The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The apostles aren't just asking for a general boost; they're asking for more faith specifically to obey Jesus' challenging command to forgive repeatedly. They recognize that this act of radical forgiveness goes against their natural inclinations and requires supernatural strength, showing they understand forgiveness is not merely a human effort but a divine enablement.
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Just after Jesus commanded them to forgive offenses not just seven times, but seventy times seven, the apostles felt the weight of such an impossible-seeming task. Realizing their own inadequacy and the immense challenge to their natural feelings, they recognized the need for divine strength, prompting their plea for more faith.
When Jesus lays out a command that stretches us, how do we react? The apostles didn't dig in their heels; they asked for more.
Jesus had just spoken about the difficulty of causing others to stumble, implying that a deep, robust faith is needed to navigate these spiritual challenges. The apostles heard this and recognized their own limitations. Their request, 'Increase our faith!', wasn't a sign of failure, but a wise acknowledgment that truly living out Jesus' teachings requires divine enablement. It shows they understood that faith isn't just about believing in God, but about enabling us to do what God asks.
Why did the apostles link 'increasing faith' with forgiving others? It reveals a profound truth about God's heart.
The context here is crucial. Jesus is addressing offenses and the need for deep forgiveness. The apostles understood that forgiving, especially repeatedly and without limit, is incredibly difficult for human nature. They recognized that only a faith fueled by God's own power could enable them to extend the kind of radical forgiveness Jesus exemplified. Their prayer wasn't for a passive belief, but for an active, God-empowered faith that could conquer the natural inclination towards resentment and revenge.
Who is ultimately responsible for our faith's growth? This verse points directly to Jesus.
The apostles addressed their prayer to 'the Lord,' recognizing Jesus' divine authority and power. They understood that faith isn't something we can simply conjure up on our own; it's a gift from God that grows through our relationship with Him. Jesus is called the 'Author and Finisher of our faith.' When we pray for our faith to increase, we are acknowledging Jesus' role in strengthening our belief, our trust, and our ability to live according to His Word. It's a prayer that invites Him to actively work within us.
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Understand the original words
kyrios · Greek Noun
The title 'Lord' signifies sovereign authority, master, and divine ruler. In the New Testament, it is the primary confession of faith in the deity and lordship of Jesus Christ.
pistis · Greek Noun
The reliance or trust in God, based on the belief in His character and promises. It is the necessary channel through which believers receive the power to live as God intends.
This passage explains that our identity as children of God is through faith in Christ, highlighting that faith is the core of our relationship with Him and something we continuously rely on, not just a one-time decision. It connects to the apostles' prayer by showing faith isn't a static possession but a dynamic aspect of our spiritual life given by God.
Hebrews 12:2This verse calls Jesus the 'founder and perfecter of our faith,' directly linking our faith's origin and its completion to Him. This strongly supports the apostles' plea to Jesus, as it points to Him as the source from whom they should seek an increase in their faith.
Mark 9:24This passage presents a beautiful parallel where a father cries out, 'I believe; help my unbelief!' This mirrors the apostles' sentiment in Luke 17:5, revealing a common human experience of recognizing God's power while simultaneously feeling the limitations of one's own faith. It underscores the need for God's intervention to strengthen our belief.
Matthew 17:20Jesus' response in this passage, stating that faith 'as a grain of mustard seed' can move mountains, directly follows a similar request for increased faith. It illustrates that even a small amount of genuine faith, when rooted in God, has immense power, encouraging the apostles and us to believe in God's ability to work through our limited faith.
clarkeLuke 17:5: "And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith."
Increase our faith - This work of pardoning every offense of every man, and that continually, seemed so difficult, even to the disciples themselves, that they saw, without an extraordinary degree of faith, they should never be able to keep this command. But some think that this and what follows relate to what Matthew has mentioned. Matthew 17:19 , Matthew 17:20 .
pulpitLuke 17:5: "And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith."
Verse 5. - And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. The disciples, moved by the severe and cutting rebuke of their Master - a rebuke they probably felt their harsh, self-congratulatory state of mind had well merited-come to him and ask him to give them such an increased measure of faith as would enable them to play better the difficult and responsible part he had assigned them. They evidently felt their weakne…
The apostles aren't just asking for a general boost; they're asking for more faith specifically to obey Jesus' challenging command to forgive repeatedly. They recognize that this act of radical forgiveness goes against their natural inclinations and requires supernatural strength, showing they understand forgiveness is not merely a human effort but a divine enablement.
Just after Jesus commanded them to forgive offenses not just seven times, but seventy times seven, the apostles felt the weight of such an impossible-seeming task. Realizing their own inadequacy and the immense challenge to their natural feelings, they recognized the need for divine strength, prompting their plea for more faith.
Just after Jesus commanded them to forgive offenses not just seven times, but seventy times seven, the apostles felt the weight of such an impossible-seeming task. Realizing their own inadequacy and the immense challenge to their natural feelings, they recognized the need for divine strength, prompting their plea for more faith.
"The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”" — The apostles aren't just asking for a general boost; they're asking for more faith specifically to obey Jesus' challenging command to forgive repeatedly. They recognize that this act of radical for…
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Last reviewed October 2026