Faith Like a Mustard Seed

How to cite this article:
Joshua N. Tilton and David N. Bivin, “Faith Like a Mustard Seed,” The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction (Jerusalem Perspective, 2022) [https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/25673/].

Matt. 17:20; 21:21-22; Mark 11:22-24; Luke 17:5-6

(Huck 126, 180, 201; Aland 163, 231, 275;
Crook 181, 279, 310)^[1]

Updated: 1 November 2023

וַיֹּאמֶר הָאָדוֹן אִם אַתֶּם מַאֲמִינִים אֲפִילּוּ כְעֵין הַחַרְדָּל אַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים לְשִׁקְמָה זוֹ הֵעָקְרִי וְהִנָּטְעִי בַּיָּם וְשׁוֹמַעַת לָכֶם

But the Lord said, “If your trust in God is even like a mustard seed in size, then you could say to a sycamore fig tree, ‘Be uprooted and be transplanted in the sea!’ and it would do as you command.”^[2]

Reconstruction

To view the reconstructed text of Faith Like a Mustard Seed click on the link below:

Story Placement

“Power of Faith” complex

Quieting a Storm ・ Faith Like a Mustard Seed

Scholars mainly agree that none of the Synoptic Gospels preserve the original context of Jesus’ Faith Like a Mustard Seed saying.^[3] In Luke, Faith Like a Mustard Seed appears in a collection of miscellaneous sayings that have coalesced around catchwords and loosely related themes. The Markan version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed has been incorporated into Jesus’ response to the Withered Fig Tree episode.^[4] Matthew’s Gospel has two versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed. The first forms the conclusion to Matthew’s version of Boy Delivered from Demon; the second, as in Mark, is included in Jesus’ response to the Withered Fig Tree story.

It is easy to see that the Lukan context of Faith Like a Mustard Seed is not original. It has simply been gathered into a bundle of stray sayings whose original contexts were unknown to the author of Luke. Mark’s context for Faith Like a Mustard Seed is unnatural. It was not Jesus’ faith that had withered the unfortunate fig tree but his bad temper. Irked by its lack of fruit, Jesus had laid a curse on the fig tree. The story hardly illustrates the kind of wonder-working faith Jesus’ saying encourages his disciples to exercise.^[5] In any case, we have found Withered Fig Tree to be a Markan composition,^[6] whereas the pre-synoptic origins of Faith Like a Mustard Seed are easy to detect (see Conjectured Stages of Transmission below). That leaves us to consider Matthew’s placement of Faith Like a Mustard Seed as a commentary on Boy Delivered from Demon.^[7] While at first glance Matthew’s setting in this context seems plausible—the disciples ask why they could not exorcise the demon, and Jesus replies that great things can be accomplished by faith—upon closer examination the Matthean context of Faith Like a Mustard Seed proves to be contrived.^[8] First Jesus blames the disciples’ inability to exorcise the demon on their little faith, but in the next breath declares that with faith amounting to a mustard seed’s volume the disciples would be capable of performing mighty acts.^[9] This jarring juxtaposition in Matthew leaves the reader wondering which is it: does little faith inhibit miracle working, or is little faith sufficient to produce miraculous outcomes? Clearly what has happened is that the author of Matthew unsuccessfully brought together originally disparate materials (Boy Delivered from Demon and Faith Like a Mustard Seed) to make a point (faith accomplishes mighty works) that does not bear critical scrutiny.^[10]

Despite its secondary placements in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, it may be possible to identify Faith Like a Mustard Seed’s original context. Faith Like a Mustard Seed shares key vocabulary (πίστις [pistis, “faith,”]; ὑπακούειν [hūpakouein, “to listen,” “to obey”]; θάλασσα [thalassa, “sea”]) with Quieting a Storm. Both pericopae also lay great stress on the power of faith. In addition, Quieting a Storm is strangely incomplete, concluding with the disciples wondering at Jesus’ astonishing ability to command the forces of nature. However, it is unlike Jesus, who was disdainful of the impulse to make him the focus of a cult of personality, to leave his audience pondering his unique status. Jesus preferred for his teachings to be put into practice than for people to turn him into the object of adoration by focusing on his extraordinary abilities (cf. Matt. 7:21; Luke 6:46). Moreover, Jesus rarely let slip a teachable moment. Had Jesus been aware of his disciples’ amazement at his remarkable feat, Jesus would likely have wished to reorient their thinking toward the Kingdom of Heaven. By making Faith Like a Mustard Seed the continuation of Quieting a Storm, we find Jesus doing just that: he gently diverts attention away from his person and redirects the focus on how the disciples can themselves participate in God’s redeeming reign. Jesus presents himself not as an object to be adored but as a teacher to be emulated. The same confidence in God Jesus displayed in the storm the disciples could also learn. When they had attained even a little trust in their maker, they too would become capable of doing marvelous things.

For an overview of the “Power of Faith” complex, click here.

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Click here to view the Map of the Conjectured Hebrew Life of Yeshua.

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Conjectured Stages of Transmission

As we have noted, Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed belongs to a collection of three loosely related sayings that lack a proper narrative context. Such hanging together of sayings like a string of pearls is characteristic of materials the author of Luke copied from the First Reconstruction (FR).^[11] The brief narrative introduction to the saying in Luke 17:5 is also similar to the sparse narrative introductions in other FR pericopae (cf. FR’s introduction to Lost Sheep and Lost Coin in Luke 15:1-2).^[12] These indications are sufficient to conclude that the author of Luke copied Faith Like a Mustard Seed from FR.

Because Luke’s version of the pericope reverts so easily to Hebrew, it appears that the First Reconstructor’s intervention in Faith Like a Mustard Seed was minimal. Apart from the narrative introduction (L1-3), Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed is probably a close approximation of the version found in the Anthology (Anth.).^[13]

The author of Mark relied on Luke 17:6 for his version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed, but made radical changes to Jesus’ saying, including omitting the reference to mustard-seed-sized faith. In part, the author of Mark rewrote his version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed on the basis of James 1:5-7, a passage that urges faithful prayer without doubting if one is to receive what one has asked for. According to Robert Lindsey, the author of Mark rewrote several passages so as to allude to the epistle of James. The author of Mark also replaced the original saying’s reference to uprooting a sycamore fig tree with a reference to moving a mountain. It is possible that in making this change the author of Mark alluded to 1 Cor. 13:2, where the apostle Paul wrote of faith that could move mountains, but as we will discuss below, the author of Mark may have had other motivations for replacing the sycamore fig tree with a mountain. In any case, the author of Mark’s substitution of the original sycamore fig tree with a mountain is ironic, since it was precisely the sycamore fig tree in the Lukan/Anth. versions of the saying that had caused the author of Mark to link Faith Like a Mustard Seed with Withered Fig Tree in the first place.

Matthew’s two versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed stem from different sources. The version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed that appears as part of the sequel to Withered Fig Tree (Matt. 21:21) is adapted from Mark. The version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed embedded in Boy Delivered from Demon (Matt. 17:20) bears a stronger resemblance to the Lukan than to the Markan version of the saying. This is because for the version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed in Matt. 17:20 the author of Matthew relied on Anth.^[14] The Lukan and Matt. 17:20 versions of Jesus’ saying agree whenever the author of Matthew and the First Reconstructor both preserved the wording of their common source, Anth. However, it is typical of Matthean redaction that when doublets occur in Matthew’s Gospel—the result of the author of Matthew’s use of parallel or overlapping sources—the two versions influence one another. Some of the wording of one version seeps into the wording of the other and vice versa. This Matthean technique of “cross-pollination” accounts for the Markan-Matthean agreements against Luke in Matt. 17:20 (e.g., Mk-Mt: mountain vs. Lk: sycamore fig tree) and the Lukan-Matthean agreement against Mark in Matt. 21:21 (Lk-Mt: if you have faith vs. Mk: have faith in God [L6]).^[15] In other respects Matthew’s versions differ from what we find in either Luke or Mark. These changes appear to be due to the author of Matthew’s editorial activity, though in theory any of these differences could be due to the author of Matthew’s reproduction of the wording of Anth.

Variants of Faith Like a Mustard Seed also occur in the Gospel of Thomas.^[16]

Crucial Issues

1. In what context did Jesus deliver the Faith Like a Mustard Seed saying?
2. Did the original version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed refer to a sycamore fig tree or to a mountain?
3. Which mountain was “this mountain” in the Markan and Matthean versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed?

Comment

L1-3 καὶ εἶπαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τῷ κυρίῳ πρόσθες ἡμῖν πίστιν (Luke 17:5). Most scholars regard Luke 17:5 as a secondary addition to Faith Like a Mustard Seed, composed by the author of Luke to give the saying a narrative context.^[17] While we agree that Luke 17:5 is secondary, we attribute this verse to the First Reconstructor rather than to the author of Luke, for elsewhere (as in Lost Sheep and Lost Coin) we have found that the First Reconstructor sometimes attached brief narrative introductions to sayings and teaching material.

