ht
with God. He declared further that the Law and the Prophets plainly set
forth the divine requirement of love. One who fails to observe this
supreme law in the use of wealth and of all similar opportunities and
privileges is under condemnation and is in peril of eternal pain.

8. Warnings to the Disciples. Ch. 17:1-10

1 And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that
occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom
they come! 2 It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about
his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he
should cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Take heed to
yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent,
forgive him. 4 And if he sin against thee seven times in the day,
and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt
forgive him.

5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And
the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye
would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou
planted in the sea; and it would obey you. 7 But who is there of
you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto
him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit
down to meat; 8 and will not rather say unto him, Make ready
wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have
eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9 Doth
he thank the servant because he did the things that were
commanded? 10 Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the
things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants;
we have done that which it was our duty to do.

After the severe rebuke given by our Lord to the Pharisees in view of
their selfish abuse of wealth, Luke records four apparently disconnected
warnings given to the disciples. The first, vs. 1, 2, was against the
peril of causing others to sin. In this world of selfishness and of evil
desire, our Lord declared, it is inevitable that such offenses will be
committed, but he pronounced a solemn woe upon anyone guilty of this
grievous fault. He declared that it would be better for such a person to
be drowned in the sea rather than to allow himself to become guilty of
such a sin. The death of the body is far preferable to the death of the
soul. Therefore, Jesus warned his followers lest th