Matthew 13: 31 …The Kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field. 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
In Matthew 17: 14-21 we read about a man who brought his son to Jesus for healing. He tells Jesus that he had brought the boy to Jesus’ disciples earlier, but they could not cure him. Jesus rebuked the devil and the boy was cured. Calling Jesus aside, the disciples asked him why had they been unable to cast the devil out. Jesus told them, “Because of your unbelief, for verily I say unto you, if you 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.”
Then he went on to say…”Howbeit, this kind goeth out but by prayer and fasting.”
How many of us have read these verses and wondered exactly what they mean? Faith the size of a mustard seed…the smallest of all seeds…surely my faith is at least the size of the world’s smallest seed…but still there’s no way any of us could tell a mountain to move and have it do so…mountains would be moving every day!
Let’s take a closer look at the mustard seed, a tiny speck in the palm of our hand…but when it’s planted and has grown it produces the greatest of herbs and becomes a tree. Perhaps the tree pertains to Jesus, God’s Son, whom He planted on the earth to grow among us so that the children of earth can come to Him and find rest.
He didn’t say faith the SIZE of a mustard seed, but “as a mustard seed.” Faith that grows with our knowledge of God and contains the power He has to heal…or to move mountains! We were created in His image…our goal is to become more like Him as our faith increases.
Let’s look at Jesus’ words to His disciples: ”Howbeit, (however) this kind goeth out but (only) by prayer and fasting.” Is He referring to this kind of demon… or this kind of faith? Our faith comes to us as a gift from God (not of ourselves) and it grows only when we get to know Him… and the best way to get to know Him is through prayer. Only Jesus, God Himself, could cure the boy in the story and though He had given His disciples the powers to heal and cast out demons, their power was not on the same level as His…His power to heal is instant and not dependent on prayer or fasting.
I have come to the conclusion that only when our faith grows…as a tree does from a tiny mustard seed… and we reach our goal of being like Jesus, will we be able to move mountains. I am far from that goal…as we all are. For now, we must pray and fast as we encounter mountain-like problems and ask for His intervention and healing powers to move past them…until we reach, and can see for ourselves, the Kingdom of heaven…and the full glory it contains.
As we celebrate Jesus’ life and resurrection this Sunday, it might be a little different as our circumstances have changed considerably since last year, but let’s celebrate anyway…and have a Happy Easter!