Mark 9:42	Matt 18:6-7	Luke 17:1-2
		1 He said to his disciples,
	[see Matt 18:7 below]	"There's no way
		that traps won't be set;
		but still,
		damn those who set them!
42" Any of you	6 "Any of you	2 You'd be better off
		if you had a millstone
		tied around your neck
		and were dumped
		into the sea
who entraps	who entraps	than to entrap
and exploits	and exploits	and exploit
one of these little	one of these little ones	one of these little ones."
trusting souls	who trusts me
would be better off	would be better off
if you had a millstone	having a millstone
tied around your neck	tied around your neck
and were thrown	and being drowned
into	in the deepest part
the sea!"	of the sea.
	7Damn the world
	for the snares it sets!
	It's inevitable	[see Luke 17:1 above]
	that traps will be set
	but still,
	damn those who set them!"

Sources

At least three of the four sayings grouped in Luke 17:1-4 and elaborated in Matt 18:7-22 are probably from Q. But the proverb about a millstone is open to question. Matthew clearly uses Mark's version but appends Q's warning about traps. Luke not only has these two sayings in reverse order, the two parts of his version of the millstone saying are the inverse of those in both Mark and Matthew. Here Matthew seems to have followed the same editorial policy that he used elsewhere: preferring Mark's narrative context but adding Q material to Mark's version of the same saying (see notes on Matt 13:31-33//Luke 13:16-21 above). Luke, on the other hand, seems to have favored Q's version of a saying complex and --- here as elsewhere --- inserted it in a context that differs from Mark's. In any case, the millstone proverb is the only saying in this cluster that may have come from more than one source.

On scandals	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 17:1 Matt 18:7		4 0	8 8	8 12	81 81	12 09	black black

Meaning

Most renditions of this passage either leave the Greek word σκάνδαλον ("scandal") untranslated  or substitute a more general term ("obstacle," "offense," or "temptation").  Scholars Version sticks to its literal meaning: "trap." A trap or snare is baited to catch something or someone. Wary animals know that and avoid the bait for fear of getting caught. This Q proverb claims there will always be traps, but sides with the victim by condemning the trapper. Matthew amplifies that condemnation by having Jesus curse the whole world.

Attribution

Warning others about danger is part of the traditional role of prophets and sages. There are many biblical proverbs about different kinds of "traps." While a few Fellows judged this warning to would-be trappers unusual enough to be credited to Jesus, most did not. The formal curse or lament is typical of several sayings that probably do not come from Jesus (see notes on Luke 6:24-26; Luke 10:13-15//Matt 11:20-24; Luke 11:42-52//Matt 23:13-36). And other Christian preachers, like Paul, --- without citing Jesus --- warned people about setting a σκάνδαλον for others (Rom 14:13).

Millstone & sea	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 17:2 Matt 18:6 Mark 9:42		7 7 7	13 13 13	20 20 20	60 60 60	22 22 22	black black black

Formula

This proverb uses the classic form of a warning: "If someone does so-and-so, this is the consequence." It does not identify the punishment, but leads one to imagine something more horrible than drowning. This warning could be applied to any number of situations, simply by particularizing the "if" clause. Here it is aimed at those who trap "little ones." Luke (= Q?) leaves this as a generalization. Matthew and Mark identify the victims as Christians.

Attribution

This warning may have been credited to Jesus in two independent sources: Mark and Q. Thus, more Fellows were willing to trace it to Jesus than the previous saying. Its images are more vivid and exaggerated. On the other hand, the history of this saying is not certain. Mark may be the sole source; and his version is the most clearly suited to warn the early Christian community against false leaders. Even Luke's version resembles warnings issued by later preachers (see note on preceding saying). So most Fellows did not consider this saying distinct enough to credit to Jesus.

Luke 17:3-4	Matt 18:15-17
3 "So be on your guard!
If your companion does wrong,	15 "And if some companion does wrong,
scold that person;	go, have it out between the two of you
	privately.
if there is a change of heart,	If that person listens to you,
forgive that person.	you have won your companion over.
	16 And if he or she doesn't listen,
	take one or two people with you
	so that every fact may be supported
	by two or three witnesses.
	17 If he or she refuses to listen to them,
	report it to the congregation.
	If he or she refuses to listen even to the congregation,
	treat that companion
	like you would a pagan or a toll collector."
	Matt 18:21-22
	21 Then Peter came up and asked him,
	"Master, how many times
4 If someone wrongs you	can a companion wrong me
	and still expect my forgiveness?
	As many as seven times?"
	22 Jesus replies to him,
seven times a day,	"My advice to you is not seven times,
and seven times turns around	but seventy-seven times."
and says to you,
'I'm sorry,'
You must forgive that person."

Versions

Luke's advice (= Q) for dealing with offenses is simple and brief:

• warn the offender
• pardon one who changes
• pardon repeat offenders.