L2 οἱ ἀπόστολοι τῷ κυρίῳ (Luke 17:5). One of our reasons for regarding Luke 17:5 as redactional is its reference to “the apostles,” whereas in Quieting a Storm (L13) Jesus’ companions are referred to as “the disciples.” From its designation of Jesus’ interlocutors as “the apostles” we may infer that FR’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed was placed sometime after the apostolic mission described in Luke 9:1-6, 10.^[18]

L3 πρόσθες ἡμῖν πίστιν (Luke 17:5). The appearance of the verb προστιθέναι (prostithenai, “to increase,” “to add”) is another reason for attributing Luke 17:5 to FR. The same verb appears in the narrative introduction to Luke’s version of the Entrusted Funds parable (Luke 19:11), which the author of Luke probably also took from FR.

L4-5 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος (GR). All four synoptic versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed have some variation of Jesus responding to the disciples/apostles with εἰπεῖν (eipein, “to say”) / λέγειν (legein, “to say”) being used as the main verb. Mark’s version and Matthew’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed dependent on Mark’s explicitly mention Jesus and use the combination ἀποκρίνειν…λέγειν (“to answer”…“to say”). This combination is itself quite Hebraic,^[19] but we have found that the author of Mark stereotyped this construction, redactionally inserting it at points where it did not appear in his source(s) or when freely composing a sentence.^[20] Mark 11:22 and Matt. 17:20 both have λέγειν in the historical present tense (λέγει [legei, “he says”]), the use of which is un-Hebraic but typical of Markan and Matthean redaction. In Matt. 17:20 the historical present may be the product of “cross-pollination,” or it may simply be due to the author of Matthew’s editorial preference. Mark’s version and both of Matthew’s versions refer to the addressees with αὐτοῖς (avtois, “to them”), whereas an explicit reference to the recipients of Jesus’ saying is absent in Luke 17:6.

While reconstructions based on Mark and Matthew, such as καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς (“and answering, Jesus said to them…”), would be perfectly acceptable for GR, we are attracted to Luke’s wording for the following reasons. First, Luke’s εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος (“But the Lord said”) is easy to reconstruct in Hebrew. Second, the presence of the title ὁ κύριος (“the Lord”) in Anth.’s opening to Faith Like a Mustard Seed would explain why the First Reconstructor referred to Jesus as “the Lord” in his narrative introduction (= Luke 17:5). Third, elsewhere in Anth. we have found that the narrator sometimes referred to Jesus as “the Lord.”^[21] And fourth, in Anth.’s version of Quieting a Storm (L34) the disciples addressed Jesus as “Lord,” so if Faith Like a Mustard Seed really was the continuation of Quieting a Storm, it would be natural for the narrator to refer to Jesus as “the Lord.”

וַיֹּאמֶר הָאָדוֹן (HR). On reconstructing κύριος (kūrios, “lord”) with אָדוֹן (’ādōn, “lord”), see Widow’s Son in Nain, Comment to L10.

L6 ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ (Mark 11:22). The imperatival “Have faith in God!” which is unique to Mark may be an echo of Quieting a Storm (L49), where Mark’s Gospel has οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν (oupō echete pistin, “Do you not yet have faith?”; Mark 4:40). The Lukan-Matthean agreement against Mark to write “if you have faith” in L8 ensures that a conditional phrase appeared in Anth.^[22]

διὰ τὴν ὀλιγοπιστίαν ὑμῶν (Matt. 17:20). In Matt. 17:20 “on account of your little faith” serves as Jesus’ explanation for why the disciples had been unable to cast out a demon. That this explanation was of the author of Matthew’s own making is indicated by the fact that Matt. 17:20 contains the sole instance of the nominal form ὀλιγοπιστία (oligopistia, “little faith”) in the entire synoptic corpus.^[23] Despite composing this answer and despite his importing of Faith Like a Mustard Seed into his version of Boy Delivered from Demon, the author of Matthew failed to notice that the answer he had placed in Jesus’ mouth is logically inconsistent with Faith Like a Mustard Seed’s message. According to Faith Like a Mustard Seed, a tiny amount of faith produces dramatic results, whereas “on account of your little faith” places the blame for the disciples’ failure on their tiny amount of faith. Either the author of Matthew was sometimes careless or he was not always a critical thinker.

L7 ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι (Mark 11:23). The Markan and the two Matthean versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed include the phrase “Amen! I say to you.” Although the phrase is itself Hebraic, and although the author of Luke sometimes omitted or replaced ἀμήν (amēn, “Amen!”) when it occurred in his sources, in Faith Like a Mustard Seed ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν is used in an un-Hebraic manner, coming not as a response with the meaning “Yes, I agree” but as a solemn declaration with the sense “I tell you truly.” Like the use of ἀποκρίνειν…λέγειν, which the author of Mark stereotyped, inserting it at points where it did not appear in his source(s), so the author of Mark stereotyped ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, sprinkling it throughout his Gospel, often using it in an un-Hebraic manner because he did not understand its authentic usage.^[24] Since the “Amen!” phrase is used in an un-Hebraic manner in Mark 11:23 and Matt. 21:21, it is best to conclude that the phrase stems from Markan redaction rather than from Anth. Likewise, the presence of the “Amen!” phrase in Matt. 17:20 is more likely the product of Matthean cross-pollination^[25] than a reflection of Matthew’s non-Markan source.^[26]

L8 ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν (Matt. 17:20; 21:21). The presence of the conditional phrase “if you have faith” in Matt. 21:21—a minor agreement with Luke against Mark—is due to the author of Matthew’s “cross-pollination” technique of conflating the two sources of his doublets.^[27] The agreement with Luke to use a conditional phrase guarantees that “if you have faith” occurred in Anth.

εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν (GR). It is difficult to decide whether Matthew’s ἐάν + subjunctive or Luke’s ἐι + indicative reflects the wording of Anth. Since Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed is in general closer to Anth. than any of the other versions, and since it is difficult to see how Luke’s ἐι + indicative could be a stylistic improvement over Matthew’s ἐάν + subjunctive, we have adopted Luke’s wording for HR.^[28]

אִם אַתֶּם מַאֲמִינִים (HR). On reconstructing εἰ (ei, “if”) with אִם (’im, “if”), see Tower Builder and King Going to War, Comment to L4.

On reconstructing ἔχειν + πίστις (echein + pistis, “to have” + “faith”) with הֶאֱמִין (he’^emin, “trust,” “believe”), see Quieting a Storm, Comment to L49.

L9 ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως (GR). The independent agreement of Luke and Matthew to quantify faith “as a seed of mustard” ensures that this phrase occurred in Anth. The phrase ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως (hōs kokkon sinapeōs, “as a seed of mustard”) was transmitted to Luke from Anth. via FR. The author of Matthew copied it from Anth. in Matt. 17:20, but the phrase did not make its way into Matt. 21:21 by means of Matthean cross-pollination.

אֲפִילּוּ כְעֵין הַחַרְדָּל (HR). On reconstructing ὡς (hōs, “like,” “as”) with -כְּ (k^e–, “like,” “as”), see “The Harvest Is Plentiful” and “A Flock Among Wolves,” Comment to L50.

On reconstructing κόκκος (kokkos, “seed”) with עַיִן (‘ayin, “eye,” “grain”), and σίναπι (sinapi, “mustard”) with חַרְדָּל (ḥardāl, “mustard”), see Mustard Seed and Starter Dough, Comment to L9.

In rabbinic sources כְּעֵין הַחַרְדָּל (k^e‘ēn haḥardāl, “equivalent to a mustard seed’s volume”) is a measure of quantity, comparable to כַּזַּיִת (kazayit, “equivalent to an olive’s volume”), the smallest halachicly significant amount of food a person might consume in various contexts, like eating the paschal lamb or ingesting any type of food on a fast day. In contexts pertaining to ritual purity rather than food consumption כְּעֵין הַחַרְדָּל (“equivalent to a mustard seed’s volume”) is the smallest halachicly significant quantity of an impure substance.

On the two occasions on which כְּעֵין הַחַרְדָּל occurs in the Mishnah (m. Tohar. 8:8; m. Nid. 5:2) it does so in the phrase אֲפִילּוּ כְעֵין הַחַרְדָּל (’^afilū ch^e‘ēn haḥardāl, “even equivalent to a mustard seed’s volume”). Although the Greek text of Faith Like a Mustard Seed has nothing equivalent to אֲפִילּוּ (’^afilū, “even”), we have included it in HR because it was part of a stock phrase. Perhaps the Greek translator of the Hebrew Life of Yeshua simply omitted a translation for אֲפִילּוּ.

L10 καὶ μὴ διακριθῆτε (Matt. 21:21). Matthew’s phrase καὶ μὴ διακριθῆτε (kai mē diakrithēte, “and you might not doubt”) in Matt. 21:21 is picked up from Mark’s καὶ μὴ διακριθῇ (kai mē diakrithē, “and he might not doubt”; L19).^[29] By moving this phrase up to L10 the author of Matthew was able to warn his readers more concisely against the perils of doubt than does Mark’s lengthier warning in L19-22. Such an economizing approach is consistent with the author of Matthew’s revision of Withered Fig Tree, which is significantly shorter than Mark’s version.

The absence of the doubting motif in the Matt. 17:20 and Lukan versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed is proof that nothing equivalent to Matthew’s wording in L10 derives from Anth. “And you might not doubt” has accordingly been omitted from GR and HR.

