Matthew 21:21

ESV And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

NIV 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.

NASB And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.

CSB Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done.

NLT Then Jesus told them, 'I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.

KJV Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

NKJV So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.

What does Matthew 21:21 mean?

The disciples have asked Jesus how He was able to cause a fig tree to wither (Matthew 21:18–20). Jesus presents them with a lesson about the power behind faith, indicating that with faith they could have withered the tree, as well.

In fact, Jesus adds that with faith in God and without doubting, they could have the power to tell a mountain to be taken up and thrown into the sea. In part, this is an example of hyperbole: exaggeration for effect. At the same time, it's good to remember that the power behind prayer comes from God, not the one who prays. If a request is aligned with God's will, it's not impossible for Him to accomplish it (Luke 1:37). At the same time, that means a person who is fully aligned with the will of God wouldn't make requests He clearly does not want (Matthew 21:22; John 14:13–14).

The point, of course, isn't that Jesus wants them to throw mountains into seas, including the Mount of Olives, which they are standing on. He wants the disciples to understand that, in and through Him, they will have power beyond themselves to accomplish what He gives them to do in the coming years.

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Context Summary
Matthew 21:18–22 describes a morning when Jesus, being hungry, discovers no figs on a leafy fig tree. He curses the tree never to bear fruit again, and the tree withers at once. The disciples notice the withered tree and ask Jesus how He did it. He tells them that if they have faith and do not doubt, they could do this, too. They could even tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea. In fact, anything they ask for in prayer they will receive if they have faith.

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Chapter Summary
Jesus fulfills a prophecy from Zechariah about the coming of the king to Jerusalem by riding in on a donkey. The people celebrate and praise Him as the Messiah. Jesus drives the marketers and moneychangers out of the temple and heals some people. He curses a fig tree and tells the disciples nothing will be impossible for them with faith. Jesus forces cowardly and hypocritical religious leaders to back down with a question about John the Baptist. He then exposes their fraudulent spirituality with two parables about vineyards. Jesus applies to Himself a psalm about a rejected stone being made the cornerstone by the Lord.

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