The Faith To Forgive. Pt 2

1Jesus said to his followers, “Things will surely happen that will make people sin. But it will be very bad for anyone who makes this happen3So be careful! “If your brother or sister in God’s family does something wrong, warn them. If they are sorry for what they did, forgive them. 4Even if they do something wrong to you seven times in one day, but they say they are sorry each time, you should forgive them.” 5The apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more faith!” 6The Lord said, “If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Dig yourself up and plant yourself in the ocean!’ And the tree will obey you.

Luke 17:1, 3-6

The Mustard seed in this parable represents faith, which is important because a Mustard seed is truly small in size compared with many other seeds. This can be used to understand that a little amount of faith can produce awesome moves of God on our behalf. When you give God whatever you have in complete faith, obedience, and surrender then he can do the rest. The Mustard seed can produce a bush, or tree that is small in stature in comparison with the Mulberry tree, which is can be seen as a negative, but you must look closer to what is going on and how it relates to our christian walk. The small bush or tree that grows from the Mustard see can represent that we may not blossom into this grand show of extravagance like our worldly counterparts, but we can enjoy a small stature, or humble position that allows us to remain close to our source of strength/nutrition. The Mustard tree has low branches that are easily accessible for animals and birds alike, meaning that we are never too far from those that need us most. The low branches can provide shade and/or shelter for those that are seeking refuge in times of trouble or uncertainty. The interesting feature of the Mustard tree/bush is that it has no thorns. This is both a pro and con in that there is nothing imposing or offputting about the Mustard tree/bush that would cause those who need us to avoid us in fear, or cause them unneccessary harm, pain, or suffering as they draw near to us for comfort, reassurance, guidance, and love. This also works against us because there is no deterrent or protection that would keep predators, enemies, or the devil and his companions from approaching us to do harm. Our lack of defense makes us vulnerable to harm/danger, but also fully reliant on our source (God) for protection.

6The Lord said, “If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Dig yourself up and plant yourself in the ocean!’ And the tree will obey you.

This verse is probably the most important in the passage because Jesus is essentially telling them that the only way to remove unforgiveness/sin (Mulberry tree) from your life is through faith (Mustard seed). You can’t have faith occupying the same space as unforgiveness/sin, a Mulberry tree and a Mustard tree/bush can’t occupy the same spot because there isn’t enough space or nutrition for both to live. Once you produce the Mustard seed size faith, then you allow God to work in your life to remove the Mulberry trees that are preventing you from experiencing everything that he has for you. So like the disciples, it is about time that we increase our faith to forgive.

Reflection Time

Do you have the faith the forgive now? What areas of your faith are you still struggling with? Have you fully released/surrendered your right to be mad/angry, or offended to God? What areas of your life do you need to throw into the sea right?