If all that is required in Christian life is that you have significant faith, to get whatever you want, claim what you desire, conquer any mountain, heal all sickness and raise the dead, then you are not any less than a god. And by this standard, you should not die too. Do you realise how people are seen contradicting with God and the theology of the Bible? Think about it! Let’s analyze few prominent verses that are recurrently misinterpreted and used out of context to support our selfish motives.
Allow me to discuss the “faith of a mustard seed.”
“And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. (Luke 17:6 KJV)
Jesus said this in a context explaining about forgiveness in the 17:3 of the same chapter. He chose to use this tree as an example of bitterness and unforgiveness in Luke 17:6. In that verse, Jesus told His disciples, “… If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you”. Notice what Jesus said, “…Ye might say unto this sycamine tree.…” The word “this” indicates that Jesus was pointing out something very specific to them. The sycamine tree was known to have one of the deepest root structures of all trees in the Middle East. It was a vigorous and robust tree that grew to a height of thirty feet or more with its roots going down deep into the earth. It was very difficult to kill. Hot weather and blistering temperatures had little effect on this tree because it taps into a water source down deep under the earth. Even cutting it to its base would not guarantee its death because its roots, hidden deep under the ground, would draw from underground sources of water, enabling it to keep resurfacing again and again. In other words, this tree was very difficult to eradicate.
The bottom line is that the Lord isn’t saying that if you had the very least amount of faith then you could command sycamore trees to replant themselves into the ocean. Rather, Jesus is giving us an amazing example of faith that should be an encouragement to all who believe. There are no incidents that someone exercised his/her faith to us this in literal terms. Jesus' teachings and parables are meant to transform us in a specific manner. Douglas D Webster states this beautifully, "Parables are time bombs that only explode after they have penetrated our hearts. Their purpose is to turn admirers into followers."
Well, if you are steadfast to take such verses in a literal meaning, then how do you explain this verse:
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him” (Luke 14:28-29)
Why Jesus had to give this piece of instruction to count the cost and plan a strategy in the first place before one starts to lay the foundation? Shouldn’t the same emphasis on faith to move the mountains be working here too? We seem to confuse things and contradict what Jesus was emphasizing to something else that we think will work in a particular way and is fancy to our thinking process. This is called a bad theology.
It is important to translate most of the scripture portion based on the “Context” and “Content” failing which we will have our own takeaways which can be detrimental in the journey of faith. Let’s take this verse for example.
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20. While the disciples were unable to cast out the devil from the only child of the father, they approached Jesus disappointed, and He immediately rekindles the faith in them.
As God’s children or servant, it is not your place to ask or worse to demand that God move a mountain for you. God is not your servant, slave, or puppet. That was never His purpose in calling you to be His servant. If He tells you to move a mountain, then go tell that mountain to move by His authority knowing ahead of time that it will obey you.
Are you aware there are Churches, pastors and many Christians who are going to the forest to catch venomous snakes and prove to people that they remain unharmed based on Jesus said in Mark 16:18 “they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them…”. Today, Christianity is also striving to be identified as a fancy religion as there are many Christians who have developed their own Bible interpretation. Lord have mercy on us!
I keep saying this often in the passage where Hebrews 11 discusses about the heroes of faith were also people who did not get what was promised to them. Your faith should be on Christ preparing you for here and most importantly, the eternity. Don’t misread passages for your convenience and miss the whole point. The God who taught us various lessons on faith also said the following would happen:
You will have suffering in this world (John 16:33)
You will be persecuted (Matt 10:22-23; 24:9, 11; 2 Tim 3:12)
You will be hated by people (Luke 21:17)
You may be thrown in prison (Revelation 2:10)
You will be brought before kings and governors (Luke 21:12)
Many will be killed for His name’s sake (Matthew 24:9)
Will be betrayed by own family members (Luke 21:16-18)
Seek God for answers especially, while you go through a difficult situation. Remember, everything happens for the glory of God. Sometimes He allows tough situations to shape us and transforms us into a new person with a heavenly perspective. It's good to be reminded from the scriptures, when Paul went to the town they preached the gospel, they encouraged the disciples by telling this “it is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22. You continue to be a co-labourer in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9) for the mission Christ initiated i.e. to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10)
You may read the last blog HERE