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Day 205

Luke 17 :1-10 "IT IS IMPOSSIBLE THAT NO OFFENCES SHOULD COME..." Luke 17:1"

Day 205 – Luke 17

Text: Luke 17 :1-10

“IT IS IMPOSSIBLE THAT NO OFFENCES SHOULD COME…” Luke 17:1

Jesus was most realistic about the problem of sin. In this instance, he used the word “offence” to describe one aspect of sin. The word “offence” may be literally translated, “a stumbling block”.

Some people dream about living a sinless life. Jesus squashed this idea with this statement. It is impossible for a person to be sinless. Even if a person is an excellent disciple, he could not say that he would be free from the danger of becoming a stumbling block to others!

What a sobering statement of truth this must have been to His Disciples! They had carefully followed the Lord Jesus. Despite all that they did, they still faced the possibility of being a stumbling block to people!

This was a humbling truth indeed! But wait, were there other things that Jesus sought to teach them concerning the problem of sin?

“BUT WOE TO HIM THROUGH WHOM THEY DO COME…” Luke 17:1

As if those words were not sobering enough, Jesus went on to pronounce the dreaded word… “WOE”… on those who were guilty of being stumbling blocks. Let us consider the whole statement Jesus uttered.

“It is impossible that no offence 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.”
Luke 17:1-2

What was the point that Jesus was making as He uttered these solemn words? On the one hand, He spoke of how it was impossible to avoid the problem of sin. Then He went on to say that the person who sins would have been better off drowned, than that he should offend “one of these little ones”.

Once again, we are reminded of the important ministry Jesus exercised as He taught His Disciples. Such observations, such insights would not have been possible unless someone revealed these great truths to them.

TAKING TIME TO DIGEST THE GREAT TRUTHS JESUS TAUGHT

It is impossible to fully understand the great truths that Jesus taught unless we take time to slowly digest what He said. Let us try and analyse what Jesus said and meant!

1. Jesus could see the heart of a human being. He knew what dark thoughts lurked in the heart of a person. Whereas the Pharisees had tried to justify themselves even when they were obviously in error, they had fallen into the power of sin.

2. When the Pharisees defended and promoted their erroneous teachings, whether or not they realized it, they were stumbling people.

3. The Pharisees had probably not fully comprehended the immense power of sin! Did the Disciples fully understand the power of sin?

4. Jesus sought to teach them and to warn them that at all times they must guard themselves against the inroads of sin.

5. Sin has terrible consequences. Sin can hurt people very deeply. Worse, sin will result in judgment and condemnation.

GUARDING OURSELVES AGAINST THE PROBLEM OF BEING A STUMBLING BLOCK

How important it was for the Disciples to learn about the power of sin. Being a stumbling block, causing a person to fall – that is sin indeed!

Sin could be so well disguised that it may not be recognized for what it really was! The Pharisees were so entrenched in their mistaken beliefs and practices that they probably did not fully understand that they were stumbling blocks to others!

1. They had very fixed ideas concerning the Sabbath. They were wrong, and their teachings had been defeated by Jesus. However, they still persisted in their wrong practices. Did they stumble people?

2. They also had very warped ideas concerning those they regarded as sinners. They disdained Jesus for seeking to reach out to sinners. Their understanding of God must have been seen as very forbidding. Did they stumble others?

3. The Pharisees hounded Jesus everywhere they went. They resorted to all sorts of schemes to see if they could trick Jesus into saying something wrong. They spoke against Jesus openly. They also whispered wicked words against Jesus, alleging that He was in league with the Devil when He cast out demons (Luke 11:15). Did they stumble anyone?

A stumbling block may not seem as deadly as an outright blatant sin. Nevertheless, Jesus recognized and warned that stumbling people in their faith and in their life is as deadly as doing wicked deeds!

OFFENDING THESE “LITTLE ONES” (Cf. Matthew 18:1-14)

The identity of “these little ones” is made clearer when we compare the text with a similar text found in the Gospel of Matthew. We may draw the following conclusions:

1. The little ones are actually little children! That is the obvious meaning as we study the text in Matthew 18. Jesus called “a little child” (Matthew 18:2) and then spoke about how children must not be despised or stumbled (Matthew 18:6, 10).

2. However, as we examine the text carefully, we realize that Jesus spoke of adults coming to faith in God as “little children”. Therefore the term “little ones” was a figurative term that applied to believers in Christ. They ought not to be stumbled either!

BOTTOM LINE – “TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES” Luke 17:3

The lesson Jesus wanted His Disciples to learn was unmistakable. They must always be on guard, lest they stumble anyone unwittingly, or worse with pre-meditation. That would be a heinous sin indeed.