"If You Have Faith And Do Not Doubt... You Can Say To This Mountain, Go Throw Yourself Into the Sea, And It Will Be Done."

These words of Jesus are some of those that I have heard most quoted by Christians (usually taken out of the context of the passage, but that is a whole other topic). It is clear that Christ is making a very significant statement about the power of faith.

But there's more.

I was reading for my hermeneutics class recently, and I found something that excited and amazed me. Jesus was in Jerusalem while He said this, which we all know. But what I had never realized before was this...

The mountain Jesus was referring to was the temple mount, Mount Zion.

If this fails to amaze you, which it wouldn't be too surprising if it did, let me explain one of the things that makes this so significant. One of the implications of this statement is that the power of Christ, and God the Father who answers prayers, surpasses that of the Jewish Temple.

But wait a minute, weren't the power of God and the temple one and the same back then?
Well, that's what first century Jews believed. But Jesus seems to be saying that this is not the case; the role of the temple was only part of what it means to worship God. Furthermore, believers do not need to worship at the temple for God to respond to the prayers of His people.

So, what does this mean for us today?

I think that what we can learn from this is that God's response to us does not require anything but our willingness to rely on Him, and to cry out to Him in faith.

We do not have to gain God's attention through our actions, through our success, through our understanding or stability. What is more, we do not even have to have the strength to believe. If one lacks faith, all they must do is cry out to God, just as the Roman official with the dying daughter did, "Lord, help my unbelief!"

Cry out to God, and He will answer. Whether your mountain is emotional pain, circumstances, fear, or even doubt, it will be cast into the sea.