Refusing to forgive is like drinking poison yourself and hoping the other person will die. If we have faith even as small as a mustard seed, we obey the Lord’s command: “Forgive” (Luke 17:3–4).

 

Refusing to forgive is like drinking poison yourself and hoping the other person will die.  If we have faith even as small as a mustard seed, we obey the Lord’s command: “Forgive” (Luke 17:3–4).

 

 

 

 “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you’” (Luke 17:5–6).

 

 

(1)    When I read today’s passage, Luke 17:5–6, the very first thought that came to my mind was: Why did the apostles say to the Lord, “Increase our faith” (v. 5)?  The reason this question arose is because I remembered the passage I meditated on yesterday, Luke 17:1–4.  What is the connection between these two passages?

 

(a)    The reason the apostles suddenly cried out, “Increase our faith,” was that the commands Jesus had just given in verses 1–4 were utterly impossible to obey by mere human willpower and determination (Internet):

 

1.       The unbearable weight of “causing others to stumble” and “forgiveness”

 

In verses 1–4, Jesus gave His disciples two thunderbolt-like declarations.

 

Verses 1–2: If anyone causes even one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and be thrown into the sea (a tremendous warning).

 

Verses 3–4: If your brother sins against you seven times in a day and seven times returns to you saying, “I repent,” you must forgive him.

 

Especially, the command to forgive someone unconditionally every single time, even if he commits the same offense seven times in one day, is beyond the realm of human nature and emotion.  Hearing this, the disciples realized their limitation and thought, “With the level of character and patience that I possess, there is no way I can obey this command.”

 

2.       “Increase our faith” = “Give us the ability to forgive”

 

The faith (pistis, πίστις) that the apostles requested was not merely faith in the sense of believing that God exists.  Rather, the faith here refers to the spiritual strength and power to obey the Lord’s word beyond one’s own common sense and emotions.

 

In today’s language, the disciples’ request might be paraphrased like this: “Lord, how can I possibly forgive someone who makes me angry seven times a day?  I do not have that kind of love within me. Please increase the measure—the volume—of supernatural faith in us so that we may obey.”

 

3.       The surprising twist in Jesus’ answer (v. 6): It is not about quantity but relationship

 

The disciples thought that they lacked enough strength to forgive, so they asked Jesus to increase the quantity of their faith.  But Jesus responded by speaking of faith as small as a mustard seed.

 

The disciples’ thinking: “Great obedience requires great faith—a large amount of faith.”

 

Jesus’ correction: “No. The issue is not the quantity of faith, but whether it is living faith—the quality of faith.”

 

Even faith as small as a mustard seed, if it is alive, can accomplish the miracle of a mulberry tree being uprooted and planted in the sea. In other words, it can accomplish the miracle of forgiving someone whom we feel is utterly impossible to forgive.  The central lesson is that we are to trust not in our own strength, but in the power of God working through the small faith that resides within us.

 

To summarize, the disciples were overwhelmed by the tremendous demand of “unlimited forgiveness” in verses 1–4, and out of that sense of helplessness came the cry of verse 5: “Increase our faith!” (Internet).

 

(i)        I, too, like Jesus’ disciples, cannot help but cry out to the Lord, “Lord, increase my faith.”  The reason is that even yesterday, while sharing fellowship around the dinner table with my beloved eldest daughter, the Lord was exposing and allowing me to see the very bottom of my own heart.  As a result, I honestly confessed and acknowledged before my daughter the many limitations that I have.  Therefore, like the disciples, I must also admit: “I do not have that kind of love within me.”  Only when the indwelling Holy Spirit bears abundant fruit in my life can I truly love my neighbors with the love of God. Indeed, it is only by that divine love that I am able—and desire—to love them.

 

(2)    Then what kind of faith is the “faith as small as a mustard seed” (v. 6) that Jesus spoke of to His disciples?

