There are days when discipline and prayer feel like a treadmill: steady effort, little visible change, and the temptation to measure our standing by results. Jesus’ words about faith “the size of a mustard seed” and his blunt parable about the unworthy servant land right in that tension — between wanting a bigger faith and believing we can earn God’s favor by the work we do. What if the gospel is both easier and harder than we imagine: easier because God’s power is not proportionate to our performance, harder because true faith refuses the illusion of merit?
In Matthew 17:20 Jesus tells his disciples that if they have faith even as small as a mustard seed, they can move mountains — this comes after their failure to cast out a demon. Luke 17:5–10 contains a related thread: the disciples ask for increased faith, Jesus uses the mustard-seed image (v.6), and then he tells the parable of the unworthy servant (vv.7–10) to make a point about duty and entitlement. These particular exchanges are recorded in Matthew and Luke (not in John), and Mark doesn’t preserve this exact conversation, though he offers other teachings on faith.
What the passages together reveal is blunt: faith is not a spiritual résumé. Jesus refuses to turn the disciple’s request into a program of merit. A tiny trust that looks to God — not to our cleverness, energy, or moral tally — opens the door for God’s power to work. At the same time, the servant parable warns against spiritual consumerism: God’s grace isn’t a wage we earn by checking off good deeds. The moment is weighty because it strips away the comforting myth that more effort equals more favor, replacing it with the paradox of the kingdom — reliance over earning.
This is a pastoral challenge and a mercy: cultivate a small, honest trust today and let God do the heavy lifting; serve without counting the cost or tallying praise. Practically, choose one situation you’ve been trying to “fix” on your own (a strained relationship, a workplace worry, a recurring fear). Offer it to God in a brief prayer, take one humble step of service or reconciliation, then let go of entitlement about outcomes. Practice being the servant who returns home, not expecting applause — and notice how God’s power often shows up where our striving has been exhausted.
In Matthew 17:20 Jesus tells his disciples that if they have faith even as small as a mustard seed, they can move mountains — this comes after their failure to cast out a demon. Luke 17:5–10 contains a related thread: the disciples ask for increased faith, Jesus uses the mustard-seed image (v.6), and then he tells the parable of the unworthy servant (vv.7–10) to make a point about duty and entitlement. These particular exchanges are recorded in Matthew and Luke (not in John), and Mark doesn’t preserve this exact conversation, though he offers other teachings on faith.
What the passages together reveal is blunt: faith is not a spiritual résumé. Jesus refuses to turn the disciple’s request into a program of merit. A tiny trust that looks to God — not to our cleverness, energy, or moral tally — opens the door for God’s power to work. At the same time, the servant parable warns against spiritual consumerism: God’s grace isn’t a wage we earn by checking off good deeds. The moment is weighty because it strips away the comforting myth that more effort equals more favor, replacing it with the paradox of the kingdom — reliance over earning.
This is a pastoral challenge and a mercy: cultivate a small, honest trust today and let God do the heavy lifting; serve without counting the cost or tallying praise. Practically, choose one situation you’ve been trying to “fix” on your own (a strained relationship, a workplace worry, a recurring fear). Offer it to God in a brief prayer, take one humble step of service or reconciliation, then let go of entitlement about outcomes. Practice being the servant who returns home, not expecting applause — and notice how God’s power often shows up where our striving has been exhausted.
Matthew: 17:20
Jesus teaches that even a very small amount of faith—like a mustard seed—can accomplish seemingly impossible things (e.g., moving mountains), while lack of faith prevents such outcomes.
Open VerseLuke: 17:5-10
The apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith, and he replies that even a small amount of faith can accomplish great things (even move a tree); he then teaches that his followers are like servants who must do their duty without expecting special thanks or reward.
Open Verse