Long before the phrase "just do it" became the slogan of one of the larger sporting goods companies, I heard my parents say that to me time and again. "Quit complaining. Quit trying to find reasons to get out of the job. Quit postponing the task, hoping it will go away. Just do it," they would tell me.

Those words are not in the passage we read, but the tone and message is there, just beneath the words and between the lines.

In this sermon I want us to examine what Jesus was saying. In the first few verses Jesus was saying something like this: "Look, life is tough enough for people without you making it more difficult for them. There are plenty of trials and tribulations and seductive temptations for people to trip over without you putting additional obstacles and temptations in their path. If you want to know what really upsets God, it is this: for one of his so called faithful people to say and do things that cause others to stumble in their struggle to become persons living as God intended. You want God’s wrath? Then you just go around placing temptations and obstacles in the paths of others. You really want to upset God? Trip someone who is struggling on his or her faith journey."

Jesus was telling the disciples and telling us we have a responsibility to and for one another. We are to help, not hinder one another. It is especially sad and devastating when it is people like us—people who claim to be following Christ—who in our attitudes, words and deeds cause others to stumble in their life journey. Jesus told the disciples and in the process was telling us that there are enough pains and problems, temptations and seductions in life to cause persons to stumble without us pushing or tripping them. Rather than tripping them, our job is to help them up when they stumble.

Jesus said: "If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive." We are to offer both tough and tender love to one another. We are to point out destructive behavior when we see it. We are to be clear in declaring behavior that is in conflict with the Gospel to be what it is—in conflict with the Gospel. We are to care enough for one another that we do whatever we can to warn, to rebuke someone we see making a mess of his or her life.

As difficult as this may be for some of us to do, what is really difficult is the other part of what Jesus told us. When that person repents, when that person begins changing his or her life, we are to forgive; we are to embrace that person back into our lives.

Now this is hard enough without having to deal with next statement Jesus made. "And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back [changes and tries to go the right direction] seven times saying: ‘I repent,’ you must forgive." This is not a sentimental plea for us to be wishy washy and gullible. It is a call for us to be compassionate, and whenever it is evident someone is striving to change, to turn his or her living around [what the Bible calls "repent"] we are to embrace that person, regardless of whether or not they have been successful in maintaining their repentance in the past.

What Jesus is saying here through this tough illustration is this: we are to love others as God in Christ has loved us.

Little wonder that the next words out of the disciples mouths were: "Increase our faith!" To love others as God in Christ has loved us does require faith. For us to make the sacrifices we must make in order to reach out to others as Christ did, we must trust that God’s love really does win. Without such faith, we will be unable to take risks with persons time and time again.

The disciples seemed to be saying: "Jesus, we don’t know if we can to that. We want to believe people who are trying to change really can change, but, Jesus, after seeing so many fail in maintaining those changes, it is hard to trust again. It takes more faith than we have to keep taking risks with people who continually try to change but who seem fail time after time. Increase our faith!"

I wonder if the disciples realized that when they described those people who tried to change but continually failed they were really describing themselves. I wonder if, when we find it so difficult to trust others who say they want to change, we understand that we are dealing with the same kind of risk God in Christ takes with us day after day.

It is at this point Jesus says to them and to us: "If you had faith the size of a tiny mustard seed you could do this and a whole lot more." Of course, the truth of the matter is, that is just about all the faith the disciples had—just about the size of a mustard seed. This is just about as much faith as most of us have—about the size of a tiny mustard seed. Jesus knew it about them, and he knows it about us, too.

What he was saying to them, and is saying to us, is if you will use the faith you already have, it is amazing what your faithfulness will be able accomplish. He was saying to them and to us: "Your problem is not that of not having enough faith. Your problem is putting the faith you do have to work." He was saying: "Even with your mustard seed size faith, you have amazing ability to live as God intends you live."

Or as the commercial says: "Just do it." Quit making excuses for not taking the risks that must be taken if those who have stumbled are going to get up and get on with their lives. Of course risk is involved. But even with our tiny mustard seed faith, we have enough faith to take the risks that must be taken if the persons we see trying to get on the right track are ever going to make it.

"But," we say, "what if they fail again? What if they slip and in their slipping hurt us again?"

And Jesus was saying in effect, "Your mustard seed size faith is powerful. Their failing again is not going to destroy you; and your getting hurt again is not going to destroy you. The life of faithfulness has to do with picking up our crosses and following Jesus, not playing it safe and sure, where no harm or disappointment will ever come to us. "You can do it," Jesus was saying, "so, just do it."

And then he went on to tell us to do it for the sake of serving, not for the sake of reward or applause or recognition. He knew how much stock we put in such things. We want to stand on the podium where they hand out the gold medal. We want to have such success in being faithful that we are applauded as we make our way to the head table at the celebration banquet. We at least want the pay off of everything and everyone turning out just the way we want.

But Jesus is telling us we have it all wrong. Faithfulness does not find its reward in applause or recognition or even in gratitude from others. The reward of faithfulness is not that of having everything work out the way we want. The reward of faithfulness is in having been faithful. Jesus was telling us we are not to do the work of faithfulness for the sake of some sort of reward. "Just do it," he was saying. "Just do it; do it for the sake of loving God and loving your neighbor."

The message I see in the passage we read today is this. If we really want to upset God, then all we have to do is place obstacles and temptations in the path of others. God knows, each of us falls on our face often enough without being tripped by anyone else. Our task is to help people up. Our task is to bring out the best in others. This means when others have hurt us, and they repent (they begin to change) it is our task to help them, even if they have stumbled again and again and hurt us each time.

And as difficult as this is, we can do it. We can do it because each of us has faith at least the size of a mustard seed. And Jesus told us about the amazing power in the tiniest bit of faith. Therefore we can do it and are to do it. Not for the sake of some reward. We are to do it for the sake of being faithful. We who have mustard seed size faith, we really can reach out to others, even those who have fallen away several times. We can help bring out the best in them. So, in this passage, Jesus was saying in effect: "Just do it."

 

God, help us get it done. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer:

O God, on this World Wide Communion Sunday, as we come to receive this sacrament today, help us to be aware that we are involved not only in Holy Communion with You, but through this sacrament are participating in Holy Communion with all our sisters and brothers in the faith around the world. Forgive us when we think and act as if we are the only faithful people or that our way of worship or our way of talking about the Gospel is the only way. Help us to remember that while the style of thought and worship practiced by others may be different from ours, their faithfulness to You can be as great if not greater than ours. Teach us not only to respect other Christians, but to be willing to learn from them. We pray not for uniformity, but we do pray for the unity that comes only as the by-product of love and respect.

May our awareness of Your love be so great and clear that we are able to put aside our differences and join with all our sisters and brothers in the faith to make Your healing and redeeming love known to all persons on this planet.

This is our prayer. Amen.