What does "Increase our faith" in Luke 17:5 reveal about the apostles' understanding of faith? Text of Luke 17:5 “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ ” Immediate Narrative Setting (Luke 17:1–6) Jesus has just warned about causing “little ones” to stumble, demanded limitless forgiveness (“seven times in a day,” v. 4), and promised severe judgment for unrepentant offenders. Confronted with an assignment that outstrips natural capacity, the Twelve feel spiritual inadequacy and voice it directly: “Increase our faith!” Linguistic Insight: προσθες ἡμῖν πίστιν The verb προστίθημι (“add, put to, augment”) plus the dative ἡμῖν (“to us”) and the noun πίστις (“faith, trust, fidelity”) shows they conceive of faith as a measurable reality that God can enlarge. They are not asking for mere clarification but for divine augmentation. Apostolic Awareness of Faith’s Source Their request presumes that authentic faith originates outside themselves. Earlier, they had witnessed: • Authority over nature (Luke 8:24–25) • Daily provision (Luke 9:12–17) • Demonic defeat (Luke 10:17–20) Each episode ended with Jesus highlighting their “little faith” (ὀλιγόπιστοι, cf. Matthew 8:26). By Luke 17, they no longer pretend self-sufficiency; they seek God’s creative action within their hearts. Faith as Dynamic Rather Than Static In Scripture, πίστις carries both covenant fidelity (Habakkuk 2:4) and relational trust (Genesis 15:6). The Twelve intuit that faith is not a one-time event but can grow (2 Thessalonians 1:3). Their plea reflects a biblical trajectory: the righteous must “live by faith” yet continually need fresh grace (Psalm 119:32; Mark 9:24). Christ’s Corrective Reply (Luke 17:6) “If you have faith like a mustard seed…” . Jesus shifts the focus from quantity to authenticity. A mustard seed, though minute, possesses life; real faith, even small, channels omnipotence. The answer implies: 1) The issue is not size but genuineness. 2) God’s power, not human effort, uproots “this mulberry tree.” Comparative Synoptic Data Matthew 17:20 links tiny faith with mountain-moving potential. Mark 11:22–24 grounds such power in “faith in God.” Together with Luke 17, the Gospels present a unified doctrine: even embryonic faith rooted in the Creator activates divine agency. Early Manuscript Confirmation 𝔓75 (c. AD 175–225), housed in the Vatican Library, contains Luke 17 with precisely this petition, confirming textual stability within a century of autographs. Codex Vaticanus (B, 4th cent.) and Codex Sinaiticus (א) preserve the identical wording, demonstrating transmission consistency. Patristic Commentary • Tertullian (On Prayer 2) cites Luke 17:5 to argue that prayer is the God-ordained means for increasing faith. • John Chrysostom (Hom. LVII on Matthew) notes the disciples “ask not for riches but for faith,” revealing properly ordered affections. Practical Discipleship Applications • Prayer: Regularly echo the apostles’ plea. • Scripture intake: “Faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17). • Obedience: Stepping out in forgiveness exercises spiritual “muscles,” enlarging capacity. • Fellowship: Corporate testimony reinforces confidence in God’s character (Hebrews 10:24–25). Conclusion “Increase our faith” reveals the apostles understood faith as: • God-bestowed and God-expandable. • Essential for fulfilling radical commands. • Qualitative rather than merely quantitative, yet capable of measurable growth. Their simple petition models perpetual dependence on the Lord whose slightest seed of genuine faith unleashes resurrection power. |
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