Enough
Luke 17:5-10
Yesterday, I was thinking about how much of something is enough?
Some things like money or nice things often seem like we can’t get enough. I am tempted to think that is something I would not mind trying to find out for myself.
Then another category that comes to mind would be things we can eat and drink.
Thanksgiving Day comes to mind and a level of overindulgence that makes many people just want to sleep, is something I have personally experienced. I guess we couple include drugs an alcohol which can damage you in all kinds of ways, for me not really tempting.
At some point you can get enough of sweet things, like cake or ice cream or candy. At one sitting you can definitely go over the line of enough and get uncomfortable.
There are some things that it does not take much at all to be enough for most people. It does not take much sour milk, certain perfumes, special hot sauce’s, or how about the smell of a skunk for most people to say enough.
Our scripture this morning starts off with the apostles asking Jesus to give them more faith. That does not seem like an unfair or selfish request.
It might be helpful to give you a little background on the moment; Chapter 16 and the beginning of chapter 17 have several parables. There is the one about the manager that is told the he is going to be fired and goes out making deals so he will have a place to go when it happens.
Then Jesus explains that not one part of the LAW is missing, then he hits on adultery.
The story of Lazarus and the rich man comes next and the challenge that people will not even believe a man raised from the dead. Jesus is stacking the teaching higher and higher and it looks harder and harder.
Then Jesus gets more personal, he talks of sin that is bound to come and that wearing a mill stone necklace (ancient equivalent of concreter galoshes) and drowning is a better alternative than facing God.
Then it adds, ‘So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ’I repent,’ forgive him.’
Tell me, if you were sitting around the living room and Jesus goes through this kind of list….would you feel any pressure?
Would you feel inadequate?
Would you feel like you could use some extra help?
That is when it seems like someone said it but everyone agreed,
"Increase our faith!"
I am pretty sure that I have asked more than once for an increase in my faith or some kind of restoration or special strength and knowledge and success.
I would imagine that most of you have as well.
As I think about it, that kind of request has probably come up in our prayers most often when we are facing some kind of trouble or pain.
When we have doubts that come to life in our minds we often ask God for more of something.
Let me read you a quote, “Lord, my God, who am I that You should forsake me? The Child of your Love — and now become as the most hated one — the one — You have thrown away as unwanted — unloved. I call, I cling, I want — and there is no One to answer — no One on Whom I can cling — no, No One. — Alone ... Where is my Faith — even deep down right in there is nothing, but emptiness & darkness — My God — how painful is this unknown pain — I have no Faith — I dare not utter the words & thoughts that crowd in my heart — & make me suffer untold agony.
So many unanswered questions live within me afraid to uncover them — because of the blasphemy — If there be God — please forgive me — When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven — there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives & hurt my very soul. — I am told God loves me — and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul.”
-- Man, that person sounds so tortured. They are experiencing doubts and a spiritual pain. They feel unloved by God and even doubt that there is a God.
Have you or maybe do you hear your thoughts and emotions in this poor person’s words.
I can’t claim to have ever been a precise or eloquent but I can relate. But everyone has a bad day or week or month, perhaps even a year…right?
A time when life gives us more lemons that we can even make lemonade with.
This quote came from a person that is a well known Christian. They reported these feelings almost continuously for a period of over 50 years.
Anyone want to take a guess as to who this person is?
(Need a hint, how about 2, Her first name is Agnes )
( Her whole name = Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu also known as Mother Teresa)
Personally I was shocked when I read about her dark night of faith that only had occasional days.
Mother Teresa, the lady that served the dying in India for over 50 years…had doubts and questions about her faith.
How in the world did she face so much poverty and death? How did she keep going?
Jesus’ response to the apostils request fro an increase in their faith feels a little strange, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ’Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
Let me say that I have no idea what good sending a mulberry bush to be planted in the sea would do, and I am sure that that detail is not the point.
