Exploring the Meaning of Pistis in Greek

πίστις denotes “faith,” a key term in Gospel narratives where Jesus responds to people who approach him with need, fear, or expectation. In the passages gathered here, it appears both as something Jesus recognizes in others and as something he finds lacking, and it is also named as one of the “weightier matters of the law.”

Occurrences

Matthew 8:10 — When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel.

Here πίστις is measured and publicly evaluated: Jesus “marveled” and calls it “so great a faith.” The statement places faith on a scale (“so great”) and sets it in a comparative frame (“not even in Israel”), making it a visible quality that can be observed and named in front of “those who followed.”

Matthew 9:2 — Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a bed. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you.”

πίστις is something Jesus “seeing,” and it is explicitly plural in effect—“their faith”—as the paralyzed man is carried by others. In this scene faith is not merely internal; it is bound up with concrete action (“they brought to him” the man) and becomes the occasion for Jesus’ direct address and forgiveness: “Your sins are forgiven you.”

Matthew 9:22 — But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

In this encounter πίστις is personalized and relational: “Daughter… Your faith…” Jesus identifies the woman’s faith as the means by which healing is effected (“has made you well”), and the narrative immediately confirms a definite result (“was made well from that hour”). Faith is thus linked to a turning point in the story, moving the scene from need to restoration.

Matthew 9:29 — Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”

Here πίστις functions as a stated measure that corresponds to what will be “done.” Jesus pairs a physical gesture (“touched their eyes”) with a principle of correspondence: “According to your faith…” Faith is treated as the relevant basis on which the requested outcome is granted, expressed as a fittingness between faith and result.

Matthew 15:28 — Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

πίστις is again explicitly “great,” but now it is set alongside persistent desire and intercession for another (“her daughter”). Jesus links faith with answered petition: “Be it done to you even as you desire.” The narrative closure (“was healed from that hour”) mirrors Matthew 9:22, marking faith as associated with decisive, time-stamped healing.

Matthew 17:20 — He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

πίστις is contrasted with “unbelief,” and the immediate issue is deficiency: “Because of your unbelief.” Yet even minimal faith is portrayed as potent—“as a grain of mustard seed”—capable of commanding an immovable object (“this mountain”) to relocate. Faith here is represented as the enabling condition for daring speech (“you will tell this mountain…”) and for outcomes that exceed ordinary expectation (“nothing will be impossible for you”).

Matthew 21:21 — Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, if you have faith, and don’t doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you told this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it would be done.

In this saying πίστις is paired with an inner posture: “have faith, and don’t doubt.” Faith is thus not isolated from wavering; it stands over against doubt as the condition for effective action and speech. The range of imagined results intensifies from the known example (“what was done to the fig tree”) to an even greater command addressed to a mountain (“cast into the sea”), and faith is the prerequisite that makes the command efficacious: “it would be done.”

Matthew 23:23 — “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.

Here πίστις appears in a different register: not as a request for healing or power, but as one of the “weightier matters of the law” alongside “justice” and “mercy.” Faith is presented as an obligation that can be “left undone,” set over against meticulous lesser practices (“tithe mint, dill, and cumin”). The word therefore names something substantial and morally serious, belonging to the core of what should be practiced.

Mark 2:5 — Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

As in Matthew 9:2, πίστις is something Jesus “seeing,” and it is “their faith,” connected to the approach of a group on behalf of a paralytic. The immediate outcome is again forgiveness: “your sins are forgiven you.” Faith is thus presented as a discernible reality that precedes Jesus’ authoritative word to the one in need.

Mark 4:40 — He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”

Here πίστις is framed by fear and the absence of faith. Jesus’ questions bind two states together: “so afraid” and “no faith,” making faith the implied alternative to fear in the moment of crisis. The rebuke does not describe an outward request but exposes an inner lack: faith can be present or absent, and its absence is treated as a serious inconsistency.

Mark 5:34 — He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”

Again πίστις is individualized—“your faith”—and associated with healing: “has made you well.” Mark adds a fuller set of closing words: “Go in peace, and be cured of your disease,” linking faith not only with the initial recovery but with a settled state of wholeness and restored life. Faith is the named hinge between affliction and peace.

Mark 10:52 — Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus on the way.

In this scene πίστις is again connected to healing (“has made you well”), but the narrative highlights an immediate, visible change: “Immediately he received his sight.” The closing action—“and followed Jesus on the way”—places faith within a sequence that moves from request to restoration to onward movement. Faith is thus associated with a new trajectory, not merely a momentary benefit.

Sense and Usage

Across these Gospel settings, πίστις functions as a recognizable human response that Jesus evaluates, commends, expects, or finds missing. It can be “great” (Matthew 8:10; 15:28), it can be present in a group acting together (“their faith,” Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5), and it can be addressed as a personal possession (“your faith,” Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34; Mark 10:52). The word is therefore flexible enough to describe a shared stance expressed through collective action, and also an individual’s stance expressed in direct encounter with Jesus.

Several passages pair faith with outcomes described in the strongest terms. In healing scenes, faith is explicitly named as the means by which wellness is effected, and the narratives attach concrete verification—“was made well from that hour” (Matthew 9:22), “was healed from that hour” (Matthew 15:28), “Immediately he received his sight” (Mark 10:52). In sayings about power over creation-like obstacles, faith is presented as sufficient even in small measure (“as a grain of mustard seed,” Matthew 17:20) and is contrasted with internal instability (“don’t doubt,” Matthew 21:21). In these uses, faith is not abstracted into a mere label; it is portrayed as the decisive condition that stands behind Jesus’ granting word (“be it done to you,” Matthew 9:29) or behind the effective command (“it would be done,” Matthew 21:21).

At the same time, πίστις is not limited to moments of crisis or miracle. In Matthew 23:23 it is listed among the “weightier matters of the law,” grouped with justice and mercy and treated as something that can be neglected while lesser duties are meticulously observed. This use places faith within the sphere of moral and religious practice: it belongs to what “ought” to be done. Together, these passages show faith as both a personal stance in encounter and a substantive commitment within a life ordered toward what is weightier.

Imagery in Context

The imagery that surrounds πίστις in these texts is strikingly concrete. Faith is “seen” (Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5), weighed as “great” (Matthew 8:10; 15:28), and contrasted with fear and unbelief (Mark 4:40; Matthew 17:20). It is also set beside vivid physical pictures—touching eyes (Matthew 9:29), a mountain moving or plunging into the sea (Matthew 17:20; 21:21), sickness giving way to peace (Mark 5:34), and blindness yielding immediately to sight and to following “on the way” (Mark 10:52). In these scenes, πίστις is the named reality that connects what is hoped for with what is done and what is changed.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).