WEDNESDAY NIGHT STUDY AUGUST 23

Faith that Moves Mountains


Matthew 17:14-21
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
He foretells His own betrayal, death, and resurrection


Kent Hughes writes, "In the Vatican Gallery hangs Raphael’s last painting, which some think to be his greatest. It is entitled The Transfiguration. The uppermost part pictures the transfigured form of Jesus, with Moses on the left and Elijah on his right. On the next level down are the three disciples, Peter, James and John, recently awakened and shielding their eyes from Jesus’ blinding brilliance. On the ground level is a poor demon-possessed boy, his mouth hideously gaping with wild ravings. At his side is his desperate father. Surrounding them are the rest of the disciples, some of whom are pointing upward to the glowing figure of Christ – who will be the boy’s only answer. Raphael has brilliantly captured something of the overwhelming contrast between the glorious Mount of Transfiguration and the troubled world waiting below."

In the preceding verses, we have learned of Jesus’ majesty and glory in the Transfiguration, a preview of His Second Coming. In the passage before us, we will learn about ministering in faith to a troubled world.

Faith is absolutely necessary to live the Christian life. Consider three varieties of faith.
1. First, there is SAVING FAITH the God-given gift, the ability to believe on Christ for salvation.
2. Second, there is SANCTIFYING FAITH, the faith we walk in as we become conformed to the image of Jesus.
3. Third, there is SUFFICIENT FAITH, the faith to trust in the power of Christ, not our own ability. This is subject in the passage before us.

This passage marks the beginning of a period of specialized instruction for the disciples shortly before Jesus death. The next several events serve like a finishing school for ministry without the physical presence of Jesus.

Let’s note four natural divisions in the text.

I. The Pitiful Condition of the Boy (vv.14-15).
A. Jesus and the Inner Three come down from the Mountain.

Peter, James and John had just seen the most fantastic sight of their lives. They had seen Jesus in His glory and majesty flanked by Moses and Elijah. Now after this mountain top vision of God’s power, they descended into the valley to learn the lesson of their own lack of power.

Below the mountain, perhaps in Caesarea Philippi or some other nearby village, they met a "multitude," a large crowd of people encircling the other 9 disciples.

In a parallel account, Mark 9:14 says, "And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them." It seems the scribes were arguing with the remaining 9.

It seems that these 9 had tried to cast a demon out of a boy could not. I imagine the "scribes" taunting them for their inability, calling them quacks and phonies.

B. A Grieving Father Approaches Jesus.

The crowd was probably so engrossed in this heated argument that they didn’t notice Jesus walking up. One man, the father of the demon-possessed son, did see Him.

He came to Jesus "kneeling down." Mark 9:15 adds, "Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him." I imagine them saying, "Jesus! You are here! We were just talking about You!"

Obviously, this grieved father had some sense of faith and respect for Jesus because he addresses Him as "Lord." He pleads, "Have mercy on my son."

C. A Description of the Suffering Boy.

First, the father describes his son as "an epileptic." The KJV uses the word "lunatic" which is a good translation. Literally it means "moonstruck." Ancient people believed the cycles of the moon caused madness. The idea is that the boy had what we would describe as epileptic seizures.

Second, the father says that his son "suffers severely." This suggests that his condition was unusually serious and perhaps growing worse all the time.

Third, the father says his son "often falls into the fire." Open fires were common. In his seizures the boy had "often" been burned and carried hideous scars.

Fourth, the father says his boy also "often" falls "into the water." He fell in open wells or cisterns. Because he was in constant danger of being burned or drowning, someone had to stay near him at all times.

Fifth, Mark 9:17 adds that the father says the boy had "a mute spirit" so that he could not speak.

Another parallel passing in Luke 9:39 adds this graphic description, "And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him."

Not everyone with epilepsy is demon-possessed. However, there was no doubt to anyone present that a demon was causing this boy’s sufferings.

II. The Powerless Attempt of the Disciples (v.16).
A. The Father had brought the Boy to Jesus for Healing.

Imagine this father’s desperate condition. Like any good parent, he would do anything to help his child. He had no doubt spent much money and time seeking someone who could help his poor son.
He hears about Jesus and His disciples. He knows they have power to heal the sick and cast out demons so with great anticipation he brings his son to them.
When he finds the disciples, Jesus is not with them. The disciples tell him not to worry they can help him. They probably say, "Jesus isn’t here, but we can certainly handle this problem. We’ve done it before."

B. The Disciples were Unable to do anything.

The desperate father admits to Jesus, "I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."
In 10:6-8, Jesus commissioned and empowered His disciples. Mark 6:13 says, "And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them." They were experienced. This wasn’t their first case.
With great confidence, the 9 tried to exorcise the demon, but nothing happened. They were probably surprised. Imagine how the taunts of the scribes infuriated them.
What was the problem? They had cast out demons before without Jesus’ presence. They were trying to operate in their own power, not the power of Jesus.

