I agree and, as is so often the case, I thought of my response while lying in bed last night waiting to fall asleep. LOL I haven’t had time to read all the posts here so may be repeating someone else, but the issue for me is not about mustard or mountains but about faith. In an agricultural society, and I married into a family of farmers, mustard is known to be most profligate. Plant some in your yard and in a few years you’ll be inviting everyone you know to come over and help try to dig it out before it consumes everything else. Jesus comparing faith to the mustard seed is a most apt metaphor.that it is better to understand the passage figuratively,
I would say from a Christian perspective, yes actually. But the point of this passage is not that this will literally happen.Is it really true that a person’s faith can move Mt. Everest all the way from the area near Tibet to Nevada, USA?
Sure, why not?I find this difficult to believe. Is it really true that a person’s faith can move Mt. Everest all the way from the area near Tibet to Nevada, USA?
Mountains can continue to rise up too, a great example of this being the Himalyan mountainsMountains do not move but in time they are levelled.
I have is no doubt on that.
As with many other Scriptural verses, there are some who take this passage literally, while others take it figuratively.
Understandable.According to Mathew 17:20, He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. "
I find this difficult to believe.
Yes.Is it really true that a person’s faith can move Mt. Everest all the way from the area near Tibet to Nevada, USA?
The Bible is not wrong. This is what you’re overlooking:Or is the Bible wrong and you cannot really move Mount Everest to the USA by faith alone?
It would not have to be Mount Everest. It could be any mountain with high altitude. As explained already above, it is a lot cooler at the top of the mountain and there are many places in the desert where water is lacking. By placing a mountain of high altitude in the desert, because of the possibilility of melting snow, you may provide more water to those desperately in need of clean, drinkable water. As you know from Matthew 25: 35, Christians are encouraged to give drink to the thirsty.“why do you want to move Mount Everest?”
So would you say that it is literally possible to move a mountain by faith? Many others take the passage figuratively.The Bible is not wrong.
Have you received a message from God telling you that this is how this problem should be solved?It would not have to be Mount Everest. It could be any mountain with high altitude. As explained already above, it is a lot cooler at the top of the mountain and there are many places in the desert where water is lacking. By placing a mountain of high altitude in the desert, because of the possibilility of melting snow, you may provide more water to those desperately in need of clean, drinkable water. As you know from Matthew 25: 35, Christians are encouraged to give drink to the thirsty.
Yes. But the two are not mutually exclusive. Taking the passage figuratively is also a good answer.So would you say that it is literally possible to move a mountain by faith? Many others take the passage figuratively.
A verse in Scripture is not understood in isolation. It must be understood in the context of the Spirit that inspired it. The Sacred Tradition of Christ and the tradition left behind by the Jews tells us that a prayer must be in accordance with God’s will before He will answer it. This is the assumption behind any teaching on prayer.There is nothing there about it being God’s will, and it seems that qualification was added in response to the incredible abundance of unanswered prayer.
Prayers are always answered. The problem is that a lot of people don’t like the answer they get. Which is often, “No”.the incredible abundance of unanswered prayer.
But is a conversation to be understood in isolation? What I mean is in the passage from Matthew in the original post he’s talking to his disciples and makes no mention at that time of limiting prayer to God’s will. It seems like an explanation after the fact.A verse in Scripture is not understood in isolation. It must be understood in the context of the Spirit that inspired it. The Sacred Tradition of Christ and the tradition left behind by the Jews tells us that a prayer must be in accordance with God’s will before He will answer it. This is the assumption behind any teaching on prayer.
I think the others who have pointed out how praying to an inanimate object will give the same “yes”, “no”, or “wait” answers are correct in that regard. I want to expound on this a little. For believers, there is no response possible that would dissuade them from the fact that prayers are answered. No collection of responses to a trillion prayers would dissuade believers that prayers are answered. To us doubters a “no” response looks no different from no respons at all like what happens when one prays to a false god, the elements, or to the island taboo from those Hawaii episodes of The Brady Bunch. (“You must learn respect. Respect for island taboo!”)Prayers are always answered. The problem is that a lot of people don’t like the answer they get. Which is often, “No”.
It’s not a simple conversation. Jesus Christ is Teaching His disciples.But is a conversation to be understood in isolation?
It is an assumption which needs not be mentioned. All His disciples were Jewish and would have known that.What I mean is in the passage from Matthew in the original post he’s talking to his disciples and makes no mention at that time of limiting prayer to God’s will. It seems like an explanation after the fact.
My answer doesn’t change. God does not grant prayers that are against His will.In Mark 11 he’s talking to his disciples. When they marvel at the fig tree having withered he told them, “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Just like in the story from Matthew the only thing listed that prevents a mountain from being moved (or a demon to be removed from a person or a fig tree to made to wither) is not enough faith.
1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.James 4:3 says “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” We know that one can have right motives but still differ with what God wills (e.g. in some cases curing a child of a deadly illness),
The only thing I can say is that the concept seems so obvious as to “go without saying”. Why would God ever grant anything which is against His will?but again we’re not given that as a possible stumbling block to have sincere and charitable prayers answered.
The Church repeatedly teaches us the will of God. God wills that we love each other and our neighbors and that we love Him with all our hearts and souls.The question becomes how does one determine what is and is not God’s will.
People who do that basically, care less about God and only care about what they can get from God. They view prayer as a means to get things for free.If we simply base it off of what prayers are answered with a no (not answered), then the same applies for the examples given of people praying to other gods/inanimate objects. Perhaps it is oot Apollo’s will that your eyesight is restored. Perhaps it is not the will of the idol being prayed to that your home is not foreclosed upon.
No, that was actually serious on that one.I suppose that you are joking while many other Christians are gravely serious and cannot agree on how to interpret certain Scriptural passages.
Disagreement about what Scripture “clearly” meant was already common in the first century . . .Why should the bible present information about moving mountains, cursing fig trees or casting devils into pigs in such a fashion that Christians disagree on its meaning.
But for 2300 years there has been no disagreement about what Euclid meant. His writings on plane (or Euclidean) geometry are universally accepted.Disagreement about what Scripture “clearly” meant was already common in the first century . .