Matthew 17:17-21: a reflection

17Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it went out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour. 19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, “Why weren’t we able to cast it out?” 20He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21But this kind doesn’t go out except by prayer and fasting.”

When the disciples fail to cast out a demon from a suffering boy, and ask Jesus privately why they could not, he answers: Because of your unbelief. And then he says something striking about even small faith: If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, Move, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. A mustard seed is tiny, the smallest of seeds; yet faith even that small, Jesus says, if it is real and rests in God, can do what seems impossible. It is not the size of the faith, but its reality and its object.

Notice what Jesus says about small faith: even faith as small as a mustard seed can do much. He does not say we need great faith, a large and impressive faith, to see God work; he says faith the size of a mustard seed, tiny as it is, can move mountains. What matters is not the quantity of our faith, but that it is real, and that it rests in God, who is able. Even a small faith, truly resting in the God who can do all things, accomplishes what a great faith resting in ourselves never could. The power is not in the size of the faith, but in the God it trusts.

That is an encouragement, for we can feel our faith is too small to matter, and despair of God working through it. We can look at our small, weak faith and conclude it is not enough, that only a great faith can see God work; but Jesus says faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. Do not despise your small faith, thinking it too little for God to work through; even faith as small as a mustard seed, resting in God, can do what seems impossible. Bring your small faith to God, resting it in him who is able, rather than despairing that it is too little; for it is not the size of your faith that matters, but the God it trusts, and even a mustard seed of faith in the God who can do all things accomplishes what seems impossible, as Jesus promised. Exercise the small faith you have, placing it in God, and watch what he can do through even a mustard seed.

Lord Jesus, when the disciples failed to cast out a demon from a suffering boy, and asked you privately why they could not, you answered: because of your unbelief. And then you said something striking about even small faith: if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, move, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. A mustard seed is tiny; yet faith even that small, if it is real and rests in God, can do what seems impossible. It is not the size of the faith, but its reality and its object. Show me what you say about small faith: even faith as small as a mustard seed can do much. You do not say I need great faith to see God work; you say faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. What matters is not the quantity of my faith, but that it is real, and that it rests in God, who is able. Even a small faith, truly resting in the God who can do all things, accomplishes what a great faith resting in myself never could. That is an encouragement, for I can feel my faith is too small to matter. I can look at my small, weak faith and conclude it is not enough; but you say faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. Keep me from despising my small faith, thinking it too little for you to work through; help me bring it to you, resting it in you who are able. It is not the size of my faith that matters, but the God it trusts. Help me exercise the small faith I have, Lord, placing it in you, and watch what you can do.