Mustard Seed Size Faith

You'll be able to tell the trees to go jump in the lake.

Now, having said all of this, we also need to recognize that there is more implied in Jesus' answer.

It is a bit subtle.

If a teeny tiny amount of faith can move a big tree how much more can we expect to happen if we have walnut size faith or basketball size faith.

Small faith = big impact

Big faith = huge impact

Big isn't the enemy. Small isn't better. Size isn't really the point, contrary to the email in my spam box.

The real issues CENTER AROUND TWO WORDS;

The first is Proportion or perhaps DISPROPORTION -– because we're trusting in a big God we can expect big things in disproportion to the amount of trust we exercise.

That is, we're always going to end up with a result that is bigger than, and in excess of, what we have put into it.

You see, in some ways this isn't about the disciples at all. It's about God himself – the object of the faith.

When we hesitate it's not really that they we’re sensing our own inadequacy but that they were not sensing God's adequacy.

The children sing a song: “My God is so big –- so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do.”

If we’d started reading at the beginning of the Gospel we would have already heard already heard this message in the very first chapter of Luke – 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God.”

Then in Matthew 19:26 we read, “Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

This is about the nature and power of God -– which he graciously allows us to tap into by faith.

If you take even a small mustard see size step forward, trusting in God, he can use it in great ways. To you, it looks like nothing – but to a powerful God even a mustard seed is a great asset. Small object – big impact. Disproportionately so.

Secondly, this discussion is really about the nature of faith – rather what it looks like – practically speaking.

That is, the second word is: FAITHFULNESS

Check out the story starting at vs. 7 --“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’?

No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later. And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

Exercising faith – whether big or small isn't a matter of putting on a show and making bold statements and claiming big things on TV – rather it is the humble, invisible, routine, day-in-and day out business of serving.

The disciples were asking for faith – - Jesus was saying if you act faithfully you've already got it. It’s not so much about having big ideas for God – lots of faith as it is about living faithfully with what you’ve got.