A Mustard Seed’s Strength
Miracles have always been the source of many articles around their existence and proof that they exist(ed). God’s Word is filled with examples of God directed miracles. The miracles begin in creation in Genesis 1 and John 1. The story of creation is clear that God “said,” and it was so! At the conclusion of each creating day, God said, “and it was good.”
The Bible continues to give example after example of the miracles of God, most of which provide some physical evidence of the miracle. (Example: The Red Sea). But I contend that the greatest miracle is faith. More to follow. But let us first begin with a look at the word itself. The generic definition of faith is, “a confident or unquestioning belief in the truth, value or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.” The Hebrew word for faith is aman translated as “to be steady, firm or trustworthy.” The Greek word is pistis (noun), pisteuo. The Old Testament (“O. T.”) use of faith or believe occurs 30 times while the New Testament (“N. T.”) use approaches five hundred times!
Faith is also used in conjunction with other words, typically in a phrase. Phrases like, the door of faith, the word of faith, the spirit of faith, shield of faith, and the breastplate of faith to name a few. The shield of faith is best affiliated with Abram in Genesis 15:1, “Fear not, for I AM thy shield and exceeding great reward.” That shield in Genesis is further defined by St. Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians in the “Armor of God.” (Eph 6:10ff) We do not have to proceed long in the book of Genesis before we see evidence of faith. Genesis 15:6 records for us the faith of the great patriarch of God’s chosen, Abraham. God called Father Abraham in Genesis 12 where God asked Abram to leave his current country, including his people and his father’s household and go to a place foreign to Abram. And so, he left as God had asked! Then comes his faith statement in Genesis 15, “Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Yes, Abram’s faith enabled him to carry out God’s request to sacrifice his one and only son, but God intervened and provided a way out when He saw Abraham’s faith. In a search of historical statements on faith, I found a comment by St. Augustine (354 – 430 AD) when he said, “Faith involves a commitment to ‘believe in God,’ ‘to believe in God,’ and to ‘to believe in God.’”
The O. T. people of God waivered much over time but their God was always faithful in His agape love for His chosen ones. Many of the Psalms talk about faith in so many words. But king David in Psalm 36 says, “For with You is the fountain of life, in Your light we see light.” (Verse 9) Verse nine is the summary of verses 5-9 according to the Concordia Study Bible. “Ultimately, for sinners, God provides the water of life through Jesus Christ, Your light.” Regardless of Israel’s faithlessness, God remained faithful to His promise. Faith can and does lead to affliction since sin is pervasive. Perhaps Job is the most prominent O. T. figure to experience total affliction. The book of Job records several statements of Job showing his faith even in dire circumstances. But the most well-known is Job 19:25ff which is the source of the famous Easter hymn, I Know that My Redeemer Lives.” Listen to Job: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes – I, and not another.” Regardless of Job’s afflictions, he remained confident in his trust in God and his ultimate reward.
That word “trust” begs the question. Is there a difference between the word “faith” and “trust?” Faith involves a spiritual component while trust is more commonly used in a personal context, i.e. a belief in the character of a person.
The N. T. has much more to say about faith and shows how miraculous it really is. One author defined faith in a threefold definition. He said, “Faith is: 1) trust in Jesus; 2) truth in His teaching; and 3) redemption in His work on Calvary.” Faith alone saves! St. Paul reminded the church at Colossae that faith alone secures salvation. Paul said,
“In Him. . .you were circumcised by Christ. . .having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith. . .” (Colossians 2:11-12, paraphrased) Baptism has made our heart right with God by the gift of the Holy Spirit resulting in the miracle of faith. And based on His gift, we can be assured of our resurrection like His to be with Him in eternity. Yes, Jesus’ resurrection is God’s truth positive confirmation of His promise to make us blameless before His throne. Miraculous!!
Faith is frequently mentioned in the N. T. with “moving mountains.” In Matthew’s gospel, he tells us about a boy with seizures. A man approached Jesus and asked for mercy on his son. Jesus rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith in their attempt to heal the boy. After the boy was healed by Jesus, the disciples inquired into their failed attempt. To which Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith, I tell you the truth, if you have faith of a small mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move.” (Matthew 17:20)
Note: A Mustard Seed: A seed measures between 1 and 2 millimeters (1mm = 0.045 inches) in diameter. This tiny seed produces a shrub (tree) to between 6-20 feet tall with a 20-foot spread. In ideal conditions, the tree can grow to thirty feet tall.
Jesus’ miracles in His three-year ministry were necessary for His disciples to have complete trust in Him. Not only miracles of healing, but miracles of feeding and those over nature. In the end, the disciples became strong witnesses of the Risen Christ and boldly professed their faith. Indeed, true faith is based on Jesus’ redemptive work on Calvary’s cross. The tomb could not hold our victorious Savior. He appeared to His disciples on Easter evening and said, “Peace.” And the second appearance with Thomas present is more revealing as Jesus said, “Because you have seen you have believed. . .but blessed are those who have not seen but believed.” (John 20:29, paraphrased)
God’s Word is replete with examples of faith in action, but none is more memorable to me than one that I researched in my book-in-progress, Uncharted Waters. This book is intended to show missionary’s trailblazing work. One of my stories of faith comes from two selfless women – Helen Marten and Velma Forman. These women were Bible translators and literacy trainers for Wycliffe Bible Translators and Lutheran Bible Translators. These women left everything they had and shipped off to Papua, New Guinea. They arrived in the Yessan Mayo tribal areas on the Sepic River in the early 1960s.
Bible translation was only going to happen after they worked with the villagers in learning the sounds of their spoken language. The result was an alphabet and a dictionary of sorts in their own vernacular. God was truly with these women in their God-called mission. First, God called to faith of a local man named Robert who very patiently worked with Helen and Velma as a co-translator. Helen said, “he was filled with faith.” And another man named Amok whose story is told in the 2011 published film on YouTube – And it was Good Soup. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRXNADJ3FPA) Unlike Amok’s fellow villagers, Amok did not plant his yams using witchcraft, rather he “fasted, prayed, and then planted his yams.” With much ridicule, he continued to pray during the growing season that Father God would grant him a good crop. And He did indeed! Amok’s yams were very large, but the other men said, “they won’t make good soup.” But Amok’s faith was strong. The smile on his face as he tasted his soup was broader than the Grand Canyon. The picture of the villagers carrying the abundant crop of yams reminds me of the disciples’ catch of fish (153) but did not tear the net. (John 21:10ff)
Yes, faith can move mountains and even grow yams in abundance. Faith is a direct result of God’s gracious gift to us. We receive the gift of His Spirit and become a temple housing His presence. The spark of faith is like that of the mustard seed that grows and grows. To God alone be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Stay Connected!
Peace
Connected in Him, I stand
GHR
March 2022
And it was Good Soup, was published by Lutheran Bible Translators, Concordia, Missouri, 2011.
