He said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to (this) mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. (Lk 17:1-6)
There is evil in the world. Evil and negative things are inevitable. They are bound to occur. Evil will be there till the end of times. Man should not cooperate with evil and in no way cause the evil to happen. Any one who causes evil should be thrown into the deep sea with a milestone around his neck. This is only to say that he will not have a tomb. He cannot hope for resurrection.
Forgiveness is another factor for a disciple. A disciple should forgive the one who offends seven times. Seven in the biblical understanding is completeness, total. The disciple should forgive the offender totally and completely. He should forgive him always. This would only imply that the disciple is forgiveness personified.
Faith is not something which is needed in a big quantity. The disciples are asking to increase the faith. But Jesus tells them not to be worried about increasing faith. Even the size (be it in the size of a mustard seed) cannot be reduced lower than the mustard seed (smallest of all seeds) is sufficient. Faith of this type can do wonders beyond compare.