 

(a)    As I meditated on the phrase “a mustard seed” [κόκκον σινάπεως (kokkon sinapeōs)], I reread Luke 13:18–19, a passage I had previously meditated on: “Then Jesus asked, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.’”

 

(i)      Here, the expression “a mustard seed” conveys profound spiritual meanings that go far  beyond a mere plant seed (Internet):

 

1.       An Insignificant Beginning

 

Extreme smallness: In Jewish society at that time, the mustard seed was an idiomatic expression referring to “the smallest thing.”

 

A humble beginning: It symbolizes how the ministry of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God appeared very weak and insignificant in the eyes of the world when they first began.

 

2.       Explosive Vitality and Dynamic Growth

 

The reversal of expectations: Although a mustard seed is tiny, it contains tremendous life within it.  When it grows, it becomes a large tree (or large shrub) reaching a height of approximately 3–4 meters (10–13 feet).

 

Unstoppable expansion: It emphasizes that the Kingdom of God will expand beyond human expectations and eventually spread throughout the entire world.

 

3.       Inclusiveness and a Place of Refuge

 

The formation of a community: The fact that the seed grows into a tree and “the birds of the air perched in its branches” suggests that the Kingdom of God will become a great community embracing not only the Jews but also all nations (the Gentiles).

 

The provision of rest: It symbolizes that weary souls will find true rest and protection within the Kingdom of God.

 

4.       The Reality of Faith

 

Not quantity, but vitality: When connected with another passage (Lk. 17:6), the important issue is not the size of faith but the divine life contained within it.  Even the smallest faith, if it is alive, possesses the power to move mountains.

 

To summarize, a mustard seed is an expression that vividly encapsulates the principle of the Kingdom of God: though it appears small and insignificant in the eyes of the world, through God's power it brings about enormous transformation and ultimately embraces all peoples (Internet).

 

(b)    Ultimately, when Jesus spoke of “faith as small as a mustard seed,” He was not emphasizing the size of faith but the life of God contained within it.  Even a very small faith, if it is alive, can demonstrate the power to move mountains.  Then what does faith that possesses—or pulsates with—the life of God actually look like in practical terms?

 

1.       Faith that dies to self and allows the life of Jesus to work

 

Life-filled faith is not a matter of squeezing out more human determination or passion from within ourselves.  Rather, it means honestly acknowledging that we cannot accomplish it by our own strength and completely surrendering lordship to Jesus Christ, who dwells within us, allowing Him to work in our place.

 

Evidence from my own life: The very confession I made before my daughter—“There is no love within me”—is the starting point of life-filled faith.  When I completely die to myself and become an empty vessel, only then can the life of God (the Holy Spirit) begin to breathe and move within me.

 

2.       Faith that firmly clings to God's character and promises

 

Just as a mustard seed does not grow by its own power but continually receives nutrients and water from the soil, life-filled faith remains firmly connected to God, its source of supply.

 

Practical meaning: Even when circumstances are unstable and my emotions fluctuate, I remain firmly plugged into God's character and the promises of His Word:  “God still loves me.”  “He is faithful.”  Life-filled faith is not trusting my emotions but remaining connected to the faithfulness of God, who is holding me fast.

 

3.       Faith that takes a small step of obedience right now

 

A dead seed remains motionless, but a living seed responds by breaking through its shell in the darkness of the soil.  Likewise, life-filled faith does not stop at grand resolutions. It reveals itself through choosing one small and concrete act of obedience in the place where God has positioned me today.

 

Practical meaning: Instead of harboring the lofty ambition of perfectly loving a neighbor who has wounded me, life-filled faith may mean choosing today to: refrain from speaking one word of criticism against that person, or reach out to my daughter first, confess my weakness, and say, “I am sorry.”  Such acts may seem too small to be noticed, yet these tiny choices of obedience ultimately carry the explosive power that uproots a mulberry tree and plants it in the sea.

