Mark 11:22

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it.

This reply must have astonished the apostles as much as it has the people who have been reading of it ever since it happened. There was not a word of the symbolical meaning of the destructive wonder (Christ would shortly foretell the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and from that they would be able to deduce the meaning of the fig tree). Jesus' reply did, however, stress the fact and efficacy of prayer in relation to his wonderful signs. (See John 9:31; 11:41.) Although clear enough in John, this clear witness in Mark is illuminating. All of Jesus' works were accomplished through Jesus' oneness with the Father, a oneness that was not expressed independently but always through and after prayerful communication with God. Thus, as always, one is obligated to see the will and purpose of the Almighty in this work of the Son.

Say unto this mountain ... This promise of Jesus is not to be construed as granting his followers, nor even his apostles, blanket authority to perform monstrous and unreasonable miracles such as might be imagined by some conjurer. It was, on the other hand, a most valid and precious promise that the most awesome and overwhelming difficulties which they were to face would be removed through their faithful prayers. The literal words of these verses are another example of hyperbole which Jesus often used to emphasize his words. Another example is that of the camel and the needle's eye (Mark 10:25).