If I believe can my faith
really move mountains?
puricarefiles
Matthew
17:14-20
“14 And
when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling
down to him, and saying, 15 Lord, have mercy on my
son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire,
and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy
disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then
Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I
be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18 And
Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured
from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples
to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And
Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If
ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain,
Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be
impossible unto you.” King
James Version (KJV)
First of all, we have to be clear
that the Bible is God’s revealed Word to mankind (2 Timothy 3:16).
God,
by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, revealed to us by way of language what
He would want us to understand about Himself, His will, His everlasting love, His
purpose, creation, our nature and His plans for each of us.
Just like an earthly father lowers
himself, so to speak, in order to communicate to his little child, God
condescends in ways in which we would understand. This is similar to
the way God lowers Himself to speak to us and to be understood by our limited
intellect and understanding.
The Bible uses historical
narratives, poetic language, prophecy, apocalyptic writing and literature. Several
literary techniques are used: metaphor, simile,
We must discern when these
techniques are being used so we can properly interpret the meaning and grasp
God’s message to us.
For example, when Jesus says, “I am the door of the sheep”(John 10:7), how are we to interpret the
verse?
If we take Jesus literally, we
might look for the doorknob somewhere on His body. However, if we take the
verse as a metaphor we would understand that Jesus is the way - the ONLY WAY - of
access to eternal life, much like a door is the way of access into a room.
Another thing to consider in correct biblical interpretation is the context of the passage. If a single verse is taken out of context, a faulty exegesis and misinterpretation would be the result.
Another thing to consider in correct biblical interpretation is the context of the passage. If a single verse is taken out of context, a faulty exegesis and misinterpretation would be the result.
We shall look at the overall
context of the passage about the mustard seed in order for us to correctly
interpret the message that Jesus would want us to get.
Jesus, along with Peter, James and
John, had just come down from the “mount
of transfiguration.” They were met by a man with a demon-possessed child.
The man told Jesus that he brought his son to Jesus’ disciples, but they could not
cast the demon out.
Jesus cast the demon out of the
boy.
18 And
Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured
from that very hour.
Jesus chastises His disciples for their lack of faith: “Because
of your unbelief.” ἀπιστία apistia ap-is-tee'-ah - faithlessness, that is,
(negatively) disbelief (want of Christian faith), or
(positively) unfaithfulness (disobedience): - unbelief.
Jesus said, “If ye
have faith as a grain of mustard seed…”
If their faith were the size of
even the smallest of the seeds, the mustard bush, they would be able to “move mountains.”
In the context of Matthew 17, Jesus rebuked His
disciples for their unbelief and said that even if their faith were as minute
as the seed of the mustard, they could command the mountain to move.
In context, the mountain must
refer to the demon afflicting the man’s son. Jesus was telling His disciples
that, if their faith were stronger, they could have commanded the demon to depart
from the boy.
It should be understood that Jesus
was referring to the mustard bush in the Israel that “grows into a tree,” and
not the mustard herb commonly known:
“19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in
his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests
in its branches.” Luke 13:19 English Standard Version
(ESV)
It is clear from the context that
Jesus is not teaching them that faith the size of a mustard seed can literally
move literal mountains. Rather, Jesus used a common expression during the
Biblical times. To the Jews of
“Faith that moves mountains” does not mean a faith that can literally move literal mountains.
Jesus was making emphasis that
even a little bit of faith can overcome seemingly impossible problems in our
lives.
“17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the
Good News about Christ.” Romans 10:17 New Living Translation
(NLT)
God has made it possible
for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in
your own life by receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Would you want to have a
deeper relationship with God?
Say the following
prayer:
“Father
God, I confess I am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You.
I
am truly sorry. I now want to
turn away from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please
forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I
believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the
dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I
invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from
this day forward. Thank You that according to your Word, I am now born again.
Please
send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of
my life.
Please
use me for Your glory.
In
Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
Related Posts:
“Mighty to save” Hillsong
lyrics
Mighty to Save
Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.
Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.
Refrain:
Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.
So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.
Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing
For the glory of the risen King...Jesus
We're singing
For the glory of the risen King...Jesus
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