He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20 NIV
I’ve often heard this scripture quoted, preached, and taught, but have never actually studied what a mustard seed is. The above scripture is incredibly powerful in its imagery. What type of faith is required to speak to a mountain and have it obey?
The term “mustard seed” is mentioned 10 times across 5 verses in the Bible. While the mustard seed technically was not the smallest seed during ancient times, it was used as a metaphor to describe something as being small.
Measuring between one and two millimeters, the mustard seed comes from humble beginnings. This speck may not look like much, but it had the potential to grow anywhere from four to fifteen feet in height.
There is much speculation about why Jesus chose to use the mustard seed in this parable, but culturally speaking, it would have been an image that made sense for the time; a small seed with the ability to grow into something unnaturally large.
To have faith as small as a mustard seed is not to remain the size of a mustard seed; it is to be consistently growing and increasing in size. Faith is not stagnant and stale. On the contrary, faith should be adaptable to the conditions of the time. Faith requires action.
If faith is compared to a seed, then we should treat our faith as something that has been planted. If I plant a seed and ignore it, more than likely nothing will grow or come from it. However, if I plant a seed and tend to it, providing nourishment and nutrients, something beautiful will grow.
Plant a seed of faith today into whatever situation you are facing. It may feel illogical and unrealistic to do so, but I’m crazy enough to believe that God can use that tiny seed to make a great impact.
As we walk with our Savior, our faith should be growing as we grow closer to Him.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV
Devotion by Caitlin Walker
