Matthew 17:20
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: 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; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
Jesus speaks this after the disciples fail to cast out a demon and ask why, teaching them about the nature and power of faith.
What Does Matthew 17:20 Mean?
Jesus teaches that even faith as small as a mustard seed can accomplish what seems impossible. The disciples had failed to heal a suffering boy and asked why; Jesus points to their unbelief. Then He offers a striking promise built on contrast. The mustard seed was proverbially tiny, yet Jesus says that genuine faith of even that size can speak to a mountain and see it move. "Nothing shall be impossible unto you" expresses the boundless possibility opened by faith in God. The point is not the quantity of faith but its reality and its object -- faith rests not in itself but in the limitless power of God. A small, living faith connected to an almighty God can do what no human effort could. The "mountain" stands for an obstacle that looks immovable. Jesus is not promising the casual fulfillment of every whim, for true faith aligns with God's will and is exercised in dependence on Him. Rather, He is urging His followers not to be paralyzed by the size of their challenges or the smallness of their faith, but to trust the God for whom nothing is impossible.
In the Original Language
The Greek pistis means faith or trust, and the kokkos sinapeos, the mustard seed, was a common image for the smallest of things.
Cross References
“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.”
- Matthew 21:21
“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
- Mark 9:23
“And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”
- Luke 17:6
Application
Do not despise small faith; bring even a little genuine trust to God and watch Him work beyond what seems possible.