Bible Strands
Matthew 21:21
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus answers His disciples immediately after they marvel at the sudden withering of the fig tree He had cursed. He addresses them in that same moment of observation, shifting from the physical sign to a spiritual principle.
The words — ἀμὴν (amēn) and λέγω (legō) form the emphatic declaration “Truly I say,” anchoring the following promise. Ἀποκριθεὶς (Apokritheis) marks this as a direct response to their question about the fig tree’s rapid withering.
The thread — The theme of undoubting faith appears in James 1:6, which warns that doubt makes prayer ineffective, and in Mark 11:22, where Jesus commands belief in God. The mustard seed faith analogy in Matthew 17:20 reinforces the power of even minimal genuine trust.
Why it lands — The text demands active trust without hesitation, promising that spoken commands aligned with that faith will produce dramatic results. It requires the reader to examine whether their reliance rests on unwavering conviction rather than doubt.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Cross-references
- James 1:6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
- Matthew 17:20 “Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
- Mark 11:22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus said to them.
- Luke 17:6 And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
- Romans 4:19 Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb.
- 1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
- Matthew 8:12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”