The Rock, The Road, and The Rabbi: Faith as a Mustard Seed

This is probably my favorite scene from The Rock, The Road, and the Rabbi.

Kathie Lee Gifford depicted a scene on top the Mount of Olives, which I can see clearly in my mind's eye. I remember being there. But her guide, Ray Vander Laan, took her to a specific place I didn't go. She describes her group being told to sit very specifically in front of some overgrown bushes, looking out over a beautiful view. Then Ray told the group that those were mustard plants, "the most feared plant in all of Israel [....] It's feared because once it takes root, it can't be destroyed. You can try to burn it, stomp it out, tear it out, but eventually, it takes everything in its way" (page 110).

All of this from the tiniest of seeds—and Jesus compares the mustard seed to the Kingdom of God! In fact, Jesus said, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

That's when Gifford says Ray pointed at the Herodium in the distance, quoting the verse above. The Herodium is one of Herod's 11 palaces, and the place he was buried. It symbolizes the evil and opulence found in this world, and the hardship the Jewish people found at Herod's hands. Then, Ray pointed in the other direction, in which the Dead Sea was clearly visible! This is the only place on the Mount of Olives on the where you can see mustard plants, the Herodium, and the Dead Sea—which means Jesus was standing in that very spot when He said those verses!

Ray said, "The kingdom of God is us! It is all of us as believers. If we just believe, we can say to that mountain—the world's way, Herod's way, Satan's way—be gone, into that sea, the Dead Sea, which is already dead!"

WOW!!!

Definitely another #micdrop moment!