A MUSTARD SEED

Consider the mustard seed. Wikipedia reports that it “is very tiny. It measures about 1 to 2 millimeters (1/32 to 3/32 of an inch) wide. It is round and about the size of the head of a pin.”

Jesus compares it to faith: “It was because you do not have enough faith,” answered Jesus. “I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, ‘Go from here to there!’ and it will go. You could do anything!” (Matthew 17.20 GNT)

English translations render the Greek as “mustard seed” and we know from context that it is a small seed. We have heard the words “mustard” and “seed”, and it is unlikely that they are unfamiliar to most people.

The West Kewa translators compared a mustard seed (which they had never seen) with the little seed of the kama tree, a short variety, with edible fruit. It contained the smallest seed of a tree that the translators had seen.

The Kewa NT therefore changes “mustard seed” to “kama ini” and the difference may pose a theological question to some people: Has the translation produced a curse, or at least a warning, as given in Revelation 22.18: “Here is my warning for everyone who hears the prophecies in this book: If you add anything to them, God will make you suffer all the terrible troubles written in this book”.

Does the warning apply more generally to Scripture and not simply the book of Revelation? That is, if I change “fox” (as referring to Herod in Luke 13.32) to “wild dog” or “camel” to “kemel mena” (camel pig), am I still under the warning given in Revelation?

I don’t think so. There are no foxes or camels in Papua New Guinea. We have foxes in America, but camels are normally only found in zoos. God wants his message understood and not the Greek or Hebrew (or English) words venerated or considered sacred.

We can therefore ask: What is the implied meaning behind the verses about foxes and camels? The important thing is how to get those meanings across in a language completely unrelated to English or Greek. Can the single words used in English translations be more important than describing their contextual meanings?

In another story, Jesus has been alone praying all night, and at about dawn he looked out at the sea and saw the disciples on a boat some distance from land and in a heavy wind. He went out to them, walking on the water, but the disciples thought he was a ghost. Jesus called to them and told them not to be afraid. Peter said: “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” He is demonstrating some “mustard seed” faith and begins to walk--until he sees the rough sea and feels the wind. It is too much for him and he cries out for the Lord to save him. The Lord “immediately” reaches out his hand and helps Peter. 

But what if the Lord had said, “Peter you need to exercise more faith,” and informed him: “I’m going to let you walk until you sink up to your neck, then I will help you.” Would that have made Peter exercise more faith?

Or what if Jesus had reprimanded him and said, “I am going to let you go under three times and then pull you out. You must learn what real faith is!” Surely, Peter would have been desperately grasping for faith.

That isn’t what happened and although Jesus asks Peter why he doubted, he did without delay help him, even when Peter’s faith was lacking.

The main point of the verse is, of course, that our faith does not have to be big to accomplish what God has in mind for us. This is a good reminder. Sometimes we start out with just a sliver of faith, a “mustard seed’s” worth and it gets us going. But even when our faith falters, Jesus is there to help us.

I have found Peter’s supposedly poor example of faith to be a good paradigm for me. His attitude and small steps are so much like my own. I start going in faith, and it may be even smaller than a mustard seed, then I vacillate and stumble, but I don’t completely sink into my sea of doubt. Yes, I have my worries and reservations, but Jesus reaches out to help me, and he seldom reproves me for running out of faith.

It is ironical: I have faith to believe that “the universe was formed at God’s command” (Hebrews 11.3) but then lack faith to do other things. He says “come,” and I say “Really?” or “Me?” or, like Peter, “Is that you Lord?”

When Joice and I went overseas we had faith. If we had been continually thinking about the country we left, we would have had opportunity to return, but instead we were longing for a better country (paraphrasing Hebrews 11.14-15). 

And now, for me, that country is heaven (and, by faith, it is not that far away).

Karl Franklin