“I assure you that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ”Up you get and move over there” and it will move." Matthew 17:20
When I was a child, I received a special gift from my parents. It was a necklace with one charm – a clear orb that held a tiny seed. It was a visual reminder that, even as small as a mustard seed, faith could move mountains.
The “faith chapter” of the New Testament, Hebrews 11, describes faith as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Or, as it is paraphrased in the Message, it is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living – our handle on what we can’t see. The writer of this letter to the Hebrew Christians then chronicles the examples of faithful believers throughout the history of the Jewish people. Each story was an example of courage and trust.
Perhaps we can better identify with the faith journey of the disciple Peter whose intentions were good but whose weak faith often betrayed him… Peter, who jumped out of the boat in the middle of the storm to walk to Jesus on the water but lost his focus and began to sink… Peter, who witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus with Moses and Elijah but later could not heal a young boy who suffered from seizures because, Jesus said, his faith was too small… Peter, who vowed he would never deny Jesus, who drew his sword in the Garden of Gethsemane to protect Him, but then denied Him three times in the courtyard of the High Priest. Jesus said faith could move mountains but we, like Peter, can become mesmerized by the mountains and our faith becomes “too small.”
The answer lies in understanding the nature of faith. It is not a safe gap when things go wrong or an assurance that all will go well because we are on God’s side. It is more than trust, although trust is often an offshoot of faith. It is not “blind” but it is committed. It begins with knowledge or understanding of Who God is. When Moses asked who he should tell Pharaoh had sent him, God answered, “Tell him I AM.” – the everlasting, all-knowing, ever-present God. Accepting this absolute is a choice. Then, faith should be a given.
Peter finally began to understand faith when, after the resurrection, he met Jesus by a lake in the early morning. Jesus did not ask Peter to prove his faith by moving a mountain. He asked him to feed the lambs, to serve and to love because of his faith. And Peter preached at Pentecost, led the early believers, and baptized the family of Cornelius, opening the doors of the church to the Gentile population.
Perhaps the important message for us isn’t so much about moving mountains as it is putting our trust in the One Who created the mountains. It's about not agonizing over what may block our path but realizing that worry and fear obscure the view. It’s about allowing God’s wholeness to overwhelm us, about understanding His goodness, His power and His love. That’s what just a grain of faith the size of a mustard seed can accomplish. It’s taking God seriously and allowing Him to be the center of our existence – not because we are afraid, but because we aren’t.
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