Matthew 17:18-20

Matthew 17:18-20

And Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him.  And the boy was being healed from that hour.  Then the disciples came near to Jesus privately and said, “For what reason were we not being powerful enough to cast it out?”  And He said to them, “Because of your limited faith.  For amen, I say to you all.  If you all should have faith as a seed of mustard you all will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.  And nothing will be impossible for you all.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

In spite of His frustration, Jesus heals the boy.  Jesus is there when needed.  Jesus does not abandon the boy because the human beings around him were powerless.  It is good to know that even when we are weak that God is strong and present.

Why is it important to recognize that Jesus works even when the human beings around Him are powerless?  Why is there a danger to assume that just because the human beings around us are weak that Christ is not present or at work?

Second Thought:

Jesus is rather blunt here.  Again, notice Jesus’ timing.  The disciples come to Him privately.  In the midst of the confidence of their relationship Jesus speaks blunt words.  Jesus tells them it is because of their limited faith.  In other words, their fallen humanity got in the way of their being able to cast of the demon.  This is a great lesson to learn.  Some things are just too big for human beings to do on their own power.  What a great time to remember that we need God’s help, God’s authority, and His power!  This is the lesson that Jesus wants them to remember in this teaching moment.  Human beings are limited in many ways.

What are you limitations?  What are your limitations in faith?  How aware are you of your limitations?  How can this information actually help you depend on God even more greatly?

Third Thought:

I’d like to take an interesting take on the mustard seed today.  Perhaps Jesus is saying something more in this passage than a commentary on size.  I don’t think Jesus is speaking of a small thing.  That would be greatly insulting to the disciples.  Clearly they have faith.  Why would Jesus insult them by telling them that their faith must be so pathetic that it doesn’t even measure up to that of the mustard seed – the “smallest seed in the garden?”  Actually, I think what Jesus may be going after here is the quality of the seed.  What do seeds do?  They grow.  They grow in ways that we can neither foresee nor predict.  Seeds grow into things that we can only imagine but never prove.  I believe this is what Jesus is telling the disciples.  What is important about faith is that it is growing, changing, becoming what only God can see and know.  When our faith is continually growing we will find that no problem is too difficult to face and come through.

Is your faith like the mustard seed: growing?  How do you know?  Why is it important to have faith that is always growing, stretching, and being challenged?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 17:22-23