. . . meditations on the Gospel of Luke . . .

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Luke 17: 5 – 10 Mustard Seeds

Luke 17: 5 – 10 Mustard Seeds

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. "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

Jesus finds his disciples faith lacking. If they only had faith the size of a mustard seed they could truly accomplish wonders, says Jesus. Your job, says Jesus, is to have faith in me and my mission. If they do not, then they are the “useless servants” in this gospel passage. It was hard for them back then, as it is hard for us today to follow Jesus in faith. Working for the coming of the Kingdom, following Jesus' example of service and humility, shows our faith in Jesus and his mission. It is hard to act on faith. By its very nature, faith is a leap into the unknown. We don’t know how things are going to turn out. We just have to trust in him as he had to trust in his Father. We just have to have faith.

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