Duty Before Dinner: Jesus, Habakkuk, and the Meaning of Unanswered Prayers
The apostles approach Jesus with a heartfelt plea: “Increase our faith!”—only to receive an enigmatic answer about uprooting a sycamore tree and planting it in the sea. In this episode, we’ll unearth the astonishing symbolism of the sycamore, wrestle with the original Greek, and peel back centuries of rabbinic wisdom to grasp just how radical Jesus’ words are. Along the way, we’ll tackle the age-old question: Is God not answering my prayer because I lack faith? Linking our Gospel reading with the cry of Habakkuk and the hope of the Psalms, we’ll dig deep to discover what true faith and servant-hearted discipleship really mean.
Diving deep into our Gospel, we'll spend our episode looking closer at:
The fascinating rabbinic tradition that forbade planting a sycamore tree within 37 feet of a cistern because of its enormous root system, and how Jesus upends this cultural fact in his teaching on faith [00:17:45]
The striking comparison between mustard seed-sized faith moving mountains in Matthew’s Gospel and, uniquely in Luke, uprooting a tree that can live 500 years, illuminating just how bold and impossible the acts of faith Jesus describes really are [00:19:05]
The deeper meaning behind Jesus' answer that faith isn't about getting what we want, but about uniting our will to God's even after “a long day of plowing,” challenging any notion of faith as a spiritual insurance policy for answered prayers [00:40:17]
The compelling Old Testament backdrop from the Book of Habakkuk, where the prophet demands to know why God seems to simply gaze at evil rather than act, and God’s unexpected answer about faith and hope [00:46:53]
How the Psalm selection for the Sunday connects Israel’s exile longing with our spiritual waiting, urging us not to “harden your hearts” as the Israelites did at Meribah in the desert, and instead to nurture hope in God’s future deliverance [00:56:37]
(Mass Readings for Oct 5, 2025)
Quotations
"If we had faith the size of a mustard seed, we could say to this mountain, move, and it would move." (Matthew 17:20)
"What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches." (Luke 13:18-19)
"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12)
"If it seems slow, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not delay. Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by their faith," (Habakkuk 2:3-4)
"The Book of Habakkuk is of perennial theological and spiritual interest because it struggles with the ever pertinent question of the justice of God. If God is good and all powerful, why do the wicked seem to prosper? The answer offered by the Book of Habakkuk is that God will, in the end, deliver justice to all. In the meantime, it is necessary for the righteous to exercise trust in the goodness, justice and promises of God. This practical advice is summed up well in the best known lines from the if it seems slow, wait for will surely come, it will not delay. Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by their faith." (An Introduction to the Old Testament, Dr. Brant Pitre and Dr. John Bergsma, 932)
"Hope, in fact, is a key word in biblical faith, so much so that in several passages the words faith and hope seem interchangeable. Thus the letter to the Hebrews closely links the fullness of faith to the confession of our hope without wavering. Likewise, when the first letter of Peter exhorts Christians to be always ready to give an answer concerning the Logos, the meaning and the reason of their hope. Hope is equivalent to faith." (Saved in Hope [Spe Salvi], Pope Benedict XVI, 2)
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick." (Proverbs 13:12)
"Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the desert." (Psalm 95:8)
"Psalm 95 calls upon Israel in the wilderness of the nations not to forget the works of God, and at the same time to nurture the hope of a future miraculous deliverance, to not forget the works of God, and to nurture the hope of a future miraculous deliverance." (Singing in the Reign, Dr. Michael Barber, 122)
Discussion Questions
Katie explored the image of the sycamore (or mulberry) tree and its deep roots—what might Jesus’ choice of this tree symbolize about the challenges or obstacles that faith can address?
How do you interpret Jesus’ response to the apostles’ request to “increase our faith”? Does it feel encouraging, challenging, or even a bit confusing to you? Why?
Katie mentioned that sometimes we might approach faith hoping that increased faith will lead to answered prayers or an easier life. How does this align or differ with your own experiences or expectations about faith?
In what ways does the parable of the servant, as explained by Katie, challenge our usual notions of faith and reward? How does it reframe the relationship between faith, prayer, and service?
Discuss the idea that “faith primarily serves to unite our will with Jesus’ will,” rather than simply producing miracles or favored outcomes. How does this perspective affect your view of unanswered prayers?
Drawing from the reading from Habakkuk, how do you personally wrestle with periods when it feels like God is just “gazing” at evil and not intervening? What does it mean to “wait for it,” as God advises through Habakkuk?
Katie spoke about the importance of noticing Jesus’s preferences in our relationship with Him, not just doing the bare minimum. In your spiritual life, what might it look like to seek God’s preferences over your own?
How did the episode’s exploration of faith as inseparable from hope—citing Pope Benedict XVI—reshape or deepen your understanding of these two theological virtues?
Reflect on the analogy Katie used comparing faith not just to an insurance policy but to a loving relationship demanding union of wills. How does this enrich or challenge your daily walk with God?
Psalm 95 warns against hardening our hearts in difficulty. When you encounter suffering, do you find it easy or hard to keep your heart soft toward God? How can the episode’s insights help guard against spiritual discouragement?