Scripture

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Observation

Jesus’ disciples ask Him why the teachers of the Law say Elijah must return before the Messiah comes. Jesus tells them that Elijah had already come, but they killed him, and they will do the same to Jesus.

At the bottom of the mountain, they meet up with a man with a demonised son. The other disciples had failed to do anything for the son. Jesus commands the demon to leave, and the boy is healed. When the disciples ask Him why they were unable to remove the demon, Jesus says “You don’t have enough faith.”

Application

it only takes a tiny amount of faith to work miracles in God’s kingdom. A mustard seed is a tiny thing, but that amount of faith is enough to move mountains and to remove demons.

Atomic faith, nano-scale faith, microscopic faith – -how ever we picture it, the smallest quantity achieves miracles.

Paul says that we all have a measure of faith – whether it is a mustard seed or a whole forest of faith doesn’t matter.

Where had these disciples gone wrong? Perhaps the problem was that they copied Jesus’ words or actions but did not appropriate the power of God.

Real faith has its focus on God, not on the problem being dealt with. It is reliant on the Holy Spirit, not on a method or on getting the words right.

Faith in God changes lives.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to grow in faith in you, so that I can trust you to remove the greatest of mountains. Amen.