This Sunday’s gospel was Luke 17: 5 – 10, and the homily around it was pathetic.
Somehow, the Deacon tried to tie in global warming into the story’s meaning. Fabrication pure and simple.
This repeated problem of misinterpretation of scripture or bending it to suit your needs is one of the main reasons that the Church is losing its battle for followers.
Today, people can read for themselves, interpret for themselves, think for themselves. If you are going to interpret, you better base it on the reality of the narrative itself. And if you DO interpret, make sure you can connect the dots.
You don’t have to be God’s representative to read or judge for yourself. You can ask for help. But like all help, you must be careful what you ask for and who gives the help to you.
Furthermore, just because the person is a “priest” doesn’t give them a lock on truth[1].
This particular narrative from Luke had NOTHING to do with global warming. The Deacon who gave the homily clearly struggled with the real meaning and went off on a tangent that said something about the meaning being just be quiet and do your job.
Doing your job is NOT what the story was about.
The story is about faith, what faith can do, and obedience. It is a story about how little faith you really need to get things done. But, not faith in God as I will proceed to demonstrate.
It is also a story about obedience.
The fact is, Jesus never tells the disciples exactly how to increase their faith in this story (because you can’t actually increase it). Instead, as He usually does, he tells stories and leaves it up to you to figure it out.
Jesus, ironically, has faith that we can do just that!
You see, faith isn’t a quantity thing. It’s a thing you have, or you don’t have.
Let’s get started to find out the truth of this story. As always, the King James version is at the end of this essay for your reference.
Verse 5. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Analysis. As always, the first sentence of any narrative kicks off the story and sets the stage for the rest of it. However, in this case, it falls short by starting on Verse 5; we miss a lot of the motivation for the disciples asking Jesus to increase their faith by omitting the first four verses of the chapter itself.
Why did the Church decide to do that in presenting the Gospel for mass that Sunday? The Church has total control of what stories are told, where they begin, and where they end.
Unfortunately for the Church, so do we.
In fact, if you go to the source document (the Bible), you can read for yourself what precedes any narrative for any mass on any Sunday. Often, that makes a difference in true understanding, as it does in this case.
These first four verses actually “frame” the entire narrative and should be part of your analysis.
Let’s briefly examine the first four verses to see what I mean, remembering that the story we’re discussing started with Verse 5, the apostles asking the Lord to “increase their faith.”
1 THEN said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
3 ¶ Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
They seem like four separate stories, don’t they? They seem like instructions to His disciples, don’t they? And once you read them, it makes sense the disciples would ask to increase their faith!
Jesus (as in chapters prior to this) has been telling stories directly to his disciples to prepare them for what lies ahead as His followers. Don’t forget: He is Jesus, and He knows why He is here. And, He knows what they will be going through on His behalf.
As usual, Luke’s narratives are somewhat confusing, not just with double negatives begin used, but by the structure of his language itself. The narrative the way it is told makes readers stop, think, repeat, and think some more. That’s very important to truly understanding the narrative.
For example, in Verse 1, instead of simply saying to the disciples, “offences will come,” Luke says, “it is impossible but that offences will come.”
“It is impossible but…” is an interesting way of saying that offenses are coming their way. Why does Jesus say it this way? Or is it just Luke says Jesus talked like that?
Either way, Luke is consistent; Jesus talks that way.
His message is really “woe” to those who commit those offenses on the disciples. Jesus is comforting them by saying “woe” will come to them that do those offenses at you.
More important, Verse 1 sets the stage for the request to increase their faith: Jesus is preaching to the disciples directly– not the “great multitudes” or Pharisees, etc. as found in other stories – is warning them what’s up ahead in their decision to follow Him. In these four stories, He hammers home what’s coming their way to the point where they ask Him to increase their faith so that they can stand up to the hammering.
He is instructing his disciples…telling them what they to expect, how they should act., and so on.
Starting the Sunday story with just “increase our faith” takes away from the depth of understanding of the overall context, and also a good amount of the appreciation for the motivation of why the disciples are asking to increase their faith.
