"Faith is simple and religion complicates it", says an author. When Jesus taught the disciples about having faith like a mustard seed (Luke 17), he was not saying faith comes in varying quantities, as in small, medium or super-sized. This is how so many religious people have mistakenly taught and understood His words. They teach that if you have a little bit more faith, your problem would be solved, or your sickness would be healed. Jesus is actually teaching about lack of faith and not sizes of faith. To be sure, faith the size of a mustard seed is better than no faith at all.
The kind of teaching that one's size of faith was the cause of a disaster or sickness or death has turned many people against the church and God. It produces guilt and people have been hurt by such teachings. We have been raised in a culture that says bigger is better—that size is the truest measure of success. It takes a strong person to resist that trend, especially if he or she is laboring in a small place. When the disciples ask Jesus, “Increase our faith!” they are demonstrating that they are products of the same culture. How much faith does a person need? It is all too easy to notice the lack of faith more than the gifts somehone has.
Your pastor or parents cannot increase your faith, neither can God. Can the parents make their children grow? No matter how much you like to, it is impossible. If we had the ability to make them grow or not, we would probably keep them as one year olds. The disciples had some hard lessons in discipleship just before this. He told them the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, the parable of rich man and Lazarus and taught them about eternity. Then he taught them to forgive without limits. It is hard enough to forgive, even once. But forgiving seventy times seven in a single day was beyond them. Thats why they asked Jesus, "increase our faith" (literally “add faith to us!”). Jesus then explained that if they have a bare kernel of faith, like the size of a mustard seed, they could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.” Those who believe in Jesus can live and act on the basis of whatever faith is theirs, no matter how small or insignificant it seems to them and others. God is the judge, and will meet our faith on His grace.
In our own days of turmoil and fear, we can empathize with the disciples. When the wind roars and the waves batter their boat as they cross the Sea of Galilee, even as Jesus sleeps beside them, they are overwhelmed by terror. After calming the storm (Luke 8:25), Jesus asked them, "where is your faith?" Proximity to Jesus does not guarantee faith. Later He called them, "you of little faith!” (Luke 12:28). Instead of worrying about the size of their faith, they should live out their faith. For some people, faith is an accomplishment that shows that they are closer to God. They believe that their faith brings certainty, perhaps even superiority. To some others, faith works like a drug that helps to get through life's ordinary challenges. There are preachers and televangelists who teach that with enough faith, people can conquer debt, doubt, illness and other hardships. Our culture has acquired a taste for spectacular spirituality. By the grace of God, Jesus tells us otherwise that there is no super sized faith.
Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, it grows to become a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." (Matthew 13 ; Mark 4; Luke 13). Even the simplest and the smallest is considered to have great potential in God’s kingdom. It is not the faith that grows, rather we grow in faith. We are the kingdom of God, and as we grow in faith, God’s kingom will spread its branches. Birds of the air are so many in number and varieties and species. So are people, with many cultures and languages and races who will come to the kingdom of God. The ministry of Jesus started with 12 disciples not because of their faith. It grew to 120 (Acts 1:15) and then became 3000 at a pentecost (Acts 2:41) and 5000 after pentecost (Acts 4:4) and continued its growth to millions and millions. As the Psalmist says (Ps 84) “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar."
C. S. Lewis in his book 'Out of the Silent Planet' says that speaking of sizes or numbers makes you do reverence the insignificant and pass by what is really great. Theologian Francis Schaeffer, in his book, 'No Little People' wrote: “In God’s sight there are no little people and no little places.” David wasn’t much older or larger than many of us, but God used him to defeat a giant named Goliath. When God is with you, possibilities are unthinkable. When you feel like you’re too small to do anything big or important, remember the mustard seed and know that you are just the right size for God.
Click the link below to hear more
Blessings
Mathew Philip
The kind of teaching that one's size of faith was the cause of a disaster or sickness or death has turned many people against the church and God. It produces guilt and people have been hurt by such teachings. We have been raised in a culture that says bigger is better—that size is the truest measure of success. It takes a strong person to resist that trend, especially if he or she is laboring in a small place. When the disciples ask Jesus, “Increase our faith!” they are demonstrating that they are products of the same culture. How much faith does a person need? It is all too easy to notice the lack of faith more than the gifts somehone has.
Your pastor or parents cannot increase your faith, neither can God. Can the parents make their children grow? No matter how much you like to, it is impossible. If we had the ability to make them grow or not, we would probably keep them as one year olds. The disciples had some hard lessons in discipleship just before this. He told them the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, the parable of rich man and Lazarus and taught them about eternity. Then he taught them to forgive without limits. It is hard enough to forgive, even once. But forgiving seventy times seven in a single day was beyond them. Thats why they asked Jesus, "increase our faith" (literally “add faith to us!”). Jesus then explained that if they have a bare kernel of faith, like the size of a mustard seed, they could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.” Those who believe in Jesus can live and act on the basis of whatever faith is theirs, no matter how small or insignificant it seems to them and others. God is the judge, and will meet our faith on His grace.
In our own days of turmoil and fear, we can empathize with the disciples. When the wind roars and the waves batter their boat as they cross the Sea of Galilee, even as Jesus sleeps beside them, they are overwhelmed by terror. After calming the storm (Luke 8:25), Jesus asked them, "where is your faith?" Proximity to Jesus does not guarantee faith. Later He called them, "you of little faith!” (Luke 12:28). Instead of worrying about the size of their faith, they should live out their faith. For some people, faith is an accomplishment that shows that they are closer to God. They believe that their faith brings certainty, perhaps even superiority. To some others, faith works like a drug that helps to get through life's ordinary challenges. There are preachers and televangelists who teach that with enough faith, people can conquer debt, doubt, illness and other hardships. Our culture has acquired a taste for spectacular spirituality. By the grace of God, Jesus tells us otherwise that there is no super sized faith.
Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, it grows to become a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." (Matthew 13 ; Mark 4; Luke 13). Even the simplest and the smallest is considered to have great potential in God’s kingdom. It is not the faith that grows, rather we grow in faith. We are the kingdom of God, and as we grow in faith, God’s kingom will spread its branches. Birds of the air are so many in number and varieties and species. So are people, with many cultures and languages and races who will come to the kingdom of God. The ministry of Jesus started with 12 disciples not because of their faith. It grew to 120 (Acts 1:15) and then became 3000 at a pentecost (Acts 2:41) and 5000 after pentecost (Acts 4:4) and continued its growth to millions and millions. As the Psalmist says (Ps 84) “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar."
C. S. Lewis in his book 'Out of the Silent Planet' says that speaking of sizes or numbers makes you do reverence the insignificant and pass by what is really great. Theologian Francis Schaeffer, in his book, 'No Little People' wrote: “In God’s sight there are no little people and no little places.” David wasn’t much older or larger than many of us, but God used him to defeat a giant named Goliath. When God is with you, possibilities are unthinkable. When you feel like you’re too small to do anything big or important, remember the mustard seed and know that you are just the right size for God.
Click the link below to hear more
Blessings
Mathew Philip
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