Sunday, November 11, 2001
Sunday, November 11, 2001
"It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it
grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."
In the Gospels, for the same story to be told by two different authors from two different
perspectives. The result is often a much richer interpretation.
In Matthew's Gospel we read about the time the disciples failed in an attempt to heal an
epileptic youth. When they asked Jesus why they had failed, he responded by saying it
was their lack of faith. Then he added, "...if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing
will be impossible to you."
In Luke, the disciples make a request of Jesus: "Increase our faith!" We can
sympathize with their request. But notice Jesus' response to the disciples' request. "If
you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, 'Be
rooted up, and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." Notice how similar the
words are to those in Matthew. But there is a difference. This time Jesus launches into
a discourse on the importance of being an obedient servant. Jesus's words can teach
us a lot.
(Luke 13:19
NRSV)
The angle from which we view things makes a big difference. Lord Chesterfield once
pointed out that a horse looks pretty much like a horse when viewed from ground level,
but when you climb up in the loft and look down on a horse from the top, it looks a good
deal like a violin.
Loving God, my I open my heart today to all that Jesus has to teach me. Amen.
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