L11-13 οὐ μόνον τὸ τῆς συκῆς ποιήσετε ἀλλὰ κἂν (Matt. 21:21). In Mark there is a lack of continuity between Peter’s exclamation, “Rabbi! Look! The fig tree that you cursed is dried up!” in Withered Fig Tree and Jesus’ response in Faith Like a Mustard Seed. The author of Matthew bridged the gap between the two pericopae by supplying the words in L11-13,^[30] which have Jesus make a comparison between what was done to the unfortunate fig tree and the much greater things the disciples might do by faith.^[31] That these lines are redactional is supported by the author of Matthew’s redactional use of μόνος (monos, “only”) in other contexts,^[32] his redactional use of another accusative definite article + genitive definite article + genitive noun construction in Matt. 8:33,^[33] and the difficulty with which τὸ τῆς συκῆς (to tēs sūkēs, “the [matter] of the fig tree”) reverts to Hebrew.^[34]

L14 ἐλέγετε (GR). All four versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed have a verb for “saying” in the apodosis (the verb for “saying” in Matt. 21:21 is in L15), but no two versions have the same form of the verb. Luke’s version stands out by having the verb in the imperfect tense. Mark’s version stands out by generalizing Jesus’ saying by changing the verb from the second person to the third person. In Matt. 21:21 the author of Matthew reverted the verb back to the second person, just as he had previously changed Mark’s “he might not doubt” to “you might not doubt” (see above, Comment to L10). The version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed the author of Matthew embedded in Boy Delivered from Demon stands out by using the future tense. It is impossible to choose any of the verb forms with confidence, and it may even be the case that none of the versions preserve the verb form found in Anth. However, since Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed is in general very close to Anth., we have tentatively adopted Luke’s imperfect ἐλέγετε (elegete, “you were saying”) for GR.

On the other hand, we have omitted Luke’s particle ἄν (an), which is not strictly necessary in Greek, which has no Hebrew equivalent, and which may be regarded as a stylistic improvement introduced by either the First Reconstructor or the author of Luke. The particle ἄν was passed on from Luke to Mark. In the Matthean version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed dependent on Mark the particle is reflected in Matthew’s use of the conjunction κἄν in L13.^[35]

Note how Mark’s sentence structure is the inverse of the sentence structure in Luke and Matthew. Whereas Luke and Matthew have “If you have faith…you would say…,” Mark has “Whoever says…and…he believes….” We have found that inversion of Luke’s word order and sentence structure is typical of Markan redaction.^[36]

L15 τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ (GR). Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed differs from all the others in that it refers to a συκάμινος (sūkaminos) instead of a mountain. The noun συκάμινος more properly belongs to the mulberry than to the sycamore fig tree,^[37] but it is probably to the sycamore fig tree that Jesus’ saying refers. Sycamore fig trees were common in the Holy Land,^[38] they enjoyed a reputation for being especially deep-rooted, making the feat Jesus’ saying describes all the more difficult,^[39] and in LXX συκάμινος always occurs as the translation of שִׁקְמָה (shiqmāh),^[40] a noun that refers exclusively to the sycamore fig tree. The Hebrew term for mulberry is תּוּת (tūt).^[41]

Various arguments have been made against the originality of “sycamore fig tree” in Faith Like a Mustard Seed, but none are persuasive. Some scholars have suggested that the author of Luke wrote “sycamore fig tree” in place of the original “mountain” in order to echo the story of the withered fig tree, which the author of Luke omitted from his Gospel.^[42] But if the author of Luke was intent on eliminating the withered fig tree from his Gospel, why would he change the wording of Faith Like a Mustard Seed in order to allude to it? Yet supposing that for some bizarre reason the author of Luke did want to allude to the withered fig tree, he could have done so far more effectively if instead of referring to the uprooting of a sycamore (συκάμινος), he had referred to the uprooting of a fig tree (συκῆ [sūkē, “fig tree”]), the species mentioned in Withered Fig Tree, and a type of tree with which the author of Luke was well acquainted.^[43] In other words, if the author of Luke attempted in his version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed to allude to Withered Fig Tree, we must deem that attempt a failure. We think it is better to assume that the author of Luke was neither so irrational nor so inept as these scholars’ argument presupposes and conclude that the author of Luke made no attempt to allude to Withered Fig Tree, which from the point of view of Lindsey’s hypothesis would have been impossible, since Luke’s Gospel was written before the author of Mark composed the Withered Fig Tree narrative.

Other scholars have suggested that the reason the author of Luke wrote “sycamore fig tree” instead of “mountain” was that he (or his source) wished to tone down the hyperbolic imagery employed in the original form of Jesus’ saying.^[44] This suggestion, too, attributes shocking ineptitude to the author of Luke, since uprooting a sycamore fig tree by fiat is no easier than ordering a mountain to be cast into the sea.^[45] The feat remains impossible, so the attempt at toning down the hyperbole fails, just as saying “it is easier for a rabbit to go through the eye of a needle” would fail to temper Jesus’ saying about a camel’s chances of passing through a needle’s eye compared to those of a rich man squeezing his way into the Kingdom of Heaven.

A more convincing argument against the originality of “sycamore fig tree” in Faith Like a Mustard Seed is the parallel in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians where the apostle refers to faith that can move mountains (1 Cor. 13:2). Scholars often regard Paul’s statement as an allusion to Jesus’ saying,^[46] and since Paul’s letters are older than any of the extant Gospels, the apostle to the Gentiles must bear witness to the earliest form of this saying.^[47] Here the reasoning is cogent, but it is not clear that the apostle Paul actually was alluding to Jesus’ saying. Uprooting a mountain serves in rabbinic sources as a metaphor for extraordinary accomplishments,^[48] so it could be that in 1 Cor. 13:2 the apostle Paul was drawing on stock imagery rather than alluding to a saying of Jesus.^[49] Indeed, rather than supposing Jesus’ saying influenced Paul, it may be that Paul’s letter to the Corinthians influenced the way the author of Mark adapted Jesus’ saying. Robert Lindsey believed that the author of Mark sometimes worked allusions to the Pauline epistles and the epistle of James into his Gospel.^[50]

Since there is no good reason for the author of Luke (or the First Reconstructor) to have changed “mountain” to “sycamore fig tree” in Faith Like a Mustard Seed, it is best to conclude that “sycamore fig tree” occurred in the original form of the saying.^[51] Matthean cross-pollination accounts for the failure of Matt. 17:20 to support Luke’s “sycamore fig tree” against Mark’s “mountain.” The author of Matthew understandably preferred the more impressive image of moving a mountain.

But why would the author of Mark have changed “sycamore fig tree” to “mountain”? We have already discussed or alluded to two possible reasons. First, it is possible that the author of Mark rewrote Faith Like a Mustard Seed to remind his readers of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Second, while toning down hyperbole on the author of Luke’s part is improbable, the author of Mark’s turning the hyperbole up a notch is consistent with his style. Another reason the author of Mark might have wanted to speak of the moving of a mountain has to do with the physical setting of the Withered Fig Tree story, which is the Markan context of the Faith Like a Mustard Seed saying. In Mark the unfortunate fig tree is located on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. According to the LXX version of Zech. 14:4, in the eschatological future the Mount of Olives will be split in two, with half moving πρὸς θάλασσαν (pros thalassan, “toward the sea”).^[52] Might Zechariah’s prophecy have influenced the author of Mark’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed? There are two reasons for thinking this might be the case. First, in Temple’s Destruction Foretold we found that the author of Mark reworked the narrative setting of Jesus’ eschatological discourse in order to allude to Zech. 14:4 (see Temple’s Destruction Foretold, Comment to L33), so we have reason to believe that the author of Mark had a particular interest in this passage. Second, the reason the author of Mark wanted to allude to Zech. 14:4 in the narrative setting of Jesus’ eschatological discourse is that Zechariah’s vision describes the eschatological destruction of Jerusalem, after which the Lord, coming to deliver his people, stands on the Mount of Olives and with the assistance of his holy ones defeats the enemies of Israel. To the author of Mark it seemed appropriate to locate Jesus’ prophecy of destruction and the eventual deliverance of the elect on the Mount of Olives, where this deliverance would one day take place. Now, as we have seen, the author of Mark tied the fate of the withered fig tree to the fate of the holy city and the elect. While the fig tree would remain lifeless and barren in this age, when the Son of Man was about to return to save the elect, the fig tree would return to life. The miraculous revitalization of the fig tree would be an eschatological sign for the elect to be ready for the Son of Man. Therefore, just as it seemed appropriate to the author of Mark to allude to Zech. 14:4 at the opening of Jesus’ eschatological discourse, so it seemed to him appropriate to allude to Zech. 14:4 in Jesus’ explanation of the withering of the fig tree.

Thus, there are several reasons why the author of Mark might have chosen to replace “sycamore fig tree” with “mountain” in particular, but we must not overlook the fact that if “sycamore fig tree” appeared in the original form of the saying, then the author of Mark was forced to change “this sycamore” to something else, since the tree next to which Jesus was standing was not a συκάμινος but a συκῆ (“fig”). Moreover, uprooting the poor fig tree that had just been dried up from the roots and casting it into the sea probably seemed like overkill. And in any case, if the fig tree were removed from its spot and drowned in the sea, its revival could not have served as a sign of the Son of Man’s coming. So the author of Mark had numerous reasons for needing to change “this sycamore” in Faith Like a Mustard Seed. His choice of “this mountain” as a substitute suited his purpose admirably.

