If you plan to move something rooted,
From the land to the sea,
You may need a little faith,
The kind that can move a mountain
or even a tree.[1]

There was a man named Earl, a landscaper by trade. His father had started the business over 50 years ago, and Earl followed in his footsteps. For decades, he planted trees, bushes, shrubs, all kinds of greenery, in a quaint little town where he had lived all his life. But things started to change. Development was moving in fast. (I think we can all relate to that here in Florida, urban sprawl is real.) Developers wanted to build, and build ,and build, and soon Earl’s lifelong home was surrounded.

One developer had plans that put Earl’s yard right in the center of a major project so he made Earl an offer he thought couldn’t be refused. But guess what? Earl did refuse. Still, the development went ahead. The city approved it, ordinances were met, and construction began. And everyone knows, with development, of course, comes that lovely acronym: HOA. According to the law, Earl’s property, though not part of the HOA, was entitled to the same privileges, but unlike the others, Earl didn’t have to pay into it. There he was, with his yard and home, sitting in the middle of a planned community, feeling surrounded and wondering where to go next.

Troubled, Earl went to church, a great place to go when you’ve got big questions. And on that Sunday, he heard the parable of the mustard seed. As a landscaper, the story struck a chord. Jesus said, “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.” With that Earl took it literally. He went out and got mustard seeds. Now, if you've seen one before, you know that seed is tiny. A picture was shared in a recent article; it's barely a speck. He planted it right there in his front yard and nothing happened… right away. But four weeks later, it sprouted. Mustard seeds grow quickly from a sprout to a bush, then to a small tree. The wind picked up its seeds and scattered them everywhere. Soon, mustard bushes were popping up all over the neighborhood. Needless to say, his neighbors weren’t thrilled. While they all had their neatly arranged hydrangeas and rosebushes, Earl’s mustard plant was sprawling wild, untamed, unwanted. Its shade extended into neighboring yards. The city got involved. Eventually, Earl trimmed it back but before he did, he placed a sign in front of it that read: “This is what the faith of a mustard seed can do even if it annoys your neighbors.”

Jesus annoyed his neighbors, too. Let’s turn to the image of an etching of this parable, not of a mustard seed exactly, but of two prominent images: a mulberry tree, and way in the background, a mountain. In Matthew’s Gospel (chapter 17), Jesus says that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move a mountain. In Luke’s Gospel (also chapter 17), He says you can uproot a mulberry tree and plant it in the sea. Whether it’s a mountain or a tree, both are massive, stubborn, and deeply grounded or rooted, Jesus says: “You can move that.” [2]

Most of us have never literally moved a mountain. We have seen quarries where vast amounts of rock were moved. It probably required some dynamite, but most of us have never actually moved a mountain. Most of us may, however, have pulled up a few trees and some of them test your faith! Their roots run deep, and they don’t come up without a fight. That’s why Luke’s version uses a mulberry tree as it is notoriously hard to uproot. In Jesus’ time, there were no chainsaws or backhoes. Uprooting a tree meant human effort using axes, pulling, digging, burning. It was back-breaking work. And yet, Jesus says: “With faith as small as a mustard seed, you can do even that.”

Why does Jesus tell this story? Were His disciples landscapers? Was there an Earl among the Twelve? No, but they were about to become the world’s first holy landscapers. Jesus was preparing them to do the hard work of uprooting injustice, tearing down what no longer bore fruit, and planting the seeds of something new, the Church. But even the Church can become deeply rooted in things that need changing. We love the Church especially the memory of it when it was just right, when it felt perfect. But time moves on. The world turns and the Church must adjust.

In Jesus’ time, the temple, the religious system, was rooted in centuries of tradition. It had long preached that the Messiah would come but when He did, they couldn’t see Him. He was too small. Too… mustard-seed-sized. Sometimes, even the Church uses movements to justify staying rooted in what feels safe. Judas may have done that trying to manipulate Jesus to preserve something that had already lost its soul. It wasn’t until after the crucifixion that Judas saw his plan had failed. As stewards of God’s kingdom, we must be mindful of what we are planting, what we are nurturing, and what, perhaps, needs to be uprooted.

Do we have the faith of a mustard seed?

Children develop their faith by watching, watching how we treat others, how we respond to hardship, how we live. Statistics show that if a child is introduced to faith in Jesus before the age of 12, they are more likely to grow into something strong, lasting, and beautiful.

But let’s also be honest with them: this faith can be annoying. It disrupted the world 2,000 years ago. It still does today. The message of Jesus has always made people uncomfortable, but it is also the message the world most needs to hear. Don’t be afraid to share the love of Christ even when it disrupts, even when it challenges, even when it annoys. Because the seed that was planted in your heart, and in the hearts of others, is still growing. Still spreading. Still casting shade in all the right places. And if we have even a speck of faith, that mustard-seed faith, we can move mountains…and yes, even trees.

[1] The Rev. Jon Roberts
[2] Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:5-10