On various occasions the teachings of Jesus included ‘hard sayings’ which his audience found difficult to understand. For example, following the Lord’s discourse on the bread of life, we read that “Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” (Jno. 6:60). It is the purpose of this study to consider his difficult sayings concerning faith which is able to remove mountains:
“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” (Mt. 17:20);
“Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done” (21:21);
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mk. 11:23).
How should these passages be understood? What about the similar saying regarding the uprooting of a sycamine tree recorded by Luke:
“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” (17:6)?
Are these sayings of Jesus to be taken literally or figuratively, and are deeper meanings involved?
Faith as a grain of mustard seed
From the above passages we see that on two separate occasions Jesus refers to having faith as a grain of mustard seed. One of these (Mt. 17:20) follows the transfiguration and is in the context of the disciples’ inability to heal an epileptic boy. The reason for their failure as given by Jesus was their unbelief (AV): “Because you have so little faith” (NIV). The other occasion (Lk. 17:6) appears to be in the context of forgiving one’s brother (vv. 3,4),1 and follows the request of the disciples for Jesus to increase their faith (v. 5).
A grain of mustard seed was a proverbial expression used to mean exceeding minuteness. It is so used in the Talmud, and the same idea is implied in the parable of the mustard seed (Mt. 13:31,32), where Jesus describes it as “the least of all seeds”. The mustard plant has minute seeds which, when cultivated, grow into plants up to twelve feet in height.
However, since the faith of the disciples was lacking and needed to be increased, Jesus could not have been teaching that a minute amount of faith was sufficient to accomplish great results. Rather, the basis for his analogy lies in the ability of the minute mustard seed to develop into a very large plant. These words of Jesus teach us the need for faith of mustard-seed quality, not mustard-seed quantity; faith that is a living, developing and thriving faith. This kind of faith will indeed enable Christ’s disciples to remove mountains.
“Have faith in God”
Faith in God is essential. A man must believe that God is actively supporting him in all that he does, providing his actions are in accordance with God’s will. “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord” (Jas. 1:6,7, NIV). So Jesus tells his disciples to “Have faith in God” (Mk. 11:22).
The Greek phrase in this passage reads literally, ‘Have faith of God’.2 It is suggested that Jesus made use of a Hebrew idiom meaning ‘Have a strong, vigorous, great faith’.3
The parallel passage in Matthew’s record (21:21), which reads, “If ye have faith, and doubt not”, seems to confirm this suggestion; for faith without doubting is indeed a strong, vigorous faith. Such a faith leaves no place for unbelief. “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Heb. 3:12).
Moving mountains
The fact that there is no record of anyone being able to move mountains since the words of Jesus were spoken would suggest that the phrase is to be understood figuratively. In spite of the gift of faith (1 Cor. 12:9)4 being available to first-century disciples, we have no known case of believers removing literal mountains.
The Apostle Paul, referring to this gift of faith, wrote: “though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains …” (1 Cor. 13:2). It must therefore be assumed that Paul was making reference to great feats which could be accomplished by possessors of this particular gift of the Spirit. One example would be when the disciples “were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31), overcoming the opposition of the chief priests and elders of the Jews, who had threatened them and commanded them not to teach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:17,18,29).
Why should anyone wish to remove literal mountains? What motives could they have apart from bolstering their own importance and greatness in the sight of others with an ostentatious display of power? The temptation to gain this sort of attention was rejected by Jesus when he refused to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple (Mt. 4:5-7).
In the same way, asking God to move literal mountains for our own selfish motives would be putting Him to the test: “Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God” (Deut. 6:16). God will not listen to foolish and selfish desires: “Let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (Jas. 1:7, RAV). All our requests to God must be according to His revealed will and not presumptuous. Rather, our faith should be based on our trust in God to give us good things, as a loving and caring father gives good things to his children (Mt. 7:11).
A person throwing down literal mountains would be manifesting pride and glory in the flesh, and it is the loftiness and haughtiness of mankind that is symbolised by high mountains and hills in Scripture. These attributes are the mountains that God has promised to throw down:
“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low . . . and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up” (Isa. 2:11-14).