 

In the end, faith that possesses the life of God is not the perfection that hides my weaknesses. Rather, it is a life that continually responds to the Lord, believing: “I am weak and incapable, but the Lord who lives within me is perfect.”  That is what it means to live by faith that is alive with the life of God (Internet).

 

(i)         d

(i)

 

At this point, I could not help but be deeply interested in the statement:

 

“When I completely die and become an empty space, only then does the life of God (the Holy Spirit) begin to breathe and move within me.”

 

The reason is that when the Lord allows me to see the very bottom of myself through brokenness, the amazing grace and blessing He grants me is precisely spiritual emptying.

 

In other words, as my ego and everything else are being broken, the Holy Spirit exposes and allows me to see the depths of my own heart—my inability, helplessness, sinfulness, weakness, foolishness, pride, and so forth. Through this process, I find myself disappearing from view while looking only to the Lord, seeing only the Lord, and having no choice but to depend solely upon the Lord.

 

As I long to be emptied of myself and filled only with the Lord, I believe that the faith as small as a mustard seed spoken of in today's passage is alive and actively at work within me as I am being emptied.

 

1. The King's Rule Revealed When I Am Broken

 

We often think that we must become stronger and more capable before we can do the Lord's work.

 

However, the principle of Scripture has always been the opposite.

 

The illustration of the vessel:

The Apostle Paul says that we are jars of clay containing a treasure. If the clay jar remains strong and intact, the treasure inside cannot be seen. But when it is pressed on every side and broken, the life of Jesus finally begins to overflow into the world through those cracks (2 Corinthians 4:7–10).

 

Weakness itself becomes power:

When Paul pleaded three times for his weakness to be removed, the Lord answered:

 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

 

The place where I am completely emptied becomes the perfect stage upon which God's omnipotence can work one hundred percent.

 

2. Spiritual Discernment That Guards What Comes After Emptying

 

For this precious grace of emptying that the Lord gives to bear practical fruit in our lives, there is an important attitude of heart that we must remember.

 

Not condemnation, but dependence:

Satan seeks to use the depths of our hearts that the Holy Spirit exposes—our sin, pride, and inability—to plant thoughts such as:

 

“You are unworthy.”

“You are a failure.”

 

This produces condemnation.

 

But the Holy Spirit's exposure of our hearts is different. He is not accusing us. Rather, He is extending a loving invitation, saying:

 

“Therefore, depend on Me.”

 

Instead of becoming discouraged, turn your gaze toward a deeper longing for the Lord.

 

Fill the emptied place with the gospel:

The holy empty space created when the self is emptied should not be left vacant. We must continually fill that space with the love of Christ displayed on the cross and with the words of His grace.

 

The more I am emptied, the more clearly I begin to see what Jesus Christ has accomplished for me (Internet).

 

(3)

 

If we have faith as small as a mustard seed, Jesus says:

 

“You could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Luke 17:6).

 

(a)

 

Why, among so many different kinds of trees, did Jesus specifically mention the mulberry tree [συκαμίνῳ (sykaminō)]?

 

When we consider the historical background of the Jewish people and the ecological characteristics of this tree, there appear to be three remarkable spiritual reasons why Jesus chose it (Internet).

 

1. Its Extremely Deep and Firm Roots (Human Limitations and Stubbornness)

 

The sycamine or mulberry tree [συκαμίνῳ] was famous for sending its roots extraordinarily deep and wide into the ground.

 

To survive the severe droughts common in Israel, its roots spread in every direction in search of underground moisture. As a result, it became known as a tree that human beings simply could not uproot completely by their own strength.

 

Spiritual significance:

This statement appears immediately after Jesus' command to forgive someone who sins against you repeatedly.

 

The anger, resentment, wounded pride, inner arrogance, and foolishness deeply rooted in our hearts are like the roots of this mulberry tree. They are so firmly embedded that no amount of human determination or willpower can remove them.

