Faith, though imperfect, is powerful

Sermon for Quinquagesima

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 + Luke 18:31-43

I’d like you to think about the story of Abraham for a moment. Think of all the things God told him that made no sense. Get up, leave your home and your country and go to the place I’ll show you! It’s true, you have no children, and you and Sarah are old, and she is barren, but you will have offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky. Yes, I told you your offspring would be reckoned through Isaac, but go and sacrifice him anyway! None of those things made sense, even to Abraham. And yet he clung to the word and the promise and the faithfulness of God. Not perfectly, as we see in many examples, but persistently. We call it “faith,” this clinging to the word and promise and faithfulness of God. Hebrews 11 gives us a classic definition of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In other words, to have faith is to cling, already now, to the things you hope to have in the future, because, even though you don’t see those things now, you know for certain that, one day, you will. Now, Abraham’s faith was strong, but still imperfect, as was the faith of every Old Testament and New Testament saint. But in reality, even the strongest faith is still imperfect in this life, because perfection lies in seeing, in actually having and experiencing the things we hope for. Paul described it in today’s Epistle like this: Now we see through a mirror, darkly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I am also fully known.

That describes well the situation that Jesus’ apostles found themselves in in today’s Gospel—seeing through a mirror, darkly, knowing only in part. And, as Paul makes clear, that also describes our situation. We see and we know imperfectly when it comes to the things of God. But, as we see in the example of the blind man in the second part of the Gospel, even imperfect seeing can achieve amazing results, because, even though faith isn’t yet perfect in this life, when faith is placed in Jesus and His Word, it does have a perfect object—something perfect in which to believe. Faith, though imperfect, is powerful, because the object of faith, which is Jesus and His word, is perfect, and perfectly reliable.

Our Gospel begins with Jesus taking His twelve apostles aside and telling them plainly, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that were written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be finished. For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and he will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon. And they will scourge him and put him to death. And on the third day he will rise again. It’s very close to Holy Week. They’re heading toward Jerusalem. And Jesus, as the Son of God, sees perfectly the path before Him. He sees it. He understands it. He knows exactly what will happen to Him, and He even knows why. He will be unjustly accused, attacked, arrested, tortured, condemned, and crucified, as the atoning sacrifice that pays for the sins of the world, so that sinners might look to Him in faith and have our sins blotted out before the judgment seat of God. Our forgiveness would come at the price of Jesus’ suffering and death. He saw the path forward perfectly.

But His apostles didn’t, even after He explained to them what had to happen, even after telling them that He would rise from the dead on the third day. They understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not understand the things that were said. And that’s okay. They weren’t supposed to understand everything perfectly yet. They weren’t supposed to see clearly at this point. All they were supposed to do was listen, remember, and trust. Trust Jesus, who always saw everything perfectly, even though their faith was imperfect. Jesus, the object of their faith, was not imperfect.

And they did trust Him. Not a single disciple walked away after hearing the dreadful things Jesus said would happen to Him, even though they didn’t understand what He meant, or why these things had to happen. They all kept following, except for Judas Iscariot, who kept following physically but, by this time, in his heart, was no longer a believer. The rest of them stayed with Jesus, and would eventually see everything play out with their own eyes, and would eventually understand what it had all been about. Their faith, though imperfect, was still powerful.

Then, on their way to Jerusalem, Jesus and His apostles, along with a great multitude accompanying them in a great procession to the Passover feast, encountered a blind beggar. His sight was certainly imperfect, non-existent, even. He was, physically, in about the same shape as Jesus’ apostles were spiritually, when it came to their understanding of Jesus’ prediction about His suffering: unable to see.

But this blind man showed a faith that went beyond that of most people. Blind as he was, he still heard the crowd approaching and asked what the commotion was all about. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. Hearing that, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those simple words tell us quite a bit. To call Jesus the Son of David was to acknowledge Him as the Christ for whom Israel had been waiting for two thousand years. Even the crowds weren’t claiming that. Even Jesus’ apostles had not yet publicly proclaimed that, though they had in private. But faith in Jesus, and in the word of Jesus, doesn’t know any boundaries of social class or religious education. Faith comes from hearing the message, not from anywhere else. What’s more, the beggar cried out to Jesus for mercy. That tells us that he had heard that the Son of David had both the power to help him and the reputation for showing mercy to those who sought it from him, whether they were lepers, or tax collectors and sinners, or beggars on the street. This beggar hadn’t heard everything Jesus had ever said or taught, didn’t know as much doctrine as the apostles did, but he had heard that Jesus, the Christ, was merciful. And he believed it.

And what did this beggar want from Jesus? Not a handout. Not a meal. Not wealth or comfort. He wanted one simple thing (which no one else on earth could provide): Lord, I want to see. And Jesus granted his request. Receive your sight! Your faith has saved you! Your faith has saved you. See what power faith has! Not because it’s perfect. Faith isn’t powerful because of its perfection, but because of its object, which is Jesus, and His word, and His faithfulness. When the beggar first came to Jesus, he didn’t yet have the thing he hoped for—to be able to see. But, by calling out to Jesus in faith, by holding onto his hope in Jesus in spite of the scoldings of the crowd for him to be quiet, he showed that he already had the substance of what he hoped for. By believing the word about Jesus, he already had the evidence of the things not seen. And his faith, though imperfect, proved to be a powerful thing, because it held onto Jesus, who is both powerful and perfect. As the Scripture says, No one who believes in Him will ever be put to shame.

For those who have no faith in the Lord Jesus, it’s not too late. You stand condemned before a righteous God because of your sins, including your sin of unbelief. But Jesus, the Son of David, is merciful and good. He knowingly faced suffering and the cross to atone for your sins. Repent and believe in Him, and you will be saved!

As for you Christians, you know there are many things you don’t fully understand when it comes to God and His word. Whether it’s sayings in Scripture that make you scratch your head, or, just as likely, things going on in the world, or in your life, that just don’t make much sense. So often it’s hard to see what God is doing, or why He’s doing the things He does. And even on its strongest day, your faith is not perfect. We’re still waiting for perfection, still waiting for the full explanation of things, which only comes at the end. But that’s okay. Cling to Christ, the Son of David, who suffered for you, willingly and knowingly, that you might live with God forever! Cling to His word, and know for certain that God’s Word is always dependable—more so than anything on earth. And trust that God Himself is faithful. He would never lie to you. He would never lead you astray. Your faith doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it will never be. But God is perfect, and so is His Word. As long as your faith is placed in Him, it’s powerful enough to save you and to make you eternally blessed. Amen.