Can you picture this scene? We are sitting on bleachers at the circus having a
wonderful time laughing at the clowns, watching lions and tigers jump at the crack of a
whip, and gazing in awe as the acrobats perform. We are caught up in the excitement
and join in with the crowd in thunderous applause after each act. The acrobats perform
high above us in death-defying feats. Each one greater than the previous one, and
“Ahhs” can be heard outside the canvas walls of the tent.
Then it happens. The high wire!
The ringmaster addresses the crowd: “Ladies and gentlemen, how many of you believe
that this daring man can ride safely over the high wire on his bicycle while carrying
someone on his shoulders? If you believe he can do it, please raise your hand!” We
raise our hands along with everybody else, a great silent chorus of belief. “Very well,
then,” says the ringmaster, seeing the almost unanimous vote of confidence, “now, who
would like to be the first to volunteer to sit on his shoulders?”
SILENCE
The difference between belief and faith is a difference between staying in our seats and
volunteering to climb the shoulders of the high wire artist.
The disciples had been following Jesus for some time. They experienced his teachings
firsthand. They were present when he taught the crowds. They saw with their own eyes
the people he healed. They also witnessed his confrontations with religious officials.
They saw people walk away because they were unwilling to do what he wanted them to
do. The disciples were trying their best to understand Jesus and what he expected out
of them.
And now they were being asked – no, told – it was their turn…
It was not easy being a disciple of Jesus. They had to leave their jobs, their family and
friends. At times they were frustrated. They felt they were not up to what he expected of
them. At times they were also confused, uncertain, even afraid. They listened to his
teachings, they watched him perform miracles, and they thought to themselves, “Wow! I
could never do that!”
Out of this sense of inadequacy the disciples urged Jesus, “Increase our faith!”
It seemed like a reasonable request. Maybe if they had more faith they would not feel as
frustrated and inadequate as they did. If only there was something Jesus could
prescribe for them. If only Jesus would give them a home study course or a seminar
they could attend. If only he would give them extra assignments or some other means to
increase their faith. Then they would feel better about themselves and be able to do
what he wanted them to do. Jesus replied, “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."
Then just like most of us would do, they just muttered, yeah right…
Folks, a little bit of faith goes a long way. Jesus told the disciples that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed they could do wondrous things. By the way, have to you ever seen a mustard seed? It’s one of the smallest of seeds. Like a speck on the tip of your finger, you would probably need a magnifying glass to see it.
So here is Jesus telling his followers that even a small amount of faith is enough faith to do the seemingly impossible, like uproot big trees with deep roots and plant them in the sea. Faith cancels out words like impossible, preposterous, ridiculous, and absurd.
Nothing is impossible with God.
That was the message Jesus hoped to get across to his disciples. With even a small amount of faith we can do what others might think is impossible. With even the smallest amount of faith, sentences like "It can't be done!" and "One person won't make any difference" won't remain in our thoughts. Even faith that seems insignificant or as microscopic as a tiny seed can be the instrument of spectacular results. We can accomplish the impossible with even a small amount of faith.
And there’s more!
In examining our passage more closely we discover that Jesus was not reprimanding his disciples for not having enough faith. Instead, Jesus was affirming them for the faith they already had. You see, it's not a question of how much faith a person has, but how one uses the faith they already possess. The disciples said, "Increase our faith." Jesus affirmed them with his response, "If you had faith (and of course you do) 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.”
It was not a question of increasing their faith, because the disciples already possessed
the faith necessary to accomplish everything that was expected of them. Jesus’
response showed his confidence in them. The disciples had to learn to use the faith that
they already possessed.
And that is Jesus’ word to us, as well. In times of confusion, when everything seems to
be falling apart, we already have enough faith within us to carry us through. Even a
small amount of faith opens us all to a tremendous amount of power.
There was a professor who tried to illustrate this idea with her Spiritual Growth class. “I
showed them a stick of chewing gum and said that this gum was special; it was like faith
and could help solve our problems. All they had to do was chew it. I asked them to chew
the piece of gum I had given each one of them. But they all laughed, reminding me I
hadn’t given them any gum. I insisted that I had indeed given them gum, and I asked
how many believed me. No one seemed to believe me until one student finally began to
look around her seat for any sign of gum. Another student stood up, turned his chair
over and to his surprise found a stick of gum taped to the bottom. Others did the same
and also found gum. They were so sure they didn’t have it because they hadn’t actually
seen me give it to them.”
