19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:19-20
20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:19-20
Were Jesus words to His disciples simply a reprimand of their lack of belief that the demons would leave the boy? I have always imagined this passage in the following tone: “you weak minded disciples! If you had faith as small as a little mustard seed you could cast a mountain into the see, yet you don’t even have enough to cast out a demon!” However, as God has been rewriting my definition of faith, I am finding that faith is not about my power to believe in a desired result; rather it is about my knowledge of the nature of Him in whom I have placed my trust. With that perspective on faith this verse takes a much different tone for me.
I do not believe Jesus is simply using hyperbole, I believe the vivid image he paints of a mountain being cast to the sea was meant to capture the imagination of his audience. He meant to enthrall them with the majesty of His dad! What I hear Jesus saying is “dear child, if you only had a mustard seed sized glimpse of the glory of my Father, you would know His heart for this little child that has been tormented. And more than that, you could say to that mountain over there, cast yourself into the sea and it would be done! I was there when the voice of my Dad called forth that mountain from the sea; I have heard His powerfully tender word bring peace out of chaos. I have seen the author of all life and He is good! My friends, you have not yet begun to discover the greatness of this God who loves you!”
I no longer believe that the answer to the struggle and pain of my life is in the amount of my ‘faith’. If I am sick, do I need to have more faith in healing? If I am poor, do I just need more belief in prosperity? No! I believe the answer to all our pain, fear, and anxiety is God himself. I believe real faith begins when we remove our masks and our attempts to care for ourselves. When we take our raw unfiltered brokenness into the throne room of our Father and allow Him to tenderly replace our distorted views of Him with the healing revelation of His goodness. No matter what the circumstance the need is the same, we need God to show us more of Himself!
Though my life is often a roller coaster ride of up and down emotions, I am fully convinced that the answer to my turmoil is summed up in this thought… If a mustard seed sized revelation of God can send a mountain into the sea, what must He be like…?
