19. Sunday after Pentecost, 10/03/2010

Sermon on Luke 17:1-10, by David H. Brooks

¹And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! ² It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. ³Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents,forgive him, ⁴and if he sins against youseven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."⁵⁽^I⁾ The apostles said to the Lord," Increase our faith!" ⁶And 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. ⁷"Will any one of you who has a servantplowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'? ⁸Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? ⁹Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? ¹⁰So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'we are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"

Several summers ago I played a small role in a stage version of the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," which tells the story of a Southern Depression-era town and of a trial of a black man falsely accused of rape. Of course, this being the time of Jim Crow, the results are a foregone conclusion, but there is a powerful scene where the attorney for the accused attempts to stand against the massive weight of prejudice and cynicism that would convict an innocent man. The attorney urges the jurors to remember why they are there-to administer justice-and he finishes with the words "in the name of God, do your duty." And even though I had been through so many rehearsals that I thought I was numb to that scene's emotional impact, off stage I sighed deeply because I knew that on stage, like in real life, people would fail to do their duty.

"We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty." It might seem out of place for Jesus to tell this parable hard on the heels of a discussion about sin, faith and mustard seeds. Moreover it is perhaps hard to think that Jesus is comparing the relationship he shares with us with the relationship between a master and a servant, which in our day carries all sorts of unsavory, unpalatable connotations. But if we see that the servants act on the basis of what the relationship between them and their master requires, then perhaps we will begin to see more clearly the connection between our faith in Jesus and our doing what he says.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes clear (some say reunites) the connection between faith and duty in his text The Cost of Discipleship. In that book Bonhoeffer relates a sort of parable that goes like this: Suppose you are in a war zone, perhaps as a spy. To be caught would mean instant death. You are trying to make your way back to your army and safety. You come to a crossroads and you have no idea which road to take. A woman is standing there. She says to you "I am with the resistance, and was sent here to wait for you and help you back. Take the road to the left, and you will reach your destination." So you look to your left, and the road she indicates looks dangerous; it appears to go in the wrong direction. The other roads look better. Bonhoeffer concludes by asking "Do you believe her, or do you go to the left? There is no difference, because going to the left means you believe her and believing her means you'll take the left fork."

Jesus response to the disciples makes the same point. The disciples ask for an increase in faith-which is not a bad thing to ask of Jesus-and he points out to them that even miniscule, tiny faith the size of a mustard seed can accomplish the incredible, even the impossible. Then he points out that the possession of such faith, even quite tiny faith, creates a situation where you do certain things. The very condition of believing creates a situation, a relationship if you will, where you act differently than you otherwise might. It's like being in love. If I am in love with someone, then I'll do those things that reflect and enhance that love. If I don't, then the other person may rightly ask whether my love is true. Moreover, I can't presume extra praise for doing the things that love requires, needs, expects as the very fabric of its existence. Talking about love without being loving is meaningless chatter; expecting extra rewards for doing what love does anyway is perhaps something worse. What would we say to that person who "did" acts of love only to get something out of it? It doesn't matter what that something is; no one does acts of love to improve the self, or to increase standing in the community, or anything like that. Certainly good things can and do come as a result of acting on love, but we act lovingly because of the relationship itself-because of the other person. Our self-interest falls away, and we are become "unworthy"-why receive praise for what would (even must) be done? Who tells Romeo "good job" for speaking so passionately about Juliet?

So again, when we act in Christian duty, obedience, discipleship-call it what you will-we act because of our relationship with the person who has made our mustard-sized faith possible. And in his reference to unworthy servants we are taught that we are to act faithfully, act obediently, or do our duty not because we get warm fuzzies or because we feel better about ourselves or because we are counting potential rewards or praise but because, just like those jurors in the play, our duty as Christians is necessary and vital. It is vital because it reflects the relationship we share with Christ, a relationship that is the source and the sustenance of our faith. As another preacher has said, the important work of being a disciple of Jesus is the constant, daily, increasing challenge to take Jesus a little more seriously and myself a little less so. We grow into our faith and see it increase not by focusing ever more closely upon ourselves, but by being more attentive to the Master and doing those things that disciples do.

Now you might walk out of here this morning renewed and refreshed. I do hope that is true. But I hold that hope only if your renewal and refreshment becomes the source of greater discipleship, greater obedience, a greater focus on Jesus, the source of our life. So often we worry about how our faith "feels" and some days it feels good, other days not so much. But Jesus our Lord calls us to do our duty because our faith is built on a relationship that is deeper, more steadfast, and more trustworthy than our feelings. God is there even when we don't necessarily feel affirmed, or faithful, or more loving or caring. But praise be to God that our mustard seed faith allows us to focus on someone who is greater than my feelings, who is steadfast when I am all over the map, who makes possible all the things that I would insist are impossible. He never fails!

Pr. David H. Brooks
Christ the King Lutheran Church, Cary, NC, USA
E-Mail: David.Brooks@ChristtheKingCary.org

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