Faith like a mustard seed
Not that its really a laughing matter, but apparently last week the wife and the mistress of one of those trapped Chilean miners awaiting rescue met each other this week at a vigil for the men. Mrs. Yonni Barrios says she heard the other woman calling her husband's name as families gathered to pray for the workers. I suspect that miner may be rather glad he is in the hole at the moment where his wife can’t get at him…
And there are perhaps some of the disciples of Jesus who thought they too may like to be in a hole in the ground when Jesus started speaking to them about faith, and the need to have more of it !
Faith is one of those incredible things which we talk about a lot and rarely have a huge opportunity to test – and it is at times of testing that we often find how strong a faith actually is – there are many stories of people who, in the darkest of times have turned to God and found strength… Sadly there are other stories of people who found their faith wasn’t enough through bad times…
So how much faith is ‘enough’ ? In his gospel prior to today’s gospel reading (Luke 17:5-10), Luke has told us in no uncertain terms that Jesus has set his face towards Jerusalem. On the way, Jesus talks endlessly about the life of discipleship. He talks about hospitality, welcoming and helping strangers, seeking lost sheep, visiting prisoners; he talks about lost coins, prodigal sons, the rich man, and Lazarus. Then he lays it on in this chapter by saying if you cause anyone to sin, you will be condemned… And he goes on to say, you must rebuke those who sin, and forgive those who repent seven times a day.
Is it any wonder the disciples cry out, “Increase our faith”? They are being asked to assume major leadership positions in the community of Christ. And no one wants to fail…
For much of the gospel, Jesus has questioned the faith of the disciples. “You have such little faith,” he says often. “Where is your faith?” he asks on the stormy sea. So it is only natural that they cry out, “Give us more. … Give us more faith. … Increase it, please, so we can succeed at all of this.”
And that’s a familiar request. Whenever the church is faced with challenges, we often say we need more: we need more resources, we need more planning, we need more people, we need more of everything before we can possibly do what Jesus calls us to do.
We all know just how the disciples are feeling. We put off leading Bible study until we know more about the Bible. Or we put off increasing our giving until we have just a bit more money.
But Jesus responds to the request of the disciples for more faith by saying we don’t actually need more faith at all – in fact for all things we need the tiniest bit of faith imaginable. A grain of mustard seed’s worth of faith can empower us to do great things. In other words, we are being told, unless we have no faith at all, we already have enough.
And that was a huge challenge to the disciples and it is to us today – Jesus is saying that if we step out with faith, he will not abandon us and he will not let us down – but faith is tough… There’s a story about the early days of the modern United States. When a traveller came to the Mississippi, he discovered there was no bridge.
Fortunately it was winter and the great river was sheeted over with ice. But the traveller was afraid to trust it, not knowing how thick it was. Finally with incredible caution, he crept on his hands and knees and managed to get halfway over. And then he heard, not the ice cracking, but singing from behind. Cautiously he turned, and there, out of the dusk, came another traveller, driving a four-horse load of coal over the ice, singing as he went!
His faith in the ice knew no bounds – and that is what Jesus is saying has to be true for us – true faith in God is an assurance that he will never let us down whatever it may look like to anyone else !
George Muller said ‘Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends.’
Our faith is sufficient if we put our faith in faith !!! The Bible reminds us that we have all been given gifts and resources. As Saint Paul makes clear in his letter to the Corinthians, we do not all have the same gifts, but we all have gifts necessary to do the things Jesus does.
Jesus was telling his disciples as he is telling us now that we can trust what we have – what we have been given… God has provided everything we need, and continues to do so… With faith, we are told, we can do all things – and, as we follow Christ, trusting in him and trusting in the promises he has made to us, we will be the witnesses to his glory and his love wherever we are…
If only we have faith as small as a mustard seed and trust that faith... Many of us look at great people of faith and wish we had such faith, but God doesn’t want us to look to others, he wants us to look to him - God, through Jesus, stretched out his hand to us and he asks us to take steps out for others – Jesus came to be not just a Saviour, or the Saviour, but our Saviour and everyone’s Saviour……. The kingdom of God is at hand and if only we have the tiniest bit of faith, God’s will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. AMEN
And there are perhaps some of the disciples of Jesus who thought they too may like to be in a hole in the ground when Jesus started speaking to them about faith, and the need to have more of it !
