Falafel Faith: Mustard Seed Lang, Pero Matibay

Luke 17:5 (ESV)
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

πŸ‹ Intro: Faith na Mas Matindi pa sa Wasabi

Mga kapatid, aminin natin: minsan, mas madali pa yatang magpatawad ng utang na fishball kaysa magpatawad ng tao na nag-chismis sayo. πŸ˜… Kaya nung sabi ni Jesus na “forgive, forgive, forgive”, napa-react ang apostles:

πŸ‘‰ “Lord, increase our faith!” (Parang, “Lord, dagdagan mo ng unli rice yung spiritual energy namin!”)

Pero teka — hindi rice, kasi kosher lang tayo dito. Kaya imagine nyo na lang na humihingi sila ng unli falafel. πŸ§†

πŸ”‘ Connection to Numbers 14:11 (ESV)

"And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?’”

Grabe. Si Lord, parang napagod sa Israelites. Parang teacher na binigyan ka na ng reviewer, kodigo, at sagot sheet, tapos bumagsak ka pa rin sa exam.

Rashi sabi: hindi dahil walang signs, kundi dahil walang puso.
Lesson: Faith is not automatic. Kahit nakakita ka ng milagro — manna, parted sea, unli quail πŸ— — kung wala kang tiwala, waley din.

πŸ‘‰ Kaya buti na lang, yung apostles, imbes na mag-reklamo, nag-pray: “Dagdagan mo kami ng faith, Lord.”

🌱 Mustard Seed Faith (Luke 17:6)

Sabi ni Jesus: “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed…”

Kung Pinoy version, parang sinasabi: “Kung may faith ka na kasing liit ng sesame sa bagel, kaya mong utusan yung mulberry tree na lumangoy!” 🌳🏊‍♂️

Translation:
Parang sinasabi ni Jesus: “Kahit micro-sized faith, basta tunay, pwedeng magpa-jump dive yung mulberry tree sa Dead Sea!”

πŸ₯˜ Example Time

Imbes na isipin na faith ay parang buffet, isipin nyo faith ay parang:

  • Falafel ball: maliit, pero busog kung may sauce ng tiwala.

  • Hummus: spread ng faith sa lahat ng areas ng buhay.

  • Matzo: plain sa panlabas, pero matibay kung saan ka nakatayo.

  • Olives at dates: matamis at maalat, pero laging bahagi ng covenant meal.

🀲 Unworthy Servants (Luke 17:9–10)

Jesus reminds us: kahit gawin mo lahat ng utos, hindi ibig sabihin na may utang si Lord sayo.

Job 22:2: “Can a man be profitable to God? Nope. Ang tunay na nakikinabang ay ikaw mismo.”

Kung Pinoy setup, parang helper na naglinis ng bahay at nagluto ng shawarma 🌯 — hindi ibig sabihin na obligado ang amo na mag-thank you ng bongga. Ginawa mo lang yung duty mo.

πŸ˜‚ Takeaway

  1. Faith ≠ automatic. Kahit witness ka ng Red Sea parting, kung wala kang tiwala, sayang effort.

  2. Faith ≠ flex. Kahit magpatawad ka ng 77x, hindi ibig sabihin may utang si Lord sayo.

  3. Faith = daily kosher diet. Konti lang minsan (mustard seed, falafel ball), pero kapag totoo, sapat na para magpa-“splash” ng milagro sa buhay.

🎀 Challenge:

Ngayong linggo, bago ka mag-pray ng “Lord, dagdagan mo ang faith ko”, tanungin mo:

  • “Paano ako pwedeng magtiwala kay Lord kahit walang sign?”

  • “Paano ko magagamit ang faith ko para magpatawad, hindi lang sa kalaban sa basketball, kundi pati sa kapitbahay na mahilig magkaraoke ng 2 AM?” 🎢

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