 

Jesus was visually illustrating this truth:

 

“You cannot uproot these deep-rooted issues of the heart by your own strength, but living faith can uproot them instantly.”

 

2. A Bitter Taste Hidden Behind an Attractive Sweetness (The Fruit of Sin and Wounds)

 

The fruit produced by this tree appears attractive from a distance, resembling sweet figs or berries.

 

However, when eaten, it releases an intensely bitter taste that stings the tongue. For this reason, people could not consume it all at once but had to nibble at it little by little.

 

Spiritual significance:

When we cling to our ego, harbor hatred, or refuse to forgive someone, it initially gives us a false sense of satisfaction—as though we have protected our dignity or justified ourselves.

 

Yet what ultimately saturates our soul is a bitter root and bitterness.

 

The fruit of this tree vividly represents the misery of continually chewing on unforgiveness and resentment.

 

3. Its Need for the Sting of a Wasp in Order to Bear Fruit (The Multiplication of Wounds)

 

This tree possesses a unique ecological characteristic. It cannot reproduce by itself but requires a specific type of wasp to pierce the fruit and wound it before reproduction and fruit-bearing can occur.

 

Spiritual significance:

Likewise, when someone wounds us with sharp words or actions—when we receive an emotional "sting"—hurt and anger begin to multiply within us.

 

The moment we cry out:

 

“That person hurt me! I'll never forgive them!”

 

the soil of our heart becomes the ideal environment for the mulberry tree to flourish.

 

The Miracle of Being Planted in the Sea: A Complete Reversal of Life

 

The Lord commands this mulberry tree—which possesses roots too deep for us to remove (stubbornness), bears increasing bitterness the more it is chewed on (a bitter root), and thrives upon wounds (anger):

 

“Be uprooted and planted in the sea.”

 

If a land-based tree is planted in the salty waters of the sea, it immediately dies.

 

In other words, Jesus was proclaiming the power of the gospel by which the stubborn self within us and the roots of wounds that seem impossible to forgive are completely destroyed and transformed in the sea of the Holy Spirit (Internet).

 

(i)       Here, I could not help but become deeply interested in the statement, “It is because when I completely die and become an empty space, only then does the life of God (the Holy Spirit) begin to breathe and move within me.”  The reason is that the amazing grace and blessing the Lord gives me when He allows me to see my own “rock bottom” through brokenness is precisely this spiritual emptying.

 

·         In other words, as my ego and everything about me are being shattered, the Holy Spirit uncovers and shows me my rock bottom—my inability, helplessness, sinfulness, weakness, foolishness, pride, and so on.  As a result, I find that there is no room left for myself; I can do nothing but look to the Lord, see only the Lord, and depend solely upon the Lord.  As I long for myself to be emptied and filled only with the Lord, I believe that the faith of a mustard seed spoken of in today’s passage is alive within me, actively working and powerfully operating in the very process of my being emptied.

 

1.    The King’s Reign Revealed When I Am Broken

 

We often think that we must become stronger and more capable in order to do the Lord’s work. However, the principle of Scripture has always been the opposite.

 

The illustration of the vessel: The Apostle Paul says that we are “jars of clay” containing a treasure.  If the clay jar remains solid and intact, the treasure inside cannot be seen.  But when it is pressed on every side and broken, the life of Jesus begins to overflow into the world through the cracks (2 Cor. 4:7–10).

 

Weakness is power: When Paul pleaded three times for his weakness to be removed, the Lord replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”  The place where I have been completely emptied becomes the perfect stage upon which God’s omnipotence can work one hundred percent.

2.    Spiritual Discernment That Preserves What Comes After “Emptying”

 

For this precious grace of “emptying” given by the Lord to bear practical fruit in our lives, there is an important attitude of heart that we must remember.

