2025-10-05 Pentecost 17

Scripture Readings

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!

Our Gospel reading from St. Luke is truly a powerful moment in the lives of the Disciples with Jesus. They cry out to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Make us stronger. Make us wiser. Take our empty cup and fill it to the brim. We can relate to this when we come to our Lord in the hard times, when life’s challenges seem too challenging. We can feel overwhelmed by a lot of things a lot of the time. But this little passage from the Gospel reveals a truly profound truth about the nature of our faith and trust in God.

This request from the disciples comes right on the heels of our Lord’s teaching on forgiveness. He sets the bar very high and commands His followers to forgive endlessly. Forgive all the time. Forgive always. And this is nice and all, but is it even possible?! By human strength and power it isn’t. The Apostles realize this and they recognize their own inadequacy. So they turn to Jesus, and to their credit they give an honest confession. Their faith feels too inferior, too small and not up to snuff enough for this task. This teaching, these words from Jesus, it seems like it’s all too much.

We can relate to this. We face moments like this where our faith seems insufficient. A grim diagnosis. Fractured relationships. Chaos in the world. Our own sins weigh us down with heavy consciences. It is at these times especially we should learn from the Lord’s disciples and cry out exactly the same way: “Lord, increase our faith!” Give us a stronger, more confident faith and trust in God above all things, First Commandment style! But look how our Lord Jesus responds to their petition. He doesn’t give them a 10 step plan to follow. He doesn’t give them a Schultz-Brand, Magical Fertilizer to help it grow! Instead, He tells them about the true nature of faith with that now iconic object lesson: The Mustard Seed.

“If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (LK 17:6). At a quick glance, it might sound like Jesus is kind of chastising the disciples for being a little light in the faith department. But the greater meaning that really cuts the mustard is that faith isn’t about quantity. It’s all about what it clings to. The mustard seed. This tiny little seed was one of the smallest seeds in the ancient world. Even this, ultra tiny little seed of faith is more than sufficient when it is placed in the One True God. And the poor mulberry tree doesn’t need to be dug up either! This is a vivid image of what is impossible becoming more than possible through the power of God.

See, Jesus is teaching His followers then and us today that faith, no matter how small and insufficient it seems, is ultra huge and powerful when it rests in Him. Why?? Because faith is not our work. It’s not our doing. It’s God’s gift to us, given to us through the Word and Sacraments and sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit. Faith is created by God and it is sustained by God. So when the disciples ask for more Jesus gives them a much needed correction. You’ve already got more than enough, boys and girls!

Just think about that mustard seed. It doesn’t grow into a mighty tree by its own merit and labour and effort. It grows and thrives because it is planted in good soil, watered and nurtured. So it is when it comes to faith. It doesn’t increase by trying harder or believing better. Faith grows and increases as it is rooted in the Word of God, as we hear the message of Christ forgiving our sins, as we receive His true body and blood in, with and under the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

The Apostles’ plea isn’t answered by their own striving but rather by Christ Himself. He gives them the faith they need. He gives us the faith we need. The mulberry tree is the evidence of exactly this. The power of a tiny mustard seed faith is powerful because it rests in God alone. This is where the impossible becomes more than possible. Whether it is forgiving a repeat offender, enduring suffering and hardships, even trusting God in the face of doubt. It is more than possible because this is God’s doing and work. The mulberry tree goes airborne not because of the strength of our faith, but rather because of the strength of the God in Whom we trust.

This is a very comforting message for us, the sinful and weary lot that we are. We don’t need to conjure up mountains of faith to try to overcome our struggles. Even the itty bitty mustard seed is more than enough. And we know this is true because our Lord has already done the impossible for us. He bore the sins of the world on His cross. He defeated death and rose again to give abundant life to all who believe. The faith that we have, as small as it may be, is more than enough because it is rooted firmly in God’s promise. And this promise cannot fail us. It rests on Jesus and His work that is accomplished for us.

So what is our take away point here? The first one is that we can be honest about our weaknesses, just like the Apostles were. We can bring our doubts, our fears and our itty bitty faith to Jesus, trusting that in Him we have more than enough. The second one flows directly from the first. We receive God’s grace, Sunday after Sunday, as we come to God’s house and hear His word and receive His gifts. When we feel faith faltering, turning inward is not the solution. Digging down deep isn’t the answer. Instead we turn outward, outward to the means of our Lord’s grace and mercy, here in this place, gathered together as His people.

And finally, it means that we can live every day confidently in the forgiveness of Christ our Lord. The Apostles were called to forgive others again and again and again - just as Jesus forgave them. So are we. The exact same faith that trusts in Christ for full salvation, free and true, empowers us to live it out. Forgiving others. Serving others. Loving others. Even when it seems totally impossible. Not because we are strong but rather because Jesus is.

Listen to Jesus’ response: Your faith, small as a mustard seed, is enough—not because of its size, but because it clings to Me. Stand strong in the sufficiency of Christ, Who has done all things for your salvation. Trust in the Holy Spirit, who works through His Word and Sacraments to sustain and grow your faith. And go forth in confidence, knowing that the God who uproots mulberry trees and plants them in the sea is the God who holds you in the palm of His hand forever. In His name, Amen!