The second verse (a different story) basically tells the disciples about what will happen if you offend “one of these little ones;” that is, it’s better a millstone hung around your neck and you are cast into the sea if you offend these “little ones.” Omitting that verse from the Sunday gospel is an interesting choice by the Church, in that it is central to the abuse scandal engulfing the Church right now.
But in the actual narrative, it comes out of nowhere. Where is the transition from woe to the offenders? We can suggest that a milestone around your neck is woe, but really, there is no transition.
Nevertheless, this story shows the seriousness that Jesus placed on abuse of “little ones.” It makes you wonder since the instruction is delivered directly to His disciples: Do you think He knew something? Why is Jesus telling them this ? Could He have foreseen what’s going on now?
After all, He is Jesus…and He knows. One wonders, did he REALLY know what is going to happen, what is going on around us now? I get chills when I think about that reading this verse.
Since it is part of the four verses that sparked their request to increase their faith…well, it starts to make sense in that faith makes people strong. With faith, you stand up to temptation. Take on offenses. You can pretty much do anything. Get it?
Verses 3 and 4 continue the instructions to the disciples that are extremely interesting as well, because He tells them that if you are trespassed against, you should “rebuke” that person. In other words, scold them. To rebuke means to express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behavior or actions. No turning the other cheek in these instructions! But then Jesus says that if the trespasser repents, forgive the rebuke. Remember: forgiveness is one of the central themes throughout the stories.
Forgiveness usually always follows repentance; from another point of view, there can be no forgiveness without repenting.
And as verse four states: if they repent seven times, forgive them seven times. In other words, no limit on forgiveness if there is repentance. The operative word is, “IF.”
These four verses lead up to the disciples asking to increase their faith. The stories “spark” the request, obviously, since the disciples listening (as we are reading) were probably thinking: I’m going to need a lot of faith for this mission of following Jesus. Verse 1: offenses are coming, but woe to the one committing them; Verse 2: don’t offend little ones; Verse 3: if someone trespasses against you, rebuke him, but forgive him if he repents. Verse 4. And if he does it seven times in a day and repents 7 times, forgive him seven times.
No wonder their heads were swimming and they believed they needed more faith.
But Jesus, in typical fashion, answers their request with a mysterious story about mustard seeds.
Verse 6. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Analysis. His example “if ye had faith” tells them if you had even as much as the size of a mustard seed, you can make a tree uproot itself and move to the sea.
In other words, He is telling them they don’t have any faith if they are asking to increase it.
So, faith as Jesus explains is not a quantity thing. A mustard seed is a small thing, about 0.039 to 0.079 inches in diameter. The mustard seed is referenced by three of the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark and Luke as something Jesus used in discussions.[2]
If they had mustard-seed size faith, they would be able to command things and be obeyed. Obedience is another constant theme in scripture. So, what is really going on here?
The contrast between large and small is a clue, since the tree in the story is a Sycamine which is also known as Sycamore. It’s a fig tree, and a pretty big tree, sometimes 50 feet. The small thing (faith), the large thing, and the disciples in the middle. It’s obvious they were around a tree that size, since Jesus pulls it into his story with the word “this.”
One of the things about language and narrators is their use of the language (in this case, a translation of course from the original language). “Grain of mustard seed” is interesting because it is redundant; Jesus didn’t need to say “grain” for the sentence to mean something, but He did.
The only reason to do this is to emphasize the size of faith factor: you don’t need a lot of faith to move things, to command things. So, asking to increase your faith is, well, silly. We must read further to gain a better understanding of what Jesus is really driving at.
Verses 7-9. But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
Analysis. Jesus jumps from the mustard seed directly to the disciples with a challenge: which of you would say to a servant after he finished his work, go and eat your dinner? Why is He asking them that? What is the connection to mustard seeds and faith?
Well, the mustard seed story is about how a little faith can move big things. Asking the disciples (and we all know their backgrounds) if they would tell a servant to go and eat after the work is a challenge and a big thing. It requires a change in point of view: only a little faith to do that. We must read more to get the full meaning.
8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Analysis. Now we see that asking the servant to go and eat first requires faith, something that is unselfish as opposed to selfish (feeding yourself and following the rules of servant/master).
He puts it in the form of a question and juxtaposes it with the first question. He is explaining human nature – the selfish part of human nature. The “Me” part of human existence. And He tops it off with another challenge.
