"As You Have Believed"

The stories in this week's Congregation at Prayer are on prayer. Yesterday at Matins, we were reading and discussing "The Centurion Prays to Jesus for His Servant" (Mt 8:5-13). Today's story is about the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mt 15:21-28).

Yesterday's story concluded with Jesus saying, "As you have believed, so let it be done for you." And today's with "Great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire."

Before yesterday, I'd always heard that line, "as you have believed, so let it be done for you," as a deal, a contract, a limitation. You believe a lot? All righty, then you get the blessing big-time. You struggle and have a weak faith? Well, I guess then Jesus will only give you a smidgeon of what you want. Good grief, how "theology of glory"ish can you get? How works-righteous can you get? But that's nevertheless what I heard at the end of the Rite of Corporate Confession (TLH pg 48 and LSB 291) and other times that verse was invoked by friends admonishing me for weak faith and saying that I just had to "believe more."

Yesterday at Matins, I asked about this. Pastor pointed out that Jesus said this to a man who "had great faith." Jesus did not say it as a threat or an admonishment. Same in today's story. Jesus exclaimed over the woman's great faith, and then said "let it be to you." There wasn't any IF about it! In fact, the story of the disciples' "small faith" or "no faith" (when the boat was sinking at the end of Mark 4) shows quite the opposite. Jesus' gifts to His people are not dependent on the extent of their faith: He stilled the wind and waves, and saved those disciples who were behaving quite faithlessly. You might even say that "God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayer, even to all evil people."

What a comfort!