路加福音17:1-10

 1 耶稣又对门徒说：「绊倒人的事是免不了的；但那绊倒人的有祸了。2 就是把磨石拴在这人的颈项上，丢在海里，还强如他把这小子里的一个绊倒了。3 你们要谨慎！若是你的弟兄得罪你，就劝戒他；他若懊悔，就饶恕他。4 倘若他一天七次得罪你，又七次回转，说：『我懊悔了』，你总要饶恕他。」

5 使徒对主说：「求主加增我们的信心。」6 主说：「你们若有信心像一粒芥菜种，就是对这棵桑树说：『你要拔起根来，栽在海里』，它也必听从你们。7 你们谁有仆人耕地或是放羊，从田里回来，就对他说：『你快来坐下吃饭』呢？8 岂不对他说：『你给我预备晚饭，束上带子伺候我，等我吃喝完了，你才可以吃喝』吗？9 仆人照所吩咐的去做，主人还谢谢他吗？10 这样，你们做完了一切所吩咐的，只当说：『我们是无用的仆人，所做的本是我们应分做的。』」

刘富涛，2025-10-5

恩惠、平安从父神和救主耶稣基督归于你们所有遵守他吩咐的人。阿们。

弟兄姐妹们，主耶稣在今天的福音经文中讲了一件教会侍奉生活中常常被忽略的一件事：劝诫人悔改，并且施行饶恕。“你们要谨慎，若是你的弟兄得罪你，就劝诫他；他若懊悔，就饶恕他。”

我们华人啊，爱要面子，在教会里面也是这样。谁要得罪了我，我就绕开躲着不惹他就是了，干嘛撕破脸皮，跟那得罪我的人当面对质呢？顶多背后说几句闲话而已，向其他人发发牢骚而已——当然，这背后说人就是自己在犯罪了。

还有，如果我们都看见谁谁行事不端正，大家也是事不关己，甚至觉得每个人都挺有爱心，就像哥林多人一样，明明谁都知道其中有一位教友犯了淫乱的大罪，“有人收了他的继母”（哥林多前书5:1）。鲜少有人敢于劝诫那得罪人、得罪神、得罪教会的人悔改的。

甚至若有人在教会教导错误的东西，奉基督的名曲解圣经，以教会的名义传播虚假教义，引导人走向灭亡的路，大家还是觉得对错没有那么绝对，不可能什么都弄清楚，差不多就行了，这个时候，我们还是没有看到罪的严重性，和劝诫赦免的必要性。

主耶稣要我们教会开展这一项最重要的事工，那就是劝诫人，目的不是为了定罪而定罪，而是要那人从罪中转离，“他若懊悔，就饶恕他。”而且这赦免的工作要一直地开展，甚至到了不厌其烦的地步。“倘若他一天七次得罪你，又七次回转，说‘我懊悔了’，你总要饶恕他。”（路加福音17:3-4）

若教会没有劝诫，弟兄姐妹们之间就没有真诚，真正的彼此相爱和关心。你如果看见人溺水，难道不会亲自营救，或者呼叫其他人帮助他吗？劝诫人是因为耶稣吩咐我们这样做，而且主教导说，犯罪之人若不悔改，要面临的代价是可怕的。“耶稣又对门徒说：‘绊倒人的事是免不了的；但那绊倒人的有祸了。就是把磨石拴在这人的颈项上，丢在海里，还强如他把这小子里的一个绊倒了。’”（路加福音17:1-2）

要记住，主耶稣这里仍然称呼那得罪人的为弟兄，“若是你的弟兄得罪你。”我们是在基督里互为肢体，是流淌着同一份赦罪和赐生命的宝血，是共享同一个基督的身体。使徒雅各也如此劝勉：“你们要彼此认罪，互相代求，使你们可以得医治。”（雅各书5:16）

这个“绊倒人”不是说引起其他人去犯罪，而是冒犯人，得罪人，伤害人的信心和良心，带来不安和忧虑——当然，被绊倒的人也可能去犯罪，比如有人看见教会中的伤心事，灰心了，甚至不信了。主耶稣的意思很清楚，教会里面总是会有绊倒人的事，让人跌倒、软弱的事，但那绊倒人的有祸了，面临的审判是严肃的——一个人脖子拴上磨石，扔到海里，这本身就是可怕的刑罚，但绊倒人的所受的刑罚要比这个更严重。所以，我们怎么会不凭着爱心和公义劝诫人，敞开地彼此面对，在清洁公义的主面前彼此敞开呢？

面对教会中公开的罪，使徒保罗这样吩咐哥林多人，“你们应当把那恶人从你们中间赶出去。”（哥林多前书5:13）“要把这样的人交给撒但，败坏他的肉体，使他的灵魂在主耶稣的日子（注：悔改的话，或许）可以得救。”（哥林多前书5:5）保罗还说，你们不要自高自大、并不哀痛了，这罪就像面酵一样，能使全团的面发起来，意思就是让整个教会被罪侵蚀，堕落腐败掉。