לְשִׁקְמָה זוֹ (HR). As we already noted above, in LXX συκάμινος (sūkaminos, “mulberry,” “sycamore fig tree”) always occurs as the translation of שִׁקְמָה (shiqmāh, “sycamore fig tree”).^[53] We also find that the LXX translators always rendered שִׁקְמָה as συκάμινος or συκάμινον (sūkaminon, “fruit of the sūkaminos”).^[54]

On reconstructing the demonstrative pronoun with the MH form זוֹ (zō, “[feminine] this”), see Persistent Widow, Comment to L16.

L16 ἐκριζώθητι (GR). Having deemed Luke’s “sycamore fig tree” to be original in L15, adopting Luke’s “Be uprooted!” for GR in L16 is an easy decision. Uprooting is what one does to trees that need to be removed, and, as we noted above, sycamore fig trees had a reputation for deep-rootedness. Moreover, as Randall Buth pointed out in a Narkis Street Bible Study,^[55] whereas it is relatively easy to revert the imperative “Be uprooted!” to Hebrew, reverting “Be taken up!” (Matt. 21:21 ∥ Mark 11:23) to Hebrew is far more difficult.

The author of Matthew’s use in Matt. 17:20 of an imperatival form of μεταβαίνειν (metabainein, “to depart”) is probably redactional.^[56] Whereas μεταβαίνειν occurs 6xx in Matthew’s Gospel,^[57] it never occurs in Mark and occurs only once in Luke (Luke 10:7).^[58] On μεταβαίνειν as an indicator of Matthean redaction, see Sending the Twelve: Conduct in Town, Comment to L135.

הֵעָקְרִי (HR). On reconstructing ἐκριζοῦν (ekrizoun, “to uproot”) with עָקַר (‘āqar, “uproot”), see Darnel Among the Wheat, Comment to L25.

We find an example of ע-ק-ר in the nif‘al stem in the story of how Rabbi Eliezer demanded that his opinion be confirmed by the miraculous removal of a carob tree:

נעקר חרוב ממקומו מאה אמה

The carob tree was uprooted [נֶעֱקַר] a hundred cubits from its spot. (b. Bab. Metz. 59b)

The similarity of this miracle to Faith Like a Mustard Seed cannot be ignored.

L17-18 καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ (GR). If finding a way to say “Be lifted up!” in Hebrew is difficult, finding a way to say “Be thrown!” is practically impossible. On the other hand, planting and uprooting are a typical verbal pair in Hebrew (as in Greek and English),^[59] and the Hebrew root for planting, נ-ט-ע, is attested in the passive stems.

Scholars who assume that Mark and Q were the sources behind Luke’s Gospel accuse the author of Luke of “mixing metaphors” in Faith Like a Mustard Seed,^[60] by which they mean that he blended the uprooting of the sycamore from Q and the casting of the mountain into the sea from Mark to produce “Be uprooted and be planted in the sea!”^[61] They also complain that Luke’s mixed metaphor is nonsensical, since trees cannot be planted in water.^[62]

But surely the point of Faith Like a Mustard Seed is that it describes doing the impossible. Like a camel passing through the eye of a needle, a sycamore being planted in the sea is something that no human being can accomplish.^[63] Moreover, the impossibility of doing certain things in or on the sea seems to have been a stock Hebrew image.^[64] The prophet Amos asked rhetorically whether one plows the sea with oxen (Amos 6:12),^[65] and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish declared that sowing two kinds of seed on the sea does not violate the scriptural prohibition against the mingling of species because it is impossible to grow anything on the sea (y. Kil. 1:9 [5a]). Thus, the impossibility of planting a sycamore in the sea is hardly an argument against the originality of the Lukan form of Faith Like a Mustard Seed.

There is another reason for supposing that a reference to planting in the sea belonged to the pre-synoptic version of the saying: the phrase “in the sea” is the reason the pre-Lukan redactor hung Faith Like a Mustard Seed together with Causing to Stumble and Reproving a Brother on the “string of pearls” that now makes up Luke 17:1-6. Faith Like a Mustard Seed has nothing to do with sin and forgiveness, but Causing to Stumble does state that it would be better to be thrown into the sea weighted down with a millstone around one’s neck than to cause another person to stumble into sin. The catchphrase “in/into the sea” attracted Faith Like a Mustard Seed to the other two sayings. And since a pre-Lukan redactor would hardly have added “in the sea” to Faith Like a Mustard Seed in order to link it to Causing to Stumble and Reproving a Brother, we must conclude that “in the sea” had been part of Faith Like a Mustard Seed all along.

The “string of pearls” in Luke 17:1-6 also explains the origin of Mark’s “Be thrown into the sea!” as a replacement for “Be planted in the sea!” The author of Mark noticed how both Causing to Stumble and Faith Like a Mustard Seed contained the phrase “in/into the sea,” and he swapped out throwing into the sea for planting in the sea, an idea that is not suitable for mountains.

וְהִנָּטְעִי בַּיָּם (HR). On reconstructing φυτεύειν (fūtevein, “to plant”) with נָטַע (nāṭa‘, “plant”), see Days of the Son of Man, Comment to L26. Instances of נ-ט-ע in the nif‘al stem are found in Isa. 40:24; m. Ohol. 18:2, 3, 4.

On reconstructing θάλασσα (thalassa, “[salt water] sea”) with יָם (yām, “large body of [fresh or salt] water”), see Quieting a Storm, Comment to L16. If we are correct in supposing that in the Hebrew Life of Yeshua Faith Like a Mustard Seed was the sequel to Quieting a Storm, then the “sea” referred to here is the freshwater Lake of Gennesar, more popularly known as the Sea of Galilee.

L19-22 καὶ μὴ διακριθῇ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ πιστεύῃ ὅτι ὃ λαλεῖ γείνεται (Mark 11:23). To compensate for his omission of the imagery of faith the size of a mustard seed, the author of Mark added in L19-22 a description of the kind of faith that is necessary to command nature: one must speak without doubting in his heart, but believing that what he says will determine the outcome. Probably the author of Mark wrote this wordy description in order to explain to his readers, familiar with the original form of the saying, what mustard-seed-sized faith means.^[66] For the author of Mark the quantity of faith was less important than its quality: faith should be unalloyed with misgivings. Many scholars have noted the similarity of Mark’s wording in L19-22 to James 1:6.^[67] Indeed, Mark 11:23-24 has much in common with James 1:5-7, as the following diagram shows:

Mark 11:23-24	James 1:5-7
…whoever might say to this mountain, “Be taken up and be thrown into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but has faith that what he says is taking place, it will be to him. Therefore, I say to you, all that you pray for and ask—believe that you have received it, and it will be to you.	But if one of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from God, the generous giver of all things, who does not reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith and not doubting. For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, windblown and tossed about. So let this person not suppose he will receive anything from the Lord….

Both Mark and James refer to asking in prayer, having faith, not doubting, receiving, and having the prayer answered (it will be to you ∥ it will be given to him), and both passages refer to the sea. Such a constellation of vocabulary, themes and images can hardly be coincidental. Whereas most scholars have assumed that the author of James may have drawn on the saying of Jesus, Lindsey believed the author of Mark reworked the saying of Jesus on the basis of James.^[68] Supposing the author of Mark relied on James 1:5-7 would explain the otherwise baffling jump in Mark’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed from a discussion of the working of miracles in Mark 11:22-23 to a discussion of prayer in Mark 11:24-25. These verses in James formed the mental bridge between the “string of pearls” in Luke 17:1-6, from which Faith Like a Mustard Seed was taken, and the block on prayer in Luke 11:1-13, which supplied the raw material from which Mark 11:24 (≈ Luke 11:9-10) and Mark 11:25 (≈ Luke 11:4) were created (see below, Comment to L26-31, and Withered Fig Tree, under the subheading “Conjectured Stages of Transmission”).

Since L19-22 are the product of Markan redaction, we have omitted these lines from GR and HR.

L23 καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ὑμῖν (GR). Not only are we inclined to accept Luke’s wording in L23 for GR in view of FR’s overall fidelity to Anth., but the use of ὑπακούειν (hūpakouein, “to listen”) in the sense of “obey” is especially Hebraic, paralleling the use of שָׁמַע (shāma‘, “hear”) in the sense of “obey.” Moreover, the verb ὑπακούειν is a key term that links Faith Like a Mustard Seed to Quieting a Storm. In Quieting a Storm the disciples wonder how it is that the wind and the water obey Jesus. In Faith Like a Mustard Seed Jesus assures the disciples that by faith the forces of nature will become obedient to them.

Matthew’s γενήσεται (genēsetai, “it will be done”) in Matt. 21:21 represents the author of Matthew’s simplification of Mark’s expansive “whoever…believes that what he speaks is [γείνεται]—it will be to him” (Mark 11:23). Matthew’s καὶ μεταβήσεται in Matt. 17:20 employs Matthean redactional vocabulary (see above, Comment to L16) and therefore is unlikely to reflect the wording of Anth.

