For the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, the second or epistle reading is from 2 Timothy 1:1-14. At the beginning of this letter, the Apostle Paul reminds his fellow pastor of their heritage of faith and exhorts Timothy to remain a faithful and courageous witness to the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. Despite any worldly difficulties, believers should hold on to and unashamedly follow the sound words of the Christian message.
The Gospel reading is from Luke 17:1-10. In these verses, Jesus begins with a warning about temptation. In this world, there will always be temptations, but Christ's followers must avoid being sources of temptation for others, especially for those who are weaker or more vulnerable. As believers, we must watch ourselves, rebuke evil we encounter, and be ready to forgive those who repent. In Luke 17:5, the apostles seem to fear that they lack sufficient faith to live this way, but our Lord assures them in symbolic language that even a little faith can be powerful through God's grace.
Then in Luke 17:7-10, Christ exhorts His followers to pursue a life of humble service to God. Contrary to the human tendency to be too proud, Christians must accept their proper role in God's household. We should not expect great praise for simply doing our duty. As Luke 17:10 says, "So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which was our duty to do." (KJV) Such an attitude before God is the result of living faith and is the basis of true Christian living.
No comments:
Post a Comment