Jesus demonstrated praying the impossible. The disciples were surprised that the fig tree had died from the root overnight. Then Jesus had more to say. Mark 11: 22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. [1]
It would seem impossible for anyone to move a mountain into the sea by prayer. Jesus was using this picture to show how strong God is; He can do anything. As we place this verse in the context of the parable of the fig tree and the Temple, we can draw even more meaning from it.
The Geography of the Prayer
Jesus had just acted out a parable comparing the fruitless fig tree with the Temple. Both looked good from a distance but bore no fruit. The people at the Temple had a form of religion but lacked a heart for God. Jesus’ upcoming death and resurrection would be the ultimate sacrifice, making the Temple sacrifices redundant.
The lives of the Jews revolved around the Temple, and they could not imagine anything destroying it. But forty years later, Rome would level Jerusalem and the Temple with it. In essence, the temple mount would be dead. God would move the mountain into the Dead Sea.
Praying with Faith
Jesus took advantage of this teaching time to give the disciples a lesson on faith. To have faith is to depend on God and constantly trust Him. In Jewish thought, a mountain is an image of something hard to move that stands in the way. Human effort can’t move these mountains; only the power of God can.
Zechariah 4:6 Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! [2]
Our faith must be in God and not in faith. Unfortunately, people have isolated this verse and wrongly assumed that you must not have enough faith if you don’t receive a positive answer to your prayer. God is the one who is in control, and we must pray for things in God’s will. The closer we walk with God, the more we will have a heart for His things. God knows what is best for us and always answers. His answers may be yes, wait, or no. His plans are above ours, but we can trust God is always good.
To learn more about praying the impossible, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-fig-tree-and-the-temple
[1,2] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.