Luke 17:5-10
To be truthful I would rather have had just read verses five and six, rather than 5-10, as what those two verses say about increasing one’s faith I think is very good:
“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord 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.” Luke 17:5-6
Verses 7-10 rather annoy me:
“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, 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!” Luke 17:7-10
I find the whole concept of slavery abhorrent and the fact that this reading would seem to encourage ‘rough treatment’ of slaves inhuman. I realise that, Jesus is speaking, in a different context to ours and that what Luke is trying to do is to suggest that we have things that we just have to do; like praying and that we should just do it without complaint. But, the way Luke says it though does not sit well with our 21st century sensibilities; ‘Slave come here, get my tea. Yes I know you have worked in the field all day but just do what I say you should do.’ We might like to think that we have moved on since then but many people today still live lives of slavery and bondage. Some due to human inhumanity and others due to marital or family pressures. A better image today might be to say that just as you work or care for your family so should you try to give time to God as well. Prayer to God should be as much a part of our lives as work or caring for the family are.
This is related to what Jesus has to say about increasing one’s faith and not giving up on it when things get tough. It can be all too easy not to give time to God so that our faith stagnates or solidifies; that it stops developing. In using the word faith I also take it to include the word doubt as well, for doubt is as much about faith and not it’s opposite. The opposite of faith is certainty and certainty does not enable anyone to increase their faith for if you are certain then what is there left to discover?