וְשׁוֹמַעַת לָכֶם (HR). On reconstructing the verb ὑπακούειν (hūpakouein, “to listen”) with שָׁמַע (shāma‘, “hear”), see Quieting a Storm, Comment to L58.

L24-25 καὶ οὐδὲν ἀδυνατήσει ὑμῖν (Matt. 17:20). The version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed the author of Matthew incorporated into Boy Delivered from Demon concludes with an affirmation (“and nothing will be impossible for you”) which is absent from all the other versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed. As scholars have pointed out, this additional affirmation is redactional; it compensates for the author of Matthew’s omission of the part of Mark’s version of Boy Delivered from Demon that has Jesus state, πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι (“all [things] are possible to the one who believes”; Mark 9:23).^[69] Corroboration for this determination is found in the style of Matthew’s wording in L24-25, which is quite un-Hebraic.^[70] In light of the redactional nature of Matthew’s wording in L24-25, we have omitted these lines from GR and HR.

L26-31 As we noted above in Comment to L19-22, the author of Mark’s use of James 1:5-7 to explain his understanding of what “faith like a mustard seed” means put him in mind of prayer. Prayer is not a topic addressed in Luke 17:1-6, the “string of pearls” from which the author of Mark drew his version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed, but the other “pearls” on this “string” do have themes (viz., temptation [Causing to Stumble], forgiveness [Reproving a Brother]) that are intimately related to prayer. Both forgiveness and temptation are mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4), and so it was to Luke 11:1-13, the section in Luke in which the Lord’s Prayer appears, that the author of Mark turned to fill out the answer Jesus gives in response to Peter’s and the disciples’ reaction to the Withered Fig Tree episode. There he found in “Ask, Seek, Knock” (Luke 11:9-10), the application of the Friend in Need simile, a saying that is similar to James 1:5-7 in that it gives assurance that those who ask God will receive. Mark 11:24 (L26-31) is the author of Mark’s adaptation of “Ask, Seek, Knock” to the Faith Like a Mustard Seed context.^[71] Following his adaptation of “Ask, Seek, Knock” the author of Mark added a saying about forgiveness (Mark 11:25), which is the author of Mark’s distillation of the teaching on forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:4).^[72] Since in the Lord’s Prayer the petition against temptation follows the petition for forgiveness, we can see why the author of Mark thought Mark 11:25 made a fitting counterpoint to the sayings on temptation and forgiveness in the “string of pearls” in Luke 17:1-6.

As a commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, Mark’s advice that the praying community should trust that they have received what they have asked for and it will be granted (i.e., the sanctification of God’s name, the coming of God’s kingdom, provision of daily bread, forgiveness, and protection against temptation) is sound. But in relation to Withered Fig Tree, the promise that whatever anyone requests will be granted so long as the person praying believes it has been given is grotesque. Many people who have no doubts about their convictions pray for monstrous things. What a relief that, though their faith does not waver, their evil desires are not granted!^[73]

Did the author of Mark leave enough bread crumbs for his readers on the trail which led from Withered Fig Tree to Faith Like a Mustard Seed and from there, via James 1:5-7, to the Lord’s Prayer to enable those readers to follow him? The author of Matthew, for one, recognized that Mark 11:25 relates to the Lord’s Prayer, and for that reason he appended his version of this verse to the end of the prayer (Matt. 6:14).^[74] But the author of Matthew left the extraordinary promise given in Mark 11:24 in place (= Matt. 21:22) without a trail leading back to the Lord’s Prayer.

Since we do not believe that Mark 11:24 is an original part of Faith Like a Mustard Seed, we have omitted L26-31 from GR and HR.

L27-28 πάντα ὅσα προσεύχεσθε καὶ αἰτεῖσθε (Mark 11:24). The style in which Mark 11:24 is composed is un-Hebraic. The phrase “all that you pray and ask” is particularly resistant to Hebrew retroversion. Delitzsch rendered Mark 11:24 as עַל כֵּן אֲנִי אֹמֵר לָכֶם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁאֲלוּ בִתְפִלַּתְכֶם הַאֲמִינוּ כִּי תִקָּחוּ וִיהִי לָכֶם (“Therefore, I say to you, all that you ask in your prayer,^[75] trust that you will receive, and it will be to you”). Lindsey’s Hebrew translation of Mark 11:24 is closer to the Greek text, but Lindsey still had to stretch to make the sentence work in Hebrew: עַל כֵּן אֲנִי אֹמֵר לָכֶם עַל כָּל אֲשֶׁר תִּתְפַּלְּלוּ וּתְבַקְּשׁוּ הַאֲמִינוּ שֶׁקִּבַּלְתֶּם אוֹתוֹ וְהָיָה לָכֶם (“Therefore, I say to you, concerning everything you pray and ask, trust that you have received it, and it will be to you”).^[76]

L29 ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ (Matt. 21:22). Matthew’s “all that you might ask in prayer” is more elegant Greek than Mark’s “all that you pray and ask.”^[77] As such, Matthew’s wording in L29 is more likely due to the author of Matthew’s polishing of Mark’s rough Greek than a reflection of the wording of Anth.

L30-31 πιστεύετε ὅτι ἐλάβετε καὶ ἔσται ὑμῖν (Mark 11:24). Mark’s wording, “trust that you have received, and it will be to you,” is clunky, but the phrase “and it will be to you” echoes L23 (“it will be to him”), so it helps to tie Mark 11:23 and Mark 11:24 together. The imperative πιστεύετε (pistevete, “Trust!” “Believe!”) does not occur at all in Matthew, occurs only once in Luke (Luke 8:50 = Mark 5:36), but occurs 4xx in Mark (Mark 1:15; 5:36; 11:24; 13:21). The comparatively high frequency of this imperative in Mark shows that exhortation to proper belief was one of the author of Mark’s redactional concerns. The author of Matthew streamlined Mark’s sentence by writing, “[whatever you ask in prayer] while believing, you will receive.”^[78] The better Greek style shows that Matthew’s wording is not due to his reliance on Anth.

Redaction Analysis

Faith Like a Mustard Seed has reached us in four canonical versions: one each in Luke and Mark, and two versions in Matthew. Unfortunately, because of the author of Luke’s reliance on FR for Faith Like a Mustard Seed, the author of Mark’s radical reworking of Jesus’ saying to fit it (albeit awkwardly) to the Withered Fig Tree context, and the author of Matthew’s intensive editorial activity, we do not have direct access to Anth.’s version of this pericope. Nevertheless, wherever Matt. 21:21 agrees with Luke against Mark, and wherever Matt. 17:20 agrees with Luke, Anth.’s wording emerges through the redactional layers, giving us a relatively high level of certainty regarding our reconstruction of the pre-synoptic versions of Jesus’ saying.

Luke’s Version^[79]

Faith Like a Mustard Seed
Luke		Anthology
Total Words:	34	Total Words:	23
Total Words Identical to Anth.:	23	Total Words Taken Over in Luke:	23
% Identical to Anth.:	67.65	% of Anth. in Luke:	100
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There is no reason to suspect that the author of Luke modified FR’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed, and since the First Reconstructor was remarkably faithful to Anth., Luke’s version of this pericope is very close to the original form of the saying. The most important change the First Reconstructor made to Faith Like a Mustard Seed was to provide it with a brief narrative introduction (L1-3). Even this introduction was constructed from information the First Reconstructor gleaned from Anth.’s version of the saying: the use of “Lord” in L2 is probably due to the attribution of the saying to the “Lord” in Anth. (L5). Aside from these changes, it is also possible that the First Reconstructor improved the Greek style of Jesus’ saying by inserting the particle ἄν in L14 and L23. Otherwise, FR’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed is a faithful replica of Anth.

Mark’s Version^[80]

Faith Like a Mustard Seed
Mark		Anthology
Total Words:	38	Total Words:	23
Total Words Identical to Anth.:	5	Total Words Taken Over in Mark:	5
% Identical to Anth.:	13.16	% of Anth. in Mark:	21.74
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In Mark’s Gospel Faith Like a Mustard Seed forms part of Jesus’ teaching in response to the Withered Fig Tree episode. While Mark’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed bears some resemblance to Luke’s, the wording and imagery has been drastically altered under force of the author of Mark’s editorial pen. The image of mustard-seed-sized faith has been omitted in favor of an admonition not to doubt, and the image of uprooting a sycamore fig tree has been replaced with ordering a mountain to remove itself. In part, the author of Mark reworked Jesus’ saying in light of James 1:5-7, a passage that warns against doubt in the context of prayer. Characteristic of Markan redaction are the “pseudo-Hebraisms” in L4-5 (“and answering…he says”) and L7 (“Amen, I say to you”), and the use of the historical present in L5. As a result of these changes Mark’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed contains very little of Anth.’s wording.

To the end of his version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed (L26-31) the author of Mark attached a saying on answers to prayer (Mark 11:24). The introduction of the prayer theme into the Withered Fig Tree context was suggested to the author of Mark by his allusion to James 1:5-7, but the wording of Mark 11:24 is indebted to “Ask, Seek, Knock” (Luke 11:9-10), which belongs to a larger unit on prayer (Luke 11:1-13). From this same unit the author of Mark distilled the teaching on forgiveness contained in the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:4 ≈ Mark 11:25), which the author of Mark used to close out the teaching given in response to the Withered Fig Tree episode. The themes of faith, prayer and forgiveness in Mark 11:22-25 are a distorted reflection of the themes of temptation, forgiveness and faith in Luke 17:1-6, the “string of pearls” from which the author of Mark plucked Faith Like a Mustard Seed.

