Luke: Faith of a mustard seed
The Mulberry Tree - Van Gogh
Luke 17 v 5-6
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 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.
The disciples asked Jesus to increase or deepen their faith.
Jesus then explains all they need is faith the size of a tiny mustard seed and they will see the mulberry tree pulled up with its roots and planted in the sea.
Mulberry Tree
Mulberry trees in Palestine are not the same as the common mulberry (Morus Nigra). The sycamine or mulberry fig is the tree Jesus mentions here.
The sycamine is a deciduous tree which grows to thirty feet tall. Its roots are deep and once established, it is hard to remove. It fruits are prolific, but the taste is bitter. They were a staple food for the poor and strangely they are pollinated by wasps rather than bees
Symbolism
Symbolically, fig trees in the Bible are associated with shame. Fig leaves were used by Adam and Eve to clothe and hide their nakedness, in an attempt to cover up their shame.
If the sycamore-fig represents shame, it shows that guilt from sin pushes its roots deep down into our hearts. Eventually, it will touch every part of our lives and even effect those around us. And just like the roots of the sycamine, sin and shame is impossible to remove without God’s intervention.
Planted in the Sea
The phrase ‘planted in the sea’ sounds like an idiom to me. An example of an idiom is the phrase, ‘Timmy jumped out of his skin’. Clearly, Timmy didn’t literally jump out of his skin. So the idiom denotes that Timmy was very scared.
We see idioms used in several places on the New Testament. In John 10 v 24, Jesus is accused, ‘How long will you take away our life?’ This idiom means, ‘how long will you keep us in suspense?’
A gardener cannot plant something in the sea. It would quickly be washed away and disappear.
So the phrase, could mean the tree is moved to the furthest, most distant place where it will be completely and utterly destroyed.
Believe in God
It is tempting to misread these verses and think that through faith, the Christian has the power to pull the tree up and plant it in the sea. This is not correct. It is God who has the power to do this. The Christian does not. This is why we must have faith and trust in God. So, as Jesus says, all we need is tiny faith to see God move in marvellous and miraculous ways.