Lamentations 1:1-6; 3:19-26 or Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Psalm 137 or Psalm 37:1-9
2 Timothy 1:1-14
Luke 17:5-10
At one point when Jesus had been teaching his disciples, they requested, “Increase our faith!” It appears that this request pleased Jesus, because he affirmed how powerful faith could be: “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
But what, exactly, is faith? Some people would say that faith is essentially belief; others might say that faith is when the soul has trust in the unseen future – when belief and confidence far outweigh the fear and uncertainty of the mind. At any rate, faith comes with a growth in spiritual maturity.
So what follows in this Gospel text must then be viewed with eye toward spiritual growth. And if God is indeed love, then this spiritual growth would therefore be based in love, and nothing else. So, understanding the passage in Luke 17, like all scriptural understanding, must be based in love.
Jesus continues with an example of what this love would look like between a master and his servant, "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table?' " Jesus crosses the barriers of social and economic class, putting everyone at his table. We should do this!
Then he describes what we (generally speaking) would normally do based on social norms: "Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'?" We may prefer to maintain the divide in social and economic class – but Jesus would prefer that we treat each person as an equal, as a brother or sister in the Lord.
Next, in verse 9, comes an admonishment: "Do you thank the servant for doing what was commanded? I think you don't." But, of course, you should, is the implication.
But this class abuse doesn't stop when dealing with other people. We also do this to ourselves, as well: "So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless servants; we have done only what we ought to have done!' "
To grow spiritually, to increase our faith, we must put ourselves in the proper frame of mind. Jesus was not wanting to add burdens to us, making us think that no matter what we do with our lives, it is never enough. This is a guilt trip that burdens our soul, interferes with our love, and inhibits spiritual understanding.
Remember what Jesus said about burdens: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
And remember when the woman came to him at Bethany with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment? She used it to anoint Jesus, but was criticized because she did not meet the expectations of those around her. Jesus rebuked them, saying, "She has done what she could." (Mark 14: 3-9)
It is not Jesus' intent to have us burn out in life and still feel like we fall short of salvation. Our lives will be full indeed, and we will serve others best when we fill our hearts with love. We need balance in our lives to function properly – rest, solitude, study, prayer, and nourishment must balance out our mission and service, or we'll self-destruct. We must let Jesus decide that we've "done what we could," and not base our lives on the standards of society, peers or our own inner illusions.
We invite the servant to our tables, and we let God judge our day.
Faith is knowing that the present moment is the womb of the future. If we fill each and every moment with our best effort at God's love, then the future will indeed be the best that it can be. Once again we can leave the past to God's mercy, and the future to His Providence.
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