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Day 207

Luke 17 :1-10 "LEARNING HOW TO EXERCISE FAITH"

Day 207 – Luke 17

Text: Luke 17 :1-10

LEARNING HOW TO EXERCISE FAITH

The Disciples must have been astonished when they heard their Master teach them deeper lessons of faith and discipleship. He had taught them about the importance of taking heed to themselves at all times, so that they could prevent themselves from becoming a stumbling block to others. That was in itself a hard proposition to fulfil.

Jesus had gone further and He taught them that they must be ever-forgiving! A brother may be rebuked, but he must always be forgiven, no matter how many times he sins a day! Quite obviously, Jesus wanted His Disciples to stand out from the multitudes!

The Disciples responded well. They asked Jesus to increase their faith! In reply Jesus made a statement that is at one and the same time thrilling and yet enigmatic! What did Jesus mean when He said,

“If you have faith as a mustard seed,
you say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be pulled up by the roots
and be planted in the sea,’
And it would obey you.”
Luke 17:6

The construction of the sentence does not indicate Jesus doubting the faith of the Disciples! He was not saying that He wondered whether they had faith. The Disciples had already showed their faith in the Lord Jesus in a number of ways. They had given up their all to follow Jesus. They had followed Him even when times were difficult, like when they were attacked by the Pharisees. They had shown that they loved Jesus and the truths that He expounded. These were all good indications of faith.

What then did Jesus mean when He spoke about their having faith as a mustard seed? In this particular context, Jesus was challenging His Disciples to exercise their faith even more!

There are times when difficult things seem to stump us. The difficult lesson that Jesus taught seemed to have stumped the Disciples. The lessons that Jesus taught seemed too hard, if not outright impossible to fulfil.

The Disciples felt that they just did not have enough faith to attempt what Jesus had taught them. It seemed that this was one lesson too many. It seemed that this lesson of living by faith was way beyond the ability of the Disciples. But they were wrong. Nothing was outside the reach of genuine faith! Nothing was impossible to a person who truly possessed faith.

THE POWER OF FAITH

Faith was something that Jesus honoured. This was something Jesus sought to commend whenever He saw faith demonstrated. Faith was something that He wanted His Disciples to cultivate with all their might.

It is possible however to underestimate the power of faith. It is possible to be so awed by the magnitude of the task demanded that one’s faith suddenly feels so weak and vulnerable!

Jesus was trying to teach His Disciples that the faith that they had may be small at that point of time. Their faith may be as small as a mustard seed, and yet within that little faith lies great power!

The Disciples were of course right to ask for an increase of faith. However, they had allowed their human senses to take over and they had allowed themselves to be overawed by the magnitude of the task that Jesus had given to them.

Jesus sought to help the Disciples to exercise their faith, though not literally. There would be no point trying to uproot a tree and have it planted into the sea. However, the point was well taken. Nothing was impossible to a person who had faith.

It was not impossible to take heed to oneself successfully. We can minimize our inclination towards sinning against the Lord. We can learn to have a heart big enough so that we can be ever-forgiving. Genuine faith would enable anyone to attempt and achieve the seemingly impossible.

BLENDING FAITH AND DEED

Jesus had taught many hard lessons before. They must have seemed impossible when the Disciples first heard Jesus teaching them about how they must carry their cross and follow Him. That must have been hard initially, but in the process of time, the Disciples had done well. They were carrying the workload that Jesus had placed upon their shoulders.

In the process of time, Jesus had taught His Disciples more and harder lessons! They all seemed difficult to learn, let alone master. But as the Disciples learned how to blend faith and deed, soon they found that it was not impossible to do what Jesus taught. Yes, it required faith. The Disciples must learn to blend faith and deed as one.

LIVING BY FAITH

The Christian is constantly challenged to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). In all the time that the Disciples spent with Jesus, they were constantly encouraged to apply their faith, till they lived by it.

Many Christians tend to live “by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). They depend on their understanding, their reasoning, their experience etc. That in itself is not entirely wrong, but it is nevertheless not what the Lord desires of us.

He wants us to exercise full and complete faith in Him. He wants His Disciples to be filled with confidence and courage each time they receive a challenging word from the Lord. If the Lord taught it, then it could be done. It would require faith to fulfil all that Jesus commanded!

The Disciples were not totally right when they felt that their faith was lacking. Faith has such potential, that even if a person has the smallest faith ever, a mustard seed faith, he would still be able to attempt the seemingly impossible! When we learn to live by faith, we will see faith begetting more faith. Let’s learn how we to apply this mustard-seed faith in our life. We could move mulberry trees and have them planted in the sea!