In this passage from Isaiah it is probable that the mountains and hills to be brought low are the greater and the smaller nations manifesting the pride and the glory of human achievement.
It therefore comes as no surprise to discover that ‘moving mountains’ was a Jewish proverbial expression. Eminent rabbis who were skillful in clearing up problems and providing clear judgement in relation to difficult questions were said to be rooters up or removers of mountains.5
We can conclude that Jesus used this expression in reference to the opposition and difficulties in the disciple’s life that from a human point of view would appear to be insuperable. The backgrounds to Jesus’s use of expressions about removing a mountain may indicate the nature of the difficulties to be overcome. That he may be referring to specific difficulties rather than general ones is suggested by Jesus’s use of the singular “mountain”, compared with Paul’s use of the plural “mountains” in 1 Corinthians 13:2.
Cast into the depth of the sea
Being cast into the sea implies destruction and annihilation. The locusts of the Egyptian plague were destroyed by being cast into the Red Sea (Ex. 10:19), and the Egyptian army opposing the escape of the Israelites was destroyed in the same way: “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea” (15:4).
To the Israelites the Egyptian host was a ‘mountain’ of opposition that needed removing: “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever” (14:13). Likewise, the destruction of Babylon, the enemy of Israel, was symbolised by the casting of a stone tied to a scroll into the River Euphrates: “and thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her” (Jer. 51:64; “to rise no more”, MV).
Another great problem for the nation of Israel was their mountain of iniquities which separated them from God. God, however, has not cast away His people. The natural branches will in due time be grafted back into the good olive tree when the veil of unbelief is taken away. At that time a new spirit will be manifested by God’s chosen people, and “He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:19). Jesus himself taught that anyone who should offend one of his little ones (that is, cause one to stumble as by a rock on the pathway) would receive a fate worse than being cast into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck (Lk. 17:2; Mk. 9:42).
Political and religious mountains
In line with the reference above to the symbolic destruction of Babylon, it is interesting to note that Babylon is described by Jeremiah as a “destroying mountain”, which will herself be destroyed by God. “Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out Mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain” (Jer. 51:25).
A similar figure is found in the prophecy of Zechariah: “Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain” (Zech. 4:7). The fulfilment of this prophecy in the days of the rebuilding of the temple was the cessation of political opposition at the command of Darius (Ezra 6:6-12). An additional short-term fulfilment has been proposed, suggesting that it refers, with hyperbole, to the mound of rubble to be removed from the temple platform (a ‘plain’), for the temple to be properly completed.6 This was, however, a day of small things (Zech. 4:10).
A medium-term fulfillment for this prophecy has also been suggested.7 This relates it to the removal of Herod’s temple from the mountain of the Lord’s house (Mic. 4:1) as prophesied by Jesus: “your house is left unto you desolate” (Mt. 23:38); and: “There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (24:2; see also Acts 6:14). This interpretation sees the removal of the temple as representative of the removal of Judaism as a great opposing force to Christianity.
In its ultimate fulfilment, however, this prophecy relates to the time when the anti typical Zerubbabel, the Lord Jesus Christ, exercises Divine power to remove all political and religious opposition to the establishment of the Kingdom of God worldwide. The kingdoms of men will be crushed and replaced by God’s Kingdom, which will last for ever, and which is symbolised by a great mountain filling the earth (Dan. 7:14; 2:35).
In particular that time will see the downfall of Babylon the Great, the great mountain of religious and political power, which is to sink into the sea like a great millstone to rise no more (Rev. 18:2,21). There will be worldwide political changes: “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed” (Isa. 54:10). We who look in faith for the establishment of that Kingdom “will not .. . fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Ps. 46:2).
“This mountain”—Zion or Olivet
“And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Mt. 21:1922);
“And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mk. 11:20-24).
The fact that Jesus spoke about “this mountain”, singular, indicates that he was referring to, and perhaps literally pointing at, a particular mountain. It has been identified as Mount Moriah8or Mount Zion,9 the mountain of the temple, active hub of the Law of Moses, which would be clearly visible from Jesus’s vantage point on the Mount of Olives.