Faith is one of those incredible things which we talk about a lot and rarely have a huge opportunity to test – and it is at times of testing that we often find how strong a faith actually is – there are many stories of people who, in the darkest of times have turned to God and found strength… Sadly there are other stories of people who found their faith wasn’t enough through bad times…
So how much faith is ‘enough’ ? In his gospel prior to today’s gospel reading (Luke 17:5-10), Luke has told us in no uncertain terms that Jesus has set his face towards Jerusalem. On the way, Jesus talks endlessly about the life of discipleship. He talks about hospitality, welcoming and helping strangers, seeking lost sheep, visiting prisoners; he talks about lost coins, prodigal sons, the rich man, and Lazarus. Then he lays it on in this chapter by saying if you cause anyone to sin, you will be condemned… And he goes on to say, you must rebuke those who sin, and forgive those who repent seven times a day.
Is it any wonder the disciples cry out, “Increase our faith”? They are being asked to assume major leadership positions in the community of Christ. And no one wants to fail…
For much of the gospel, Jesus has questioned the faith of the disciples. “You have such little faith,” he says often. “Where is your faith?” he asks on the stormy sea. So it is only natural that they cry out, “Give us more. … Give us more faith. … Increase it, please, so we can succeed at all of this.”
And that’s a familiar request. Whenever the church is faced with challenges, we often say we need more: we need more resources, we need more planning, we need more people, we need more of everything before we can possibly do what Jesus calls us to do.
We all know just how the disciples are feeling. We put off leading Bible study until we know more about the Bible. Or we put off increasing our giving until we have just a bit more money.
But Jesus responds to the request of the disciples for more faith by saying we don’t actually need more faith at all – in fact for all things we need the tiniest bit of faith imaginable. A grain of mustard seed’s worth of faith can empower us to do great things. In other words, we are being told, unless we have no faith at all, we already have enough.
And that was a huge challenge to the disciples and it is to us today – Jesus is saying that if we step out with faith, he will not abandon us and he will not let us down – but faith is tough… There’s a story about the early days of the modern United States. When a traveller came to the Mississippi, he discovered there was no bridge.
Fortunately it was winter and the great river was sheeted over with ice. But the traveller was afraid to trust it, not knowing how thick it was. Finally with incredible caution, he crept on his hands and knees and managed to get halfway over. And then he heard, not the ice cracking, but singing from behind. Cautiously he turned, and there, out of the dusk, came another traveller, driving a four-horse load of coal over the ice, singing as he went!
His faith in the ice knew no bounds – and that is what Jesus is saying has to be true for us – true faith in God is an assurance that he will never let us down whatever it may look like to anyone else !
George Muller said ‘Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends.’
Our faith is sufficient if we put our faith in faith !!! The Bible reminds us that we have all been given gifts and resources. As Saint Paul makes clear in his letter to the Corinthians, we do not all have the same gifts, but we all have gifts necessary to do the things Jesus does.
Jesus was telling his disciples as he is telling us now that we can trust what we have – what we have been given… God has provided everything we need, and continues to do so… With faith, we are told, we can do all things – and, as we follow Christ, trusting in him and trusting in the promises he has made to us, we will be the witnesses to his glory and his love wherever we are…
If only we have faith as small as a mustard seed and trust that faith... Many of us look at great people of faith and wish we had such faith, but God doesn’t want us to look to others, he wants us to look to him - God, through Jesus, stretched out his hand to us and he asks us to take steps out for others – Jesus came to be not just a Saviour, or the Saviour, but our Saviour and everyone’s Saviour……. The kingdom of God is at hand and if only we have the tiniest bit of faith, God’s will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. AMEN
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