Greatness: Matthew 14-20ਨਮੂਨਾ

There are times in life when we ask for help and we are met with people’s efforts, but find they are still lacking. It is not always their fault — they might not have it in them to do what you were asking, wanting or needing them to do. We are limited, and have all felt those limits. But there is one person whose experience of those limits was not because they lacked, but rather because they saw the lack. We see in this passage an exasperated Jesus, which is rare when it comes to how He responds to people who are truly seeking Him. And it leaves you feeling a little uncomfortable. At least, it does me.

Have you ever seen a mustard seed on its own? Not in a jar of delicious seeded mustard, but a dry, lone seed? It is not very impressive. It would be so easy to lose on its own and it wouldn’t ruin a load of laundry if it was in there. That’s how non-threatening it is in size.

And yet.

The beauty behind exasperation is the call to remember it is not merely the amount of faith we have, but the recognition of where our faith is founded. You don’t always need a lot of something, you just need the right thing. The right authority, the right way, the one authority, the one way. Sometimes we can offer bucketloads of faith, other times, a teeny tiny mustard seed is all we can muster, and even that feels like a lot. But when offered in the name of the one who can move mountains, that’s all we need.

“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” (Matthew 17:20, ESV).

Today, ponder this: Is there something today or this week where a mustard seed’s worth of faith is all you have been able to give? What would it take for you to trust its worth?