Matthew’s Versions^[81]

Faith Like a Mustard Seed
Matthew 17:20		Anthology
Total Words:	31	Total Words:	23
Total Words Identical to Anth.:	8	Total Words Taken Over in Matt.:	8
% Identical to Anth.:	25.81	% of Anth. in Matt.:	34.78
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Faith Like a Mustard Seed
Matthew 21:21-22		Anthology
Total Words:	34	Total Words:	23
Total Words Identical to Anth.:	5	Total Words Taken Over in Matt.:	5
% Identical to Anth.:	14.71	% of Anth. in Matt.:	21.74
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Finding two widely divergent versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed in his two sources (Anth. and Mark), the author of Matthew decided to work both versions of Jesus’ saying into his Gospel. The first version (Matt. 17:20), taken from Anth., the author of Matthew worked into Jesus’ teaching in Boy Delivered from Demon. The second version (Matt. 21:21-22), taken from Mark, appears where Mark placed it—in the context of the Withered Fig Tree episode. Despite wishing to present both versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed separately, the author of Matthew partially harmonized the two versions in a process we refer to as “Matthean cross-pollination.” In other words, some of Anth.’s wording has crept into the version parallel to Mark’s (L8), and some of Mark’s wording has crept into the version taken from Anth. (L7, L15). Nevertheless, both versions retain, or have been redactionally endowed with, unique features. Thus, the version in Matt. 17:20 is the only Matthean version to mention mustard-seed-sized faith (L9), it is the only canonical version to omit a reference to the sea (L18)—an omission due to Matthean redaction—and it is the only canonical version to add the promise that nothing will be impossible for the one having faith (L24-25), a detail added to integrate Faith Like a Mustard Seed into the Boy Delivered from Demon context. Likewise, the version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed in the Withered Fig Tree context is the only Matthean version to mention doubt (L10)—a concession to Mark—and the only canonical version to explicitly refer back to the unfortunate fig tree in the Faith Like a Mustard Seed saying itself (L11-13). Because of changes such as these, Matthew’s versions are unreliable guides to reconstructing Anth.’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed. Nevertheless, Matthew’s versions are of great value for the purposes of reconstruction, inasmuch as they are able in their agreements with Luke to confirm the originality of Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed.

Results of This Research

1. In what context did Jesus deliver the Faith Like a Mustard Seed saying? None of the contexts in which Faith Like a Mustard Seed appears in Matthew, Mark and Luke are original. However, important themes and vocabulary in Faith Like a Mustard Seed suggest that this saying may have been spoken in response to the disciples’ musings at the end of Quieting a Storm. The Anthologizer was known to separate teachings from narratives, and apparently the Anthologizer thought Faith Like a Mustard Seed could stand on its own. When the First Reconstructor found Faith Like a Mustard Seed, it must have belonged to a compilation of sayings devoid of a narrative setting, which is why the First Reconstructor provided one of his own. In FR’s redactional context the message of Faith Like a Mustard Seed is that, with respect to faith, what is important is quality not quantity, for in response to a request for more faith Jesus replies that a mustard seed’s quantity of real faith is sufficient to work miracles. In this respect Mark’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed is similar: the quality of faith is determinative. If faith is unalloyed by doubt, it is capable of accomplishing anything. If we are correct in placing Faith Like a Mustard Seed in the context of Quieting a Storm, then the original message of Jesus’ saying was this: Speculations about who I am are not important. If you have the least bit of faith, you too will be able to participate powerfully in God’s redeeming reign over his creation.

2. Did the original version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed refer to a sycamore fig tree or to a mountain? We believe the original version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed referred to uprooting a sycamore fig tree, since we can find no cogent reason why the author of Luke would have wanted to change “mountain” to “sycamore.” When the author of Mark inserted Faith Like a Mustard Seed into the Withered Fig Tree context, he had to change “sycamore” to something else, because Jesus was standing next to the cursed fig tree. While changing “sycamore” to “fig tree” would have been the obvious choice, the author of Mark was prevented by his need for the withered fig tree to remain in its place until the Son of Man’s coming. For various reasons, the author of Mark found “mountain” to be a suitable replacement.

3. Which mountain was “this mountain” in the Markan and Matthean versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed? The answer depends on at which version the question is directed. In Mark’s version Jesus refers to “this mountain” while standing on the Mount of Olives. The LXX version of Zech. 14:4 implies that in the eschaton the Mount of Olives will be split apart, and a section will be moved “toward the sea.” We know the author of Mark was familiar with this verse because he molded his version of Temple’s Destruction Foretold to allude to Zechariah’s prophecy. So it may be that the author of Mark intended “this mountain” in Faith Like a Mustard Seed to refer to the Mount of Olives.^[82]

In the version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed embedded in Boy Delivered from Demon (Matt. 17:20), the author of Matthew probably intended for “this mountain” to refer to the mountain upon which Jesus was transfigured (Matt. 17:1-8), since it is as Jesus descends from this mountain (Matt. 17:9) that Boy Delivered from Demon (Matt. 17:14-20) begins.^[83] In the Matthean version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed that appears in the context of Withered Fig Tree, the author of Matthew may have understood “this mountain” to be a reference to the Mount of Olives, as in Mark, or, given that the Mount of Olives overlooks the Temple, it is possible that the author of Matthew understood “this mountain” as a reference to the Temple Mount (in which case, however, “that mountain” would have been more appropriate).^[84] The author of Matthew’s anti-Jewish bias makes this latter suggestion plausible, but since, like the author of Mark, the author of Matthew was well acquainted with the book of Zechariah,^[85] which prophesies the removal of part of the Mount of Olives, it is difficult to decide.

Conclusion

Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed, which of all the canonical versions is probably closest to the original saying, makes a fitting sequel to Quieting a Storm. When Faith Like a Mustard Seed is attached to the end of Quieting a Storm, we see Jesus characteristically turning his followers away from speculations about his person and focusing their intention instead on how they can become participants in God’s redeeming reign over his creation.

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• ^[1] For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.’” ↩
• ^[2] This translation is a dynamic rendition of our reconstruction of the conjectured Hebrew source that stands behind the Greek of the Synoptic Gospels. It is not a translation of the Greek text of a canonical source. ↩
• ^[3] See Davies-Allison, 2:726. ↩
• ^[4] See Charles A. Wanamaker, “Mark 11:25 and the Gospel of Matthew,” in Studia Biblica 1978: II Papers on the Gospels (ed. E. A. Livingstone; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1980), 329-337, esp. 331. ↩
• ^[5] See Bultmann, 25; Bundy, 430-431 §333; Knox, 1:82; Beare, Earliest, 206 §198-201; Meier, Marginal, 2:888, 890; Evans, Mark, 185. How, then, did the author of Mark happen to connect Faith Like a Mustard Seed to Withered Fig Tree? As we discussed in Withered Fig Tree, it may be that while composing the Withered Fig Tree story the author of Mark was reminded of the sycamore fig tree in Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed. The collection of sayings with which Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed appears then influenced the answer the author of Mark had Jesus give to the disciples. Whereas Luke presented a series of sayings about temptation (Luke 17:1-2), forgiveness (Luke 17:3-4) and wonder-working faith (Luke 17:5-6), Mark presents a series of sayings about wonder-working faith (Mark 11:22-23), answers to prayer (Mark 11:24) and forgiveness (Mark 11:25). See Withered Fig Tree, under the subheading “Conjectured Stages of Transmission.” ↩
• ^[6] See Withered Fig Tree, under the “Conjectured Stages of Transmission” subheading. ↩
• ^[7] The author of Matthew’s placement of his second version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed as the continuation of Withered Fig Tree was picked up from Mark. ↩
• ^[8] See Theissen, Gospels, 241-242; Luz, 2:406. ↩
• ^[9] Cf. McNeile, 256; Davies-Allison, 2:726-727; Luz, 2:409. ↩
• ^[10] Noticing the logical inconsistency of Matthew’s presentation, some early Christian scribes changed Matthew’s “little faith” in Matt. 17:20 to “no faith” (see Metzger, 43). These scribes portrayed Jesus as making a rational argument: you failed because you had no faith, you would have succeeded if you had possessed even a tiny amount of faith. The artificial and ultimately unsuccessful linking together of Boy Delivered from Demon and Faith Like a Mustard Seed is not the only example of poor critical thinking and/or sloppiness in Matthean redaction. A prime example is the dialogue the author of Matthew created between John the Baptist and Jesus at Jesus’ baptism. The author of Matthew does not explain how John recognized Jesus or why, having recognized Jesus as the Coming One prior to Jesus’ baptism, he later forgot and had to send disciples to Jesus to ask whether or not Jesus was the One Who Is to Come. See Yeshua’s Immersion, Comment to L12-22. ↩
• ^[11] Other examples of FR “strings of pearls” are found in Luke 8:16-18; 9:23-27; 16:16-18. On the “strings of pearls” scattered about in Luke’s Gospel as stemming from FR, see LOY Excursus: Sources of the “Strings of Pearls” in Luke’s Gospel. ↩
• ^[12] See our discussion of Luke 15:1-2 in Call of Levi, under the “Story Placement” subheading. It appears that neither the author of Luke nor the First Reconstructor knew the original context to which Faith Like a Mustard Seed belonged. We therefore conclude that Faith Like a Mustard Seed had already been separated from Quieting a Storm in FR’s source, the Anthology (Anth.). It was the Anthologizer who was known to separate teachings from incidents, resulting in the discomposure of Jesus’ biography. ↩
• ^[13] Scholars who adhere to the Two-Source solution to the Synoptic Problem typically attribute Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed to “Q.” See Streeter, 284; Manson, Sayings, 141; Bundy, 314 §187, 385 §291; Knox, 1:103; Claus-Hunno Hunzinger, “σίναπι,” TDNT, 7:287-291, esp. 289; Marshall, 643; Fitzmyer, 2:1141; Catchpole, 280; Bovon, 2:492; Luz, 2:406. ↩
• ^[14] Cf. McNeile (256) and Manson (Sayings, 140), who identify Matthew’s source for Matt. 17:20 as Q. ↩
• ^[15] Cf. McNeile, 256; Streeter, 284; Kilpatrick, 88; Bundy, 314 §187, 385 §291; Marshall, 643; Fitzmyer, 2:1142; Davies-Allison, 2:726; Bovon, 2:492; Luz, 2:406. On cross-pollination between similar sayings in Matthew, see Sending the Twelve: Conduct in Town, Comment to L115-122, and Woes on Three Villages, Comment to L24-28. ↩
• ^[16] One version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed in the Gospel of Thomas reads:

