For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20 ESV)
Mountains
After the battle of Waterloo, the British commander, the Duke of Wellington, had his bored soldiers build a mountain. He considered that the creation of that mountain would be a testimony to the faith displayed by those soldiers in defeating (twice) the Perfect General, Napoleon. Build a MOUNTAIN? Impossible! Defeat Napoleon??? Impossible!
That mountain is still there. It is an amazingly beautiful monument… touchable, climbable, and OH what a view!
Jesus was not describing a new method of landscaping. He was claiming that Faith is present in impossible things.
Such as forgiveness. It is impossible for us to earn forgiveness in the eyes of our Holy God. But faith makes the impossible real.
It is impossible for us to be forgiving. Especially when our hurts and righteous anger are entrenched in our memories and our hearts. But faith makes the impossible real.
In fact, faith makes the impossible amazingly beautiful.