As a parent, can you remember a time when your child was crying and couldn’t be soothed or calmed down? Or perhaps a time when your child was sick and needed medical attention, and you had to walk through the painful process of healing?
If you remember these moments, you can relate to the father whose son was possessed by a demon. He was desperate for help, but even Jesus’ disciples couldn’t assist him.
Jesus and three of His disciples came down from the mountain where He was transfigured and walked right into this scene.
“When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, and said, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has epilepsy and suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.'” (Matthew 17:14-16)
I recently spoke with a family whose daughter is now a young woman, pregnant with her first child. They asked if I remembered when she was born, and how a doctor had to fly from the East Coast to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for emergency surgery on the newborn. She had a heart defect that needed immediate correction. I can’t imagine the anxiety her parents felt over their new baby.
We are so thankful that God heard our prayers and sent a skilled surgeon. Now, that same daughter is about to have a child of her own.
Jesus Responds to Human Hopelessness
The father believed that Jesus or His disciples could heal his child. He had heard about the disciples traveling through Galilee, casting out demons. However, while he had faith, the disciples did not. This caused Jesus to respond with a strong rebuke.
Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” (Matthew 17:17)
I can easily see myself getting frustrated and going off on someone, much like it appears Jesus did here. But Jesus is different from everyone else. Why did He speak the way He did?
One key reason lies in the word “generation.” In the Gospel of Matthew, “generation” is always used in a negative context. This generation belongs to the world’s system, not God’s kingdom. It lacks faith, is often called evil, and even though it professes allegiance to God, it remains controlled by self-will.
Jesus could easily use these words to accuse me of lacking faith, being perverse, and pretending to be His servant while really serving my own desires. When He does this, it’s like holding up a mirror, forcing me to see my true self.
Perhaps these strong words were meant for the nine disciples who didn’t go up the mountain with Jesus, revealing to them their own lack of faith. Whether or not that is true for them, I know it is true for people like me.
Jesus, Faith, and Deliverance
Jesus possessed the faith that the disciples lacked. He relied entirely on the power of the Holy Spirit to bring deliverance to the boy.
“And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured from that moment. 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.'”
The disciples didn’t recognize that Jesus’ power came through full reliance upon the work of the Holy Spirit. He had to remind them of the role faith plays in releasing God’s power. To emphasize this role, He gave them a picture they would always remember:
“For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a 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 17:18-20)
The issue is not the greatness of the faith, but whether faith is present or not. A mustard seed would easily be lost in the shadow of a mountain. However, even the presence of small faith relies on God and is capable of moving mountains—just like it healed the demonized boy.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 