'You of little faith' isn't a rebuke... It is a compliment.. everyone but Jesus is a person of little faith but 'that believing'... this believing... is miraculous... God is saying, 'You are a believer now! That means something has been born in you that KNOWS God is going to come though.'
Trust in that.
Matthew 8:26 ESV — "And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm."
Luke 12:28 ESV — "But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!"
Why is this taught as a rebuke?
Perhaps because we think of God as disappointed that we are not doing more when in reality God is thrilled when we take one small step toward Him and agree with Him even for a moment.
Yes, there is this passage...
Matthew 17:16-21 NKJV — "So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief (little faith); for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”"
Jesus is rebuking those who had no faith... His disciples were praying and many people were benefiting from their ministry... Jesus sent them and they were believing... this situation was just beyond them... only Jesus could do that because of who He was how He was living His life... He wasn't rebuking them... they asked and He was explaining the dynamic to them... their 'little faith' got that man in front of Jesus.
I've never seen Heaven. Tonight I'm happy I have any faith... Yes it is small but one day it won't be... this little faith enables me to see the smile on God's face when others see a frown. I am just the way He wants me to be. My 'little faith' says 'It is finished!'.
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