Luke Part 3 Week 1

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:1-3 

¹ One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! ² It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. ³ So watch yourselves! If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive.” 

Jesus gave this serious warning to anyone who would cause “little ones to fall into sin.” This at least includes children and some think it can also refer to new believers who are young in the faith and could be misled like little children. Jesus also charged followers of Christ to rebuke a fellow believer who sins. If that person changes his mind (repents), he is to be forgiven.  

REFLECT 

How do you respond to a fellow believer who does something that is dishonoring to Jesus? 

RESPOND 

To read what the apostle Paul told fellow believers read Romans 12:1-3. A believer whose language and behavior is like the world is not honoring Jesus with his or her life.  

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:4 

⁴ “Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” 

Some believers get weary of forgiving and refuse to forgive someone for wrongs done. Jesus instructed that if the person asks forgiveness then forgiveness should be granted. Notice Jesus said if it occurred “seven times a day” and the person asks for forgiveness each time then forgiveness should be granted.  

REFLECT 

How patient are you if a person wrongs you several times in a day? Honor Jesus with your response. 

RESPOND 

The disciple Peter asked Jesus how many times he needed to forgive someone who sinned against him. Read Matthew 18:21-22 for the answer Jesus gave him.  

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:5-6 

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.” ⁶ The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!” 

Jesus had told the disciples the need to forgive many times when a fellow believer repented. They thought they needed more faith to be able to do this. His answer to the disciples’ request for more faith was that they did not need “more” faith to forgive others. Even a little faith could accomplish great things.  

REFLECT 

Have you thought about what makes it difficult for you to forgive someone?  

RESPOND 

Join with a friend in reading Ephesians 4:31-32. The more you realize all that Jesus has forgiven you, the easier it will be for you to forgive someone else.  

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:7-10 

⁷ “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? ⁸ No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ ⁹ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. ¹⁰ In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’” 

In addition to forgiving as they should, Jesus wanted His disciples to serve as they should. He gave the example of a slave in that day. The Greek word for “slave” was doulos and associated with its verb, meaning “I bind,” so a doulos was a “bound one.” Most modern translations refer to the word as a “servant.” Obedient servants of Jesus should feel “unworthy”; that is, “Good for nothing” because they did what was expected. 

REFLECT 

As a servant of Jesus, do you do what is expected? Do you obey His commands?  

RESPOND 

Read Matthew 22:34-40 to see what Jesus said are the two commandments that sum up the entire Old Testament law. Are you obeying both of these?  

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 17:11-14 

¹¹ As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. ¹² As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, ¹³ crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” ¹⁴ He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 

Jesus continued on His way to Jerusalem, He came to the border between Galilee and Samaria. There ten leprous men called out to Him to have mercy on them. This indicates they had previous knowledge of Jesus. They stood at a distance as leprous people were to do. Jesus told them to show themselves to the priests. Surprisingly, “as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.”  

REFLECT 

Think how the lepers must have been surprised at being cleansed before they even arrived where the priests were.  

RESPOND 

If you and a friend want to learn about what the normal process was for those with skin diseases to be considered clean, read Leviticus 13. The first four letters of “Leviticus” helps you to understand it had to do with the Levites. By common Jewish count there were 613 commandments in the Old Testament law and Leviticus contains many of them. James 2:10 says if you’ve broken one it’s as if you’ve broken all of them.