Potent Faith
“And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” —Luke 17:6
Some deploy verses like these to suggest Christianity more fiction than fact. But bending metaphysics aren’t a problem for a people whose hope is entirely wrapped up in a Man who stood up in a grave. Yet, Jesus’ reference to a mulberry tree, uprooted by faith and cast into the sea—isn’t a laws of physics-breaking act, though there are many in Scripture. How do we know? Whenever Jesus talks about faith moving mountains or uprooting trees, the context is often the issues of everyday life. In Luke 17, right before Jesus mentions the mustard seed and Mulberry tree, he’s calling the disciples to do something that would seem at times, impossible. They were to pay close attention to their lives, confront others in their sin, and forgive repentant sinners over and over again—even those who had sinned against them. The metaphor of a tree being uprooted and thrown into the sea is way of saying that genuine faith is so potent that it enables us to obey the most challenging of God’s commands. By the way, this isn’t a one-off. Similarly, in Mark 11, Jesus talks about faith moving mountains into the sea before calling them to forgive one another.
Another example of this kind of faith talk is in Matthew 17:20, where Jesus says, “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” What is the context, here? Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy, and the disciples are perplexed about why they weren’t able to cast it out. Maybe not the best example of an everyday event in the lives of Christians. But the point is that a trace of genuine faith is so potent that Satan and the demons cannot withstand those who possess it. It’s a call to confidence, not in ourselves, but in Jesus—the One in whom we believe, and who by His Spirit gives us the power to overcome.
As you work through the Gospels, be heartened by verses like these. By faith, we can forgive others, kill sin, reject the lies of Satan, rejoice in suffering, love our enemies, share the gospel boldly, and so much more. It’s not about how much faith you have. It’s that you have genuine faith! Like the tides, our faith rises and falls. But when it comes to faith, what matters is that we have it. And because we have it, we can do things that without Jesus are impossible.
