The People of Little Faith

Today we will see several instances in the life of Jesus where even his own disciples were rebuked for having  "little faith."   The exact quotation has come through the years to even be applied to us when we, too, demonstrate a weakness in our faith. 

The first one is from Matthew 28 where we have the story of Jesus and his disciples in a boat, crossing the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus had chosen the boat trip as a time to rest, so he was asleep when a storm arose and brought such waves the boat was in danger of sinking.  The disciples woke Jesus and beckoned him to save them, else they would all die.  Jesus replied to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" 

Next, on another stormy occasion the disciples were in a boat crossing the sea at night.  Jesus had stayed behind to spend some time in prayer.   Suddenly in the wind and the waves, Jesus comes walking on the water toward the boat. The disciples caught a glimpse of him and thought it was a ghost.  When Jesus identified himself to them, Peter spoke to the Lord, "If that is really you, Lord, invite me to come out of the boat, and be with you, on the water. "  Jesus simply said, "Come."  Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  But Peter became more aware and concerned with the storm and he started to sink.  He cried out for the Lord to save him.  Jesus stuck out his hand and caught hold of Peter, saying, "Oh you of little faith.  Why did you doubt?"

Still another occasion, in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded by both Matthew and Luke, it's Matthew's writings that contain these words from the Lord. "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

The single element all of these events have in common is the demonstration of a lack of faith.  The part that is difficult for us to understand is these were the disciples of Jesus, his closest followers, who shared the company of the Lord since he called them.  They had witnessed numerous miracles and knew first hand of his power and his willingness to be with them.  And in each of these stories, when it came right down to it, their faith was suddenly substituted by doubts and fears.

Without being too hard on the disciples, we, too, must confess there are situations and events happening in our lives where the end result is simply, "Oh ME of little faith."  Our problems are just like theirs and it stems from our reluctance to really place our trust in the Lord.

His promise to the disciples and to us is seen in his words, "I am with you always."  We find ourselves in all kinds of trouble if we do not place our trust in him.  His love for us, his sacrifice for us, his willingness to save us, all testify to his abiding presence. 

Lord, may our faith and trust in you, continue to grow as we become totally dependent on you and your promises.  Amen.

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