[Propertalk] Tidbits for Oct. 3 gospel sermons - Part 3

[Joe Parrish]

Lk 17:5-6 Faith of a mustard seed (// Mt 17:20; Mk 11:23; Mt 21:21; Th 48; Th 106:2; cf. 1 C 13:2) 
Lk 17:7-10 A slave's job (no parallels) 
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A brief prayer I read years and years ago is related to this text. It goes something like: "O God, I don't pray for enough faith to move mountains. I can get enough dynamite and bulldozers to do that. What I need and ask for is enough faith to move me."
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I'm not sure that a lot of people really want more faith. They may want more of the faith that will help them out - a faith that might heal themselves or a loved one, a faith that will help them pass a test, a faith that gives them assurance of eternal life; but do they really want a faith that will make them more Christ-like in sacrificial giving, in sacrificial loving, in sacrificial forgiving? I'm not sure if people want that.
It has been suggested that many people want only an inoculation of Christianity - just enough of it to protect them from catching the real thing. There is a danger in asking God to give you more faith. You might get it - then what?
There was once some parents whose daughter informed them that she was joining a Christian commune who was devoted to helping the poor. The parents exclaimed: "We raised our daughter to be a Christian, not a fanatic."
God's answer to the prayer, "Give us more faith," might make you a fanatic - a fanatic against sinning, a fanatic about forgiving, a fanatic about living your life as a dutiful, obedient slave of God. If you pray, "Give me more faith," watch out, you might get it.
http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/luke17x5.htm

Brian Stoffregen
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First of all, planting a mulberry tree in the sea is impossible. It is also improbable to think
that you could simply by believing it say to the mulberry tree, "be uprooted and planted
in the sea" and it would obey you. The implication of the saying is that this impossible
thing could be done with the amount of faith that's the size of a mustard seed. What
would happen if you had a lot of faith? You would be able to do incredible things. The
invitation is to consider the tremendous power of a little bit of faith and to pay attention
to the faith that we do have.
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The assumption of Jesus' parable
is that people have already received abundant and overwhelming grace from God. The
metaphor is not that we are slaves of God but rather that the relationships between
masters and slaves can help us identify dimensions of our relationship with God.
In each of these parables Jesus is in different ways calling attention to dimensions of faith
in God and our expectations in relation to God.

http://www.gotell.org/pdf/commentary/Luke/Lk17_05-10_commentary.pdf

Tom Boomershine 
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The metaphorical use of the master-slave relationship in a positive way is consistent with the fact that Luke, despite its well-known emphasis upon women, remains within a rather traditional patriarchal framework in its depiction of the women of Galilee. For example, Peter's mother-in-law "serves" Jesus and those with him after he heals her (4:39), and in 8:3 several women who have been healed do the same, although translations generally render the verb for "served" as "provided for." 

http://www.goodpreacher.com/shareit/readreviews.php?cat=28

Russell Pregeant
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Remember that this whole thing began with the Apostles saying, "Increase our trust! Increase our loyalty!"

And really what Jesus' response is saying is:

Trust, and loyalty, and bonding with me don't come in sizes. You either have it or you don't. It's like you are asking me to increase being pregnant. You can't be more or less pregnant. You either are or you aren't. Your silly request deserves a silly, mocking response.

We know from the whole of Jesus' life and teachings, from his death and resurrection, that he isn't about casting mulberry trees into oceans. That is absurd and cheap.

Rather, we do know that Jesus is about bringing into reality here on earth the realm of God. About demonstrating how to live as citizens of a distant land called the Kingdom of God.

This text invites us to ponder whether we too would like to become citizens of God's Kingdom - or not.

But please, whatever questions you may have about this, please don't ask Jesus to increase your citizenship! You either are, or you aren't.

http://www.holytextures.com/2010/09/luke-17-5-10-year-c-pentecost-october-2-october-8-proper-22-ordinary-time-27-sermon.html

David Ewart
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