Day 1389 - Is there a reward for being faithful?

A Bible Study of Luke 17:1-10 at Second Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, TN, September 29, 2016

The revised common lectionary excises verses 1-4 from verses 1 -10, leaving us only with the parable in vv5-10.  The ten verses are addressed to both disciples and apostles, or leaders of the church (as v5 states).  On one level these verses can be parsed and stand on their own; but Luke has weaved them into a whole that needs to be appreciated to get the full import of the message of the parable. Verses 1-4 set the circumstances for verses 5-10. Let’s read and see. At the beginning of each section I pose the circumstance or question the verses seem to address.

Causing a brother or sister to sin: Luke 17:1-2

The Greek word translated “stumbling” (scandal in modern usage) is an unusual (rare) word in Biblical Greek, “skandalon,” and it really means something like “ensnared,” or “caught in a trap.” Hence we can use the sense of sinning. The Greek also uses a word translated as “but” in verse 1 that actually imparts a very strong intensity or emphasis to the verb “woe,” “But woe to anyone by whom they (stumbling) comes.”

“Little ones” in verse 2, should remind you of Luke’s frequent quoting of Jesus referring to children both literally and figuratively. This makes a connection for us to both true children, to persons who have newly come upon faith, and to mature persons who still are children of God.

Treating one who sins against you: Luke 17:3-4

These four verses establish an ethical standard for the worshipping congregation. We have to bring the historical context into the present and explore whether we want to apply that ethical standard today if we want to really make sense of and use the parable in verses 7-10. (Remember a parable is a metaphorical structure in a historical context that has the power to be generalized for today’s circumstances.) We will return to this question in the Reflection.

Forgiveness is another common theme found in Luke. You may be thinking of the version of this in Matthew. But here the message, “everywhere repentance is found, forgiveness must be accorded” is good enough.

How can we do it?: Luke 17: 5-6

      According to Fred Craddock, Luke’s Greek word usage to account for what Jesus said is not reprimanding as if they did not have enough faith, but affirming that they do. In Craddock’s words, “Small faith cancels out ‘impossible.’” Thus the sentence fragment “If you had faith…” means, “If you had faith, and you do have it…” The amount of faith is not important, but provenance of genuine faith is the fundamentally, essentially important thing.

A parable saying “There is no such this as ‘above the call of duty’”: Luke 17:7-10

The parable begins with a rhetorical question, “Who among you would…” whose clear implication is, “No one would.”

Notice how Jesus forces us into the master’s position. This is a little remarkable to me, as Jesus usually is subtler allowing the listener to decide where one stands. It is the classic style of the parable however to begin and encourage us to cast ourselves with a supposed protagonist (“good guy,” in this cast the master) but at the end, as usual, to have everything turned upside down by casting us with the least expected actor, in this case the lot of the slave.

Reflection

Jesus spells out two sets of “ethical standards” of Christian fellowship in verses 1-4.

Ask yourself, “What is the first issue?,” or “What threatens the fellowship of living in the community of faithful?”

One issue has to do with our maturity. Are we all on the same level of maturity or are there “little ones” such as newly baptized/new members (a common theme in Paul’s letters to congregations he started, see Corinthians). We say also the mature are free and responsible to the Lord and can chose to do anything that does not diminish faith, but on the other hand, the law of love (to avoid our actions causing another to stumble) trumps the law of freedom.

The second issue has to do with those among us who work against or sin against us. In the face of an injustice, we are to forgive and accept repentance. The step of measuring the magnitude of repentance of one who asks for forgiveness is embarking on the road of judging, not forgiving.

The unstated premise in this parable is that among the entwined fellowship of Christians there is an ethical standard and violating that ethical standard is sin. This is a profound yardstick, because it says, “What we do is not just our business but the community’s.”

It is a major crisis of the present time whether we actually still hold to this ethical standard as something every community of faith should explicitly follow. We can’t really move beyond the sayings and parable without agreeing to this reality.

To say these ethical standards are a heavy burden understates the matter. It is no wonder the apostles (not just the disciples but the apostles, or leaders of the Lord’s Church) ask for more faith!

To appreciate the parable also we must accept the context of slavery, regardless of how objectionable it is. This is an essential part of the parable. Slavery is loathed by everyone, then and now. No one wants or wanted to be a slave. In ancient Palestine slavery, although every person loathed the idea of being a slave, was an accepted reality. We have to attempt to place our self in that context to understand the parable.

This parable describes a “small homeowner” who has perhaps a single slave who has double duty, work outside in the field and work inside fixing dinner for example. The slave’s time belongs to the master and when the master’s tasks are done, the slave can turn to his own tasks. There is no ground for a slave to boast, the slave has a duty to perform. Keeping this image in mind also helps us understand the power of the reversal in Jesus’ words that to lead one must be a servant (slave).

When we tie this conclusion of the parable to verse 5, the parable is addressing a question to the leaders (apostles) of the church, “Are you a servant of God, or are you cruising and seeking ‘your fair share’?” It also points to the faulty idea that if my faith is increased, some kind of perk or reward must come along with it.

The reality of this parable is that we have no special “claim” upon God, rather everything we have is on loan from God.

When Jesus calls us “worthless slaves” we must recall both his words that to be a master one must be a slave, that the ultimate virtue of a slave is humility or subservience, and that Rome believes the ultimate virtue was power.

What does Paul say defines the acme of virtue? (Philippians 2:1-12). This passage in Philippians, written long before Luke penned his gospel captures the essence of the humility demanded in this parable. It is the humility the Lord used when he faced Rome to defeat the power of death. As an aside, this passage in Philippians is believed to be the earliest hymn of affirmation of faith.

In the quite extensive, hedonistic society within which we live, these ideas may seem alien, if not irrelevant. Who brooks a slight? The reality of following the Way is that whether we are in the field or the house, we are still servants/slaves to the Lord. We may politely translate the Greek word as “servant” because “slave” is so repugnant, but the reality of grace is we are worthless  to receive something that is freely given to us. Jesus is telling us in these verses three things about the duty of one who avows to follow the Way: (1) to avoid causing someone to stumble, (2) to accord forgiveness to those who repent, (3) to live by faith.

We can conclude that this unmerited gift of grace has no justification in value we bring to it. If there is no justification or value we bring, then it is a gift to the unworthy. How can there be a reward for accepting a gift for which we have no merit? There is no reward for being faithful save its reality as our act of accepting the gift acknowledging our loyalty and subservience to the Lord. Doesn’t the part of the Westminster Shorter Catechism  inscribed on the gate of McCallie School embody this parable? “The chief end of humanity is to glorify God and enjoy his grace forever.”

Amen