C. We are unable to do anything without Jesus.

Like the disciples, we can believe so strongly in our traditions, our past successes, our present programs that we forget that any changing power comes from Jesus.

We can become so divided by petty divisions and strife that we are like a bucket with holes, we can’t hold God’s power for ministry.
Look again at this verse. Here was a genuine need that they should have met but "they could not." How many needs have we not met because of our lack of faith, our trusting in our resources rather than Jesus?
Let us always remember that great faith comes from seeking God’s plan, God’s will and God’s power.

III. The Purposeful Healing of the Master (vv.17-18).
A. Jesus Rebuked the People (v.17).

Now Jesus grieved alongside the father. We can hear in His words His own grief at the lack of faith (v.17).
This is a glimpse into the thought life of Jesus. We see the compassion of the Son of God but also the exasperation of the Son of Man.
Jesus was grieved because of that "faithless [unbelieving] and perverse generation." He was grieved by the unbelieving "multitude" representative of national Israel that had no faith to recognize Him as their long-awaited Anointed One, the Messiah.

What grieved Jesus even more was the weak faith of His disciples. Instead of dropping to their knees in fervent prayer when they encountered an obstacle, they became embroiled in a religious debate with the "scribes."
In effect, the Savior was asking, "What more do you need but to rely on Me?" We love to quote Phil.4:13, but how often do we practice its truth?

We also hear Jesus’ longing for His Father’s house. His desire to return to the glory we see on the Mount.

MacArthur suggests the Enemy whispered words of discouragement to Him, "If they do not trust You while You are with them, how do You expect them to trust You after You have returned to heaven?"

B. Jesus Rebuked the Demon (v.18).

His frustration did not hinder His compassion. He said, "Bring him here to Me."

Mark tells us that Jesus said to the father, "If you can believe all things are possible to him who believes." The father responded with an honest prayer that should be on all our lips, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" When you are unsure, admit it!
As Jesus "rebuked the demon" the evil spirit made one last assault on his victim. Mark 9:26 records, "Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, ‘He is dead.’"

V.18 also says, "the child was cured from that very hour." There would be no more seizures, no more foaming at the mouth, and no more falling into fires or wells.

Luke 9:43 says of the crowd, "And they were all amazed at the majesty of God."

Sufficient faith comes only when we surrender only when we confess our lack of belief and lack of ability. We have to empty ourselves before we become full of Jesus.

IV. The Prevailing Reality of Faith (vv.19-21).
A. A Private Question (v.19).

After this event, "the disciples came to Jesus privately." Mark tells us they were in a house. Perhaps they were enjoying the hospitality of the family of the boy that Jesus healed.
They ask, "Why could we not cast it out?" Again, they asked this question in privacy. No doubt their egos were a bit bruised by their inability. They had already cast out many demons. Certainly that gave them a sense of power and authority. Why had they failed so miserably and Jesus succeeded so easily?

B. A Difficult Answer (v.20).

Jesus answer was short, simple and difficult for them to hear, "Because of your unbelief" or "because of your lack of faith." They had saving faith, sanctifying faith but had not invoked sufficient faith for this problem.

When Jesus stilled the storm He asked, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" (Mat 8:26). Later when Peter began to sink, He asked "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

What is "little faith?" It is trusting God’s provision when you already have everything you need. "Little faith" is trusting God’s direction when the way ahead is clear. "Little faith" is trusting God’s goodness when everything is turning up roses.

Great faith is trusting provision you don’t have, going in a direction where the way is not clear or relying on God’s character when times are tough.

It seems a little contradictory that Jesus spoke of their "little faith" but then speaks of "faith as a mustard seed." Mustard seed faith represents faith that starts out very small but grows. A mustard seed is a very small seed that grows into a large plant. Jesus means that a growing faith is a powerful faith!

Jesus tells the disciples that if they had "faith as a mustard seed" or a growing faith "you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move." Further He adds, "Nothing will be impossible for you."

We know that Jesus was not literally speaking of moving a literal mountain. "Able to move mountains" was a common figure of speech in that time which meant the ability to overcome great obstacles.

When we face mountain-sized difficulties in life as the disciples had just done with the demonized boy, we are to remember that faith is the key. Instead of worrying, arguing or whining we should drop to our knees and fully surrender to God.

C. A Lasting Principle (v.21).

Jesus adds "this kind" of demon "does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

"Fasting" is an important technique, a spiritual discipline that focuses us on prayer. Prayer is the key. When we don’t know what to do, we are to pray, Pray, PRAY!!!

Folks, in many ways we are just like the disciples. We know the traditions. We have programs for every conceivable type of ministry. We understand the need for prayer. What we need is to just do it. We need to surrender ourselves to God and let Him use us.

Remember the painting? The disciples are pointing toward the transfigured Lord. That’s what we must do. Get down on our knees and point people toward Jesus.


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