如果那得罪人、得罪教会的悔改了，就要快快地饶恕。个人与个人之间要这样，个人与教会之间也是这样。就像有些人得了癌症，比如肺部，先去化疗，如果杀不死所有的癌细胞，为了防止扩散全身，就需要切除那一部分，目的是让这个身体慢慢痊愈康复。对教会来说，这个切除的手术就是将不悔改的罪人除教——你会发现当今教会在这方面是离主的教导相差有多远。当然，如果放射化疗好了，那就不用切除了。罪人在教会中也是这样，若懊悔，悔改，求主的怜悯，那教会就会快快地饶恕，保全这肢体在基督的身体上。

雅各还说：“我的弟兄们，你们中间若有失迷真道的，有人使他回转，这人该知道：叫一个罪人从迷路上转回便是救一个灵魂不死，并且遮盖许多的罪。”（雅各书5:19-20）

这个时候，我们应该明白了，教会这项劝诫、使人懊悔、饶恕人的事工是极其不容易的，是需要极大的信心。所以使徒们接下来对主说：“求主加增我们的信心。”（路加福音17:5）不仅对于普通的信徒、弟兄姐妹们来说很难，对治理教会的牧者也是一样艰难。好多时候，牧师也会受人情世故的牵绊，怕得罪人，不敢对付教会中公开的罪。你劝诫人，别人说你太冷血，没有人情味；你赦免人的罪，别人就说你太高调，把自己当神了。其实这出力不讨好的事工完全是神的工作，我们都只是用人，仆人，而且是，用主耶稣今天的话说，“无用的仆人”而已。

为什么说这些都是神的工作？约翰福音记载，主耶稣复活后去见门徒们：“耶稣又对他们说：「愿你们平安！父怎样差遣了我，我也照样差遣你们。」说了这话，就向他们吹一口气，说：「你们受圣灵！你们赦免谁的罪，谁的罪就赦免了；你们留下谁的罪，谁的罪就留下了。」”（约翰福音20:21-23）这完全是圣灵的工作，圣灵藉着我们教会每一个成员来做这样劝诫、使人悔改、宣告赦免的工作。

主耶稣在今天的福音经文中继续用比喻来告诉门徒，他们不是靠自己在做，而是靠主去做。“主说：「你们若有信心像一粒芥菜种，就是对这棵桑树说：『你要拔起根来，栽在海里』，它也必听从你们。」”（路加福音17:6）你们不需要超级信心，不需要信心满满，因为这工作不在乎你的信心大小或者多少，而是在乎你信的那一位，即钉死在十字架的耶稣基督。你的信心只要一点点，哪怕小到像一粒芥菜种，就是一粒小米那么大，你就有那移山的权柄，让一颗大桑树拔起根，栽在海里的本领。

当然，我们知道，主耶稣并不是说你需要这样挪树的神奇能力。就像前面磨石拴在脖子上扔进大海里是比喻刑罚的严重性一样，这里也是用比喻说明，信心仰望的对象主耶稣要把这教会的大事成就。约翰福音14:12“我实实在在地告诉你们，我所做的事，信我的人也要做，并且要做比这更大的事。”

我们都是主耶稣的仆人，他是我们的主，他是教会的头，他为世人赎罪，更是为信徒赎罪，死在十字架上。他要藉着我们这些“无用的仆人”继续做这拯救罪人的工作。这是我们领受的本分，应该做的。不要怕。我们呼召人悔改，劝诫人，赦免人都不是凭着自己的能力或者头衔，唯独是凭着圣灵和主的话语去行的。我们不需要任何人的感激，更不需要主的感谢，因为我们这样做，是出于对他拯救和大爱的感谢。求主帮助我们每一个基督徒，每个教会的成员都能认真对待主交托给我们的这项伟大的事工，好好地做主所吩咐我们做的大事。奉圣父、圣子、圣灵的名。阿们。

Luke 17:1–10 Liu Futao, October 5, 2025

Grace and peace be to all of you who keep His commandments, from God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Brothers and sisters, in today's Gospel text, the Lord Jesus speaks about an often-overlooked aspect of church life and ministry: admonishing people to repent and granting them forgiveness. “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.”

We Chinese people are often concerned with "saving face," and this is true in the church as well. If someone offends me, I'll just avoid them and steer clear—why would I "tear the face" (have a confrontation) and openly challenge the person who wronged me? At most, I'll talk a little behind their back, or complain to others—which, of course, means that by speaking ill of others in private, I myself am sinning.

Furthermore, if we all see someone acting improperly, most of us adopt an attitude of "it's none of my business." Some even think everyone should be loving, much like the Corinthians who clearly knew one of their members was committing the grave sin of immorality, for “a man has his father’s wife” (1 Corinthians 5:1). Few people dare to admonish the one who is sinning against others, against God, and against the church, and call them to repentance.

Even if someone is teaching falsehoods in the church, misinterpreting the Scriptures in the name of Christ, spreading false doctrine in the church's name, and leading people down the path to destruction, many still feel that right and wrong are not so absolute, that it’s impossible to be sure about everything, and that "good enough" is sufficient. In these moments, we fail to see the severity of sin and the necessity of admonition and forgiveness.

