DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
St. Luke 17:3-10 (2/9) For
Saturday of the 37th Week after Pentecost (Sat., 32nd
Week)
Christian Duties: St. Luke 17:3-10, especially vs. 10: “...'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to
do.'”
First: the Lord encourages us to rebuke one
another (Lk. 17:3). Do you recoil from this command and ask,
“Are we not supposed to be kind to one another?” Ah, but, rebuke of a fellow Christian
may be a kindness. In
teaching us to rebuke, the Lord also says, “'Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own
eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s
eye'” (Mt. 7:5). Therefore,
first apply the rebuke to yourself and ask God to forgive you. Then, rebuke if it can help. Indeed, you must rebuke if the Lord asks
you to do so!
Rebuke has an important place in the struggle
to mature in Christ. It aims to put
one back on the right course. God
admonishes us as a duty, as a gift, to rebuke our companions in their
life in Christ. Help for one
another among the wounded is a blessing.
Rebuke need not be a trap to triumph over another in weakness. Let it have an honored place in the
economy of love, for even the Lord Jesus rebukes those whom He loves. “For whom the Lord loves He
chastens, And scourges every son whom He
receives” (Heb. 12:6).
Second, remember that rebuke is mutual. If the Lord prompts you to rebuke, He
also prompts you to receive rebuke.
We are to bear one other’s burdens, even as others bear ours. Rebuke is not an end-point; it has a
purpose - repentance and correction.
Hence, the second Christian duty is repentance. Receive rebuke yourself as a gift, a
grace from God; and when you rebuke, do so in such a manner that others are
likely to awaken and repent. Be
kindly and firm.
Third, when you rebuke and the other repents,
for God’s sake, forgive! You
must, or you ought to quit the Faith.
Forgiveness is basic Christianity.
How else can you ask God to forgive you your trespasses as you forgive
those who trespass against you? In
the Community of sinners, the struggle goes on and on. To forgive repeatedly may stir up
irritation or impatience in you.
Confess that sin. After all,
fighting the same cursed sin over and over is tedious for us sinners. Who does not know this? As you know God’s
compassion, forgive and without measure.
These three activities, beloved, describe the
scope of Christian life. Reflect on
these duties, and how little we achieve them in fact! Is it not appalling? You and I need to look to our own
darkness and sin. Cry out with St.
Peter in shame: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Lk. 5:8). As the
Apostles understood how little they were able to carry out these duties without
God’s grace, they begged the Lord, “'Increase our faith'” (Lk. 17:5). Seek
greater faith!
The Lord’s reply to this request to
“increase our faith” leads us back to our own sin, and so He speaks
of pulling a tree up by the roots and planting it in the ocean (see vs.
6). Impossible? His hyperbole presses us to depend on
God! Now we are ready for a final
duty: to persist. As we cannot
plant the Tree of life, neither shall we receive rest (vs. 7-10). Labor in Christ is the life-long task of
a disciple. God gives the profit,
and He is faithful to help you attain the impossible. You only have to persist. That is our duty. He will plant and He will give growth.
Grant, O Lord that we may complete the
remaining time of our life in peace and repentance.
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