✨WEB · Luke 17:6
What does Luke 17:6 mean?
"The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you."
— Luke 17:6 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.
If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say, when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table,’
and will not rather tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me, while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink’?
Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not.
Explanation
Luke 17:6 records Jesus' response to the apostles' request, "Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). Rather than giving them a formula for acquiring more faith, Jesus tells them that the issue is not the quantity of their faith but its presence and genuineness. He says that if they had faith like a mustard seed — proverbially one of the smallest seeds known in that region — they could command a deeply rooted sycamore tree to uproot itself and be planted in the sea, and it would obey. The image is deliberately extreme and almost absurd: trees don't uproot themselves and replant in the ocean. That's the point.
The context matters here. Jesus has just finished teaching the disciples about the seriousness of causing others to stumble, and about the necessity of forgiving someone repeatedly, even "seven times in a day" if they repent each time (Luke 17:1-4). This teaching likely overwhelmed the apostles — forgiving endlessly, avoiding causing offense, living with such moral seriousness — so they cry out for more faith, as if greater faith were the missing ingredient needed to obey such hard commands. Jesus' reply redirects their thinking: the problem isn't a deficit of faith's size but a failure to exercise the faith they already have. Luke, writing to a broader Gentile audience including Theophilus, frequently emphasizes themes of radical discipleship, humility, and the nature of true faith throughout his Gospel, and this episode fits that pattern.
Theologically, this verse teaches that faith is not primar
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.