 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.”
Increase Our Faith5 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. Unworthy Servants7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” The Coming of the Kingdom20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.[i] 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” Meditation The love of Jesus transforms the duty of discipleship into delight of obedience. Jesus went to the cross “for the Joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2); the duty of the Father’s will was a delight for Jesus to fulfill. His grace will grow delight from our lives. Jesus is “on His way to Jerusalem” (11) to die and he takes time to heal ten lepers who begged for healing. One leper returned to praise Jesus in thanksgiving (11-19). Gratitude is essential in the ecosystem of delight. People who use Jesus for selfish gain will never discover the delight of discipleship. Disciples are grounded in grace, understanding the call to forgiveness and holiness (1-4) built on the foundation of faith (5-6). Disciples are servants who obey Him, performing our duty to the King of Kings (7-10). Only the mercy of King Jesus can sink our roots into the soil of forgiveness, faith, and holiness. Being grounded in grace grows kingdom awareness, namely, if we want to find our life we must lose it (33), not turning back to any worldly priority when the Kingdom is consummated (20-37). Jesus would go to Jerusalem to “suffer many things and be rejected” (25) so that disciples can be accepted and healed. His grace transforms our discipleship to delight, knowing He will return to fully unite with those who have faith in Him. Richly Dwelling -Is your discipleship more duty or delight? Why? -Jesus was joyful in the duty of the Father’s will to die for the Church because He delighted to be united with you, His people. How does this transform your perspective on discipleship- Are you thankful? -The King’s economy is one in which when we lose our life we will truly find it, living for the joy of the return of the King. How can you prioritize King Jesus and lose your life today, giving of yourself for His glory? Key Verse 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” READ THE WEEK'S LINKS HERE. Comments are closed.
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