Matthew 17:20 (ESV) "He said to them, 'Because of your little faith. 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.'
Jesus spoke these words after his disciples failed to cast out a demon. They asked him privately why they couldn't perform this miracle, and his answer pointed to the quality of their faith, not merely its quantity. The Greek word for "little faith" is oligopistos, which appears only in Matthew's gospel and describes not just small faith but insufficient faith—faith that hesitates, doubts, or wavers when confronted with seemingly impossible circumstances.
In biblical times, mountains represented insurmountable obstacles. For the Israelites who traveled through mountainous regions, these massive formations weren't scenic views but formidable barriers to progress, often forcing difficult detours. When Jesus used this metaphor, his audience immediately understood the weight of his statement. In Jewish tradition, particularly among rabbis, "rooter" or "uprooter of mountains" was a title given to teachers who could solve difficult problems through their interpretation of the Torah (Babylonian Talmud). Jesus redefined this cultural metaphor, showing that such obstacles yield not to human intellect but to authentic faith.
The mustard seed imagery that Jesus pairs with mountain-moving creates a striking contrast. The mustard seed was proverbially tiny in ancient Palestine—one of the smallest seeds known to Jesus' audience—yet it grows into a substantial plant. Jesus employs this paradoxical imagery elsewhere (Mark 4:30-32), showing how God works through what appears insignificant to produce extraordinary results. This paradox challenges human expectations in that minute faith directed toward an infinite God accomplishes what appears impossible.
The mountain-moving faith Jesus describes isn't about manipulating physical geography but acting with confidence in God's power despite overwhelming obstacles. Throughout Scripture, we see this pattern: Moses before the Red Sea(Exodus 14), Joshua at Jericho (Joshua 6), David facing Goliath (1 Samuel 17). In each case, God's people faced their "mountains" with active trust in God's character and promises.
In these lyrics from Bethel Music—“Far be it from me to not believe / Even when my eyes can’t see / And this mountain that’s in front of me / Will be thrown into the midst of the sea," biblical faith is powerfully expressed as trust in God despite what the eyes perceive.—choosing to act on what God has promised rather than what circumstances suggest. This principle resonates throughout Scripture. Abraham "believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6) long before seeing the fulfillment of God's covenant promises. The writer of Hebrews defines faith precisely this way: "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
In 2 Corinthians 5:7, Paul articulates this fundamental orientation of the faithful: "for we walk by faith, not by sight." Biblical faith consistently calls God's people to trust God's word over visible evidence. When Peter briefly walked on water (Matthew 14:29-31), he demonstrated mountain-moving faith until he allowed visible circumstances (the wind and waves) to override his trust in Christ's command. This returns us to Jesus' teaching in Matthew 17. The disciples couldn't cast out the demon because they calculated possibilities based on what their eyes could see rather than what God had promised.
Jesus calls us away from such "little faith" to the mustard seed faith that moves mountains—not because of its size, but because it places complete confidence in the God who makes the impossible possible. When we stand before our mountains, we have a choice - measure the obstacle by human standards or stand firm in what God has declared. True biblical faith does not deny the mountain's existence but denies its right to remain standing in the face of God's word.