Luke 17:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

NIV: He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

NASB: But the Lord said, 'If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.

CSB: "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed," the Lord said, "you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

NLT: The Lord answered, 'If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!

KJV: 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.

NKJV: So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Luke 17:1–10 is a collection of Jesus' sayings to His disciples. In the first passage, Jesus talks about the disciples' responsibilities regarding sin and the church. He ends by urging them to forgive the repentant, even if they sin several times in one day (Luke 17:1–4). Following, Jesus tells them they need to serve with extreme humility, not demanding any recompense (Luke 17:7–10).

Between these two self-sacrificing examples of leadership, Luke includes a teaching about faith. The disciples want more; Jesus says they can accomplish great deeds with what they've got.

Paul gives an example of this in a different context. When he asked God to remove the "thorn in his flesh," God told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). The disciples' faith is "weak." God doesn't care. He can work through weak faith. In his book The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, Tim Keller said, "It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch."

The plant mentioned here is a "fig-mulberry" or "sycamore," or "sycamine," labeled by a similar Greek word featured in a later story (Luke 19:4). These plants are grown for their fruit and can be quite tall with stiff branches. They have large root systems, making them hard to pull out from the ground. Such a plant obviously doesn't belong in the sea, nor would it accidentally get there. The difficulty of the act and absurdity of the image is meant to jar Jesus' listeners into understanding the depth of His meaning. The tense of "obey" means the tree was waiting for the command and ready to obey; the results are already assured.

On other occasions, Jesus made a similar comment using the imagery of ordering a mountain into the sea (Matthew 17:20; 21:21; Mark 11:23).

Luke 17:5–6 is Jesus' explanation of how His disciples can accomplish the hard tasks He's set before them: with the smallest amount of faith. Luke has gathered a collection of teachings about faithfulness with money, hardened hearts, valuing the kingdom of God, and the responsibilities the disciples have for others' sin (Luke 16:1—17:4). Only faith can empower us to apply these truths to our lives. Matthew 17:20 includes a similar sentiment, although it is a mountain that is moved, not a mulberry tree.

In his gospel, Luke has often arranged events by theme rather than by strict time order. That seems likely here with a series of teachings about living as Christ followers and ambassadors of God. Christians ought to be careful not to poison the faith of others. Faith is powerful. God's servants should not demand extravagant treatment in return. After healing ten lepers—only one of whom offers thanks—Jesus discusses the state of the world at His future second coming.

Luke 17 continues Jesus' teaching about how to live as citizens and ambassadors of the kingdom of God. Luke 15 describes God's love for the lost. Chapter 16 teaches earthly blessings are far inferior to heavenly rewards. Here, He exhorts His followers to lead well, serve humbly, give thanks, and watch for His second coming. In Luke 18, Jesus gives a series of comparisons to show how we are to approach God—as He approaches Jerusalem and the cross.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.