Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, C October 6, 2019
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
Really, Jesus? Be uprooted and planted in the sea? I mean, why would anyone even want to waste so much power on such a bizarre thing? I guess it could have saved the government some money 8 years ago when they moved that giant oak tree along highway 90, but otherwise, who would put a tree in the sea? No one would. Jesus doesn’t actually want his disciples to try a stunt like that, but it does give us a striking image of faith doing what seems impossible.
So why such an impossible example? The disciples are obviously having trouble believing as it is; Why give them something that’s so hard to believe? Because there is more to this parable. The world likes to think that Jesus Christ is nice, someone who got along with people. The reality we see in the gospel is a determined man always challenging those around him to grow in ways that most of them find uncomfortable and even insulting.
When faced with doubt, Jesus usually increases the demand for faith. He did it with the Eucharist, he did it with his cross, he did it when talking about himself as the messiah. As we’ve already seen, Jesus has a problem with complacency. The way to force someone out of complacency is generally not to be gentle. He increases the pressure to force a decision, hopefully in the direction of greater faith, greater commitment, but he won’t settle for continued indifference.
So, Jesus is basically shocking the apostles to cast out lingering indifference. With a statement like this, it’s not easy to remain neutral. You either have to believe Jesus is totally nuts or that he’s telling the truth and really does have the power to do what’s impossible. If he is telling the truth, then you really need to follow him.
Yet, there’s an important piece missing from this challenge. What do you think caused the disciples to ask for an increase in faith in the first place? These are the same people who’ve seen Jesus cure countless disease… people who’ve cured diseases themselves, who’ve driven out demons! Why is their faith suddenly in need of a boost? Well, in the verse right before this passage, Jesus says “If your brother wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” That’s right. The thing that is so hard for the apostles is not defying nature, it’s forgiving sins. This challenge overshadows all their experiences with Jesus, so he doubles down and offers them one more reminder that you’re either all in or you’re out.
The other reality behind all of this tension is the real meaning of the word faith. We tend to think of it as an intellectual agreement, “I believe that is true.” That is one aspect of faith in Jesus, but the word he uses means more than that. It includes the idea of fidelity, of being faithful, of involving not just your mind and your ideas, but your free will and the actions you take.
And the forgiveness of sins, the reality of mercy challenges both senses of the word faith. The world likes to pretend they like mercy, but they really don’t. They use the word mercy to excuse all sorts of unnatural and wicked choices, but what they really mean is that they think there is nothing wrong with what we call “sin.” Yet, violate one of the worldly values popular today and see how well they really practice mercy and forgiveness. A single tweet, a 30-year-old photo, a slip of the tongue that goes outside the fashionable values of today and you’re out of job, untrusted, and treated as a monster.
Yes, the forgiveness of sins… seven times or seventy-seven times is the miracle that challenges faith. It’s why the world was amazed when Brandt, the brother of the murdered Botham Jean, forgave and even embraced the killer in the very courtroom where she was convicted. But as a Christian, you are called to show that very same mercy. How is your faith? Is your fidelity to the Gospel strong enough that you could do such a thing? Even more than moving trees, that is the demand placed upon you.
And yet, even that is not enough. Though he often promises great rewards for being faithful to the commands of God, here Jesus immediately goes on to offer a humbling counterpoint. We absolutely should rejoice and praise Brandt Jean’s act of forgiveness. Jesus, however, would advise that Brandt himself make no fuss about it: I am a servant who has done only what I was obliged to do.
Compared with how God has forgiven us, provided for us, offered us life, we have no room to brag about the kindness, generosity, and mercy we show toward others. In fact, that word “obliged” can also be translated to mean “debt.” In a very real, spiritual sense, every human being owes an infinite debt to God, so when we forgive the debts that other human beings owe to us, it doesn’t even compare. The point of this humbling statement is not that we are worthless, but that God is generous. We should not be surprised when we fail, but we also shouldn’t despair. Rather, remember that we are unprofitable servants dependent on a generous and loving God. And our Master – who has already given us everything – has promised us final victory if only we remain faithful, if only we keep trying. As our opening prayer – the collect – puts it, God “pardons what conscience dreads and gives what prayer does not dare to ask.”
Which brings us to the final key in this teaching: faith and fidelity have to keep growing. Jesus uses a mustard seed for a reason. It grows. It must persevere if it will bear fruit. Whether it’s working at forgiving an enemy or trying to uproot a sin more stubborn than a mulberry tree, you will have to be patient and you will have to endure. The prophet Habakkuk in our first reading wrestles with unanswered prayer when God tells him “if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late… the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” Do you want the faith to live? Then be faithful and endure. Let this challenge you, convict you that following Jesus isn’t some pastime. Act on the faith you have, do as God commands and watch your faith grow. Unlike the mulberry tree, it won’t be uprooted.