The Faith of God
Spiritual Meaning of Faith in Mark 11:22-24 and Matthew 17:20
Jesus said, "Have the faith of God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye shall receive, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:22-24).
Similarly, in Matthew 17:20, Jesus states, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
These passages hold deeper spiritual meanings beyond their literal sense. The "faith of God" refers to faith derived from the Lord, which aligns with divine order and seeks what benefits the Lord's kingdom and one's salvation.
Jesus spoke using correspondences, so "mountain" symbolizes the love of self and the world (evil loves), while "sycamore-tree" represents the faith of this love, which is faith in falsity from evil. The "sea" signifies hell. Thus, casting a mountain or tree into the sea symbolizes removing these evil loves and false faiths, which can only be achieved through faith from the Lord.
In the spiritual world, evil loves can appear as mountains and false faiths as sycamore-trees. By faith from the Lord, an angel can cast these into the sea (hell). Therefore, a "mountain" signifies love of the Lord and, oppositely, love of self, while a "sycamore-tree" represents the natural man regarding both good and truth and, oppositely, evil and falsity.
Have the faith of God
I call you blessed
Credit: Emmanuel Swedenborg