“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.”

In the verses just before this, Matthew reported that Jesus went to a fig tree looking for fruit on it. Finding none, He cursed the tree, and it dried up from its roots. Matthew said that His disciples marveled at how the tree dried up so soon. The verses above were Jesus’ response. In his telling of the same story, Mark added the detail, in Mark 11:22, that Jesus told His disciples to, “…Have faith in God.”

It is important to think about Who cursed the tree and how He lived His life. Concerning Jesus, Paul wrote in Philippians 2:6-8, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Paul said that Jesus is God, and that He came in the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. He did this intentionally. Paul also wrote that Jesus was obedient unto death. Obedience requires someone to be obeyed. Jesus was obedient to His Father. As Hebrews 5:8 puts it, “…Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which he suffered…” Jesus is God, but He became a man and endured even death in obedience to His Father’s will.

Proof is seen in the garden of Gethsemane. Mark 14:35, 36 says, “And (Jesus) went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” Then, as He was being taken by the crowd, Jesus said that He could ask His Father for more than twelve legions of angels, and He would send them. But Jesus set His will aside and chose what His Father wanted. He knew what lie before Him, and sweat, as it were, great drops of blood. His agonies in the garden were met by His choice to do His Father’s will.

Would it diminish Jesus to think that He only did that which His Father willed, in complete faith in His Father? Could it be that His Father directed in every matter, and Jesus did not take one step without His Father’s direction? Do we see the Father’s hand leading Jesus to that fig tree? Being God, Jesus knew that it was barren. But, didn’t His Father direct? On that day would we have heard Jesus say, not My will, but Thine be done?

The reason the Father sent Jesus to that fig tree is seen in what followed. It provided Jesus an opportunity to teach His disciples. Jesus told them that the thing that He had done they would also be able to do. Not only that, but He told them that they could command a mountain to be moved into the sea, and it would obey them. This must have added to their marvel. It was amazing enough to think that they could cause a tree to shrivel. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus said, “…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Believers may wonder if they have even that much faith. Has there ever been a case of a moving mountain? But even Jesus Himself didn’t do that. He certainly had enough faith. He didn’t move a mountain because His Father did not will it. Any ability to do anything is given by the One in Whom is our faith. God Almighty is certainly well able to cast a mountain into the sea. God’s purpose in all miracles is to bring glory to Himself.

Jesus’ teaching about shriveling trees and moving mountains must be understood in the light of His life of dependance on His Father. Before Philippians 2:6-8, discussed above, Paul wrote in verse 5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…” He told the Philippians that Jesus emptied Himself, and told them to do the same; “You think the way He did.” Romans 8:29 says, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Believers are being conformed to the image of Jesus. One way in which we are being conformed is in learning to live life depending on God, just as Jesus did. When we do, we do what He tells us. If He asks us to move a mountain, it will happen because of His might, not because of the measure of our faith. And doing so will glorify God, not us.

Psalm 46:1-3 reveals a day when mountains will be cast into the sea, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” This reminds of the coming day of judgment upon the earth. God is well able to move mountains. To His glory will these things happen. And we will have no reason to fear. We are to obey Him, and trust Him, and leave the rest to Him, just as Jesus did.

Simply trusting every day,
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Refrain

Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by;
Trusting Him whate’er befall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Brightly does His Spirit shine
Into this poor heart of mine;
While He leads I cannot fall;
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Refrain

Singing if my way is clear,
Praying if the path be drear;
If in danger for Him call;
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Refrain

Trusting Him while life shall last,
Trusting Him till earth be past;
Till within the jasper wall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Refrain (Edgar P. Stites)