Matthew develops these points in greater detail for situations in the early Christian community. Curiously, however, he credits Q's advice to forgive seven times to Peter rather than Jesus (Matt 18:21//Luke 17:4). By portraying Jesus as recommending that the period of pardons be eleven times longer, Matthew shows that Q's advice was being taken over-literally by some early Christians.

Attribution

Forgiveness	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 17:3a Luke 17:3b Luke 17:4 Matt 18:15 Matt 18:16-17 Matt 18:22		0 0 0 0 0 0	0 8 15 4 0 19	0 12 15 8 0 8	99 80 69 88 99 73	00 09 15 05 00 15	black black black black black black

The weighted average of other Q sayings recommending forgiveness (Luke 6:37//Matt 7:1-5 and Luke 11:4//Matt 6:12-14) were weighted pink. So some Fellows thought this saying should be too. Matt 18:22 was favored by  those who thought it best represented Jesus' policy of unqualified forgiveness. The evidence that Matthew freely revised the simpler Q saying in Luke, however, kept most Fellows from concluding that any of this advice rested on a genuine Jesus saying. While Q's version is probably basic, it too is designed to resolve conflicts between members of an established community. The Greek term that the SV translates as "companion" is ἀδέλφος (lit.: "brother"), the term that Paul regularly uses for members of the Christian fellowship (Rom 1:13 etc.; 1 Cor 1:10 etc.; Gal 1:11, etc.). Thus, even the core saying seems composed to address problems confronting Jesus' followers after his death rather than any identifiable situation prior to his execution.

Luke 17:5-6	Matt 17:20-21		Thom 48
5 The apostles said			1 Jesus said,
to the Master:
"Make our trust grow!"
6 And the Master said,	20 So he says to them:
			"If two make peace
			with each other
			in a single house,
	"Because of
	your meager trust.
	Let me tell you,
"If you had trust	even if you have trust
no bigger than	no bigger than
a mustard seed,	a mustard seed,
you could tell	you will say		they will say
this mulberry tree	to this mountain,		to the mountain,
	'Move from here		'Move from here
	to there,'		to there,'
	and it will move.		and it will move."
	And nothing
	will be impossible
	for you."
	Matt 21:21	Mark 11:22-23	Thom 106
	21 In response	22 In response
	Jesus said to them:	Jesus says to them:	1 Jesus said:
			"When you make
			the two one
			you will become
		"Have trust in God.	sons of men,
	"Let me tell you,	23 Let me tell you,
	if you have trust
	and do not doubt,
	not only can you
	do this to a fig tree
	but you can even say	those who say	2 and when you say
	to this mountain,	to this mountain,	'Mountain,
'Uproot yourself	'Up with you	'Up with you	move from here!'
and plant yourself	and	and
in the sea!'	into the sea!'	into the sea!'
		and do not waver
		in their conviction
		but trust
		that it will happen,
and	and that's what	that's the way
it would obey you."	will happen."	it will be."	it will move."

Sources

The saying about "moving mountains" must have been popular among early Christians. It is known in three forms from three different sources. The common core is "Say...and it will happen." But the conditions in each form vary.

For Mark (and Matt 21:21) results depend upon unwavering trust. And this idea is linked to the power of prayer (Mark 11:24//Matt 21:22).

The second form stresses that only a bit of trust (no greater than a mustard seed) is necessary to make things happen. Prayer is not mentioned in this version. These sayings (Matt 17:20//Luke 17:5-6) are probably based on Q. Q's original wording is not certain, however, since Luke has a mulberry tree in place of the mountain of other versions.

Thomas has two versions which link the ability to move mountains to unity (or peace) rather than to trust or prayer. This form is simpler than either of those in the synoptics.

There is also this partial parallel in Paul's letters which, like Mark and Matthew, refers to trust moving mountains:

"And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing."
    --- 1 Cor 13:2

This passage is probably older than any written gospel source, yet it does not claim to quote Jesus.

Attribution

Moving mountains	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 17:5-6 Matt 17:20-21 Matt 21:21 Mark 11:22-23 Thom 48 Thom 106 common core		9 0 0 0 4 4 12	17 30 30 30 29 29 42	26 40 35 35 29 29 19	48 30 35 35 38 38 27	29 33 32 32 33 33 46	grey grey grey grey grey grey grey

Although this saying was widespread at an early date, it was not transmitted in a stable form. So establishing the original version is difficult.

Thom 106:2, however, comes close to representing a core common to all versions except Luke's. The Fellows voted on a modified version of this fragment ("If you say, 'Mountain move,' it will move") on the hypothesis that it was the nucleus from which all the variants developed.

People do not usually expect speaking to move mountains. So more than half the Fellows thought the exaggerated imagery of the common core could be traced to Jesus. This was offset, however, by those who pointed to Paul as evidence that "moving mountains" was a common metaphor. Later writers could have credited it to Jesus to endorse their own religious ideals. Others thought that Luke's contrast between a mustard seed and a mulberry tree was more likely to come from Jesus than the more common mountain image. Yet no version had enough support to be cast pink, although the reconstructed core came close.