The important point is that …IF you have FAITH as small as a mustard seed…… it is enough. It is enough for them and us to do amazing and powerful things.
It seems that the apostles are saying that they can’t possibly follow the instructions of Jesus Christ without more faith.
We don’t do that do we?
We don’t question God’s call and direction?
Jesus is saying that it is not that the faith is lacking but the desire to act on it… to be obedient… that seems to fall short and need building up.
But in this sentence it is being used as a noun; a person, a place or a thing. Faith is not a person or a place so it must be a thing.
So how do we possess it?
How is it increase?
Can it be hoarded?
Can we increase our stockpile of faith for later use?
How do we measure faith anyway?
Faith is intangible….like happy or in love, either you are or you aren’t.
You have it or you don’t….
So how would we measure more or even how much we need?
How would we tell God, Wait, that is enough, I am full?
You need to remember something basic here; none of us has our own faith!
The faith we have comes from God and is supplied by God’s grace in the first place. Our free-will and the ability to choose only happens because of God’s actions. The faith we accept or reject came as an unearned gift.
It is given by God and it is always given on an as needed basis. Faith is given according to the need at the moment. It might be compared to the manna of the wilderness --sufficient only for the day.
-- The apostles did not understand this any better that we do.
In fact it often seems like we at least have the advantage of a broader perspective…a bigger picture.
Basically, I believe that Jesus is challenging wither they have faith or not. “If you have….” Or maybe getting them to question how much they need.
Perhaps it is even a simpler question, What are they doing with the faith they already have?
What are we doing with the faith we say we already have?
It is not a matter of how much faith we have but if we will use it. Basically, faith comes down to one thing. Do we trust God?
If we trust God then we will accept our place and role. It is a full acceptance to a relationship understanding that success is not your responsibility but, response is.
What keeps us from using our faith?
Do we feel unqualified like we can’t meet the expectations that Jesus described?
The apostles were already given to power to preach and canst out daemons and to heal people. What is it that they need more faith to be able to do?
To forgive people that hurt them personally. To avoid leading other people into sin. Those would be tough.
The author Madeleine L’Engel says this. "Slowly I have realized that I do not have to be qualified to do what I am asked to do. That I just have to go ahead and do it, even though I can’t do it as well as I think it ought to be done. This is one of the most liberating lessons of my life."
That is what Jesus is saying to the disciples. You don’t have to be qualified to
do what I ask you to do. You just need to do it.
Faith is the trust given by God to act on His behalf.
But then Jesus adds a little more information in the form of a parable:
"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ’Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ’Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’?
Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?
So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ’We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
Simply stated, God is God and we are not and never will be.
I don’t mean that in a negative way….we don’t have a real understanding of the slave master relationship in our culture. We don’t like the idea of being slaves at all.
So let me try to connect with a modern analogy. As Americans we all pay taxes on our incomes, we really don’t have a choice in the matter. So when we fill in our tax return and mail it off by April 15th, do we expect a thank you note from the government? Do we expect a call from the president?
No, and that is because of who we are as a citizen we have obligations and are to just do the right thing. We may not like paying our taxes but, we all respond because it is what is expected in our country.
Faith does not change your place in the relationship with God. Faith should not make us feel privileged or higher than anyone else. Faith is closely related to humility in that we understand that we are servants of God and all the work we do is our response to his instruction.
The power of faith is to be used to change the world. The apostles and millions of other Christians have been doing that ever since.
According to Jesus, it is not the amount of faith we think we have it is what we are willing to do because if it.
How much we trust God to help us to keep moving forward in our relationship?
If you feel like you live in the darkness that Mother Teresa described, look at the power that came from the spark of faith that she had. The momentum that came from the smallest trust in God carried her through a life time of service.
I hope you will notice something, in Luke, Jesus does not, as far as we know, grant their request for more faith.
The faith they had been given was enough. The faith you have been given is enough as well. The real question is what are you going to do with it!
All Glory be to God!