 

Not condemnation, but dependence: Satan looks at the depths of our hearts that the Holy Spirit has exposed—our sin, pride, and inability—and tries to plant feelings of condemnation by saying, “You are unqualified,” or “You are a failure.”  But the Holy Spirit’s exposing work is different.  He does not expose us in order to accuse us. Rather, it is a loving invitation that says, “Therefore, depend on Me.” Turn your eyes away from discouragement and toward a deeper longing for the Lord.

 

Fill the emptied space with the gospel: The holy empty space created by the emptying of self must not be left vacant.  We must continually fill that space with the love of Christ displayed on the cross and with the words of His grace.  The more we are emptied, the more clearly and magnificently we begin to see what Jesus has done for us (Internet).

 

(3)    If we have faith as small as a mustard seed, Jesus says, “You could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Lk. 17:6).

 

(a)    Why Did Jesus Mention a “Mulberry Tree”?  Among the countless trees He could have chosen, why did Jesus specifically mention the mulberry tree (sykaminos, συκαμίνῳ)?  When we consider the historical background of the Jewish people of that time and the ecological characteristics of this tree, three remarkable spiritual reasons emerge for Jesus’ choice (Internet):

 

1.       Exceptionally Deep and Firm Roots (Human Limitations and Stubbornness)

 

The “sykaminos” (συκαμίνῳ) (mulberry tree) was famous for sending its roots extremely deep and wide into the ground.  In order to survive Israel’s harsh drought conditions, it spread its roots in every direction in search of underground water. As a result, it became known as a tree that was virtually impossible for a person to uproot completely.

 

Spiritual significance: This statement appears immediately after Jesus’ command to forgive someone who sins against you even seven times in a day.  The anger, resentment, wounded pride, inner arrogance, and foolishness deeply embedded in our hearts are as firmly rooted as the mulberry tree.  They cannot be uprooted by our own willpower or determination. Jesus was visually illustrating this truth: “You cannot pull out those deep roots of the heart by your own strength, but living faith can uproot them instantly.”

 

2.       A Terrible Bitterness Hidden Behind a Deceptive Sweetness (The Fruit of Sin and Wounds)

 

The fruit of this tree appears delicious from a distance, resembling sweet figs or berries.  However, when bitten into, it produces an intensely bitter taste that stings the tongue.  Because of this, it could not be eaten all at once but had to be nibbled little by little.

 

Spiritual significance: When we cling to our ego and refuse to forgive or continue to hate someone, it may initially provide a false sense of satisfaction—the illusion that we have preserved our dignity or protected our pride.  Yet what ultimately saturates our souls is a terrible bitterness and a bitter root.  The misery of continually dwelling on unforgiveness and feeding on it little by little is vividly represented by the fruit of this tree.

 

3.       A Tree That Bears Fruit Only After Being Pierced by Wasps (The Multiplication of Wounds)

 

This mulberry tree possesses a unique reproductive process.  It cannot reproduce by itself.  Only when certain wasps pierce the fruit with their stingers and create wounds can it reproduce and bear fruit.

 

Spiritual significance: Likewise, when someone wounds us with sharp words or actions—a kind of emotional or spiritual “sting”—hurt and anger begin to multiply within us.  The moment we cry out, “That person hurt me! I will never forgive them!” our heart becomes the ideal environment for a mulberry tree to flourish.

 

The Miracle of Being Planted in the Sea: A Complete Reversal of Life

 

This mulberry tree possesses roots that cannot be uprooted by human strength (stubbornness), produces increasing bitterness the more it is chewed (a bitter root), and grows by feeding upon wounds (anger).  Yet the Lord commands it, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea.”

 

A land plant such as a mulberry tree would immediately die if planted in the salty waters of the sea.  In other words, Jesus was proclaiming the power of the gospel: the persistent roots of self and the wounds that seem impossible to forgive can be completely destroyed and transformed in the sea of the Holy Spirit (Internet).