This being so, the mountain would symbolise Judaism, which, in both its major sects, the Sadducees and the Pharisees, was the bitterly hostile enemy of Christianity. This mountain of opposition was removed from its power base at Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and cast into the sea of the Gentiles, thus enabling the building of a temple made without hands to proceed more effectively (Acts 7:48; Heb. 9:11; Mk. 14:58). This interpretation fits well with the context of the cursing of the barren fig tree, symbolizing the fruitless state of the nation of Israel.
An alternative explanation has been put forward.10 As he was travelling from Bethany to Jerusalem, Jesus may have been near Bethphage (the house of unripe figs) when he cursed the barren fig tree with its ostentatious display of leaves but no fruit. “This mountain” is taken to be the Mount of Olives, which was known in earlier days as the Mount of Corruption, owing to the shrines to pagan gods built there by King Solomon (1 Kgs. 11:7,8; 2 Kgs. 23:13). These shrines overshadowed the temple at Jerusalem and, as such, symbolised wickedness overshadowing righteousness.
In this interpretation the Mount of Olives symbolises the sin of Israel, both nationally and individually. The mountain of sin can be conquered by prayer, and faith in the redeeming work of Christ that provides for the forgiveness of sins on passing through the waters of baptism. God’s people will be neither barren nor unfruitful (like the fig tree) when they have been purged from their old sins (2 Pet. 1:8,9) and bring forth fruits of righteousness and obedience.
These ideas connect nicely with the passage quoted from Micah in an earlier section:
“Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? . . . He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:18,19).
God’s mercy will return to His people in that day (7:20), and the Mount of Corruption will be split in two, and Mount Zion, the symbol of God’s righteousness, will be elevated above all (Isa. 2:2,3; Zech. 14:4,10). Understanding Mark 11:22,23 as relating to the forgiveness of sins, and the need to conquer sin and be spiritually fruitful, fits in well with the context of prayer and forgiveness in verse 25. Verse 24 can then be understood to have particular reference to prayer for fruit to the glory of the Father. A similar connection is to be seen in John 15:7,8: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit” (see earlier comment on Matthew 7:11).
“This mountain”—the mount of transfiguration
“Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 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. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Mt. 17:19-21).
Jesus and his disciples were in the vicinity of the mount of transfiguration at the time of this conversation. Mount Hermon is the commonly accepted site for the transfiguration; but there is a problem in explaining the presence of a great crowd, including a number of scribes (Mk. 9:14), unless Jesus had left his disciples in a more populated area some distance from the mountain.
If Hermon is the correct identification, the symbolism behind the words of Jesus could be based on the meaning of the name Hermon, which is ‘high’ or ‘elevated’.11 “This mountain” would symbolise the pride of Israel as manifested by its leaders and teachers (Lk. 3:8; 18:10-14; Rom. 10:3), such as those scribes with whom the disciples had been in dispute (Mk. 9:16) following their failure to heal the epileptic boy (v. 18). The question remains as to what “yonder place” Jesus was pointing to. Perhaps it was the Sea of Galilee, since Jesus was in that vicinity directly afterwards (Mt. 17:22; Mk. 9:30).
There is an alternative suggestion, apart from assuming that Jesus was only speaking in general terms about overcoming difficult obstacles in the path of life through a well-developed trust in God. “This mountain” is, as in the previous view, identified with the mount of transfiguration. As such it represents the Kingdom of God present with power (Mk. 9:1, RAV).12 “Yonder place” is Jerusalem, which is to be the future capital city of God’s Kingdom.
The disciples must go forth in faith preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. Inevitably, when all the preparation work has been done by Christ’s disciples, the Kingdom will be established with both throne and temple at Jerusalem. Mount Nebo, situated about twelve miles east of the point where the River Jordan flows into the Dead Sea, is suggested as the mount of transfiguration. For this interpretation to fit, both Mount Nebo and Jerusalem would have to be visible from where Jesus was speaking to his disciples, and the place would need to be reasonably close to a populated area for the great crowd to be gathered together.
