Scripture: And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:14-20 ESV
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Observation: Recapping yesterday’s Daily Focus (click here to read it), Jesus led Peter, James, and John up a steep mountain (likely Mount Hermon) to witness his transfiguration in preparation for the final leg of his mission, where he will bear the sins of the world in his body to usher in the New Covenant of Grace. During his transfiguration, Moses and Elijah (the patriarchs of the Law and the Prophets, respectively) appeared and bore witness to Jesus as the Messiah to Peter, James, and John. Overwhelmed with dread, the three failed to comprehend the magnitude of this supernatural ceremony. And when the Father’s voice spoke from an overshadowing bright cloud and pronounced, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (17:5b above), the three fell prostrate to the ground in terror. But Jesus compassionately touched them and commanded them to rise and stop fearing. And as they came down the mountain, Jesus told them to keep this supernatural event to themselves until his resurrection.
In today’s reading, as the four reached the mountain’s base, a crowd awaited them. In particular, Matthew tells us a man rushed up to Jesus and knelt before him as a sign of respect and addressed him as Lord (most likely not an acknowledgment of his messiahship but a sign of deference). The man then explains how his son suffers fits that cause him to fall into fire and water. In Mark’s parallel account, he tells us the boy becomes mute, foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid (click here to read the entire story in Mark 9:14-29). All of these symptoms point to our present-day epilepsy. Mark also adds that Jesus inquires about the length of the boy’s affliction, and the father informs him that it has been ongoing since childhood (again pointing to epilepsy). The father then pleads for Jesus to heal his son if he can. Jesus questions his uncertainty and challenges him to believe, which the father then declares, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24b ESV)
Both accounts tell us that Jesus cast out the unclean spirit in the boy, and Mark adds that the boy convulsed and then lay still. So Jesus took him by the hand, and they entered the father’s house, where Jesus’ disciples questioned him privately about why they could not cast out the demon. And while Matthew focuses on faith, Mark recounts Jesus’s response that prayer is essential to healing those bound by demonic forces.
Of note, some later manuscripts include the additional verse: “But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting.”
Takeaway: Both accounts imply faith is critical to approaching Christ with our petitions. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus elaborates with his disciples that if they have even a seed of faith (mustard seed being one of the smallest in Palestine), they can command a mountain to relocate, and it will. Of course, Jesus here uses a standard teaching method of hyperbole to emphasize the importance of faith. And the contract between the minuscule seed and the massive mountain would not go amiss with his audience. Indeed, the seemingly impossible is a reality when faith fuels prayer.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes persistent prayer (11:5-10; 18:1-8; 22:42-44), which is vital to remember in all circumstances because prayer aligns us with the will of God, and ongoing prayer helps us revise our prenotions about how God should act. But the most crucial element is faith. Prayer without faith is often nothing more than wishful thinking or a means of bargaining. Still, like the boy’s father, if we struggle to believe, an excellent place to start is candidly before God: “Help me in my unbelief!” And we need to keep an eternal perspective and be open to revising our thinking of what is best for all concerned from the perspective of glorifying God and growing his kingdom. And we would do well to remember that of the mountains we face, death is not the biggest, but unbelief is. Hence, our prayers to move stony hearts to that of flesh will also hit the mark and glorify God and grow his kingdom.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who ongoingly communed with you in prayer so that he would know and do your will. And we thank you that he walked his entire life by faith, becoming the perfect substitute sacrifice for us sinners who struggle to exercise our faith. So would you please help us cooperate with your Holy Spirit to mature in our faith and prayer life so that we might know and obey your pleasing and perfect will, grow your kingdom, and glorify your name? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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