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Nov 15, 2023 18:30pm

Banana Peels

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Remember the old cartoons? There would be the main character walking along, without a care in the world, eating a banana. Without consideration, when he was finished, he’d toss the peel behind him and move on.

Then, someone who was following him, unsuspecting of the danger of the banana peel, would become his victim. They’d slip, flail about, stumbling to the ground.

Are we throwing banana peels?

Luke 17:1-4

“Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”

Jesus was teaching about forgiveness and a life of holiness. He said offenses would come. Things happen. But woe to the one who causes them. Woe to the one throwing out the banana peel without a care. Woe to the one who causes a young follower to stumble.

Like little children, new disciples are learning from their “parents”. Disciples were to become disciple-makers. They couldn’t just sit and learn, but they had to turn around and teach it to someone else. A big part of that includes forgiveness.

If someone were following you, mimicking your walk, your life, you would want to teach them correctly. You would want to be the best example of who Christ is. If there’s unforgiveness in you, there will be unforgiveness in your disciple.

As followers of Christ, we learn the truth. We learn what the Word of God says and it’s our job to teach it to our children and those we disciple. Our lives become a walking testimony of our faith. Just like the disciples with Jesus.

It’s time to check our walk. Are we throwing out banana peels? Are there things in our life that are causing our brother to stumble? Is one of those things unforgiveness?

Just as the Lord forgives us, we should show the same to others.