ day already

viewed the sea, generally, with apprehension. This was a particularly “terrible way to go.”

2

Why is it “better”?—because it would prevent the person from committing the sin of causing

others to sin. Better to be dead—and to die in this way—than to experience the punishment

that attaches to that sin.

“than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.”

more lit. “than that he should trip up [skandalisē] one of these little ones.”

“little ones” – mikros – least, less, little, small (Strong’s).

This certainly includes children—particularly and emphatically so (cf. Matt. 18:1-7)—but it is

also a term of compassion Jesus uses for the “small” and needy people (like us)—whom he

loves dearly.

“Fear not, little [mikron] flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”—

Luke 12:32

v 3 – “Pay attention to yourselves!”

This could be seen as 1) a conclusive statement to what Jesus had just said, 2) an introductory

statement to what follows, or 3) a transitional statement that points both ways.

“pay attention” – prosechó, often translated beware, give heed, be on your guard

We have something similar: “You’d better watch yourself!”

“If your brother sins …”

It would seem that the general idea is “if your brother sins against you” (cf v 4; also since

forgiveness is the focus of the teaching).

“rebuke him” – it does not have to be ignored

“and if he repents, forgive him …”

Seems straightforward enough

Jesus is talking about things that truly need forgiving—not some minor annoyance, but a sin

Jesus’ teachings about forgiveness are extensive – and consistent

v 4 – “and if he sins against you seven times in the day …”

Jesus is making a point (He did not mean seven times – but not four or five or eight or nine times

…). See also Matt. 18:21-22.

The point is that there is no limit—no score-keeping as to our willingness to give forgiveness.

v 5 – “The apostles said to the Lord …”

“Increase our faith” – more lit. “Add to us faith”

v 6 – “And the Lord said …” or “But [de] the Lord said …”

more lit. “If you have faith like a mustard seed, you would have said this to this sycamine tree, ‘Be

uprooted and be planted in the sea!’ and it would have obeyed you.”

“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and

does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass [ginomai,

becomes, happens], it will be done for him [more lit. it will be for him].”—Mark 11:23

And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not

only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up

and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if

you have faith.”—Matthew 21:21-22

This was not the reply they were expecting!

3

How do we understand these teachings of Jesus?

Jesus healed, he cast out demons, he calmed weather, he brought the dead to life. And he rose

from the grave. So, Jesus demonstrated the power of God and the way that God honors faith.

And we know Jesus spoke the truth.

After Pentecost:

In the lives of the apostles, there were signs and wonders as well. But they seem to be

occasional, or seasonal—not every-day occurrences.

We certainly do not see an early church in which each and every Christian displayed the kind of

faith that Jesus is describing here.

Nor, in spite of the many great examples of Christian living throughout history until the present,

have we ever seen anyone exercising faith in the way Jesus describes here—or if we have,

we do not know that we have.

“If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing…. So now faith,

hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” —1 Corinthians 13:2,13.

This Scripture acknowledges such a faith (as an ultimate example)—but also proclaims that

love is supreme to it.

So, we arrive back at our original question: How do we understand these teachings of Jesus?

Could it mean that, in spite of everything, we really know almost nothing about faith? That the power of

faith is something almost beyond our comprehension.

Jesus often called his disciples “little-faiths”—not in anger, but, it would seem, just in observation.

Could it be that faith in its full power will be something that we know and exercise throughout eternity

(as we were always intended to do)—however faltering our faith may be now? And that what Jesus is

saying is from this eternal perspective?

Since man’s fall was caused by breach of faith (disbelieving God – then disobeying God), could it be

that a great loss of that fall, still not fully recovered, is a fullness of faith? Could this also be a reason

why God ordained that the pathway back to him, through the work of Christ, should be by faith