  Jesus said: If two make peace with each other in this one house, they shall say to the mountain: “Be moved”, and it shall be moved. (Gos. Thom. §48 [ed. Guillaumont, 29])

  The other version reads:

  Jesus said: When you make the two one, you shall become sons of Man, and when you say: “Mountain, be moved”, it will be moved. (Gos. Thom. §106 [ed. Guillaumont, 53])

  On the versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed in Thomas, see Meier, Marginal, 2:982 n. 48. ↩

• ^[17] See Creed, 215; Manson, Sayings, 141; idem, Teaching, 241; Bundy, 385 §291; Beare, Earliest, 183 §180; Marshall, 643; Fitzmyer, 2:1142; Nolland, Luke, 2:836; Bovon, 2:492. On the other hand, Knox (1:83) thought the apostles’ request for faith was original. ↩
• ^[18] On the attribution of Luke 9:1-6, 10 to FR, see Sending the Twelve: Commissioning, under the subheading “Conjectured Stages of Transmission,” and Return of the Twelve, under the subheading “Conjectured Stages of Transmission.” ↩
• ^[19] On reconstructing ἀποκρίνειν…λέγειν as וַיַּעַן…וַיֹּאמֶר, see Call of Levi, Comment to L56 and Comment to L58. ↩
• ^[20] On the author of Mark’s redactional use of ἀποκρίνειν…λέγειν, see Withered Fig Tree, Comment to L11. ↩
• ^[21] See Widow’s Son in Nain, Comment to L10. ↩
• ^[22] Cf. Meier, Marginal, 2:982 n. 48. ↩
• ^[23] See Davies-Allison, 2:725; Luz, 2:409. ↩
• ^[24] On the author of Mark’s tendency to insert ἀμὴν λέγω σοι/ὑμῖν, see Sign-Seeking Generation, Comment to L30. ↩
• ^[25] See Gundry, Matt., 352. The insertion of γάρ (gar, “for”) into the “Amen!” phrase of Matt. 17:20 is the author of Matthew’s own redactional contribution. See Gundry, Matt., 352; Nolland, Matt., 716. Neither the Gospel of Mark nor the Gospel of Luke ever has γάρ inserted into an “Amen!” formula, whereas in Matthew’s Gospel it occurs 4xx (Matt. 5:18; 10:23; 13:17; 17:20). On the other hand, we accepted Matthew’s ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν in Matt. 13:17 for GR in Blessedness of the Twelve, L9-10. ↩
• ^[26] Pace Nolland, Luke, 2:836; Evans, Mark, 187. ↩
• ^[27] See Bundy, 431 §333. ↩
• ^[28] Some scholars have preferred Matthew’s ἐάν + subjunctive on the assumption that the author of Luke often wrote εἰ in place of ἐάν (cf., e.g., Harnack, 91; Catchpole, 280), but Cadbury (Style, 141) challenged the grounds for that assumption. On the nuances of Luke’s conditional clause, see Fitzmyer, 2:1142-1143; Nolland, Luke, 2:838-839; Bovon, 2:496; Wolter, 2:291. ↩
• ^[29] See Gundry, Matt., 417; Nolland, Matt., 853; Luz, 3:21 n. 8. ↩
• ^[30] See Bundy, 431 §333; Gundry, Matt., 417; Davies-Allison, 3:153; Luz, 3:21. See also Wanamaker, “Mark 11:25 and the Gospel of Matthew,” 331. ↩
• ^[31] See McNeile, 303; Luz, 3:21 n. 4. ↩
• ^[32] See Gundry, Matt., 417. On the author of Matthew’s redactional use of μόνος, see Withered Fig Tree, Comment to L9. ↩
• ^[33] See Possessed Man in Girgashite Territory, Comment to L101. ↩
• ^[34] Delitzsch rendered τὸ τῆς συκῆς (to tēs sūkēs, “the [matter] of the fig tree”) in Matt. 21:21 as מַעֲשֵׂה הַתְּאֵנָה הַזֹּאת (ma‘^asēh hat^e’ēnāh hazo’t, “the incident of this fig tree”). ↩
• ^[35] See Gundry, Matt., 417-418. ↩
• ^[36] On Markan inversions of Luke’s word order and sentence structure, see LOY Excursus: Mark’s Editorial Style, under the subheading “Mark’s Freedom and Creativity.” ↩
• ^[37] Nevertheless, συκάμινος could be used to denote either the mulberry or the sycamore fig tree. See Claus-Hunno Hunzinger, “συκάμινος, συκομορέα,” TDNT, 7:758. ↩
• ^[38] On sycamore fig trees, see Zohary, 68-69. Sycamores are related to, but a distinct species from, the true fig tree. One of the distinguishing characteristics is that sycamores bear their fruit directly from the trunk and the larger boughs rather than from the ends of the branches as do fig trees. The fruit of the sycamore is also inferior to that of the fig tree. ↩
• ^[39] See Manson, Sayings, 141; Catchpole, 280; Vermes, Authentic, 219 n. 3; Bovon, 2:496. The sycamore’s deep-rootedness is alluded to in m. Bab. Bat. 2:11 and in the following saying:

  תני רבי ישמעאל בן אלעזר אומר אין הארץ שותה אלא לפי חיסומה. אם כן מה יעשה שורשי חרוב מה יעשו שורשי שקמה

  It was taught [in a baraita]: Rabbi Yishmael ben Eleazar says, “The earth does not absorb water deeper than its top layer.” If so, what do the roots of the carob tree do? What do the roots of the sycamore fig tree do? (y. Ber. 9:2 [65b]; cf. Gen. Rab. 13:17 [ed. Theodor-Albeck, 1:125-126])

  ↩
• ^[40] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1301; Manson, Sayings, 141; Bovon, 2:496. ↩
• ^[41] See Jastrow, 1659. On mulberries, see Zohary, 71. ↩
• ^[42] Cf., e.g., Creed, 215; Harnack, 91. ↩
• ^[43] The noun συκῆ occurs 3xx in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 13:6, 7; 21:29). See Moulton-Geden, 915. The first two instances occur in a parable about a fig tree that is unique to Luke’s Gospel. ↩
• ^[44] See Evans, Mark, 188. ↩
• ^[45] See Knox, 1:83. ↩
• ^[46] For the assumption that Paul in 1 Cor. 13:2 alluded to Faith Like a Mustard Seed, see McNeile, 256; Manson, Sayings, 140; Schweizer, 353; Beare, Matt., 420; Davies-Allison, 2:727; Gundry, Mark, 652; Keener, 441; Collins, 532. See also Peter Richardson and Peter Gooch, “Logia of Jesus in 1 Corinthians,” in The Jesus Tradition Outside the Gospels (ed. David Wenham; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984), 39-62, esp. 46-47. ↩
• ^[47] But see Manson, Sayings, 140-141; Davies-Allison, 2:727. ↩
• ^[48] The uprooting of mountains as a metaphor for great achievements occurs in rabbinic sources in, e.g., b. Ber. 64a; b. Sanh. 24a; b. Hor. 14a. See the discussions of this metaphor in Knox, 2:104; Jeremias, Theology, 161. ↩
• ^[49] Davies and Allison, citing sources such as Isa. 54:10; Homer, Od. 5:480-485; Jos., Ant. 2:333; T. Sol. 23:1, claimed that “moving mountains” was a proverbial expression (Davies-Allison, 2:727 n. 31), but these sources do not justify their conclusion. In the Odyssey Homer describes the cyclops hurling a mountain top at Odysseus. This is an action, not a proverb. In Antiquities Josephus describes God’s ability to level mountains and make dry land appear while retelling the story of the crossing of the Red Sea. Again, moving a mountain is not a proverb. In the Testament of Solomon a demon boasts that he is able to move mountains, but he means this quite literally, and in any case the Testament of Solomon has been heavily influenced by the canonical Gospels. ↩
• ^[50] See Robert L. Lindsey, “Introduction to A Hebrew Translation of the Gospel of Mark,” under the subheading “Sources of the Markan Pick-ups”; idem, “Measuring the Disparity Between Matthew, Mark and Luke,” under the subheading “Further Proof of Mark’s Dependence on Luke”; idem, “From Luke to Mark to Matthew: A Discussion of the Sources of Markan ‘Pick-ups’ and the Use of a Basic Non-canonical Source by All the Synoptists,” under the subheading “An Examination of the Editorial Activity of the First Reconstructor,” Comment to L114. Richardson and Gooch (“Logia of Jesus in 1 Corinthians,” 60-61 n. 33) discuss the possibility of Pauline influence on the synoptic tradition, but only in relation to the Gospel of Luke. ↩
• ^[51] The notion that faith has the power to uproot a sycamore has a parallel in the story of an early tannaic dispute over ritual purity. Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus (first cent. C.E.) was so confident of his opinion that he demanded miraculous validation:

