Faith that moves mountains.
“For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
~Matthew 17:20b (CSB)
Matthew retells about Jesus' power over a demon immediately after recounting the Transfiguration of Jesus. I find the placement of the story within this gospel an interesting choice. It could, of course, have happened this way chronologically but not necessarily. In any case, Jesus just came off a mountain-top experience where he shone with the glory of God, spoke with Moses and Elijah, and God the Father affirmed His pleasure in His Son. Jesus told His disciples not to share this story until the Son of Man had been raised from the dead. At this time, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His coming death and resurrection. His disciples, or at least Peter, have declared Jesus to be the Messiah (Matt. 16:16), and now Jesus is telling them the Messiah must die and be raised again.
The Transfiguration account (Matt. 17:1-13) reaffirms Christ's identity as the Son of God and His God-given right of authority. Then, Matthew moves into the story of a man pleading for mercy for his son, who suffers from seizures. The man says that he had brought his son to the disciples, but the disciples could not heal the man's son. Jesus bursts out with the questions, "You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you?" (Matt. 17:17). The frustration behind these questions pours from the pages.
Jesus has proven Himself by every word He has spoken and every action He has taken. In John’s gospel we read, “Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things'" (John 5:19). Jesus further says, "These very works I am doing testify about me that the Father has sent me. The Father who sent me has himself testified about me" (John 5:36b-37a). At this point, we circle back around to the Transfiguration moment where God the Father states, "'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!'" (Matt. 17:5b). God's words also reiterate what He spoke over Jesus at Jesus’ baptism at the start of His ministry (Matt. 3:17). God bookends Jesus’ ministry with words of affirmation and approval. Jesus is the Messiah.
And the disciples have such little faith that they cannot drive out a demon from a seizure-stricken son. The disciples have been with Jesus both publicly and privately for three years, they recognize Him as the savior and the Son of the living God (Matt.16:16), and yet at this moment, Jesus calls them out for the littleness of their faith. The few times we see Jesus "amazed" at something, it tends to be people's unbelief (Mark 6:6) or belief (Luke 7:9). This is not the only time Jesus calls them out for unbelief. When Jesus calms the storm, He asks, "'Where is your faith?'" (Luke 8:25), and then again after He is resurrected, Jesus rebukes the disciples for their "stubborn unbelief" (Mark 16:14).
Our belief in Christ is the cornerstone of our faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (NLT). We cannot please God without faith, and we cannot access the power of God in our lives without sincere faith. When the disciples ask Jesus why they couldn't drive out the demon, Jesus tells them it is because of their little faith (Matt. 17:19-20).
Jesus goes on to liken faith to a mustard seed. A mustard seed is incredibly small, but it can grow to a remarkable size. For seeds to grow into their full potential, they need good soil and tending with water, sun, and weed removal. In the parable of the sower, Jesus says, "Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!" (Mark 4:8, NLT). Similar to the analogy of the mustard seed, something small produces an enormous result. Jesus explains, “…the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted” (Mark 4:20, NLT). This is the seed of faith, of belief in Jesus Christ.
The seed of faith needs nurturing, though. We grow our faith by remaining in God, paying attention to Him, talking with Him, spending time in His Word, and getting to know Him. Jesus tells His disciples, "Remain in me and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me" (John 15:4). The more we spend time with God, the more we rely on God through every season of life, the greater our faith will grow. It is a “fruit” of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) and a gift from God (Rom. 12:3).
Matthew 17:20 ends with Jesus saying, "Nothing will be impossible for you." Nothing will be impossible because "…nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). Elizabeth, who was barren, had a son in her old age (Luke 1:36). Mary, who was a virgin, gave birth to the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Abraham and Sarah had a son in their old age (Genesis 18:14). Job himself tells God, "I know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2).
I don’t know about you, but I have a few mountains that could be moved. God has certainly used them for a few good life lessons in my life, but maybe He wants me to pay more attention to Him and less attention to the mountain in my way. Jesus stood on top of a mountain and shone with the glory of God, and then He told His disciples that they could move mountains with faith the size of a mustard seed. I need to work on taking God at His word. After all, He's proven Himself repeatedly because He is faithful even when we are not (2 Tim. 2:13).
*CSB translation referenced throughout unless otherwise noted.
