A Seed That Defies Mountains

Jesus said:

—Because of your 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; and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20, BSB)

1. What does the text literally say?

• Jesus (Yeshua), in response to His disciples' failure to free a young man, identifies the root cause: "little faith."

• He introduces a powerful and common illustration in Judaism: the mustard seed (חרדל, chardal).

• He uses the symbol of a "mountain" to represent something that seems immovable.

• He solemnly declares ("truly I tell you") that nothing will be impossible if there is authentic faith.

2. What did this mean to His 1st-century Jewish listeners?

a. Faith in Jewish tradition:

• The Hebrew word “emuná” (אֱמוּנָה) signifies not just intellectual belief but active fidelity and constant trust. It implies "standing firm" more than "feeling certain."

• A 1st-century Jew would understand faith not as passive belief but as an obedient stance toward God, even when circumstances are contrary.

b. The mustard seed:

• In rabbinic literature, the mustard seed was the smallest thing used in metaphors. For example, the Talmud mentions the human soul as being "the size of a mustard seed" (Berakhot 5a).

• Even so, this tiny seed has life, potential, and hidden growth. It symbolizes how something small can become great if cultivated.

c. The mountain in Hebrew thought:

• In rabbinic texts, "moving mountains" was an idiomatic expression. It was said of sages who could "uproot mountains," meaning they could resolve impossible halakhic dilemmas (Horayot 14a).

• The mountain represents resistance, impossibility, spiritual structures that oppose.

d. What is Yeshua really saying?

• He doesn't criticize the quantity of faith but the disconnect between their faith and spiritual action.

• He teaches that living faith directed toward God, even if small, has power when spoken and acted upon.

3. What other texts connect with this message?

• Zechariah 4:6-10 – “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit…” (small beginnings, great results).

• Psalm 125:1 – “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved.”

• Isaiah 40:4 – “Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low.”

• Luke 17:6 – Jesus again uses the mustard seed: “You could uproot a mulberry tree.”

• Hebrews 11 – Characters who, with active faith, conquered kingdoms and shut the mouths of lions.

4. What does this say to us today?

a. It's not about the size of your faith, but its root.

• A mustard seed has life. What matters is whether your faith is alive, cultivated, and directed toward God.

b. Don't remain silent in front of your mountain.

• Prophetic tradition teaches to speak with spiritual authority. Don't describe your obstacle; command it in God's name.

c. Your active faith is the seed of the Kingdom.

• What seems small today—a prayer, a decision, a step of obedience—can have immense power if aligned with God's will.

Jesus' teaching wasn't a motivational speech. It was a revelation with Hebrew roots:

God doesn't ask for gigantic faith; He asks for living faith. And when that faith speaks, acts, and waits in faithfulness—what seems impossible begins to yield.

So, don't underestimate the seed. Plant it, speak to the mountain, and believe.

Because a tiny faith in an immense God sows eternal miracles.