A friend asked:
If:
Matt 17:20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief;[ a] for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (NKJV)
Then:
Gravity (anything) can hold you back, or keep us afraid, or... (you get the point) as long as our faith in him isn't like a mustard seed. Even a mustard tree has it's limits, but what do we do with "If you tell this mountain to move, surely it will"?
So, what do we do with the mountain?
Lots of ways to unpack this, but here's my take. (Turns out this is a little longer than I expected it to be. But it's not a trivial question or answer. Pls be patient.)
Context: Jesus & the disciples had just come down off of the mountain & experienced the Transfiguration. Jesus had been communing with Father and the group. They came to a waiting group of people & one man asked Jesus to help him, where other disciples had been unsuccessful. Jesus rebuked the demon & it left. Then He speaks about the mustard seed.
First. He says "faith like a mustard seed." I don't believe He means that like a mustard seed is limited (by the tree) so should our faith be. I believe our faith should be EXACTLY like the mustard seed. Hebrews states "Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith IS the seed of that which you hope for & can't yet physically see. Just as you nurture, feed and protect a seedling, so should you protect your faith so that it grows. Also, I believe the mustard seed shows us true liberty in Christ: it became EXACTLY what it was supposed to become-a mustard tree. Not an oak, not wheat. Our faith will become EXACTLY what the seed is supposed to become.
Second. I believe the reference to the mountain is allegorical. (Although, God does move "real" mountains all the time: volcanoes, earthquakes, etc. His time is not our time.) But the allegory speaks to challenges, difficulties, anything for which you need a good and sustained faith to overcome. Jesus didn't say that the mountain would be removed INSTANTANEOUSLY; He just said it would be moved. (See again--"assurance of things hoped for, conviction of things NOT SEEN.)
Third. This is an often untaught part of this passage. He rebuked the demon. He spoke to it. And it left. Jesus said "...SAY to this mountain..." Prov 18: 21 says that life and death ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE. Rom 10:9, 10 says that "if we CONFESS WITH OUR MOUTHS..." We must speak what we want. Out loud. Let's divert to Mark 4, the Parable of the Sower. In verse 13 Jesus says, "if you don't understand this, how will you understand ANY parable?" Vs 14: the sower sows the word. Yes, this is God's word, but it isn't relegated to only "sharing the Gospel." It is speaking ALL God's promises, all God's assurances about us, into the circumstances of life. Our WORDS are seeds. A mountain in our life may be the appearance of limited finances; God says "I will supply all your needs" (Phil) and "I will give you an abundance for every good deed." (2 Cor) Plant those seeds with your mouth to move that mountain. A mountain may be "I'm not good at talking with people." God's word says "I will give you power" and "I can do all things thru Christ..." Facts are not truth. The "fact" may be, yes, you are shy; but God's truth is that you have power. Speak God's word into your life and it WILL change the facts. (Isa 55:11)
Also, look at Mark 4:35-41. I had often wondered why Jesus asked the disciples
"Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" I believe it's because they forgot that at the outset, Jesus said "let's go to the other side." He didn' t say "Let's get in the boat, get to the center of the lake, and drown." He'd already told them they were going to the other side but they could only see the storm.
So, what do we do with the mountain?
We recognize it as an obstacle to overcome. We find the already-supplied promise of victory in the Word. We speak that promise to that mountain and into our lives, into our Spirit. We keep faith: we hope and we persevere. God is reforming us into the image of Christ (Phil 1:6, and Rom 8:29). The mountains in our life are there to be moved; they are the stone upon which God sharpens us.
I believe we tell the mountain to move and it will. It has to. God said so.
Hope this helps.
russ | 