Mustard Seed Faith

Mustard Seed Faith:

I remember one of my seminary professors telling a story of a particular atheist who had put all his proverbial eggs into the argument that goes something like this (paraphrasing): Since Jesus was ‘wrong’ about the mustard seed being the smallest of seeds He clearly isn’t infallible, and if not infallible He’s clearly not God, and if not God then He is a liar and a heretic. Apparently those who study such thing know that the orchid seed is the smallest seed - therefore, it’s OBVIOUSLY clear that everything Jesus said and did is of no value and we can jettison the Bible, Christianity, and all organized religion based on this flawless argument…

-OR- one can give Jesus a little ‘wiggle room’ for literary license since He was telling a parable, i.e. a story that “goes alongside” life to reveal a greater truth. One could get into splitting theological hairs, but within the context of the parable Jesus is talking about all the λαχάνων, or garden plants, of the herb/vegetable variety rather than making a universal statement. We see this in verse 32, “And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the vegetables…”

Parables are not easy to understand.  I have a Master’s degree in Theology and I still have difficulty with them. Often times a parable has to be seen within the context of the chapter it is used - and then the chapter has to be seen within the context of that particular book of the Bible, and then that book has to be seen within the meta-narrative, or grand/complete story, of the Bible. Jesus told His disciples that He used parables to confound the arrogant and prideful of the world. Read Matthew 13:11-15 and you’ll find out what Jesus has to say about His use of parables.

If one approaches the Bible with a big chip on their shoulder without any desire to experience or know God - then God will leave them to that end. But if someone comes to the Bible with an openness “like a child,” then God is already working in them and softening their heart to receive the seed to be sown on fertile soil.

Right before the parable of the mustard seed Jesus shared another agriculture-based parable about seeds being sown in various types of soil/ground: hard packed soil, rocky terrain, among weeds, and good soil. Evangelism and ministry isn’t about trying to find the perfect soil to sew - it’s about casting the seed everywhere we go and trusting and allowing God to accomplish His plan of redeeming people for His eternal glory. If it was left up to us to determine we’d always get it wrong, because as Scripture tells us, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, and that faith is a gift from God. As Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.”

How do we move mountains with our mustard seed faith? That’s the point - we don’t. Your faith is God working in you to the extent that you yield, submit, and surrender.  If you haven’t moved any spiritual mountains lately - then maybe that’s God telling you that you’re not leaving Him any ‘wiggle room’ and you’re trying to earn it, fulfill it, save, reach, and do it under YOUR power - not His.

God spoke the universe into existence and created the moon and the stars with what amounts to less effort than our waving a finger in the air. That’s the same faith that God “planted” inside you. Stop trying to earn, merit, attain, or prove your value to the God who already went to the Cross and died for you - and just surrender so that His power and presence can become manifest in your life and move the mountains He wants to move through you for His praise, fame, and glory.

That’s what faith the size of a mustard seed is all about.

Blessings,

-Kevin