Resolving the Problem of the Expression “Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed” in Matthew 17:20
Ebenezer Quaye 
Issue: Vol.5 No.14 Issue Article 3 pp.2480-2489
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245143 | Published online 28th November, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Jesus’ use of mustard seed as a simile or an analogy in the description of faith has been translated and interpreted in diverse ways over the years. Whilst some vernacular and English translations referred to the size of the seed, some retained a fair comparison or analogy of the mustard seed to faith without referring to any salient trait or characteristic. Among both laity and scholars, it remains that some conclude, in reference to Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6 that small or little faith is of the essence and to it, acceptable in Christianity and to the Lord. The problem is increased as some also refer to the potency or potentiality of the seed rather than its size. In the attempt to resolve this confusion and to lay bare the veracity of the text in the African context especially, some vernacular translations, as well as English translations (several Africans read the biblical text in English), are compared and analysed vis-à-vis the Greek text. Lexico-syntactical, as well as literary analyses, are applied to the text, especially “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed.” In conclusion, this paper opines that Jesus’ analogy of faith in comparison to the mustard seed refers to the potency or the potentiality of the seed to produce great results although, it is seemingly one of the smallest seeds that nature produces. The emphasis or salient trait in the reference is its potentiality but not its size.
Keywords: Matthean Gospel, Mustard Seed, Faith, Exegesis, Lexico-syntactical, Potentiality
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Ebenezer Quaye, PhD in Theology (New Testament Studies) is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Theological Studies, Valley View University. He is a known transformational author, speaker and influencer through his seminar, workshop, conference and other personal engagements as well as a discussant of diverse issues of global significance. He combines both academic and public speaking in a seamless manner to reach thousands across the world. As a biblicist, he researches in pistology, mother-tongue and translation issues, lexicography, leadership and other areas of global scope that transform societies.
Quaye, Ebenezer. “Resolving the Problem of the Expression “Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed” in Matthew 17:20,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.14 (2024): 2480-2489. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245143
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
