Faith is an elusive, sought-after commodity of the Christian life. Putting our faith to work makes it stronger and makes the world a better place.
If you like to cook, you’re always on the lookout for great recipes. And even if you don’t like to cook, but you like to eat, you probably know a good cook and you’re happy to pass along a great recipe to that person.
But there are recipes ... and there are recipes. Some recipes call for 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1/4 stick of butter and 1 cup of sugar, and so on, and the careful and precise list of ingredients is all-important for a great dish. But some recipes are passed along with more general instructions: A bit of this and a dash of that; salt to taste; use enough butter so it doesn’t stick; about a cup of sugar — unless you want it sweeter or not so sweet — you be the judge. Both kinds of recipes work (or they don’t), depending on how your mind works. (Some of us like detailed instructions and some of us are okay with just general directions, and some recipes can survive more general instructions while others cannot.)
Our scripture today talks about how much — how much faith we need. The apostles had just heard Jesus talk more than once about how they need to forgive. They had been warned of the consequences if they were to “cause a little one to stumble.”1 No wonder they wondered about faith! How could anyone live up to Jesus’ standards? How do we put our faith to work?
Increase our faith
Our text today consists of two sets of sayings on being a follower of Jesus. Verses 5 and 6 deal with faith, brought about because the apostles said to Jesus, “Increase our faith!”
Faith is an elusive concept that’s dealt with in many ways throughout scripture and even throughout the gospels. In Luke, we often see unlikely people be
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