“This sycamine tree”
“Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 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” (Lk. 17:3-6).
There is a difference of opinion as to the type of tree meant by the sycamine. Modern versions translate the Greek sukaminos as mulberry, based on the fact that Greeks call the black mulberry sycamenea. On the other hand, the Septuagint uses the Greek words sukamina and sukaminous for the sycamore fig in the Old Testament passages such as Psalm 78:47, Isaiah 9:10 and Amos 7:14. However, the Greek New Testament uses the word sukomoraia (from sukon = fig, and moron = mulberry) for the sycamore fig, an example being the tree which Zacchaeus climbed (Lk. 19:4).
If this saying of Jesus is merely a graphic way of describing a very difficult task, the sycamore fig would fit best because it has large divergent roots which penetrate deeply into the ground. Likewise, it would be difficult to plant it literally in the sea because of the waves. The roots of the sycamore fig are said to be as thick and numerous and widespread in the ground as the branches are in the air above. On the other hand, the mulberry has a much feebler root system.
The context of the saying is uncertain, though it may be related to the importance of a truly forgiving spirit that is being taught in verses 3 and 4. In this case the uprooting of the sycamine tree represents the difficulty of manifesting unlimited forgiveness.13 Two other suggestions have been made. The first keeps to this same context of sin and the need to overcome sinful tendencies of the flesh. An active, thriving, developing faith is needed to sacrifice self and overcome sin.
The Apostle John wrote: “This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God has overcome the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 Jno. 5:3,4, NIV). It is assumed that the black mulberry is intended, and, since the fruits of this tree have blood-red juice, they are taken to symbolise the fruits of the flesh, that is, sins.14
If this is accepted, then being “planted in the sea” may be interpreted as the washing away of sin in the waters of baptism. With this symbolic death there is an end to the production of fruits of unrighteousness because a disciple has become dead to sin (Rom. 6:2,11,19,21). The connection with Micah 7:19, discussed earlier, is obvious.
The other suggestion identifies the sycamine tree with the sycamore fig, and sees it as a figure for the Jewish nation, which was to be uprooted from their land and planted in the sea of the Gentile nations.15
“Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of My land which I have given them; and this house . . . will I cast out of My sight” (2 Chron. 7:20). Thus, as mentioned earlier in this study, a great hindrance to the gospel spread would be removed.
Summary
The following table summaries the interpretations discussed in this article. It should be kept in mind that the removal of sin and pride applies as much at an individual level as it does at a national level, and as much to those seeking to be faithful disciples of Christ as to the nation of Israel.
Conclusion
This study has examined a variety of views and interpretations, and it is left for the reader to decide which of these are best supported by Scripture.
- It is possible that Luke 17 contains a number of unrelated sayings given by Jesus on different occasions.
- The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Alfred Marshall.
- Gleanings from the Greek, Alfred Marshall, pp. 9-11.
- The gift of faith is not to be confused with that faith in the gospel message which abides (1 Cor. 13:13), and through which we are saved (Eph. 2:8). Such faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).
- Three examples are quoted by Geilcie in footnote f, p. 635, vol. 2 of his Life and Words of Christ, Hodder & Stoughton, 1883.
- The Testimony, 1985, p. 270, in a series on Zechariah by E. Whittaker.
- Ibid..,p. 271.
- The Testimony, V. Collyer, Sept. 1992, p. 318.
- Studies in the Gospels, A. Whittaker, ch. 159, p. 559.
- Story of the Bible, P. Mansfield, May 1968, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 50,51.
- Ibid..,, May 1966, vol. 9, no. 11, p. 172.
- Studies in the Gospels, A. Whittaker, ch. 106, pp. 377-8.
- Parables of the Messiah, John Carter, pp. 123-5.
- Studies in the Gospels, H. A. Whittaker, ch. 140, p. 500. Story of the Bible, P. Mansfield, 1967, vol. 10, pp. 127-8.
- Studies in the Gospels, H. A. Whittaker, ch. 140, p. 500.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One