“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Get up and throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done.” (Mark 11:23) NIV
In the Bible, there are two texts parallel to this one: (Matthew 17:20) and (Luke 17:5-6)
These biblical texts were summarized by a tiny but powerful phrase: “Faith moves mountains”. See here another related text:
“Even though I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and have a faith capable of moving mountains but do not have love, I will be nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2)
When the Bible throws this idea of “moving mountains” because of faith , what does she really mean? What mountains are these? Let’s get to the context.
And if you have a little time, read or listen to chapter 11, from the book of Mark, to understand better. I summarized it here for you:
When Jesus was speaking to his disciples, they were on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Dead Sea and the main theme was faith.
The disciples were
seeing the great works that Jesus performed and they yearned to do the same. So Jesus gave instructions to them. Let’s analyze:
The day before, Jesus asked for a colt and entered Jerusalem, an event we call the “triumphal entry”. The next day, He cursed the fig tree because it didn’t bear fruit.
Realize that every action has its symbolic meaning. What happened next? Jesus entered the Temple and protested when he saw that commerce inside what they knew as “the house of God”, at which time he said:
“It is not written: Will my house be called a house of prayer by all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves.” (Mark 11:17)
Jesus presented a different doctrine, so his teachings were opening the eyes of the people. This caused the “masters of the law” to persecute him to death.
What can we extract from the text so far?
First — at the triumphal entry, Jesus fulfills what is written in Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O city of Zion! Rejoice, Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” There Jesus declared himself to be the Messiah.
Second — when He curses the fig tree, He points to Israel that was steeped in their religiosity and did not bear fruit, on the contrary, the scribes, teachers of the law, priests, Pharisees and Sadducees, were exploiting the people and doing what displeased God. They were so blind that they could not see the Messiah. See what the Bible says about it:
“He who is the Word was in the world, and the world was made through him, but the world did not recognize him. . He came to his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:10-11)
Third —when Jesus entered the Temple tearing down everything and driving out the merchants, He was saying that it should be a place of worship and not exploitation. And even then the Jews questioned him:
“What miraculous sign can you show us as proof of your authority to do all this?”
And that’s when Jesus said to them:
“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days” . (John 2.18-20)
And they stood there questioning how Jesus would build a Temple that took 46 years to build in just 3 days. Today, we know that Jesus was talking about the “spiritual temple” and referring to his own resurrection.
Summing up
This is the context of Mark’s text. How then are we to interpret Jesus’ words?
What “mountain” is this that can be cast into the sea through faith? Understand the symbolisms and metaphors.
Jesus is not talking about any real mountain, but about something so great that it was capable of overshadowing the faith of those Jews. What prevented the disciples from performing the miracles that Jesus performed in front of them? Lack of faith. And what is lack of faith? Unbelief.
Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a colt, fulfilling a word of the Old Testament, and the Jews did not believe. After that, Jesus cursed a fig tree and it actually withered physically, but behind this action, there was a symbolism that pointed to the people of Israel, showing that it was not bearing fruit spiritually and there was a consequence for the unbelief of that people.
And finally, Jesus drove the merchants out of the Temple, showing that that generation was doing everything wrong. They were more religious than spiritual , and that was pulling them away from God, compromising their faith, including the disciples.
What has hindered your faith?
Which mountain has been holding you back? The lack of vision that Jesus is really the son of God and the Savior? Or have you been feeling like a tree without fruit? See what the Bible says about this:
“You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father, grant them whatever they ask in my name.” (John 15.16)
This means that it is not enough to ask God for something, we first have to bear fruit, that is, offer it to the people around us, something that feeds them spiritually.
And what do we need to bear fruit? We have to be in Christ and depend on Him as the branch depends on the vine. Thus, our will will be the will of God.
When we ask and are not answered, it means that we want something that is not within His plans.
What else could be getting in the way of your faith or preventing you from seeing miracles happening? Has your spirituality become a religion? Could it be that in your context, the temple became a trade and den of thieves?
According to the text of Mark, when Jesus told the disciples that they could move the mountains that prevented faith from advancing and growing, these were the mountains that cross their paths.
Biblical Symbology
Mountains were used
symbolically by Jesus to describe powerful forces, barriers that seem insurmountable. When you look ahead and see a mountain, you may think that it will be impossible to pass that way.
Then Jesus comes and says to you (in the spiritual): “Command that mountain to cast yourself into the sea.” What sea is this? May it be the sea of oblivion, where you cast your disbelief and no longer remember that one day you doubted your power to grow and overcome obstacles. This power is called faith.
And in this study there is still an observation. When Jesus made the fig tree wither, it does not mean that he killed the root. See how the fig tree is today, which is the nation of Israel, the people of God.
God made the fig tree wither for a while, to discipline and teach. But the Bible says that the fig tree would renew itself and start to sprout, and that would be a sign that Jesus would be at the door (Matthew 24.32-35).
Therefore, receive this word, today, as an opportunity to remove the mountains from your path, for you
Advance in your faith , so that it is unshakable.
And that was the study of this week. I hope it cleared your doubts and also contributed to your spiritual growth. Kiss in the heart and until next time, God willing!
By Cris Beloni, Christian journalist , researcher and writer. Leads the Investigated Bible movement and helps people in biblical understanding, organizing ideas and activating your gifts. It works with cross-cultural missions, the Persecuted Church, scientific theories, eschatology and analysis of biblical texts.
The content of the above text is a voluntary collaboration, its content is of total responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Portal Guiame.
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