The Kind of Faith That Moves Mountains

Jesus, while on the Mt. of Olives, commanded a fig tree to wither and it withered (Mk 11:20-24). His disciples were amazed. Then Jesus assured them that they too could do what He had just done. In fact, He said they could even move mountains, “if” they had faith in God.

Have faith in God…

I don’t know the last time you tried to command a mountain to move, but I have found my efforts futile. But Jesus linked His ability to wither the fig tree and our ability to move mountains with the statement, “have faith in God.” Do you remember Jesus’ statement in the gospels when He said, “With God all things are possible”? He would answer in this way when someone would come to Him desperately seeking a miracle and say, “if you can heal so and so…” and Jesus would respond with, “if you can?? …”

Let me begin here: Sometimes we forget that Jesus was a man. Though He was God, He lived as one of us. And as a man He perfectly obeyed His Father. As a man Jesus knew the will of His father because He knew the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the writings. When Jesus was young, and likely as He grew, He spent time interacting with the teachers of the Law, as we see in the gospel of Luke. Jesus spent time alone daily in prayer with His Father, as we see throughout the gospels. Jesus relied on the Holy Spirit, as we see at His baptism. As a man, Jesus had “faith in” God. When Jesus withered the fig tree, He did it as a man who knew the will of God and as one who had faith in that will. So now we can conclude that when “we” who are also children born of God, and know God’s word, that we too will know God’s will. And when we know God’s will, we will also know what to ask for in prayer. And we then can have confidence that what we have asked for in prayer we will receive (Mk 11:24). But wait, are we missing anything? Oh yes, obedience! Jesus knew His Fathers will and obeyed it. But not only did Jesus obey His Father, but the Father loved His Son greatly! In Matthew chapter seventeen we see Jesus atop a mountain with Peter, James, and John when suddenly a bright light covers the mountain and God the Father says, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” Also, we see these statements in the gospel of John, “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand” (Jn 3:35) and “The Father loves the Son, and shows Him all that He Himself is doing” (Jn 5:20). Notice the first quote that says, “with whom I am well pleased.” If I were to say that the Father loved the Son because the Son obeyed the Father, and this led to Jesus being able to curse the fig tree, would you struggle with that idea? But what if I were to say that throughout the Bible this love language means “blessed, empowered, or favored”? So now read these words from Jesus below and you’ll see the connection: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you … As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love (Jn 15:7, 9-10). Now we see that the Father’s love (meaning God’s power/favor/blessings) was tied to the Son’s obedience.

So, we see that Jesus, as a “man,” knew both the Word of God and the promises of God because He knew the scriptures (the Old Testament that is). And Jesus knew the Father because He spent intimate time with Him in prayer. And Jesus had direct access to the Father because He had the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven. But He would not have had the “power” to curse the fig tree if He had not obeyed His Father. And us, if we love the Father, we will obey the commands of the Son (Jn 14:15). If we love the Father, we will abide in His Son (abide = “cling to and receive all our spiritual nutrition from”). If we love the Father, we will seek His will, and when we find it, we will do it.

So, all of you who are now “in” Christ because His Spirit abides in you, you too have direct access to the Father. And you, through the knowledge of His will and according to His promises found in His Word, can ask for “mountains” (the things in your life which appear impossible to move) to be moved. You can ask and be confident that you have what you have requested from Him, when you live as an obedient child of the Father.

In conclusion: what kind of faith is it that moves mountains? The kind of faith that leads to obedience. Since “faith without works is dead” (Jam 2:14).