Preaching and the Land - Luke 17:5-10

In the introduction of the gospel text for Sunday, the apostles cry out for Jesus to "increase our faith!"  Jesus responds that even "faith as a grain of mustard seed" is sufficient for the day.  

The mustard seed was proverbial in Jesus' day for its smallness.  Instead of crying out for more faith, Jesus exhorts his followers to employ what "little faith" they have.

Matthew and Luke both record this scene and Jesus' teaching.  Luke has Jesus promising the result of faith at work equivalent to "rooting up a sycamore tree."  But Matthew has an even greater work of faith more akin to "moving a mountain."

The Herodium

Jesus perhaps had in mind a project of Herod the Great when he encouraged "a faith that can move mountains."  Southeast of Bethlehem Herod supervised the construction of a fortress which would become his final resting place.

In order to enhance the defenses of the site, Herod had his workers level a hill adjacent to the mountain-top and move the dirt to the building site.  The workers of King Herod literally moved a mountain.  As Herod's builders did, so God's men and women can accomplish even greater things with faith and work.

On many such occasions, Jesus utilized his environment in order to drive home the message of the kingdom.  Certainly, this incident stands as one of his most dramatic and powerful teachings.