It seems that Jesus was telling the disciples that their faith was miniscule! But by the time Jesus said these words to the disciples they had gone out two by two, healed people, and advanced the Kingdom of God (Luke 6). What was so little about their faith?
In truth, Jesus wasn’t talking about the size of their faith; He was comparing their faith to a seed and paralleling the growth of the two. In fact, none of the Greek words in this scripture mean ‘little’ or ‘small,’ which leads to the conclusion that this verse was interpreted (adding unintended meaning) rather than translated.
In Matthew 17 Jesus was emphasizing that faith is a ‘seed’ which carries potential inside of it and correct cultivation of the seed will help it reach its full potential. The mustard seed will grow and flourish to its full potential if it has been planted in good soil, watered, takes in plenty of sunshine and is free of weeds. True cultivation requires continued attention to the plant at all stages of its growth; it’s not accidental that the end result is a healthy, mature, mustard plant which can house the birds of the air (Matt 13:32). In other scriptures Jesus compares the mustard seed and its potential to the Kingdom of God; it’s planted, grows and flourishes over time, eventually becoming a safe place for others to take shelter (Matt 13:31).
God has the expectation that we will actively cultivate our faith just as a mustard seed is cultivated. So when the disciples failed to seize the opportunity to grow their faith to its full potential, Jesus corrected them. In Mark 6 they had just seen Him multiply loaves of bread to feed a multitude, yet immediately after this Jesus walked toward them on the water and they were dumbfounded, afraid and stunned. Mark 6:52 says “they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their hearts were hardened.”
“Considered not” means they didn’t absorb the knowledge of what had happened as evidence God’s power! They didn’t complete the picture by adding the pieces together and coming to the conclusion that God is able. They didn’t take the time to think through the teachings Jesus had given them and connect them with the physical evidence produced by the miracle of the loaves. They failed to use the experience of the loaves to grow their faith because they were more excited about the bread they’d received than they were about growing their faith to serve the Kingdom of God for His glory!
Jesus would not have corrected the disciples if they hadn’t had the ability to grow their faith. The potential was there, but they were hardened and dull. Perhaps they’d become dull and numb because of past religious hurts. Perhaps today some of us have become dull because we’ve been taught that only leaders can believe and see miracles, or only certain individuals have ‘great faith.’ But Jesus expected every one of His disciples to have great faith, and it was their responsibility to cultivate it.
If we want our faith to grow and reach its full potential there must be a diligent, steady effort in our hearts and minds to meditate on the Word of God and recount the testimonies of God’s power from our own lives and the lives of others. The disciples failed to connect these things at the beginning of their walk, but we have the advantage of learning from their trials.
If we fully develop our faith we will become who God has created us to be, enabling each of us to accomplish all He has sent us to do for His glory.
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