Faith like a Grain of Mustard Seed

Our advanced Tennessee Army National Guard attachment was sent to Fort Stewart, Georgia, to prepare the area where mock combat operations would be held. When our two-and-a-half-ton truck arrived, we were ordered to “fall out” and stand at attention. The first sergeant yelled, “The following soldiers have volunteered to be pole climbers.” I was shocked when he called my name. I had not volunteered! I was afraid of heights. To become qualified to be a pole climber, we had to climb up twenty-five feet. A Sergeant took us into the woods, where we had to put on telephone-climbing equipment. We were given a crash course on how to use the equipment, practicing on a tree.

When it came to my turn to go up and down the tree, I did it differently. If that tree had been an enormous roll of Charmin toilet tissue, I would have squeezed it like in the TV commercial, Mr. Whipple squeezed the Charmin. I don’t remember how often I was sent up and down the tree, but even the threat of a court-martial did not make me climb up and down that tree twenty-five feet. My problem was I HAD NO FAITH IN THE TELEPHONE CLIMBING EQUIPMENT. I feared the safety belt and the spikes on my boots would not prevent me from falling off the tree.

MUSTARD SEED

FAITH LIKE A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED

15. Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures, and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.17. And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long will I be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18. Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and Jesus instantly healed the boy. 19. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20. He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

MATTHEW 17:15–20 (ESV)

Warren W Wiersbe says, “When we compare the Gospel accounts of this dramatic scene, we discover that this only son was in great trouble and danger. The Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, give us a similar story of the afflicted boy. In Matthew 17:15, the father says Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and suffers terribly. For he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him. The boy had epilepsy, was a lunatic, very ill, and suicidal. In Mark 9:17b-18b, the father says to Jesus,” Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they could not. Luke 9:38–40 says, and behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”

I can understand it is a horrible experience to witness a person having an epileptic fit. When I was in high school, a girl standing in front of me had an epileptic fit. When it happened, it scared me to death. I didn’t know what to do. My fear was she was dead. But Matthew 10:1 says that Jesus called his twelve disciples to give them authority over unclean spirits, cast them out, and heal every disease and affliction. Jesus instructed His disciples to minister to the lost spiritually and to the physical needs of the people. Why, then, were the disciples unable to cure the afflicted son? We find that answer in Matthew 17:20. Jesus told His disciples it was because of your little faith. God is the source and object of all genuine faith — even the weak, mustard seed variety. Like Jesus’ disciples, the fundamental problem of many of today’s born-again Christians is to look at the wrong source to have genuine faith. Only when the disciples put their faith and trust in Jesus did they have the authority to cast out unclean spirits and heal every disease and affliction. As born-again Christians, we must understand that we are only spiritually strong when we put our faith and trust in Jesus.

In Matthew 17:17–18a, Jesus says O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? What did Jesus mean when He told them about a faithless generation? Most people did not place

their faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Why did Jesus call them a twisted generation? Many people misunderstood who Jesus was and what spiritual truth was. Jesus said, Bring him here to me. Jesus rebuked the demon. In the Synoptic

Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke say the demon was an unclean spirit. The Greek scholar W. E Vine says the Greek Word means “impure.”

Do you remember the story about the woman who had suffered a discharge of blood for twelve years? She had spent all her living on physicians, but no one could heal her. She hoped Jesus would heal her, but there was a problem. A crowd was around Him. I do not know how she managed to get through the crowd, but the Bible tells us in Luke 8:44–45 and 47 that she came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately, her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it who touched me? When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling and falling before him, declaring in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. And Jesus to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

The disciples saw Jesus walking on the water in the fourth hour of the night, which would have been 3:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. For over nine hours, the disciples had battled the storm. A strong wind was beating against the boat where the disciples were. Matthew 14:26 says when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

In Matthew 14:28–32 Peter answered, “Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.” So, Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. From the experience the disciples had in the storm, we can be encouraged when we go through the storms of life. When problems confront you, we, born-again Christians, have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within us, and He will guide us through the storms of life. But we must have confidence in and trust in Jesus!

If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. Moving a mountain was a typical comparison in Jewish literature for doing what seemed impossible. Isaiah says in Isaiah 54:10, For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion for you. Faith as a grain of mustard seed suggests not only size; God will honor even a little faith but also life and growth. Like a mustard seed, faith is living faith nurtured and caused to grow for God. Had the nine disciples been praying, disciplining themselves, and meditating on the Word, they would have been able to cast out the demon and rescue the boy.

In Matthew 11:28–30 Jesus says Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. True salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. This invitation is open to exhausted and burdened people. Warren W. Wiersbe says to “take” is a deeper experience. When we come to Christ by faith, He gives us rest. When we take his yoke and learn, we find a deeper rest of surrender and obedience. Jesus says He is “lowly” in heart. That is, He is humble in heart.

Peace with God. In Romans 5:1, the Apostle Paul tells us by faith, we are justified and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ — the peace of God. The Apostle Paul says In Philippians 4:6–7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. When He walked on the face of this earth, to take a yoke meant to become a disciple. When we submit to Christ, we are yoked to Him. The Word easy means well fitting; He has just the yoke tailor-made for our lives and needs. The burden of doing His will is not a heavy one.

In Mark 4:30–32, Jesus said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it

is sown, it grows up, becomes larger than all the garden plants, and puts out large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

A parable is a story with a point. The Parable of the Mustard Seed refers to faith and the Kingdom of God. If you have been spiritually born-again, the kingdom of God lives in you now and will be established literally on earth for a time before it becomes eternal.

WE NEED TO REMEMBER

WHEN PETER TOOK HIS EYES OFF JESUS, HE BEGAN TO SINK.

WE MUST KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS.

IF WE DON’T, OUR FAITH WILL WEAKEN

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

Contributor

By C. Paul Wooderson

Author