The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-04-25
LESSON STORY.

LESSON STORY.
The disciples were now beginning
to understand that faith, as exemplified
in their Master. is an unlimited hope
and an inexhaustible charity.
Jesus had been showing them that
they must value every human life, even
that of an outcast sinner, as they valued
their own lives; that it would be better
for them to be drowned in the sea than
to become hindrance to any one who
was seeking the right life. He had also
taught them that, following divine ex
amples. they must kindly rebuke a
trespassing brother, and on his repen-
lance forgive him; and they must repeat
this, if need be, seven times day, and
through succession of days,-and yet
keep their store of forgiveness uncon-
sumed.
L. The Power and Self-abne-
CATION of True Faith,-vs 5 10.
Before this spiritual ideal the self CON
demned disciples prayed to their Lord,
Increase our faith. They aspired to a
faith which would, in vision and love. in
gertrude and charity, be like their Mas
ter's.
And the Lord replied to this appeal
with words which must at the first have
required thought for their interpreta-
tation, and much more require study
now, that they may be correctly under
stood: IF ye haze faith as grain of
mustard seed, ye aUould sag unto this
sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up and
be thou planted IN the sea and 1T acould
haze obeyed you.
Jesus and his disciples. we conjecture,
were at the time resting under the
shade of the tree to which he pointed as
he utted the words this sycamine tree.
The sycamine, we are told, is fruit
bearing mulberry, of the fg-tree family,
growing to the size OF our beeches or
oaks, and is still in Palestine often
sought as a shade-tree. That Jesus and
his apostles should be reclining under
such tree accords with the open air
life they were now living.
Faith as grain of mustard seed is
one of the Masters proverbial sayings.
The mustard of the East, as we learn
from Tristram in his Natural History
of the Bible" is the herb we know by
the same name; but it grows to much
greater size in the warmer climate and
richer soil of Palestine. We are told Of
men on horseback passing mustard
plants on level with their heads; from
which we infer that it may grow to the
height of eight or ten feet. This quick
growing plant, in few short weeks be-
coming in appearance like a tree, with
spreading branches in which the birds
lodge, yet not to nest.-is striking pic.
ture of the faith which grows suddenly
in the soul. AS such Jesus had before
pointed to it. Matt. 1881. 80; Mark A.:
81, 80; Luke ID: IS. 1917 At one time
Matt. 1920 he had said: If ye haze
faith as grain of mustard seed. ye
shall sag unto this mountain, Remoue
hence to yonder place; and it shall re.
naove; and nothing shall be impossible
unto you,-which saying is manifestly
of the same purport as the one we have
in our lesson.
The words of Jesus TO the disciples,
telling them that if they had faith work.
ing in them as a mustard seed works in
the ground they could command the
tree then sheltering them to be planted
in the sea. and that they would behold
their word fulfilled, are to be interpre-
ted as a poetical and proverbial meta
phor. To literalize them is to imply
that Jesus was magician. and to call in
question the integrity of nature. 1t
seems to have been customary for the
Jews to speak Of their nation as "the
mountain of the Lord amidst the sea Of
nations" To cast the mountain into
the sea may have meant, when reduced
to simple terms, that the faith of the
Jews was to become the property Of the
general world. OF like significance, as
appears to us, is the saying of Jesus
that the tree then sheltering him and
his disciples. the symbol of Gods graci-
Gus providence. could by faith be plant