A Little Faith Gets the Full Jesus
Luke 7:11-19 / 17:3-6
October 5, 2019 anno Domini – Redeemer
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “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. Luke 17:3–6 (ESV)
Jesus says, “When your brother sins rebuke him.” And you say, “What good will it do? He knows what he is doing is wrong. He’ll never change. Besides, if I say anything he’ll get mad at me.”
Jesus says, “if your brother sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” And you say, “Right! So my brother hits me seven times in a day or lies to me seven times in a day. Then he says, ‘I’m sorry.” I’m not going to forgive him. He isn’t sorry and even if he was I don’t have that much forgiveness.
Increase our faith, pray the apostles. Why? Because every day we face things that are too great for us. We face sin that needs to be rebuked. We face sinners that need to be forgiven. We have brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors who are caught in sin and need to be rebuked, who are burdened by sin and need to be forgiven. Plus we’re like that woman in Nain. Everything upon which she had based her life – a husband who would love her and care for her, a son who would receive her love and care for her if she was a widow – it was all gone. She had no life. Her life was over and there was nothing she could do.
Increase our faith, pray the Apostles. I dislike the word “faith.” I dislike it because talking about faith doesn’t help us. That widow in Nain may have needed more faith, but Jesus didn’t say to her, “Have faith! Everything will be okay.” The apostles needed faith to rebuke the sin of the world, and to forgive those who repented, but Jesus doesn’t say, “I’ll give you more faith.” If you have suffered evil, if you have a soiled conscience, if you’re struggling with sin, as your pastor I will never say to you, “Have more faith.” Why?
Because Jesus didn’t give the disciples more faith. He says the quantity of your faith doesn’t matter. 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.’”
Have you ever seen that much faith? I have never seen anyone uproot a tree by their faith and plant it in the sea. Not even the television preachers who fly Gulfstream Jets between their multiple mansions. What is Jesus saying about faith? It isn’t a matter of quantity – the littlest faith can do things thought impossible.
The mustard seed was one of the tiniest seeds known to the Apostles and the Mulberry tree was known for the depth of its roots. It would be one of the most difficult trees to uproot. The tiniest faith could uproot the most stubborn tree. The Apostles would have to uproot sin and rebuke it. They would face a world deeply rooted in sin, but occasionally a sinner would repent and let go of the dirt. When we are sinned against, anger, shame, and pride take deep root in our hearts and we are slow to forgive. It is hard to forgive, especially the frequent sins against us, or the most hurtful sins against us – the sins of a husband or wife, the sins against our body or reputation. The ones that dirty us with self-loathing and worthlessness. But a little faith can work to loosen those roots of bitterness so that we can bear the fruit of forgiveness. It happened this past week, very publicly when Brandt Jean showed compassion to police officer Amber Guyger, who was convicted of killing his brother. Did you see him forgive her in the courtroom and then hug her?
What does faith need? What do you need to love people enough to rebuke them when they are caught in sin? What do you need to forgive the person who sins against you most? You need Jesus.
The widow of Nain needed Jesus. Jesus came to Nain for that widow. He wasn’t surprised that they met a funeral procession. He wasn’t troubled by the impossibility of this woman’s despair. This is why the Son of God became man. God is in the flesh on that road because the eyes of God see the woman’s grief. The ears of God hear her cries. And the feet of God carry Him right into her plight. Jesus has compassion on her and says, “Do not weep.” Literally “Stop crying.” Don’t ever say that to a widow consumed with grief. You’re not Jesus. Jesus can say that because He is the Lord of life and He has come to buy back life for all people, including this widow and her son.
Jesus stands in the way of death. He stops the funeral procession without a Word. Death has met is match. “Young man, I say to you, arise.” Once again, don’t try this at the next funeral you attend – you’re not Jesus. “And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.” (Luke 7:15, ESV)
Faith needs Jesus. Telling that widow to “Have faith” would have done nothing for her. Jesus stopping the funeral, drying her tears, and raising her son – now that gave her something to believe and confess and hold on to.
The crowd exclaimed, “God has visited His people.” This is what your faith needs – visits from God. God visits His people in the person of Jesus. He visits to forgive our sins.
You cannot undo your sin, but Jesus did. He bore your sin in His body on the tree. By His death you are forgiven.
You cannot stop the evil in the world, but Jesus did by stopping evil in you. When the Holy Spirit gives you faith in Jesus, when you believe your sin is forgiven, you are given a new heart, a clean heart, a heart that hates evil and desires good. We will never stop evil in the world, but Jesus stops it in us.
You cannot stop death. Don’t stand in the way of a funeral procession hoping they’ll stop. You’re not Jesus. Jesus stopped four funerals. The funeral of the widow’s son, of Jairus’ daughter, and He even opened the stinking grave of the four day dead Lazarus. Unfortunately they would all have to die again. But not Jesus. When He stopped His funeral He stopped death forever. Because when He died He took away the sin of the world and without sin there is no death.
Jesus death forgives you. You’ve sinned more than seven times today against God. You’ve probably sinned more than seven times since the sermon began. You’ve sinned in ways that you cannot even forgive. “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15, ESV) Now there’s something for your faith to have and to hold. Jesus has led you to repentance. He has forgiven you. He has stopped death from taking you. By faith in Jesus you can rebuke sin and the Holy Spirit can uproot stubborn sinners, after all He uprooted you. By faith in Jesus you can can forgive sins and the Holy Spirit can uproot and cast away the guilt of the worst sinner, after all He cast away your guilt.
Little faith. Great faith. We would do well not to measure faith because it isn’t the measure of our faith, but the measure of Jesus that saves. Even a little faith receives everything Jesus accomplished. A little faith can do the impossible as long as that little faith is in the name of Jesus. Amen.