"5The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 6The 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. 7Who 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'? 8Would 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'? 9Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10So 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!'"
“Increase our faith !” After what the disciples have been hearing and learning about the demands of discipleship and the trials and pitfalls of living faithfully amidst their context – they felt puny of faith…that their faith was sorely inadequate. Is Jesus trying to "pump up their faith ?" He seems to be saying that puny faith is faith enough. Eugene Peterson (The Message) puts it this way, “There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith.” The parable in verses 7-10 speaks to the disciple’s attitude about serving. The example employed here is the one of slave & master. Simply put, the slaves’s (servant's) time and labor belong to the master. The slave has no claim on the master for duties rendered.
If we put these streams of thought together in this Gospel (faith/servanthood) we could say that the call to discipleship is a call to be "servants with puny faith." The hymn quoted in Paul's letter to the Philippians comes to mind (Phil. 2: 5- 11.) Christ emptied self, served and died. Might we say that what God has exalted is self denying service for others to the point of death....with no eye upon a reward ? Yet, we are stuck on rewards for our efforts. Puny faith...worthless slaves.. Puny of faith and worthless slaves are not ways/attitudes which we would choose to describe ourselves in relationship towards God. Yet they seem to be lifted up here. Puny faith is enough faith. Faith enough to do mighty deeds for God. Our time and labor all belong to God (master). We slaves/servants have no claim on the master for duties rendered. Now, where is the good news here ?
8 comments:
I subscribe to a daily devotional written by an Episcopalian priest and writer named Tom Ehrich. I thought that today's devotional post was worth sharing. Here it is:
"If Only" by Tom Ehrich
The "if onlys" never quite disappear. Here or elsewhere, today or tomorrow, there's always some "if only" that, if resolved correctly, would make everything better. In fact, our modern consumer economy is specifically designed to encourage such musing.
The dilemma is that dreaming and imagining, two essential ventures, start out in "if only." So does the illusion that buying this product, controlling that person, or achieving this goal will make life work.
If we stop dreaming, we die inside. But if we don't resist vain imaginings, we won't ever enjoy the life and self that we have been given or put what we have to work. Where is the line between dream and vain imagining?
In the Gospels, you can see Jesus' disciples wrestling with this dilemma. If only they could pray like Jesus, if only they could share his eternal glory, if only he would compromise or slow down, if only they had more faith, then everything would be better and they could follow Jesus with confidence.
His response to them, as cited by Luke, was puzzling. I doubt that Jesus promised them the power to undo the laws of nature. His gift to them wasn't magic. As he so often did, Jesus employed hyperbole to make a challenging point.
Don't wait for a huge deposit of faith, he told them. Use the faith you have. Even if you don't know exactly why you have left your homes, or whom you follow, or where the journey leads, those first steps make possible some amazing things.
Act now. Don't wait. There is no precondition that must be met before ministry can begin. You can serve now with what you have.
In our current cult of expertise, many people believe they must have certain skills before they can be a good parent, productive employee, or minister. While I wouldn't argue against acquiring skills, we start where we start, and the critical first step is the courage to take first steps.
No parent is "expert" enough to do the job perfectly. No church has adequate resources. No worker knows everything. But giving in to "if only" will paralyze us.
Hey Vic, nice work.
I definately think this is the direction to move in. What I would add to this regards the notion of faith as being big or small, much or little. It seems to me that part of the problem is this, in our culture we equate faith with the power of positive thinking. More is better to accomplish one's goals. Or faith is the psychological benefit of being optimistic. Or, and this is particularly an issue with American evangelicalism, faith is faith in the power of faith. (close but no cigar.)If only you had more faith you would be healed, etc. But, puny faith is enough faith for one reason, and I think this is where we touch the Gospel. Faith is trust in God. It is not the amount of faith, but the One to whom faith looks, in whom faith trusts, that makes the whole difference.
Dr. PNT, you have said a whole commentary's worth of wisdom here.
"It is not the amount of faith, but the One to whom faith looks, in whom faith trusts, that makes the whole difference."
I have used the little ditty that Stoffregen quotes, tho it doesn't actually fit for THIS mustard seed text. . .
"O God, I don't pray for enough faith to move mountains. I can get enough dynamite and bulldozers to do that. What I need and ask for is enough faith to move me."
There is something to that. Enough faith to move me. And if faith is about the God to whom faith looks - then it is enough, time to quit praying for it, and to enjoy living in it.
Might one issue be that once we start talking of “increasing” faith, when we talk about “maturity” and all such terms of quantity - we begin to see the acts of the faithful as great and heroic things. The sort of thing accomplished only by the great saints - - - those who have sacrificed so much, like Mother Theresa, or the great Christian Martyrs.
With this sort of quantifying of faith, and seeking a better path, as with so many seemingly good schemes, one’s eyes are taken off of Jesus, the rock, and focused on the self. . .
This is a nice line:
“. . . usually the way of faithfulness involves laying down our lives in little pieces, through small decisions and unremarkable acts of kindness and generosity.” -from a sermon by Christine Pohl
Not only is faith enough faith - your discipleship is enough discipleship. You are not a second class Christian. Heck, you’re not a first class Christian.
Loader has some good lines in this week’s reflection. In part, he reflects on teh end of the pericope, which he says: “debunks the idea that we achieve value by achieving good.” “It does not let us play the game” he says, and he goes on to say “It give us no credit.” He suggests that a question that goes to the heart of being human is “What is our value if it not in what we achieve?”
There ya go
I spose you pietists are packing for your 24 Hours of Excess. Lift one for me, if you please.
I agree that faith is immeasurable. What then do we do with such things as the Spirit of Hope award? How do we talk about people who live in such a way that they inspire others with their witness? They're just a bunch of worthless slaves, why should we honor them?
If only I didn't have confirmation retreat this weekend!
Is the inspiration of a great saint, an exemplary servant, the inspiration of one who kept their eyes on Jesus? Who, in humility and love was a person of faith/servanthood?
Turn your eyes upon Jeeeeesuuuuus.
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
It seems to me that we are talking about two different things, or two types of faith. The first is the power to create miracles (like planting trees in the sea, or causing money to grow on trees). It seems to me that Jesus reads between the lines to understand that this is what the apostles (and we) are really asking for. It's reminiscent of Mark 10--the part of the story when James and John ask to sit on either side of Jesus "in his glory."
The second kind would be better translated faithfulness, or doing what your master tells you, simply because you are faithful--faithfully obedient. Much less impresive, but much more managable. Kind of servant-like or sissy-like.
I've been thinking about preaching about the prayers of the church. Many of them can come off as the first variety...about healing Grandma Lois from her illness or causing the war to stop. Isn't this the faith-power that we wish our prayers had?
How often do we get to "Thy will be done?" Like, Habakkuk, how often do we take our position boldly on the rampart to...what..."whatch?"..."Wait?"...
"Listen?
What kind of a puny, sissy, servant-like faith is this Jesus?
Lord, make me satisfied with the power (faith)I have, and make me thankful for the power I don't have. Amen
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