Mustard Seed Into Mustard Tree Faith

By James Tarter

In Luke 17 the apostles asked Jesus, “Increase our faith.” He answered that if they had faith like a mustard seed, then a tree would obey them. This verse is often misunderstood. As this book shows, the Bible’s 5 verses about a mustard seed emphasize its growth from a tiny seed into a large plant that provides for others. These verses do not teach that a tiny amount of faith does miracles: they show faith that grows greatly from its seed-like start, and show the great growth of the Kingdom of God from its tiny start. Faith is a trusting relationship with God that includes His miracles and much more. Little faith is being more like a mustard seed than its tree. In Luke the apostles had mustard seed faith. In Acts they had mustard tree faith. This book shows from Luke how God worked to transform their faith into mustard tree faith. Faithful believers in Jesus can see how God works to transform their own faith in the same way, and can see how to work with Him for this blessing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257474257

Book preview

Mustard Seed Into Mustard Tree Faith

Mustard Seed Into Mustard Tree Faith

Dr. James M. Tarter

Copyright Page

13th Edition

Fifth EPUB Edition

ISBN 978-1-257-47425-7

Copyright 2006, 2014 by James M. Tarter.  All rights reserved.  Permission granted to make copies for purposes consistent with furthering the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®: 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.  (www.Lockman.org)

I call the New American Standard Bible the NAS.  I add boldface to specific words and phrases in Scriptures to add my emphasis for discussion.

Introduction: Lord, Increase Our Faith

Only Luke recorded the apostles’ request of the Lord Jesus: Increase our faith (Luke 17:5).  Luke also recorded how God answered the apostles’ request.  This is found from v. 5 to the end of this Gospel, even though Luke seems to drop the topic.  As we examine this Gospel, we see what true faith is like and see how to work with God to increase it tremendously, so that this fully grown faith provides for many people.  Insights from Luke radically change many popular ideas about faith and reveal purpose and direction from God for our lives on earth.

In contrast to a common teaching that faith is tiny but powerful, true faith is a trusting relationship with Almighty God that is available only through the Lord Jesus Christ.  God gives each believer in Jesus a measure of faith, which he uses to keep walking obediently and closely with God.  In this close personal fellowship with Him, He works to increase our faith from being like a tiny seed into becoming like a tree.  This tree-like faith provides God’s goodness for many people, even as the apostles did with their mustard tree faith in Acts.

Fully grown faith includes miracles, but they are only a part of what comes from our trusting relationship with Almighty God.  The apostles freely provided a spiritually safe place and cover for people in the early Church to get nourished, grow, and reach others for Jesus.

As we go through Luke, we shall find that a boastful heart attitude toward oneself is a heavy lid on increasing true faith, and we shall see how God removed this lid so effectively in the apostles.  We shall also see how deeply thanking God, treasuring spiritual vision and values, and persevering with God all work together to build up our faith before the manifestation of our mustard tree faith.  Finally, we shall see that a trust in oneself must be broken.  Normally a situation shakes one so much that he needs some faith to continue with Jesus, but his loving Father has a plan to put him back together better than ever.

By understanding God’s ways for us, we can better co-operate with Him to increase our own faith, to grow in our trusting relationship with our good and faithful Father.  With Him we can all become all that He has created us to become.

Chapter 1: Faith Like a Mustard Seed

Luke 17:5-6

The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith!  And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you."  (Luke 17:5-6)

When the disciples asked the Lord Jesus to increase their faith, He compared faith to a mustard seed and spoke about this faith’s ability to do a miracle.  Then the Gospel of Luke seems to move on to other topics.  It looks like Jesus ignored the apostles’ request to increase their faith.   But all of Luke after their request is related to it.  This perspective of Luke 17-24 will reveal much about this faith that could tell a tree, Be uprooted and be planted in the sea, and the tree will obey.  You can have this faith!

First consider what leads up to the disciples’ request.  At the end of Luke 16, Jesus told them about Lazarus and the rich man, who was suffering torment that would never end (v. 19-31).  This shows the awesome consequences of missing salvation.  Luke 17:1-2 confirms that these consequences are awesome: it is better to have a millstone around your neck and be thrown into the sea than to be a stumbling block to a little one.  V. 3-4 show that God commands us to forgive our brothers beyond common sense.  These overwhelming teachings lead into the apostles’ request to the Lord, Increase our faith.

Let us see this context in Scripture.  In Luke 17:1-6 Jesus said:

And He said to His disciples, It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come.  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.  Be on your guard!  If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent’, forgive him.  The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith!  And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you." (Luke 17:1-6)

What does it mean to have faith like a mustard seed? The Gospels show three special features of this seed: it is very small, it grows greatly, and then it provides freely for many others.  Most teachings that I have seen and even some translations point out only its tiny size, which causes v. 6 to poorly fit the context of v. 5.  Let us see all that Jesus and the Bible tell us about mustard seeds.  This will show us that Jesus is responding clearly to the disciples’ request to "increase our faith".

Luke 13:18-19 is the only other reference to a mustard seed in Luke:

Therefore He [Jesus] was saying, "What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and