Luke 17:1-10
Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table?’ Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink?’ Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”
Little wonder the disciples say, “Increase our faith” – Jesus has just been describing what it means to be a disciple and it’s a rather tall order. Making sure no one stumbles, correcting those who offend, forgiving those who repent…even over and over again. It’s exhausting.
And so the disciples ask for more faith.
Jesus’ answer is often taken as a rebuke. But I’m not sure. Maybe it’s a vote of confidence. You know, like “you’ve already got all the faith you need. Instead of asking for more, just use what you have. It doesn’t take all that much to do pretty amazing things.”
Truth be told, I can sympathize with the disciples. There are times I wonder how I’m going to keep up, follow through with various commitments, do all that I’ve said I would do, and make sure I don’t fall short of the expectations of those around me. Maybe that’s a little like they felt.
But at just that time, I think, it’s not that I need more faith or time or energy, although I often think so. No, what I really need is to stop thinking and just do it. Stop counting the cost and just spend what I’ve got. Stop worrying about it all and just trust.
By and large, I think it’s important to take seriously the call from God to care for others, exercise responsibility, and always forgive. But maybe, just maybe, from time to time we worry that we don’t have enough faith because we take ourselves a little too seriously. Maybe if we woke up each morning resolved to simply do what is required of us, we’d find we had just enough faith to make it through the day…and then some.
Prayer: Dear God, remind us that you have provided all that is necessary to keep faith with you and with each other. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Recent Comments