Many people read this parable and think that Jesus is chastising them for not having enough faith (hence the comparison with a mustard seed). But in a commentary by Peter Kreeft, he points out that instead, what Jesus is doing is chastising them for not uniting what little faith they do have, with Jesus. Because in the end it is ultimately not by their power that will uproot the tree and pant it in the sea, but it is only God that could do that. But God would only do that in response to the fervent prayer and faith of His followers.
So, instead what Jesus is saying here is… If you have but even the smallest amount of faith, and unite it fully with God in love and faith, that with His help, you could do amazing things in this world. But alas, because we humans often think that we are full of faith, maybe even a lot more than a mustard seed…, it languishes because it is not united with Christ, and often goes to waste.
So what does it mean to unite your faith with Jesus? I would say that the explanation starts with the understanding that the truth of Christ Jesus requires a response. C.S. Lewis said that when a person is faced with this question, there are only 3 responses. That Jesus Christ was “either a lunatic, a liar, or He was the Lord.” It can only be one of those 3 responses, but the question requires an answer. I truly believe that the response of “lunatic” or “liar” has been totally discredited by the scholarship done on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and so the response that Jesus Christ is Lord is truly the only legitimate response.
If Christ is Lord, then you are forced to either accept or reject that truth, these are the only 2 logical reactions to this truism. But sadly today, indifference is becoming the most common response to the truth of Jesus. This is because of the fact that we have too many distractions, and our civilization has made life too comfortable that we often don’t have the need to confront these questions, and we don’t have to struggle with the questions of doubt and faith. But we must not be lazy, and expect the answers to just come to us, we need to work for the understanding of God’s truth, and then be strong and courageous enough to face our doubts and struggle to understand.
So when you do finally confront this truth, and accept that Jesus is lord, it is at that point that you must decide to change your life, to say that I can no longer continue to live as I did. You then unite every breath you take, every thing that you do, to the lord Jesus, You thank Him for your joys, and unite them with His joy in heaven. You offer your suffering to others, by uniting it with His suffering on the cross. You make your life a living testament to the power and grace of the Lord. And when you finally do that, you will end up doing things greater than moving trees around, you might actually save a soul, and as James said and the end of his epistle, that will… “cover a multitude of sins.” This is your call as well today, take your faith, and unite it with christ, and you will see miracles happen in your life, and in the lives of those you love.
