01/23/2018
How is your faith? Are you strong in it, or is it lacking in some regard? Can you move a mountain, or do you think your faith is too small to move even a grain of sand? The disciples were chastised by Jesus on more than one occasion for their lack of faith, so do not lose heart, but ask God why you can’t do a thing, or why you don’t receive. You may find that in some cases it has less to do with faith than you think.
“Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."”
Matthew 17:19-20 ESV
In this case Jesus is speaking to them specifically about their lack of faith, but is that always true? I love the mustard seed comparison that Jesus uses here. He does it again in Luke 17: 6 when His disciples ask Him to increase their faith. But is He really telling them that they need a large quantity of faith in saying this?
“The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.”
Luke 17:5-6 ESV
Here in Luke 17, Jesus says that they only need a little faith to accomplish these things, and obviously the disciples have healed or performed miraculous things before, so what is the message here? I think we get the real idea when Jesus goes immediately into the parable of The Unworthy Servants. In it He speaks of servants that come in from the field, but the master doesn’t tell them to join him in rest at his table... no, he tells them to dress, fix his meal, and serve it to him, before they will be allowed to eat. Then Jesus says this:
“Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"”
Luke 17:9-10 ESV
Before we can eat, or before we can cast out demons, we must first do what is expected of us, we are foremost to do the masters bidding, His will, and in so doing we are not rewarded, not thanked, but just given our normal sustenance. We are not to expect a pat on the back for doing what we should have done all along.
However, when someone has done a good job, you might hear his boss say that he is going to “throw them a bone.” In the case of miracles we need to have faith, but more than that, we need to serve the will of God before we are thrown a bone, or allowed to exercise a gift of the master for our own edification.
It isn’t all about the faith... that only has to be the size of a mustard seed to do monumental things. So what is it? What is the gist of the parable? The gist is that a master never owes the servant... the servant is indebted to the master. Everything we do is at the whim of God, and to think that we are owed anything special from Him is ludicrous. God gives to us by His grace. We are given the gifts of the spirit to do the master’s bidding and at his pleasure. When we are allowed to heal, or to interpret dreams, or to prophesy, it is in service to God... not to increase us in any way. So in Luke 17 we get the impression that the disciples felt they DESERVED to have the power to do these things...they had lost sight of grace.
But, on occasion, God rewards us. On occasion He allows us to heal or do the other things for our own edification... to increase OUR faith, or even to increase our stature so that some greater thing can be done through us.
So faith is important, but it is also powerful and a little goes a long way. The thing we need to remember, and couple with our faith, is that we are servants of God, and that we do His will. We need to remember that we receive grace despite being undeserving, and at the Father’s pleasure.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the times you allow me to heal, or participate in some other miracle for you. I thank you for the humility of servitude, and for directing me in your will. Holy Father, my faith is without a body to confine it, and without measure; a teardrop of faith would fill the ocean, so help me in my faith Father for only you can see it for what it is, and give me just enough cognizance of it that I can faithfully do your will. Give me tears of faith Lord that when you say “move the mountain” I can in turn whisper “move” and have it be done. Never let me lose sight of your will in my life, and speak to me when I seek you in things unknown. Help me Father to couple my faith with your will, so that I can to do those things you ask of me. Let your grace flow through me, and bless others. As I come in from the field Father, correct me when I expect to rest at your table before I dress, and serve you. Never let me expect praise and glory for those things that are expected of me, because only you are great, and I but the tool in your hand. Holy, Holy, Holy, art thou... my God of tears and purpose.
Rich Forbes