When Jesus rebuked people for having "little faith," what kind of faith did he mean?

Question

Matthew 6:30/Luke 12:28: If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Matthew 8:26: He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Matthew 14:31: Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Matthew 16:8: Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?

Matthew 17:20: He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Was he talking about faith in a theological doctrine about his future sacrifice on the cross being sufficient for salvation, or something else?

Answer 1

Faith insufficient to move them to action.    One type of faith is to SAY you believe in something.    Another, higher level of faith, is to DO what you believe in.

Answer 2

Because the disciples were making the same mistakes that most of us do...we believe IN Christ, meaning we believe He lives and is our Savior but we don't BELIEVE Christ, meaning we don't have enough faith to believe that He can do what He says He can do. The disciples didn't believe that the storm would not harm them, that Peter could actually walk on water, about having food to eat considering they had no means to get any, and so on and so forth. They believed at first but then their faith waivered and doubt crept in. Doubt and faith cannot co-exist. If we would just have more faith and BELIEVE Him, things would be so much different.

Answer 3

Thank you Bruce I needed that boost.

He means absolute faith and trust.  Very difficult for someone like me.  Remember Him feeding the 5 thousand, and that He said  seek first the kingdom of God and all this will be "provided" to you.  So, glad I astopped this morning and went to Mass.  I don't always "have time".

Your father delights in giving you the desires of your heart.

So everyday is like christams for a catholic.

Answer 4

Faith as in having no doubt.

Matthew 21: 21

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, 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.

James 1:6

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Answer 5

Faith in general is a working hypothesis; an organizing principle that keeps people's attention focused on their belief. The faith He spoke of was that faith that was designed to keep their attention focused on what He was saying because they were so easily distracted from His words.

Answer 6

On the face of it, he's talking about faith in the quick resolution of whatever challenges they came up against? For instance, that you would get clothed, rescued from the storm, walk on water, multiplying bread or moving mountains.

I suppose he might also be talking about a sense of communal harmony with the divine entity (a-la Zen), for which the most convenient terminology in the Jewish phrasebook was the idea of belief that Yaweh would act in Israel's interests.

Just a couple of suggestions though.