9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
Analysis. Asking the disciples of they would thank the servant for what he did that was “commanded” of himself and answering his own question, “I think not” starts to bring the relationship of mustard seeds and faith into perspective.
If you don’t need a lot of faith to move a tree, you shouldn’t need a lot of faith in thanking your servant for doing their job or feeding them first.
The question is, what does “faith” have to do with gratitude? And, faith in what?
Again, the language usage from “you” to “he” causes some confusion in understanding, but the last sentence does not: Jesus doesn’t think they would do that! In other words, the disciples really don’t have any faith.
But what, again, does this have to do with faith?
Suddenly, we should realize the complexity of the text.
What are the “things” that were commanded, and that we should be thanked for doing? Is Jesus saying that the disciple should command the servant to eat first and that is what faith is all about? What does faith have to do with all of this?
The final verse of the narrative tries to tie it all together.
Verse 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Analysis. In other words, you are like everyone else: you’re whining about doing your duty.
The word “likewise” is the key. With one word, He is saying that the previous stories are related directly to them, and when they are commanded to do something. Exactly what is Jesus commanding them to do?
Spread the word, of course. But is He? I mean, does He really come out and say that here?
He is saying that they feel “unprofitable” because no one thanks them for doing their duty.
To truly understand the message, you have to examine what faith really is.
What is faith?
The dictionary says that faith is “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” The second definition given is, “strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.”
The key word in the first definition is “complete.” This means having all the parts. Total. Whole.
Faith is believing in something when there is no hard evidence.
But in the narrative we’re studying, faith in who or what?
I would suggest faith in yourself. If the disciples had such faith, they would not only move that tree; they would be capable of thanking a servant, serving the servant so to speak by telling him to eat first.
Faith, like many words like it, is intangible. And it is more than a feeling.
Faith manifests itself in actions, not words. It has nothing to do with duty. In fact, when you have faith, you don’t do your duty: you simply do. Duty has nothing to do with faith.
You really can’t teach faith or order it or increase it. You have it, or you don’t.
That is the key to understanding the story – that you can’t command people to have faith. Nor can you ask someone to increase it.
You can command them to plow a field. Or, you can plow it for them.
Remember that Jesus is saying that when you just do your duty, you feel unprofitable. Why? What makes you profitable if you do your duty?
The only answer is that duty has nothing to do with faith.
I’m reminded of Matthew16:26 For what is a man profited, if he hall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? This is also repeated in Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Faith is the way to profit. Believing. Unconditionally. Like Jesus said, you don’t thank the servant for doing what he was commanded to do, but maybe you should. You order them to feed you first, but maybe you should tell them to eat first.
Only a person with faith in himself would be able to pull off that type of command. Jesus, the ultimate in having faith in Himself, is trying to teach his group that that means.
The narrative has nothing to do with being thanked for doing your duty. Or global warming. It is about having faith in yourself – enough faith the size of mustard seed to do not what you’re commanded to do, but to do what should come naturally to do because you have faith – faith in yourself.
Help people without being told, without being asked, and without expectation for being thanked for helping. Faith is “complete trust or confidence in someone or something” for sure: in yourself for starters.
A remarkable story, don’t you think?
LUKE 17: 5-10
5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
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[1] One of my friends I mentioned my confusion to sent me an e-mail that said: Catholic Church: Could Pope Francis say ‘yes’ to married priests? But when I read the article, it was about how Francis is thinking about letting priests marry at “remote parts of the Amazon, older, married, men should be ordained.”
I told my friend: “Pretty soon, the Amazon will be the only place where all the Catholics will be at.”
Then I mentioned to him that our pastor bought some books, Letter to a Suffering Church, from a bishop in LA., Robert Barron. Our pastor had a meeting to discuss it in relationship to the situation within the Church.
18 people showed up, of which I was one. I asked, “How many people are in this parish? And how come only 18 showed up?” “That’s what I mean,” the pastor said getting excited for the first time that evening. “I bought 1400 books, and I can’t give them away!”
[2] Matthew 13: 31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Matthew 17: 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Mark 4: 30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? 31 [It is] like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 32 But when it is sown, it growth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. Mark 13: 18 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.