An interesting thing happened to me on my way to the pulpit this morning. At least, I think it’s interesting, although I will admit that it’s amazing how many things other than actually sitting down and writing seem interesting when I’m trying to sort out where a homily is taking me. Interesting or not, the whole story began about four years ago when I read something from a reputable source—now long forgotten—that calls into question the usual translation of today’s gospel portion. The disciples say to Jesus, “Increase our faith!” According to the translation we’ve just heard, Jesus responds, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would tell this mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would obey you.” However, my long-lost source wrote that the word we translate as “if” can also be translated as “since”. “Since you have faith the size of a mustard seed…”
Because I couldn’t look at the source again, I decided to try to figure
the whole thing out for myself. As I said, sometimes almost anything feels more
attractive than actually sitting down and writing. So, I got out my Greek Testament
and my parsing guide and my big blue lexicon and started digging. This tiny
little word has two full pages in the lexicon dedicated to it. After poring
over all three books for a while, I learned that this little word can describe
a situation
where a condition is thought to be a reality or it can describe a situation
where a condition is thought to be an unreality or a not-yet reality. In other
words, whether we translate this little word as “if” or as “since”
depends on how we understand the situation.
The question that’s been gnawing at me as I looked through all those books is this: what kind of understanding of the situation leads us to believe that Jesus is speaking from an assumption that the disciples have no faith? Why would we imagine that he thinks they have no faith? Remember where we are in the story. This is chapter 17. We are miles and months—perhaps years—down the road on Jesus’ journey. The disciples are people who have left their homes and families to follow Jesus. They have seen the healing he has done. They have gone out into the villages themselves, teaching and healing in his name. They have seen Jesus feed the multitudes; they’ve seen whatever it was that happened that day on the mountain in the event we call the Transfiguration. They’ve seen and done things that have shocked and amazed them, and finally—2/3 of the way through Luke’s account of Jesus’ ministry—the disciples ask him to increase their faith. Why on earth do they do that? Why now? What happened?
We have to look backward from this reading to find the answer. In the section of the gospel that comes just before today’s reading, Jesus tells the disciples to watch carefully to make sure they don’t lead each other astray. Then he tells them that if another disciple sins against them and repents, they must offer unlimited forgiveness to that person, no matter how many times it happens. It’s at this point, when they’re faced with a task that seems so far beyond their capacity, that the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. You’ll notice they don’t ask for faith itself. They ask for more. And, if we understand Jesus as recognizing that they have even a smidgen of faith, we can hear him telling them that the faith they have is enough to do just about anything.
For me, this story begs the question: how much is enough? In my experience, when I’m facing something I anticipate will be difficult, there’s no such thing as enough. Not enough time, not enough money, not enough talent, not enough people, not enough education, not enough experience, not enough room, not enough coffee, not enough information, not enough excitement, not enough understanding, not enough me, not enough Jesus, not enough faith. I want more. I want more of whatever I think I’m lacking, and, in the middle of all that wanting more, an interesting thing happens to that little word “if”. It turns into “when”. When I have enough, that’s when I’ll be able to do whatever it is I’m afraid I won’t be able to do. When I have enough time. When I have enough money. When I have enough talent. When I have enough Jesus. When I have enough faith.
And Jesus looks me square in the eyes and says, “You have all you need. Now use it.”
This past Monday was my sixth anniversary at St. Mark’s. When the vestry called me to be with you, we didn’t have enough of the things we thought we needed. We didn’t have enough money to pay both my salary and our Fair Share to the diocese. We didn’t have enough people to do all the things we wanted to do. I think there were a good number of us who thought we didn’t have enough of a lot of things, including faith. But Jesus looked us in the eyes and said, “You have all you need. Now use it.” And we did.
Today, six years later, we are sometimes shocked and amazed by the blessings
that have come to this community. We have stepped out in faith together, and
miraculous things have happened.
In the last six years, we have done things we thought we couldn’t do—everything
from repaving the parking lot and expanding the organ to calling Pastor Kate
to be with us. We—with God’s help—have done these things,
yet we are still searching for enough—still searching for the magic moment
when we have enough and can do the things we say we want to do.
In reality and in our experience as a faith community, having enough is a decision. Having enough is a choice. Having enough requires that we go into those difficult places where we’re not sure of ourselves. Having enough requires that we take risks. Having enough requires that we act as people of faith who are called to do God’s work in this world. Having enough requires that we act as-if, that we take the first step into our fear and then another step and then another and then another. Having enough requires that we remember God’s grace in each of our lives, and respond to God’s faithfulness with the faith we have been given.
Jesus looks us in the eyes and says, “You have all you need. Now use it.”
And when we do that, when we respond to God out of faith instead of fear, our lives are transformed. When we live in faith, miracles happen.
Thanks be to God.