 

(i)    At this point, I wanted to understand more specifically what it means to say that an unforgiving heart is the perfect environment for a mulberry tree to grow abundantly.  So I asked an artificial intelligence system, and it responded as follows:

 

         “When we connect an ‘unforgiving heart’ with the ‘ecology of the mulberry tree,’ we can see very clearly how wounds and sin expand their influence within us.

        

         Let me explain this in three stages by applying the unique characteristics of the mulberry tree (sycamore fig tree) to the soil of our hearts.

 

1.       When We Are Stung by a Wound, a “Mulberry Seed” Is Planted in the Soil of the Heart

 

The fruit of the mulberry tree begins to mature and grow only after wasps pierce it and create wounds, allowing gases to be released. In a sense, the wound becomes the catalyst for growth.

 

In the heart: There are times when someone pierces us with the sharp sting of insulting words, dismissive attitudes, or betrayal.  At that moment, seeds of resentment and anger are immediately planted within our hearts.

 

When we refuse to forgive: To keep replaying the hurt while saying, “How could they do that to me?” is like allowing the wasp’s sting to continue spreading poison throughout our hearts.  The moment we decide not to forgive, our hearts become the perfect soil for the mulberry tree to grow.

2.       It Develops Hidden Roots of Stubbornness and Pride

 

The mulberry tree survives drought by extending its roots dozens of meters underground and spreading them in every direction.  It possesses a vitality that prevents it from being uprooted even by strong winds.

 

In the heart: If we harbor unforgiveness for a long time, roots of pride and stubbornness begin to grow within us—the conviction that “I am right and the other person is wrong.”  As time passes, this hatred becomes deeply intertwined with our subconscious thoughts and memories of pain.

 

An environment for overgrowth: What begins as simple disappointment eventually grows into a gigantic mulberry tree that dominates our entire personality and worldview.  In the end, the hatred becomes something we can no longer uproot through our own strength or willpower.

 

3.       It Produces the Fruit of a Bitter Root That Paralyzes the Soul

 

The fruit of the mulberry tree appears attractive on the outside, but the more it is chewed, the more intensely bitter it becomes.

 

In the heart: Unforgiveness may seem at first to preserve our pride or allow us to get revenge, giving us a kind of sweet satisfaction.  In reality, however, it establishes a bitter root within our souls and begins destroying our lives before it harms anyone else.

 

The overgrowth of a vicious cycle: When a mulberry tree grows thickly in our hearts, our spiritual vision becomes obscured.  Worship loses its vitality, prayer becomes hindered, and we begin viewing other people through distorted lenses.  Ultimately, because of one person we refuse to forgive, all our relationships and surroundings become covered with bitterness, forming a dense forest of mulberry trees.

 

Why Mustard-Seed Faith Is Necessary

This is precisely why Jesus used this illustration.  Once the field of our heart has become a forest of mulberry trees through unforgiveness, human effort—self-discipline, moral resolve, or willpower—cannot dig out its roots.

 

Only the poverty of spirit that confesses, ‘There is no love within me,’ and the living life of Jesus within us—the faith of a mustard seed—can uproot that hardened mulberry tree and cast it into the sea of the Holy Spirit, where it is destroyed” (Internet).

 

·         The statement, “An unforgiving heart ultimately destroys not the other person, but first and most tragically destroys my own life,” is a reality both spiritually and psychologically.  Many mature believers have expressed this truth by saying, “Refusing to forgive is like drinking poison yourself and hoping the other person will die.”  Artificial intelligence summarized the specific dynamics of how this tragic spiritual principle destroys a person's life as follows (Internet):

 

1.     The blockage of the spiritual supply line (paralysis of prayer and worship)

 

The spiritual channel between God and us is connected through the lifeblood of grace and forgiveness.  The moment I shut the door of forgiveness toward another person, the arteries of my own soul become clogged.

 

Symptoms: Even when I worship, there is no joy or awe.  Even when I read Scripture, it does not touch my heart. My prayers feel empty and seem merely to drift into the air.

