Luke
17:5-10
Having
All That is Needed
“The apostles said to the Lord,
‘Increase our faith!’” I
don’t think there were punctuations in ancient Greek, but did you notice there
is an exclamation mark in the English translation? There is an urgency to their words.
I can understand the urgency. Can’t you?
What they are saying to Jesus has got to be one of the most urgent
comments ever made. “Increase our
faith!”
I do sort of wonder about the tone
of their comment. Tone affects things;
tone greatly alters how a comment is heard and received.
Are the apostles begging for
something? As in “Please, please, please
God. Please increase our faith.”
Maybe their tone is mingled with
confession. Perhaps they are saying, “We
admit we don’t have what it takes and so we are asking you to help us address
our shortcomings.”
What is the tone? What is the mood behind their comment?
There is a third option. (You knew there would be, right?) This third, possible option might also allow
us to link the opening exchange with the short parable which completes this
morning’s appointed reading. This third
option might be heard this way: “Lord, we know that you grant your children all
that is needed. We know that faith is
not something we can obtain, rather it is something that we receive, as a gift,
from you. As we face the passing of this
hour, increase the faith found among us so that we might forgive - as you have
forgiven. And so that we might offer
healing and wholeness in your name.”
“Lord, we know that you grant your
children all that is needed. We know
that faith is not something we can obtain, rather it is something that we
receive, as a gift, from you. As we face
the passing of this hour, increase the faith found among us so that we might
forgive - as you have forgiven. And so
that we might offer healing and wholeness in your name.”
Slaves turn to their master - knowing
that their master will provide the tools necessary to accomplish their
assignments. The apostles are asking for
an increase in faith. Jesus tells them
to go about their assigned tasks and be assured they will be given all that
they need.
Anytime slavery is mentioned, in
our day and time, much of what else is said is lost. Our country and our communities continue to
suffer from the vestiges of the slavery practiced in the early years of our
country. This morning I want to ask you
to try, at least for a moment, to set this aside our experience and hear a few
things about slaves in the time of Jesus.
But even before I talk about
slaves, I need to say address the process of translating the bible into English
from Greek. The word translated “slave”
can also be translated “servant.” In today’s
verses, “Servant” might be more helpful when a reference is made to reading
into this parable a gratitude on the part of the “servant”. The trouble in translating it as “servant,”
leaves open the possibility that the relationship might be seen as one which
could be voluntarily terminated.
Servants can be dismissed; they can be thanked and sent on their
way. The relationship to which Jesus
points is more permanent. It is a
relationship which figures heavily into defining one’s identity.
The slave in Jesus’ day was not
treated as livestock or property.
However, the slave in Jesus’ day could depend upon the master. They master bore responsibility for the
slave, to provide home and hearth and all that was needed. In serving, the slave was assured they would
be cared for.
The apostles come to Jesus, asking
that he “Increase our faith!”
They come to him as servants, confident that the master will do what is
needed and necessary. Their request is
for the master to do for them what they cannot do for themselves.
Another exercise in “tone.” What is the tone of Jesus’ reply? In too many congregations Jesus’ words will
be heard as scolding or blaming.
Unfortunately, some while hear him saying, “If ONLY you had a tiny bit of faith.” Thus allowing erroneous notion to continue that
we lack even this smidgen of faith, and thus we stand condemned. “Unfortunately.” “Erroneous.”
Did you hear those words? I want
to communicate how WRONG such
a hearing is.
Well, wrong at least when you stand
in the tradition of the one who wrote the book of Luke, and in the tradition of
a reformer by the name of Martin Luther.
Jesus looks at the apostles and
tells them not to worry. “You are
fine. You will be fine. And your master has already given you all
that you need.” He tells them, “While I
would be happy to do so, you don’t need me to ‘increase” your faith. Even the tiniest amount is enough to make
that tree over there jump in to the sea.”
The tradition of interpretation
which we can trace through Martin Luther and back to Luke is one in which God
is seen as the one who provides – even before we ask or when we don’t know to
ask. God provides, as a master provides
for his slaves. God gives - gives us
what we need and all that we need.
Without him, we would be worthless.
But with him we have a name and a place.
I hope that I have so much about
what I am going to say next that some of you will begin to repeat it with
me. Yes – I am once again going to talk
about prevenient grace. Prevenient grace
is the grace which acts on us before we act on our own. Luther learned of this way of understanding
grace in his years as an Augustinian Monk.
But much of Protestantism gave up on it, preferring instead to seek a
personal conversion and public proclamation of beliefs.
Prevenient grace is grace spoken of
in the Hymn “Amazing Grace,” when the hymn writer says “T’was grace that taught
my heart to fear; t’was grace my fears relieved.” God’s grace acts first, provides all that we
need. God’s care of us allows us to do
all that we “ought to have done.”
The disciples know that they won’t
be able to face all that they will need to face without a healthy dose of
confidence and trust in Jesus. In the
immediately preceding verses, they have struggled to cast out demons and to
offer forgiveness. They have just been
told that they must forgive and forgive – as many as seventy times. To
do what their master hopes, they will need more from their master and Jesus
assures them they will have it. Every
master provides for his slaves the tools needed to do the task that has been
asked of them.
“Don’t worry,” Jesus tells
them. “You have sufficient faith. Don’t worry about what you have or don’t have
– get to the task at hand. Put on your
apron. Serve as you have seen me serve.”
Amen.
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