"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. Nothing will be impossible for you.'"
— Matthew 17:20 (NIV)
Matthew 17:20 is the "faith as small as a mustard seed" verse, where Jesus says even small faith can move a mountain. This page gives the verse, what the key words mean, where it sits in Matthew 17, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about faith, Hebrews 11:1, and Bible verses about trust.
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The verse
The King James reads: "And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
"So little faith" is oligopistia (G3640) in the text the NIV follows; the KJV's "unbelief" is apistia (G570). "Grain" or "seed" is kokkos (G2848), and "mustard" is sinapi (G4615). "Mountain" is oros (G3735), and "impossible" is adynateo (G101).
Where it sits in Matthew 17
The chapter opens with the Transfiguration on a mountain. When Jesus comes down, a man kneels before him and asks him to have mercy on his son, who has seizures. "I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him" (Matthew 17:16). Jesus heals the boy.
Then "the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, 'Why couldn't we drive it out?'" (Matthew 17:19). Verse 20 is his answer. Mark tells the same story and includes the father's cry, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).
What the verse is saying
Jesus contrasts "so little faith" with faith "as small as a mustard seed." The point is not the size of the faith but where it is placed. Earlier in Matthew he calls the mustard seed "the smallest of all seeds" that grows into a large plant (Matthew 13:31-32). Small, real trust in God matters because God is the one who acts.
"Move this mountain" was a vivid way of describing something that looks impossible. The promise is not a technique for getting whatever a person wants; it sits inside a life of trusting God and asking according to his will. Luke records a similar saying about a mulberry tree (Luke 17:6).
Questions people ask
What does Matthew 17:20 say?
In the NIV it says, "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. Nothing will be impossible for you."
What does "faith as small as a mustard seed" mean?
The mustard seed was a picture of something very small. Jesus is saying that even a little genuine faith in God is enough, because the power comes from God, not from the amount of faith.
Where in the Bible does it say faith can move mountains?
Matthew 17:20 is the best-known place. Jesus says something similar in Matthew 21:21 and Mark 11:23, and Paul mentions "a faith that can move mountains" in 1 Corinthians 13:2.
Why couldn't the disciples heal the boy in Matthew 17?
When they asked Jesus privately, he answered, "Because you have so little faith" (Matthew 17:20). Mark's account adds that "this kind can come out only by prayer" (Mark 9:29).
What verses go with Matthew 17:20?
Hebrews 11:1 (faith is confidence in what we hope for), Hebrews 11:6 (without faith it is impossible to please God), and Matthew 7:7 (ask and it will be given to you) are close companions.
