The Lord Jesus used the largest and smallest things the disciples knew to teach them about the awesome power of faith. Nothing was smaller in the age before bifocals and magnifying glasses than a mustard seed. And nothing was bigger than a mountain. Mountains of Tranfiguration, or the Mountains of Sinai, or the Mountains of Ararat, tower over the earth. Mountains, however said Jesus, are no match for the most miniscule amount of genuine and authentic faith. Just a little bit of the stuff can move the earth, snow-capped peaks and all. The disciples failed to understand or appreciate the secret of faith which had just been illustrated at the summit. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Jesus met with Moses and Elijah.
Peter, James and John were there too, but they missed the mark when it came to grasping the significance of the event. Luke speaks of the slumber party on the slopes. The Bible says they were “heavy with sleep.” The disciples almost missed the whole thing. Even still, many of us are only half awake when we read God’s Word and are in danger of missing the meaning. To miss the meaning is to miss the whole thing. Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah about His “decease.” Moses was the Law, Elijah was the Prophets. That is what both of them have spoken about ever since they learned to talk. Christ, the Incarnate Word of God came to fulfill and do the Word of God. The Lord Jesus came to die for our sins. Everything must be according to the Word. The Gospel itself is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Faith is simply to believe God’s Word. This is why the Father said on the mount, “This is my beloved Son ....hear Him.”
The idea is that a mountain can not stay still if God’s Word says “move.” It does not have a chance. We can trust God’s Word. In the tenth chapter, Matthew records the Words “ye shall cast out demons.” It will be so. Yes, but not without faith. Even faith must be purified and refined by prayer and fasting if it is to separate the dross of doubt.
Demons and mountains have a way of intimidating us. One seems as large and as impossible to move as the other. In the spirit world of faith, mountains are no match for mustard seeds and with faith “nothing,” said Jesus “shall be impossible unto you.”
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