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Lost Relationship

December 11, 2022

Luke 17:1-10

1Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 

3 So watch yourselves “If your brother or sister[a] sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Read Luke 17:1-2

  1. What are some ways in which we as followers of Jesus might cause somebody to stumble? What do you think that phrase means?
  2. Who do you think Jesus is referring to when he mentions “these little ones?” Does the preceding passage offer any contextual help in answering this question?
  3. What have you experienced in your spiritual journey that caused you to stumble a little bit? How did you recover?

Read Luke 17:3-7

  1. Hypothetical: someone has sinned against you. How do you rebuke them (as Jesus instructs here) without violating the law of love? What other passages of scripture might shed light on this?
  2. Is Jesus suggesting that if the person does not repent, we don’t have to forgive them? How do you tend to respond to a person who does not acknowledge their own fault?
  3. Why did the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith?
  4. How do you understand the analogy of faith as a mustard seed? Where do you need to see faith activated in your life?

Read Luke 17:8-10

  1. Summarize as best you can what Jesus is saying to His disciples?
  2. Have you ever felt like you deserved better than how God was treating you? What were the circumstances? How did you resolve those feelings?
  3. Is having done your duty satisfying for you? What do you desire beyond that?