Pentecost 17, October 2, 2022

The disciples have a request of Jesus in our Gospel today:  Increase our faith.

We can understand why they asked Jesus for an increase in faith. They are no doubt feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole “following Jesus” thing. Immediately prior to our Gospel reading today, when asked how many times they should be expected to forgive someone who has sinned against them, Jesus says 70 x 7.  In other words, like INFINITY.  That’s a lot of forgiving especially when they were probably expecting him to say TWO times!  Maybe three tops.  Always forgive? That’s a lot to ask.

Jesus seems to have high expectations for his disciples. If we go back a little further in the Gospel of Luke – right before our Gospel reading – Jesus tells them: Don’t cause anyone to sin. Give everything you have to the poor.  Love me more than your father and mother or your own children.  Lose your life for my sake.

Why does Jesus keep making following him so difficult and out of reach?  He is asking the disciples to do too much.  Perhaps more than they can give. And just for the record, some of those who followed Jesus DID drop out along the way because they felt it was too much.  The disciples making the request for more faith in our Gospel today – they have already left their families and their vocation because they believed in Jesus. And it they have to sacrifice more and forgive more and love more . . . then THEY are gonna need a little more FAITH to do all that.

Do you ever feel like you are being asked to do too much? 

Many of us a part of what they call the “squeeze generation” meaning we have children or grandchildren in our lives to help care for PLUS we have parents who need our attention and care!  And we get squeezed in between.  It’s too much sometimes.  Our work often asks too much of us – they’ll take all they squeeze out of us! The pressures and demands of school ask too much of students.   We have expectations of our spouses and friends – we even expect them to read our minds! Sometimes we volunteer for things and then later realize that we are in over our head! Even the church feels like it is asking too much sometimes. We feel a constant pressure to do more.

We need more time to do everything we are being asked to do.  We need more time and space for ourselves. We need more energy. More resources. More rest!

And when we feel like WE are not living up to expectations of being a disciple — a Christ-follower. Then we might also pray, Increase our faith.

Jesus response to the request for more faith is a bit surprising.  He does not say, “Do more. Read the Bible more. Try harder.  Pray harder.” It doesn’t sound like Jesus thinks they need any more than what they already have. He points to a tiny mustard seed suggesting that a little goes a long way.  Faith isn’t doing big, ambitious, heroic things!  It’s trusting Jesus to take you and your life and your time and abilities = your small simple everyday things — and let God use them according to God’s will.  Jesus uses the example of workers who don’t get thanked for doing what was their everyday calling.  They just do it.  And keep doing it. Following Jesus and believing in Jesus and living Jesus’ way is part of our everyday lives.

In his sermon at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, the Archbishop of Canterbury said this:  “Jesus did not tell his disciples HOW to follow, but WHO to follow.” The fact that Jesus never dictates exactly how his disciples are to follow him or HOW to express their faith means there is great freedom for us in following Jesus in whatever ways his Spirit leads us.  In pointing them to something so tiny and seemingly insignificant as a mustard seed as a sign of faith, Jesus reassures us that there is significance and value even in small things. When it comes to our faith, we don’t have be larger than life, we can just be our regular human-sized selves.  And even if we cannot do everything others expect of us or we demand of ourselves, Jesus is always inviting us with his grace to keep following – keep serving – keep believing.  When disciples follow JESUS they have everything they need.

When we feel overwhelmed with too many things on our plate or on our schedule or on our minds, we do well to remember that we are called to just do the next thing — take the next step.  That’s good advice in any situation, but in the context of our calling to follow Jesus, it is MORE than a good mental health suggestion. Taking the next step releases us form the concern for HOW we are following and keeps our focus on the WHO.

And just WHO are we following?  A crucified and risen Jesus who entered our world as a tiny human life – smaller than a mustard seed.  And he became on ordinary man.  Yes, he did some amazing things most of which were largely misunderstood.  The greatest thing Jesus did was something no one acknowledged as anything great. He did something all humans must eventually do. He died.

It is important to note once again that the context of our Gospel today is Jesus is on the road — the way to Jerusalem that winds its way through the desert to the city where a cross and tomb are waiting.  At that cross and tomb is the source of love, the inspiration to give of ourselves and the place where all is forgiven and made right. In light of what Jesus did in his dying and rising, no act of love, no sacrificial service or show of grace is ever too little. 

The road to the cross and tomb with Jesus is the way of dying . . . and rising!  What dies in us along the way?  For one thing, the belief that we have to do big things – like move mountains.  That false belief and expectation is put to death.  As is our contempt for ordinary things.  What comes to life?  Our acceptance of our humanity and our belief in God’s LOVE for our broken humanity.  And what does Jesus increase in us in all this dying and rising?  delight and joy in the small ordinary ways in which God is at work.