Small, but Mighty

 

“For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” 

(Matthew 17:20 ESV)

 

As we consider our faith, and as we live out the Christian life, we often view it on a spectrum. We view it as ranging from that of a new believer, with a young faith, to that of an older believer with a mature faith. And we often tell ourselves that, if only we might grow in faith, then we could do great things for God.

 

We, then, allow this mindset to hold us back from our service of both God and men.  We tell ourselves that we’re not yet mature enough to serve or to be used by God. And we tell ourselves that, someday, we may be able to do more.

 

This seems to be supported by the words of Jesus as we look at the circumstances surrounding the above passage. Jesus had already given to his disciples the authority to cast out demons. In fact, they had already done so. But, in this case, in the case of a man who brought to them his son, they were ineffective.

 

Jesus, when he learned of this, chastised their entire generation for their lack of faith. He referred to them as a faithless and a twisted generation. He, then, cast out this evil spirit himself.

 

When the disciples asked about their inability to do so, Jesus told them that it was because of their little faith. He said that it was because of the smallness of their faith, or the inadequacy of their faith.

 

This, then, feeds our perception that we must become more mature if we’re to serve God.  It feeds our perception that we must become more mature if God is to use us. And this is especially true, we think, if he’s to use us in great ways.

 

We must, however, look at this in the context of his larger statement. As we see in the passage above, he tells them that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed, they could move mountains. If they had faith the size of a very small seed, they could work wonders.

 

The problem with the disciples, then, was not the immaturity of their faith. Nor was it the size of their faith. The problem was their lack of faith. They were not trusting in Christ to accomplish this work. They lacked faith when it came to the authority Jesus had given them.

 

We know this because, according to Jesus, it only takes a very small faith to do great things. Faith like a grain of mustard seed, which is tiny, is enough to move mountains. The disciples, then, didn’t need a bigger faith. They simply needed faith.

 

This truth, you see, is not meant to discourage us.  It’s intended to do the exact opposite. It’s meant as an encouragement. It tells us that God is able to use us in great ways if we have only a very small faith. And it assures us that it doesn’t take greatness in terms of faith to accomplish great works for the Lord.

 

We, then, must not use this as an excuse for our lack of service. Nor can we use it to excuse our unwillingness to serve. We can trust that God will empower us to serve him, even when our faith is small. We can trust that God will accomplish his purpose through us, even when our faith is immature.