  אם הלכה כמותי חרוב זה יוכיח נעקר חרוב ממקומו מאה אמה

  “If the halachah is according to my opinion,” [Rabbi Eliezer said,] “this carob tree will prove it!” The carob tree was uprooted a hundred cubits from its spot. (b. Bab. Metz. 59b)

  Thus, Rabbi Eliezer’s confidence parallels the faith Jesus encouraged his disciples to exercise, and the uprooting of Rabbi Eliezer’s carob tree parallels the uprooting of the sycamore in Faith Like a Mustard Seed. ↩

• ^[52] Cf. Nolland, Matt., 853; France, Matt., 795 n. 19. ↩
• ^[53] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1301. ↩
• ^[54] See Dos Santos, 216. ↩
• ^[55] The Bible Study took place on 18 October 2013. An audio recording of the Bible Study can be accessed at this link: https://s3.amazonaws.com/narkisbs/To%20Be%20Thrown%20in%20the%20Sea%20–%20Randall%20Buth.mp3. ↩
• ^[56] See Davies-Allison, 2:726. ↩
• ^[57] The verb μεταβαίνειν occurs in Matt. 8:34; 11:1; 12:9; 15:29; 17:20 (2xx). ↩
• ^[58] See Moulton-Geden, 636. ↩
• ^[59] The verbs נָטַע (nāṭa‘, “plant”) and עָקַר (‘āqar, “uproot”) are paired, for instance, in Eccl. 3:2; m. Kil. 3:6. ↩
• ^[60] See Hagner, 2:606; Vermes, Authentic, 219 n. 3. ↩
• ^[61] Presumably this is the reason why Catchpole (280) omitted καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ from his reconstruction of Q. ↩
• ^[62] See Fitzmyer, 2:1144; Evans, Mark, 188; Vermes, Authentic, 219 n. 3. ↩
• ^[63] See Manson, Sayings, 141. ↩
• ^[64] According to Schweizer (353), “a tree or a mountain rising out of the sea serves as an image for something that is impossible” in Greek literature. Unfortunately, Schweizer did not cite any sources in support of his claim. ↩
• ^[65] On Amos 6:12 and the textual issues involved, see Shalom M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991), 218. ↩
• ^[66] See Hunzinger, “σίναπι,” 290. Cf. Taylor, 466; Davies-Allison, 2:727. ↩
• ^[67] Cf., e.g., Plummer, Mark, 266; McNeile, 303; Knox, 2:103-104; Davies-Allison, 2:727; Gundry, Mark, 652. ↩
• ^[68] See Lindsey, “Measuring the Disparity Between Matthew, Mark and Luke,” under the subheading “Further Proof of Mark’s Dependence on Luke”; LOY Excursus: Catalog of Markan Stereotypes and Possible Markan Pick-ups, under the entry for Mark 11:24. ↩
• ^[69] See A. B. Bruce, 233; Davies-Allison, 2:726; Nolland, Matt., 717 n. 116. ↩
• ^[70] Delitzsch’s translation of καὶ οὐδὲν ἀδυνατήσει ὑμῖν (kai ouden adūnatēsei hūmin, “and nothing will be impossible for you”) in Matt. 17:20 as וְאֵין דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר יִבָּצֵר מִכֶּם (v^e’ēn dāvār ’^asher yibātzēr mikem, “and there is not a thing that will be withheld from you”) is based on Job 42:2, where the LXX translators rendered וְלֹא יִבָּצֵר מִמְּךָ מְזִמָּה (v^elo’ yibātzēr mim^echā m^ezimāh, “and no purpose will be withheld from you”) as ἀδυνατεῖ δέ σοι οὐθέν (adūnatei de soi outhen, “but nothing is impossible for you”). But the LXX translators’ non-literal rendering of Job 42:2 is shaky grounds for detecting a Hebrew undertext behind Matthew’s wording in L24-25. ↩
• ^[71] Cf. Bundy, 431 §333; Nolland, Matt., 855. ↩
• ^[72] See Lord’s Prayer, Comment to L9 and Comment to L27-38. ↩
• ^[73] Cf. Luz, 3:24. ↩
• ^[74] See Lord’s Prayer, Comment to L27-38. Cf. Wanamaker, “Mark 11:25 and the Gospel of Matthew,” 332. ↩
• ^[75] Here Delitzsch appears to be translating Matt. 21:22 (πάντα ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσητε ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ [“all that you might ask in prayer”]) instead of Mark’s πάντα ὅσα προσεύχεσθε καὶ αἰτεῖσθε (“all that you pray and ask”). ↩
• ^[76] See Lindsey, HTGM, 133. ↩
• ^[77] See Nolland, Matt., 854-855. ↩
• ^[78] See Luz, 3:21 n. 8. ↩
• ^[79]

  Faith Like a Mustard Seed
  Luke’s Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed)
  καὶ εἶπαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τῷ κυρίῳ πρόσθες ἡμῖν πίστιν εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε ἂν τῇ συκαμείνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ἂν ὑμῖν		εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ὑμῖν
  Total Words:	34	Total Words:	23
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	23	Total Words Taken Over in Luke:	23
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	67.65%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Luke:	100.00%

  ↩

• ^[80]

  Faith Like a Mustard Seed
  Mark’s Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed)
  καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτοῖς ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὃς ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ ἄρθητι καὶ βλήθητι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ μὴ διακριθῇ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ πιστεύῃ ὅτι ὃ λαλεῖ γείνεται		εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ὑμῖν
  Total Words:	38	Total Words:	23
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	5	Total Words Taken Over in Mark:	5
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	13.16%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Mark:	21.74%

  ↩

• ^[81]

  Faith Like a Mustard Seed
  Matthew’s 17:20 Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed)
  ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐτοῖς διὰ τὴν ὀλιγοπιστίαν ὑμῶν ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐρεῖτε τῷ ὄρι τούτῳ μετάβα ἔνθεν ἐκεῖ καὶ μεταβήσεται καὶ οὐδὲν ἀδυνατήσει ὑμῖν		εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ὑμῖν
  Total Words:	31	Total Words:	23
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	8	Total Words Taken Over in Matt.:	8
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	25.81%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Matt.:	34.78%

  Faith Like a Mustard Seed
  Matthew’s 21:21 Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed)
  ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν καὶ μὴ διακριθῆτε οὐ μόνον τὸ τῆς συκῆς ποιήσετε ἀλλὰ κἂν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ εἴπητε ἄρθητι καὶ βλήθητι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν γενήσεται		εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ὑμῖν
  Total Words:	34	Total Words:	23
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	5	Total Words Taken Over in Matt.:	5
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	14.71%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Matt.:	21.74%

  ↩

• ^[82] See Gould, 215; Swete, 259; Bundy, 431 §333; Gundry, Mark, 653-654. See also Eric F. F. Bishop, Jesus of Palestine: The Local Background to the Gospel Documents (London: Lutterworth, 1955), 219. Other scholars think that “this mountain” in Mark’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed refers to the Temple Mount. See Evans, Mark, 188; Marcus, 2:785. ↩
• ^[83] See A. B. Bruce, 233; McNeile, 256; Keener, 442 n. 127; Nolland, Matt., 716. ↩
• ^[84] For the view that “this mountain” in Matt. 21:21 refers to the Mount of Olives, see Gundry, Matt., 418; Keener, 505; France, Matt., 795. For the view that “this mountain” in Matt. 21:21 refers to the Temple Mount, see Beare, Earliest, 183 §180. For scholars who are undecided, see Witherington, 339. Hagner (2:606) believed “this mountain” is generic and therefore does not refer to any mountain in particular. ↩
• ^[85] The author of Matthew alluded to or quoted the book of Zechariah in Matt. 21:5 (cf. Mark 11:3; Luke 19:31); 24:30 (cf. Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27); 26:31 (= Mark 14:27); 27:9 (unparalleled). In addition, the author of Matthew referred to the prophet after whom the book of Zechariah is named in his version of Innocent Blood (Matt. 23:35; cf. Luke 11:51). ↩