 

Reason: Instead of the Lord, the wounds and hatred I have received occupy the throne at the center of my heart, leaving no empty space (emptying) for God's grace to enter.

 

2.     Handing over the “control panel” of my life to the offender

 

If I refuse to forgive someone and spend day and night dwelling on that person with anger, then paradoxically I have handed over the controls of my happiness and emotions to that very person.

Symptoms: The person who hurt me may be living comfortably as though nothing happened, yet I suddenly think about that person while eating a delicious meal or enjoying a happy time of fellowship with my beloved children, and in an instant my heart becomes a place of torment.

 

Reason: The solid mulberry-tree roots of hatred have spread into every area of my daily life, constantly gnawing away at my peace and joy.

 

3.     Destroying the “image of God” within me

 

God created us to love and to be loved. However, if an unforgiving spirit is left unchecked for a long time, our inner character gradually becomes harsh and sharp.

 

Symptoms: When hatred and defensiveness toward one person become entrenched, I begin to become irritated more easily with completely unrelated family members or neighbors, grow suspicious of others, and develop a cynical perspective toward everything.

 

Reason: The mulberry tree has grown thick within me, and instead of the beautiful fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace), the fruit of a bitter root begins to overflow from my character.

 

Therefore, the gospel is God's provision for me

 

When Jesus commands us to “forgive seventy times seven”, He is not merely telling us to overlook the person who hurt us.  Rather, it is the Lord's passionate act of love intended to rescue and protect our own souls and lives from the terrible poison of hatred.

 

When the process of emptying occurs—when I die to myself and become filled with the Lord—this bitter root finally begins to lose its power (Internet).

 

(b)    Three central meanings of Jesus' words: “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Lk. 17:6).

 

1.       What makes the impossible possible is not the size of faith, but its source

 

The disciples were overwhelmed by the Lord's command to forgive seven times a day and assumed that they needed a tremendous amount of faith.  Yet Jesus pointed to the smallest thing imaginable—a tiny mustard seed.

 

Meaning: The power is manifested not because my faith is great, but because that faith is connected to the living life of God (the Holy Spirit), just as a mustard seed contains life within itself.  If I simply trust the Holy Spirit who dwells within me, then even though my faith may appear weak and small, the infinite power of God begins to intervene in my life.

 

2.       He uproots the stubbornness of the heart that I can never remove by my own strength

 

The mulberry tree (sykaminos) has roots that spread deeply and extensively in every direction, making it impossible for a person to uproot it by human strength.  Likewise, the wounds, pride, resentment, and bitter roots of unforgiveness embedded deep within our hearts cannot be removed by our own efforts.

 

Meaning: Jesus is saying, “You will never uproot those mulberry-tree roots in your heart through determination or endurance. But if you rely on Me with living faith, however small, I will uproot those deep roots of self entirely.”  This speaks of the spiritual liberation that comes when we acknowledge our limitations and surrender them to the Lord.

 

3.       A “creative reordering” (complete reversal) takes place when it is planted in the sea

 

If a land-based tree such as a mulberry tree is planted in the salty waters of the sea, it will inevitably die.  Yet Jesus did not say that the tree would be thrown into the sea to die. Rather, He said: “Be planted in the sea” (πεφυτεύθητι).

 

Meaning: This signifies a complete spiritual reversal.  The wounds and anger (the mulberry tree) that I could never control by my own power are completely immersed in the vast sea of the Holy Spirit through living faith. They are brought to an end, and a miracle occurs in which they are transformed and recreated into the Lord's peace and love.

 

“And it would obey you”

 

Ultimately, this statement is a proclamation of victory: “When you empty yourself and hold on to My life, which is like a mustard seed, the stubborn wounds and emotions that once tormented you will ultimately bow down and become subject to your faith.”  In other words, those things that once ruled over you will no longer dominate your life; through the living life of Christ working within you, they will come under the authority of faith (Internet).