টীকা বর্তমানে শুধুমাত্র ইংরেজিতে উপলব্ধ। বাংলা অনুবাদ চলছে।
Luke 17 — Lord, Increase Our Faith
It is impossible but that offences will come — woe unto him through whom they come. Better a millstone. If thy brother trespass and repent, forgive him; seven times in a day. Lord, increase our faith. Faith as a grain of mustard seed. The unprofitable servant. Ten lepers cleansed; only one returned — a Samaritan. Were there not ten cleansed? The kingdom of God is within you. As it was in the days of Noah; as it was in the days of Lot. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it.
“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.”
— Luke 17:5
- v.1-10 Offences, forgiveness, increase our faith
- v.11-19 The ten lepers
- v.20-37 The kingdom and the coming of the Son of man
A check on Christian pride. Obedience does not put God in our debt. Everything we do is what was already owed.
Unprofitable servants. Not because the service was worthless to God but because no leftover credit accrues to us. The wages are not a tip.
A famous line on ingratitude. Ten were healed; one returned to give thanks. The proportion is sobering.
A self-test. Most of your prayers are answered without the giver remembering to thank the Giver. Be the one who comes back.
The kingdom's fundamental paradox. Clutching life destroys it; releasing it preserves it. The verse runs through Luke from chapter 9.
The image in context is Lot's wife — she turned back because she could not let go. The believer who looks back is the believer who is lost.
Verse 17 is a measure of your week. How many answered prayers have you not yet thanked God for? Make a list. Pray a corrective prayer of thanks. Be one of the one in ten, not one of the nine.
Christ in Luke 17 commands the impossible — forgive seventy-seven; serve without claiming credit; do not look back; come back to give thanks. Every command is held in His patience. The kingdom He preaches is in the disciple who lets Him work in him what He commands.
Seven times in a day. The numeric ceiling is defeated by Christ's command. The Christian forgives without the ledger Jewish rabbis allowed (three times).
The verse is followed by the apostles' prayer — increase our faith. They recognize that this forgiving requires more faith than they have. They are right.