Luke 17:6

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So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."

Luke 17:6 (NKJV)

"He replied, 'If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it will obey you.'"

Luke 17:6 (NIV)

And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

Luke 17:6 (KJV)

"You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you!"

Luke 17:6 (NLT)

And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."

Luke 17:6 (ESV)

And the Lord said, "If you have [confident, living] faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree [which has very strong roots], 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea'; and [if the request was in agreement with the will of God] it would have obeyed you."

Luke 17:6 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

"If you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle."

Luke 17:6 (MSG)

Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.

New Covenant Meaning

The Size of Faith Is Not the Issue. The Presence of Faith Is.

The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith (v. 5). His answer is unexpected: you do not need more faith. You need the faith you already have to be real. A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds in existence, and yet Jesus says if your faith is like that, a deeply rooted mulberry tree obeys your word. The point is not quantity. It is quality: genuine, real, living faith, even in a small amount, has supernatural authority. The problem is not that believers have too little faith. Often the problem is that what they call faith is not actually faith, it is hope, or wishing, or intellectual assent.

Faith Speaks. It Does Not Just Feel.

Notice that the faith Jesus describes expresses itself in a spoken command: "You could say to this mulberry tree..." Real faith acts and speaks. It does not just feel a certain way internally and wait. Faith in Jesus' model issues a command to the obstacle: be uprooted, be moved, be planted in the sea. This is the same pattern in Matthew 17:20 (say to this mountain, move) and Mark 11:23 (whosoever shall say to this mountain). Jesus consistently presents faith as something that speaks to obstacles rather than just believing quietly about them.

The mulberry tree (sycamine) was known for its exceptionally deep and extensive root system. It was one of the most difficult trees to uproot. Jesus chose this as His example precisely because it represented something stubborn, deeply entrenched, and resistant to removal. Even that, He says, obeys the word of genuine faith. Whatever is deeply rooted in your life that should not be there, whatever seems permanent and immovable, is subject to the spoken word of faith.

Application for Your Life

Stop Asking for More Faith. Use What You Have.

The disciples asked for more faith and Jesus redirected them: you already have what you need if it is real. This is a pattern for believers who are always looking for a faith upgrade before they step out. You do not need a faith conference to move a mountain. You need the faith you have to be active and spoken. The next time you encounter an obstacle, do not wait until you feel bolder or more spiritual. Speak to the obstacle with whatever faith you have. Even mustard-seed faith moves trees.

Authority Is Expressed Through Your Words

Luke 17:6, alongside Matthew 17:20 and Mark 11:23, establishes a consistent pattern in Jesus's teaching on faith: the authority inherent in faith is exercised through spoken declaration. You speak to the problem, not just about the problem. This is not vain repetition or magic words. It is the expression of faith that has already settled the issue internally and is now declaring the outcome externally. If you believe it, say it.

Prayer Based on This Verse

Father, I thank You for the clarity of Luke 17:6. I do not need massive, impressive faith to see things move. I need real faith, however small, that speaks to obstacles rather than around them. I choose today to stop waiting for more faith and start using the faith I have. I speak to the things in my life that are deeply rooted and should not be there. I command them to go in Jesus' name, not because of my impressiveness but because of the One in whose name I speak. I have the authority of a New Covenant believer. I use it. In Jesus' name. Amen.