The Lord Jesus wants our church to engage in this most important ministry: admonishing people. The goal is not condemnation for its own sake, but for the person to turn away from sin. “If he repents, forgive him.” Moreover, this work of forgiveness must be carried on continually, even to the point of being tireless: “And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him” (Luke 17:3–4).

If the church fails to admonish, there will be no true sincerity, no genuine mutual love and care among the brothers and sisters. If you saw someone drowning, wouldn't you personally try to rescue them or call others to help? We admonish people because Jesus commands us to, and because the Lord teaches that the consequences for the unrepentant sinner are dreadful. “And he said to his disciples, ‘Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were tied around his neck and he were tossed into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin’” (Luke 17:1–2).

Remember, the Lord Jesus still calls the one who sins a brother: “If your brother sins.” We are members of one another in Christ, flowing with the same precious blood of forgiveness and life, sharing one body of Christ. The Apostle James also exhorts us in the same way: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).

This "causing to sin" (or "causing to stumble") doesn't mean causing others to commit a crime, but offending people, wronging them, and damaging their faith and conscience, bringing about anxiety and worry. Of course, the one who is stumbled may also fall into sin—for example, by seeing a disheartening event in the church, losing heart, or even losing faith. The Lord Jesus’s meaning is clear: there will always be stumbling blocks and things that cause people to fall and weaken in the church, but woe to the one who causes the stumbling. The judgment awaiting them is serious—a person having a millstone tied around their neck and being thrown into the sea is a terrible punishment in itself, but the punishment for the one who causes a stumble is even worse. So, how could we not admonish with love and righteousness, facing one another openly, and being transparent before the clean and righteous Lord?

Facing open sin in the church, the Apostle Paul commanded the Corinthians: “Purge the evil person from among you” (1 Corinthians 5:13). “[Deliver] this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord [if he repents, perhaps]” (1 Corinthians 5:5). Paul also said, you are arrogant and have not mourned. This sin is like leaven that can leaven the whole lump—meaning it can cause the entire church to be eroded by sin, to degenerate and become corrupt.

If the one who has sinned against others and the church repents, they must be quickly forgiven. This applies between individuals, and it also applies between an individual and the church. It's like someone who has cancer, say in the lung. They undergo chemotherapy, and if not all the cancer cells are killed, to prevent it from spreading throughout the body, that part needs to be excised. The goal is for the body to slowly heal and recover. For the church, this surgery of excision is excommunication of the unrepentant sinner—you can see how far modern churches have strayed from the Lord's teaching in this regard. Of course, if the radiation or chemotherapy is successful, excision isn't necessary. It is the same with the sinner in the church: if they are remorseful, repent, and seek the Lord's mercy, the church will quickly forgive and preserve that member in the Body of Christ.

James also said: “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19–20).

At this point, we should understand that this church ministry of admonition, bringing people to repentance, and forgiveness is extremely difficult and requires great faith. That is why the apostles immediately said to the Lord: “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5). It’s not only difficult for ordinary believers, but equally challenging for the pastors who govern the church. Many times, pastors are also constrained by human sentiment, afraid of offending people, and dare not deal with open sin in the church. If you admonish, people say you are cold-blooded and lack humanity; if you pronounce forgiveness, people say you are too high-profile, acting as if you are God. In truth, this thankless ministry is entirely God’s work. We are merely servants, and in the words of the Lord Jesus today, merely “unprofitable servants.”

Why do we say this is all God's work? The Gospel of John records that after His resurrection, the Lord Jesus met with His disciples: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld’” (John 20:21–23). This is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit, who works through every member of our church to perform this ministry of admonition, bringing about repentance, and declaring forgiveness.

The Lord Jesus continues in today's Gospel with a parable to tell the disciples that they are not doing this by their own power, but by the Lord’s power. “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’” (Luke 17:6). You don't need super-faith, nor do you need to be full of faith, because this work is not dependent on the size or quantity of your faith, but on the One in whom you believe—Jesus Christ crucified. If your faith is but a tiny seed, as small as a grain of millet, you have the authority to move mountains, the ability to make a large mulberry tree be uprooted and planted in the sea.

Of course, we know that the Lord Jesus is not saying you need this miraculous power to move a tree. Just as the millstone around the neck thrown into the sea is a metaphor for the severity of the punishment, here the parable illustrates that the object of faith, the Lord Jesus, will accomplish this great work of the church. John 14:12 states, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do.”

We are all servants of the Lord Jesus; He is our Lord, He is the Head of the church, and He died on the cross to atone for the sins of the world and especially for the sins of believers. He wants to continue this work of saving sinners through us, His “unprofitable servants.” This is the duty we have received, the thing we ought to do. Do not be afraid. We call people to repentance, we admonish, and we forgive, not by our own power or title, but solely by the Holy Spirit and the Word of the Lord. We do not need anyone's gratitude, much less the Lord's thanks, because we do this out of gratitude for His salvation and great love. May the Lord help every Christian, every member of the church, to take seriously this great ministry entrusted to us by the Lord, and to diligently do the great things He has commanded us to do. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.