The Big Questions Part 9 “How Long Do I Have to Put Up With You?” THRIVE Service Livestream

I had a member of one of my former churches who is a good friend. His wife was always convinced that every sermon story I told, even if I changed or disguised the names, was really about him. Hate to tell you but every minister at some point uses real life experiences and real people we’ve known to make a point. We are careful to change the names if needed and we usually put it in the context of a church we served a long time ago. It’s better that way. Trust me, there’s a good chance you may have already ended up in someone’s sermon. You just don’t know it.

The disciples end up in one of Jesus’s sermons. And it’s not good.

They try to heal someone, and they can’t. They try to do it on their own and they fail. Jesus told them they could do it; he gave them the power to do it, but deep down they don’t believe it. So, they fail. According to Jesus, it’s because they lack faith.

Disappointed and annoyed in their lack of faith, Jesus makes a very unlike Jesus statement: How long do I have to put up with you?

Jesus is exasperated, frustrated, irritated, annoyed.

When are you going to figure this out?

Haven’t you learned anything yet?

You are wearing me out.

“Why couldn’t we heal him?” the disciples ask.

He replied, “Because you have so little faith.”

Ouch. Sometimes the truth hurts.

We believe in Jesus. That’s what we say. But believing in Jesus and being like Jesus are often two different things.

It’s also highly possible that Jesus believes in us more than we believe in him.