In this episode we are going to unlock the secret of faith by looking at one of the most confusing bible verse which was spoken by Jesus. There have been numerous sermons preached on this subject and many have confused many with a lot more people just giving up hope on this subject altogether.
We are going to talk about:
Moving Mountains With Mustard Grain-Sized Faith.
Let us get to the Bible Portion Straight Away! We have a super lesson on faith today and so let us be ready to accept the challenge!
Let us read:
[Luk 17:5-6 KJV]
5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Now this is a very interesting incident. Actually it should puzzle anyone who reads this.
Just see verse 5, the Disciples asked Jesus to Increase their faith! That was their ask. They wanted their faith to be increased by the Lord Jesus.
What was the response of Jesus to this ask of the disciples?
Verse 6 – Jesus said, “If You Had Faith As a Grain Of Mustard Seed, You Might Say Unto This Sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”
A contrasting statement by Jesus. Disciples wanted to increase their faith and Jesus says “IF YOU HAD FAITH AS A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED…”
So what did Jesus actually mean?
Before we go into that, let us understand the objects that are present in this incident.
There are 2 MAIN OBJECTS
-
GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED
-
SYCAMINE TREE
Let us understand more about these objects before we proceed.
First, the GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED:
Let us read another Bible Passage which will provide more information on the Mustard Seed that Jesus Usually talks about!
The phrase “Grain Of Mustard Seed” which was spoken by Jesus, is recorded in only 5 verses in the entire New Testament.
- Matthew 13:31
- Matthew 17:20
- Mark 4:31
- Luke 13:19
- Luke 17:6
And Jesus used this phrase “Grain Of Mustard Seed” in only 3 distinct incidents:
- Matthew 13:31 – The Parable Of The Sower
- Matthew 17:20 – The Inability Of The Disciples To Cast Out A Demon
- Luke 17:6 – The Disciples Asking Jesus To Increase Their Faith
That’s It.
So only 3 times Jesus actually used the phrase “Grain Of Mustard Seed” and there is so much of confusion on this subject that if you try to research it, you will go crazy, because of the numerous explanations that you will find.
Let us keep it simple and let the Bible interpret itself.
So in order to understand more about the “Grain Of Mustard Seed”,
let us read:
Matthew 13:31-32 which is the Parable Of The Sower:
[Mat 13:31-32 KJV]
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, 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.
He says in this verse that it becometh a tree so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches!
What was Jesus talking about? Do we have a Mustard Tree?
Yes we do and its Scientifically called
Nicotiana Glauca
You can check about this tree in Wikipedia.
Nicotiana Glauca is a species of wild tobacco known by the common name tree tobacco. It is used for numerous medical treatments.
Look at the 1st picture which is a closeup shot:
Look at the 2nd picture which is a long shot:
Now comes the interesting part of this tree – ITS SEED!
In order to understand how small this seed is, you need to watch a couple of video clips!
Please watch the YouTube Video in the link given below this blog at the end.
Did you see how tiny they were?
So from such a small seed, it becomes a Tree and the birds can lodge in it.
FYI.. there are some seeds which are much more smaller than this like the orchid seeds.
But here’s the thing – they don’t grow to the size of a tree where birds can lodge!
But this mustard tree which you have seen in the video clip perfectly fits the criteria mentioned by Jesus that it’s the smallest seed and yet becomes a tree!
This is where people miss it. They argue saying that Jesus was wrong in stating that the mustard tree seed was the smallest seed! But here’s the catch – a seed which is not only the smallest but also grows to a tree!! There is only one such thing and that’s the mustard tree which you have seen today.
Now comes the main part of the MIS-UNDERSTANDING;
This is due to Mistranslation actually in many of the Bible versions:
NOWHERE JESUS MENTIONED THAT IF YOU HAVE FAITH AS THE SIZE OF THE MUSTARD SEED!
JESUS NEVER USED THE WORD SIZE!!
NEVER!
THIS IS A MISTRANSLATION RIGHT THERE!
Let us again read
[Luk 17:6 KJV]
6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
So actually when I started to research into this, it struck me that Jesus did not refer to the SIZE of the mustard seed but he actually referred to the growth that takes place!
