A Mustard Seed of Faith

When they came to the crowd a man approached, knelt down before him, and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me.” Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:14-20

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How to Release God’s Healing Power

Jesus commissioned his twelve apostles, saying, “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons” (Matthew 10:8). Their ministry bore fruit: Luke reports they “went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere” (Luke 9:6). Later, seventy-two additional disciples rejoiced, declaring, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name” (Luke 10:17).

Yet, after descending the mountain of the Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John, Jesus encountered a father desperate for his demon-afflicted son’s healing. The man pleaded, explaining that the disciples—despite their prior success—could not cure the boy. These disciples, once powerful witnesses to Christ’s healing ministry, were now overwhelmed by the severity of the boy’s condition.

Jesus lamented, “O faithless and perverse generation,” a rebuke that included his disciples. Like Peter, who briefly walked on water before sinking amid stormy waves (Matthew 14:30), they faltered when doubt crept in. In private, the disciples asked Jesus why they failed. His answer was direct: “Because of your little faith.” In Greek, oligopistos (“of little faith”) conveys incredulity—a wavering trust consumed by doubt. Jesus taught that even faith as small as a mustard seed could move mountains, revealing that God’s healing power flows through those united with him in steadfast trust.