21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Jesus says that in that case the disciples would do not only what was done to the fig tree, but they would also be able to move mountains. He puts it graphically, picturing the disciple as speaking to this mountain (apparently the Mount of Olives), commanding it to be raised up and be thrown into the sea, with the result that the command would be obeyed. Jesus had earlier said much the same thing in slightly different words (17:20; see the note there for Jewish use of the expression), and the meaning here, as there, will be metaphorical. There is no record of any disciple ever moving a literal, physical mountain; for that matter, Jesus himself is not said ever to have done such a pointless thing. But throughout the history of the Christian church mountainous difficulties have often been removed when people have prayed in faith. There can be no doubt that it is this to which Jesus is referring.

22. There is a very similar promise, and again it is related to faith. This time, however, Jesus is not referring to moving mountains but to making requests. Prayer is concerned with a good deal more than making requests of God, but that is certainly part of what it means. Jesus encourages his followers to make their requests in faith (“if you believe”), and his “all things whatever” makes the promise limitless in the possibilities it opens up. The proviso “if you believe” excludes the bringing of purely selfish requests, for they are no part of the outworking of faith. But Jesus is saying that the believer who looks to God for anything at all in the path of Christian service can be confident of an answer to prayer: “you will receive.”

Ver. 21. If ye say to this mountain.—The mountain to which the Lord pointed, was doubtless the hill of the temple itself. It was, like the fig-tree, a figure of the hypocritical character, of the Jewish worship, as it lay in the way of the spread of the gospel, a future hindrance to His disciples in their work. This mountain, the theocratic Judaism, must be cast into the sea of the nations (destruction of Jerusalem), before the Church of Christ could reach its consummation and free development. Certainly this was not to be effected by judicial punishment on the part of the disciples themselves; but it was for them to exhibit symbolically the judgment of God, which would issue in such a translation of the temple mountain, by turning away from the Jews, and carrying the gospel, the true Zion, to the sea of the Gentile world. The displacement of the temple mountain had therefore two points, which, however, here coalesce.

Ver. 22. [And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, etc.—This promise is confined, of course, to prayers of faith (vers. 21 and 22), which implies agreement with the will of God, and excludes the abuse of this promise.—In John, Christ defines believing and effective prayer to be prayer in His name, John 14:13; 15:16; 16:24.—P. S.]

From hence we may LEARN,

1. The danger of a fruitless profession—

[God expects his people to be fruitful in good works. Nor will he acknowledge us as his if we disappoint his expectations. Let us not then be satisfied with the fairest leaves of profession, without bringing forth the fruits of righteousness to his praise and glory. Jesus is assuredly coming soon to inspect us all. He hungers, as it were, after our good fruits. Let us then study to bring forth such, that “our Beloved may come into his garden and eat with pleasure.” And let us dread lest we provoke him to make our sin our punishment, and lest, being “filled with our own ways,” our “nakedness appear unto all.”]

2. The true source of all our fruitfulness—

[Jesus, in cursing the fig-tree, had nothing to do but to withhold his blessing from it; and instantly it was withered both in root and branch. Its power even to bring forth leaves had been derived from him. Thus, if his Spirit be taken from us, we shall become “twice dead, plucked up by the roots.” To him then we must give the glory of all the good that we have been enabled to do; for, “of him has our fruit been foundh,” and “by his grace alone we are what we are.” “We have nothing which we have not received.” And to him must we look for strength to fulfil his will in future; for, “All our fresh springs are in him.”]

3. What exalted thoughts we should entertain of Christ’s power—

[This was the peculiar improvement which our Lord himself made of his miracle. And alas! what need have we to be continually reminded on this subject! At every fresh difficulty we are ready to be discouraged, as though He were not able to deliver. And doubtless our unbelief often prevents him from exhibiting his wonders to our view. Has he not said that, If we believe, we shall see the glory of Godl? Let us then be “strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Let us never limit the power and grace of Christ, but with unskaken affiance follow the direction he has given us, “Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and beside me there is none else.”]