True and False Faith

 

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

The Lord replied,

"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,

you would say to this mulberry tree,

'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your servant

who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,

'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?

Would he not rather say to him,

'Prepare something for me to eat.

Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.

You may eat and drink when I am finished'?

Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?

So should it be with you.

When you have done all you have been commanded,

say, 'We are unprofitable servants;

we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

Can you see how the first and second half of this Sunday’s gospel reading are connected? 

If you read only the first paragraph, you might think Jesus was endorsing the common postmodern or prosperity gospel belief that there is no objective reality, and we are free to make up whatever we want to believe. We can command the world! Faith can move mountains!

But then why does he immediately talk about service?

Because faith is not an assertion of the will. It is not choosing to believe this or that. Faith is faithfulness, fidelity, trust. If we had a trust in God the size of a mustard seed, we could command the mulberry tree to jump into the sea. Because God can do this. But necessarily, we then would not command but follow the command of God. We do what we are commanded. That is the true and deepest faith.