From such a small seed to a tree exactly as written in Mat 13:32
[Mat 13:32 KJV]
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.
The Secret Of Faith
Faith Must Grow! Faith Must Increase!
But that was what the Disciples asked Jesus Anyways! They said please increase our faith. In other words, make our faith Grow Big!
Jesus replied If your faith was like a GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED.
So What was Jesus saying here?
Jesus said to START SPEAKING OUT WITH FAITH EVEN IF YOUR FAITH IS SO SMALL!
JESUS ASKED THEM TO GET STARTED WITH WHAT THEY HAD!!
It is not the end, but just the beginning! But then your faith must grow like the mustard tree seed!
That takes us to the 2nd OBJECT:
SYCAMINE TREE:
This is a VERY HUGE TREE. LOOK AT THAT PICTURE! THIS IS A SYCAMINE TREE.
Facts of a sycamine tree:
SYCAMINES ROOT GROW HUNDREDS OF FEET INTO THE GROUND, DEEPER THAN MOST OF ANY OTHER TREE!
EXTREME HOT WEATHER AND TEMPERATURES DO NOT AFFECT THIS TREE BECAUSE ITS ROOTS HAVE GONE DEEP INTO THE
GROUND AND TAPPED INTO THE WATER SOURCE DOWN DEEP UNDER THE EARTH!
Now Jesus says, if your faith is so small like those tiny seeds, YET you can pick up one of the largest and strongest of the trees as your target and pull it out by its ROOTS!!
Now ISNT THAT REALLY POWERFUL?
WOW!!
SO WE HAVE SEEN 2 THINGS TILL NOW:
Your faith must grow like the mustard tree seed!
You can start commanding even the biggest tree when your faith is as small as the tiniest of seeds!
SO HERE IS THE OUTLINE OF HOW FAITH WORKS:
YOU START WITH A MEAGER AMOUNT OF FAITH
YOUR FAITH HAS TO KEEP GROWING
THE TARGET IS ACHIEVED!
But there is a problem with this. Whenever we think of something as a journey or time taking thing, we lose interest and we often fail. This is human nature. We want everything to be instant.
Another problem is that the above mentioned outline does not seem to work for many! Let us be honest, we have prayed for many things and we are still waiting for answers. There could be things that we have been praying for years and still without any answer! So what is wrong?
IN THE OUTLINE THAT I SHOWED YOU, THERE IS ONE COMPONENT THAT IS MISSED OUT BUT PRESENT IN ALL OF US!
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS?
THE ELEMENT OF DOUBT! OR UNBELIEF!
THIS IS THE VERY THING THAT STOPS US FROM ACHIEVING OUR TARGET BY FAITH.
SO DOES JESUS HELP US HERE!
GLAD YOU ASKED.
LET US NOW LOOK AT THE 3rd INCIDENT WHERE JESUS REFERED TO THE GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED!
Matthew 17:20 – The Inability Of The Disciples To Cast Out A Demon
Let us read:
Matthew 17:19 (KJV)
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
The disciples asked Jesus privately as to why they could not cast out a demon!
[Mat 17:20 KJV]
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.
This is the 3rd Incident (not in any order), that Jesus uses the Grain Of Mustard Seed phrase!
This happened when the Disciples FAILED in casting out a demon from a boy and the father of that boy came to Jesus and asked him to heal his son saying the disciples could not heal his son!
So Jesus rebuked the demon and it left the boy and so later on the Disciples came to Jesus privately and asked him why they could not cast the demon out of the boy. Then Jesus told the disciples that it was due to their UNBELIEF! that is the verse that we just read in Matthew 17:20.
Ok, so the point is that the DISCIPLES FAILED DUE TO THEIR UNBELIEF! So how does that help us?
We know that we also fail today due to our UNBELIEF! So what can we do?
Let us read the same incident but from the Gospel of Mark
Let us read
[Mar 9:23 KJV]
This is JESUS TALKING TO THE FATHER OF THE BOY WITH DEMON:
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.
So Jesus is asking the father to have Faith! Now see the immediate BUT HONEST RESPONSE OF THE FATHER:
[Mar 9:24 KJV]
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
WOW, WHAT A REALITY! THE FATHER HAS FAITH BUT HE ALSO HAS UNBELIEF!