Our task is not to look for more faith. It is to choose the ways we can use our faith God
has already given us. What task could you handle this week knowing that you possess
enough faith to do the seemingly impossible?
Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, in his classic devotional book The Meaning of Faith, wrote:
“Religious faith is a positive achievement, and whoever does not deliberately choose it,
loses it.” He illustrated this truth with the story of a man who rowed down the Niagara
River. As he was rowing, the man debated with himself about whether or not to stop at
Buffalo.
Have you ever heard the expression that ‘no decision’ is actually a decision? It is the
choice to cover our fear of uncertainty, possible danger, of the unknown/unfamiliar with,
“I don’t know”. It’s a response to fear.
In the case of this canoeist, because he cannot make a decision, he has already
decided. If he debates long enough concerning his stop at Buffalo he will soon discover
he is already past the stop, thereby rendering his decision irrelevant. “Indecision is a
decision of the most final sort.”
And there’s something more to consider.
Faith enables us to do the things that Jesus wants us to do. If you are not achieving
great things in your life, perhaps this is the problem. Your will is not in line with Christ’s.
Jesus told the disciples about a servant whose only task was to serve his master. “So
you also,” Jesus told the disciples, “when you have done all that you were ordered to do
say, We are worthless slaves: we have done only what we ought to have done.'" Here is the humbling part of our text. Faith enables us to do extraordinary things ” but only those things of service to God and humanity. For that is the purpose of faith.
Dr. Willimon tells a story about a young woman named Anne who after college enrolled in pharmacy school. From time to time she came home to visit and worshiped with her mother and father.
One Sunday evening after one of her visits, Dr. Willimon received a telephone call from Anne's father. "Do you know what happened?" he asked. "Anne just called us to say that she has decided to drop out of pharmacy school."
"Really?" Dr. Willimon exclaimed, "What on earth is leading her to do a thing like that?"
"Well, we're not sure," he said. "You know how much Anne likes you. We thought that maybe you could call her up and talk some sense into her."
Dr. Willimon told the distraught father that he would be glad to do whatever he could. He called Anne, reminding her of all her hard work, her achievements. He urged her to think carefully before throwing all this away. "How in the world did you come to this decision?" he asked.
"Well," she said, "it was your sermon yesterday that started me thinking. You said that God has something important for each of us to do in our own way. I thought to myself, I’m not here because I want to serve God. I’m here to get a job, to make money, to look
out for myself. I’m going to get out of here and get into the same meaningless rat race
as everyone else.’ Then I remembered that good summer I spent working with the
church literacy program among the migrant workers’ kids. I really think I was serving
God then. I decided after your sermon to go back there and give my life to helping those
kids have a chance at life.”
Today, Christians around the world from many different traditions are celebrating World
Communion Sunday. Communion nurtures the faith deep within us. Frederick Buechner
shares a personal experience of receiving communion in an Episcopal church early one
morning. The priest was an acquaintance of his. As he knelt waiting for the bread and
cup, he heard the priest moving along the rail from person to person. “The body of
Christ,” he said, “the bread of Heaven. The body of Christ, the bread of Heaven.” “When
he got to me,” Buechner writes, “he put in another word. The word was my name. The body of Christ, Freddy, the bread of Heaven.'"
"There was nothing extraordinary about the priest's knowing my name ” I knew he knew it ” and there was nothing extraordinary about his using it in the service either. But the effect on me was extraordinary. It caught me off guard. It moved me deeply. For the first time in my life, perhaps, it struck me that when Jesus picked up the bread at his last meal and said,‘This is my body which is broken for you,’ he was doing it not just in a ritual way for humankind in general, but in an unthinkably personal way for every
particular man, woman, and child who ever existed or someday would exist. Most
unthinkable of all, as far as I was concerned, maybe he was doing it for me.”
Little Freddy grew up and became one of the foremost Christian scholars, teachers and
authors, and regularly blesses thousands of people through his writing. Maybe that
communion service planted that little bit of faith he needed.
May each of us find that little bit of faith we need this day that we might do great things
for Christ too.
May God be praised. AMEN