Matthew 17:14-20

When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.^[1]

A man had brought his son to Jesus to be delivered of a demon that had possessed him and in Jesus’ absence he asks the disciples for their help but they could not provide it. Now in private, away from the crowds where there would be no more public humiliation the disciples ask Jesus why they were unable to heal the boy. Jesus’ responds telling them that it is their little faith. This is a real wake-up call for the disciples. How could Jesus say they had little faith? After all, they had left everything to follow him. The issue was not so much the amount of faith they had, but the ability to use it. Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith but then goes on to tell them that they don’t need very much faith in order to accomplish the impossible. All they need is faith the size of a mustard seed, or as the KJV puts it, faith as a grain of mustard seed. Why does Jesus use a mustard seed?

It was a familiar example. It was often used proverbially by the Jews to signify anything of a small weight or size. It was a small seed. Not much larger than the point on the end of pencil, yet it grew to the size of a tree at least ten feet tall. “It is disease-resistant and hardy. It comes in four different kinds of color: yellow, white, brown and black. And it is described as a TROUBLESOME seed. Mustard seed, when crushed, sets off a pungent odor…it also stings and hurts!” Jesus’ intend was to emphasize the awesome power of even a tiny bit of faith when used effectively. It is encouraging to know that when I find it difficult to operate with great faith my little faith accomplished much more than I can imagine. How is your faith today?

 Our Father and our God, we marvel at Your awesome wonder. You continue to surprise us with Your glory. Thank you for Your Word that continues to bless us with knowledge, wisdom, and insight. Thank you for teaching us faith that can move mountains. We confess our need for greater faith than we have exhibited. We confess our reliance upon that which cannot solve even our smallest challenges. We have tried so many things seeking what only You can provide and have been left disappointed. Help us this very day to begin walking solidly and consistently in the realm of faith. Give us a tangible demonstration of what our faith can do so that we may more completely bring glory and honor to Your Magnificent Name. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Mt 17:14–20.