THIS IS EXACTLY LIKE OUR SITUATION! ALL OF US ARE LIKE THIS FATHER!
BUT THE FATHER WAS SO EXTREMELY HONEST WITH JESUS AND SAID EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS GOING THROUGH!
HE WAS HAVING FAITH AND UNBELIEF AT THE SAME TIME AND ASKED JESUS TO HELP HIM!
What did Jesus do?
Let us read the next verse
[Mar 9:25 KJV]
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, [Thou] dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
THE EVIL SPIRIT OR DEMON CAME OUT OF THE BOY!
So even with us today, in our journey of faith, when DOUBT OR UNBELIEF COMES, LET US ASK JESUS TO HELP US! AND JESUS WILL STEP IN!! JESUS WILL HELP US! JESUS WILL GIVE US WHAT WE WANT!!
That is our Loving Jesus! He does not see our weaknesses and faults! He handles it for us!
That is why Jesus took our place on the cross so that He can represent us to the Father God in heaven!
As Jesus IS – SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD! – 1John 4:17 KJV because as he is, so are we in this world.
Now here is the most powerful revelation!!
Jesus didn’t end it there! He went to the next level to EMPOWER US!
WE DON”T HAVE TO RELY ON OUR FAITH ANYMORE! WE CAN NOW RELY ON THE FAITH OF JESUS!
LET US READ
[Gal 2:20 KJV]
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
SEE THAT? NOT LIVE BY THE FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD!! BUT LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD!
SO WE NOW LIVE BY THE FAITH OF JESUS! SO IT IS JESUS WHO HAS THE FAITH THAT IS REQUIRED FOR OUR SUCCESS!
The devil will come to you and say, hey you dont have enough faith! You need a lot of faith and you have doubts in your mind. How can this miracle happen for you?
You tell him, I RELY ON THE FAITH OF JESUS! MY JESUS HAS THE FAITH THAT IT TAKES FOR WHAT I NEED!!
SO I WILL GET WHAT I WANT! I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF JESUS!
SO LET US LOOK AT THE FAITH OUTLINE NOW:
YOU START WITH A MEAGER AMOUNT OF FAITH
YOUR FAITH HAS TO KEEP GROWING
YOU GET DOUBTFUL BUT ASK JESUS FOR HELP
YOU RELY ON THE FAITH OF JESUS NOW BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS HAS ACCOMPLISHED FOR US
THE TARGET IS ACHIEVED!
AMEN!!
So NO MORE THE LACK OF FAITH SHOULD BE A PROBLEM BECAUSE NOT ONLY JESUS HELPS US IN OUR UNBELIEF BUT WE CAN NOW RELY ON THE FAITH OF JESUS HIMSELF! HE HAS ALL THE FAITH IN THE UNIVERSE!!
AMEN AND AMEN
Before we end this I would like to mention a very important point.
Always know this, that when you pray for someone, that person who you are praying for, must posses faith in what you are praying for.
If that person does not have faith, even Jesus cannot do anything! This is so true!
That’s why you will see that Jesus always asked, “do you believe? Do you believe that I can heal you? Do you believe that it’s possible? Do you believe that I’m able to do this for you? Do you believe?”
He always asked the people before he could do anything for them!
Let us read
Matthew 13:58 (KJV) And he did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
So it’s clear that the receiver must have faith and only then can he/she receive from Jesus.
So however great or powerful the person who is praying may be, the answer will depend on the faith of the receiver!
Even the so called Christians cannot receive a miracle from Jesus today due to their unbelief, feeling of guilt or condemnation, lack of knowledge in what Jesus has accomplished for them, etc.
In majority of Christians, condemnation is a major cause that stops the flow of miracles and blessings! That’s for another power nugget!
But be empowered today by knowing that now you can rely on the faith OF Jesus for your miracles and blessings! Start with your faith as small as it can be but let it grow bigger and bigger with the help of Jesus and rely on His Faith when you need to!!
Nothing is impossible to you as a child of God because of what Jesus did for you at the cross!
I hope you have been blessed and empowered with this wonderful revelation !
God Bless You!
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