What is the meaning of Matthew 21:21? Truly I tell you • Jesus begins with a solemn guarantee. Whenever He uses “Truly I tell you,” He underlines that what follows is absolutely dependable (cf. John 14:6). • By prefacing His statement this way, He is inviting His disciples to stake their confidence on His word alone—just as Scripture elsewhere urges us to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). • The reliability of His promise echoes the unchanging nature of God: “It is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). if you have faith and do not doubt • Faith is active trust in God’s character and promises, as defined in Hebrews 11:1. • Doubt, by contrast, fractures that trust. James 1:6 warns that the doubter is “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” • Jesus is not commending faith in faith, but faith in God Himself—“Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). • The call is to wholehearted confidence, an undivided heart that expects God to be faithful to His own word (Numbers 23:19). not only will you do what was done to the fig tree • Earlier that morning, Jesus had cursed a fruitless fig tree, and it withered instantly (Matthew 21:18-20). The act was both literal and symbolic—judgment on hollow religiosity. • He now assures His followers that they can exercise comparable authority when standing in genuine faith. • This echoes John 14:12: “Whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and he will do even greater things than these.” • The statement underlines that Jesus delegates real, effectual power to those who trust Him and align with His purposes. but even if you say to this mountain • The mountain in view is likely the Mount of Olives, right before them. Jesus uses a concrete, visible object to teach an audacious principle. • Scripture often pictures insurmountable obstacles as “mountains” (Isaiah 40:4; Zechariah 4:7). Here Jesus affirms that literal mountains—and by extension every obstacle—are subject to believing prayer. • Matthew 17:20 reinforces the point: faith the size of a mustard seed moves mountains. Be lifted up and thrown into the sea • The image is drastic: a mountain uprooted and hurled into the Mediterranean. Nothing is too big for God when His people pray in faith. • Parallel imagery appears in Luke 17:6 where a mulberry tree is uprooted by a mere word of faith. • The phrase encourages believers to pray bold, impossible-sized requests that advance God’s kingdom purposes (Ephesians 3:20). it will happen • Jesus affirms the certainty of answered prayer when conditions are met: faith, absence of doubt, and alignment with God’s will (1 John 5:14-15). • Mark 11:24 clarifies the linkage to prayer: “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” • The promise is not a blank check for selfish desires; it presupposes abiding in Christ (John 15:7) and seeking His glory (John 14:13). summary Matthew 21:21 teaches that unwavering faith in God unlocks His miraculous power. Jesus anchors the promise with His personal guarantee, calls for wholehearted trust without doubt, illustrates authority over the fig tree, and escalates to moving mountains—showing that no obstacle can withstand believing prayer aligned with God’s will. When God’s people trust His word, pray boldly, and remain in His purposes, “it will happen.” |
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