January 16, 2023 – Matthew 17 – We of Little Faith

In Matthew 17, Jesus fresh from being transfigured, his appearance changed, his face shone and clothes white as light, encounters a crowd gathered around his disciples. A man approached requesting that he heal his demon possessed son. In his request, he tells on the disciples that were not on the mountain top with Jesus. He says, “I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” Matthew17:16NIV

Jesus’ reply gives us an idea of why the disciples could not drive the demon out. He says, “You unbelieving and perverse generation…  …how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Matthew17:17NIV After he has driven the demon out and the crowd had gone, the disciples came to Jesus privately for more information. “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

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.” Matthew17:20NIV

Once I attended a church that would give each member a mustard seed when they joined the church. That was a process. If you don’t know, mustard seeds are tiny. Trying to give someone one seed took a second or two. Also, if you put it in your pocket to keep it, it was almost irretrievable. It got lost in the pocket lint and took some serious searching to find.

If only mountain moving faith were as simple as having someone hand you a tiny mustard seed. I wish Matthew had given us more details. How do we develop such faith? Is there a program or a step by step process to developing this kind of faith?

I believe the fact that Jesus used something as small as a mustard seed and that it was, in fact, a seed gives us some ideas. We come to be saved by receiving the grace of God offered to us in Jesus Christ with the smallest of faith. If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans10:9NIV  “…Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans10:13NIV

If we take that seed and plant it and nurture it, it will grow. We nurture our faith by trusting God with our cares and concerns. We in faith offer those to God in prayer. As we see God respond and answer those prayers, our faith and trust in God grows. We nurture our faith by believing what Jesus has told us about this life we have been born into. Embracing the power and promise of new life in Christ, grows our faith. The more we nurture our faith by trusting God with our cares and concerns and the more we embrace the power and promises of new life in Jesus, the more our faith grows. If we don’t nurture our faith, it doesn’t grow.

Jesus said, “…The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Matthew13:31–32NIV We start with very small faith. However, if we plant that faith in our lives and nurture it, what started so small can grow to be as large as a tree.

We all have doubts and unbelief. When we doubt and our faith is small, nurture it even then by asking Jesus to help our unbelief.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for calling me to faith in you. Help me to take that small seed of faith and grow it by believing the power and promises you offer in my new life in you. Help me to nurture my faith by bringing to you every care and concern. Amen.