Mustard Seeds

Leading up to and including our first years of marriage, Deanna and I moved at least 9 different times. I was just getting started at seminary and we moved around a bunch for school and then Internship and finally to our first home together. I was grateful to have my father in law with me. He taught me how to load a U-Haul truck. It is a skill that has come in handy many times. The challenge is, knowing how to pack a truck and actually packing it are two very different things. Moving is exhausting. Loading a truck is back breaking labor. Just this past weekend I moved a bunch of things back down to our basement. Heavy stuff is just that—heavy.

I always wish there was an easier way. A hassle free, sweat proof way to move heavy things.

Faith is a key topic throughout scripture. And, as much as it is talked about by Jesus and by others, it is only quantified once. An amount of faith is only shared in today’s scripture. In other places there are comparisons—little faith or great faith. But here Jesus quantifies faith—the size of a mustard seed. And many have hashed out that a mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds and it grows to be one of the largest plants. A little bit of faith can grow to become a formidable force. In your life and for those around you.

But, does Jesus throw down a challenge here? Is faith about moving mountains? This seems like an impossible statement. Similar to that other impossible statement of Jesus. Tack on “in the name of Jesus” at the end of any of your prayers and Jesus is a genie that will give you whatever you want.

In case your wondering, 7 year old Scott was really disappointed when that one didn’t work. Am I right?

But what about this mountain moving faith? Clearly Jesus is not saying that the right amount of faith transports you to the land of Hogwarts where a flick of your wand and the proper pronunciation of a Latin-esque word will make things levitate and move. Faith doesn’t do this.

So much for the Mustard Seed Moving Company business plan. Could you imagine if faith could move all your stuff for you?

What is happening in this verse? What is Jesus saying? I think it is important to know the context. Mustard Seed faith doesn’t move any mountain—it moves a specific mountain. Which one? The one where the temple rested—the one that was built on the entirety of the Jewish sacrificial system.

You see, Jesus is not saying faith will be able to dazzle with displays of might. This isn’t about you and I conjuring enough faith to pull off a spectacle. Jesus is saying faith is a powerful enough force to receive the goodness of God in a real, powerful and mighty way. And even a little faith Changs everything. Everything!

The Temple system was all about the works and acts of the faithful to earn God’s love and forgiveness. It was the way to assuage guilt; reclaim holiness; and restore your connection to the community. The worship practices that centered around the temple were not bad—but they fell short. They didn’t fully deliver on the promises of God. This makes sense. If the Temple and its practice of faith was all people needed then there was no need for Jesus to come as Messiah. And, to be sure, the temple did set much of the groundwork for the redemptive work of Jesus and the ongoing celebration of His victory.

However, when Jesus says that faith can move this mountain He is making a bold claim. The faith that the Holy Spirit brings and that finds its nucleus in Jesus does away with the religious life as it is played out in the temple. It throws it into the sea.

The temple was all about what you did to bring God delight. The way of Jesus is not about what you do. Faith in Jesus is all about what He has done. Faith receives the work of Jesus and believes it to be true. The smallest grain of faith receives the goodness of God in Jesus. It takes Jesus at His word and trusts that His love played out on the cross is, indeed, sufficient.

Deep down I think we all struggle to believe that Jesus actually means what He says about us. Jesus means what He says about you. You are His beloved. You are worth every drop of his blood shed. You are redeemed. You are empowered. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you less. He delights when you partner with Him—He longs for you to walk with Him. But His love is yours. His grace is enough. And earning your ticket to Heaven—well, you and I will never be able to afford that price. Jesus has already paid for your ticket.

This is why faith throws that scoreboard system of the temple into the sea. Faith receives. It trusts. It believes Jesus—the Word—when He gives you His word. Faith—even of the mustard seed variety—puts all of its eggs in once basket. There is nothing you can do to earn the grace that God gives you. It’s yours. Believe it.

As you do, all of the scorekeeping and religious hoop jumping that runs you ragged—it drifts off into the sea. Pleasing God isn’t something you chase after by crossing off your Jesus chores each day. Pleasing God is a mustard seed faith that receives, believes, and trust Jesus at His word that says, “It is finished.” What’s finished? The game of trying to win God’s favor. You have it already.

What is one of the hardest things to believe about Jesus and what He proclaims about you?

What's something you can do in the next 48 hours to live as though this was, in fact, true?