When Christ Jesus was counseling his disciples to be more forgiving one to another, and even to avoid giving offense, they interrupted him with this heartfelt petition: "Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). It was as though he was demanding of them more than they felt equal to, and so they humbly asked for more faith. How often that same prayer should be ours, that we might have more faith in our heavenly Father to strengthen us if testing times come on the pathway that leads onward and upward.
However, on this occasion Jesus went on to say, almost in rebuke, and implying that they were not using what faith they had, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you." Here Jesus stressed that sense of dominion which enlightened faith brings.
Our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, had much to say about the value of faith; so one wonders why faith is so often looked upon as outmoded in the metaphysical work of the Christian Scientist. Experience teaches us that faith as well as spiritual understanding is needed.
