20 and jesus said unto them because of your unbelief.
Mustard seed matthew 17.
Wesley s notes for matthew 17 20.
Nothing will be impossible for you matthew 17 20 21 as small as a mustard seed that s pretty small.
And it shall remove.
The grain of mustard seed was as in matthew 13 31 the proverbial type of the infinitely little.
Matthew 17 20 he replied because you have so little faith.
If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed that is the least measure of it.
17 20 because of your unbelief because in this particular they had not faith.
Truly i tell you if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move.
From this it is clear that the transportation of a mountain.
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.
This faith is contrasted with a strong faith and one stimulated by prayer and fasting see matthew 17 21.
The parable of the mustard seed is one of the shorter parables of jesus it appears in matthew 13 31 32 mark 4 30 32 and luke 13 18 19.
But it is certain the faith which is here spoken of does not always imply saving faith.
Matthew 17 20 if our faith even if it s the size of a mustard seed is placed in the all powerful god great things can happen.
21 howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
To be more precise it is about the size of the head of a straight pin the kind used by seamstresses to pin a pattern to fabric.
Matthew 17 new revised standard version nrsv the transfiguration.
In the gospels of matthew and luke it is immediately followed by the parable of the leaven which shares this parable s theme of the kingdom of heaven growing from small beginnings.
In the gospel according to matthew leon morris says it.
Just as in the parable of the mustard seed matthew 13 31 32 jesus uses rhetorical hyperbole to make the point that little is much when it comes from god.
3 suddenly there appeared to them moses and elijah talking with him.
2 and he was transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white.
It also appears in the non canonical gospel of thomas verse 20.
Nothing will be impossible for you explanation and commentary of matthew 17 20.
17 six days later jesus took with him peter and james and his brother john and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
To remove mountains was as we see in 1corinthians 13 2 this may however have been an echo of our lord s teaching the proverbial type of overcoming difficulties that seemed insurmountable.