14 “And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 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. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 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.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 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 17:14–21 (ESV)
This is not the first time Jesus has encountered demon possession (Matt. 8:28-34). In this particular instance, the boy experienced seizures (σεληνιάζομαι; seleniazomai). This may refer to epileptic seizures. As a result, the boy would uncontrollably fall into either fire or water. The Gospel of Mark mentioned the boy’s foaming at the mouth (Mark 9:18, 20). He was a danger to himself.
“The boy’s father uses a term that is literally translated ‘moonstruck’ that sums up a complex of symptoms without diagnosing whether the cause was psychological or spiritual. In his case, the boy’s uncontrollable bodily movements are attributable to a demon which Jesus casts out,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
The boy’s father came to Jesus, kneeled in worship, and pleaded with Him to have mercy on his son. The father asked Jesus to show kindness to his boy who was in serious need of healing. The father was not expressing entitlement from the Lord but rather undeserved kindness.
The father had previously come to the disciples, but they could not heal the boy. Jesus commanded they bring the boy to Him as He also corrected the disciples for their lack of faith. The statement, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?” Jesus directed to His disciples.
Jesus rebuked the demon and it immediately came out of the boy. Jesus omnisciently knew the boy’s true problem was spiritual; demonic possession. Jesus displayed His presence, person and power as incarnate God.
However, the disciples were puzzled. Why hadn’t they been able to heal the boy and cast out the demon? Jesus’ response was concise and direct. He said, “Because of your little faith.” Jesus did not mean that they did not have any faith, but rather their faith was in the wrong object; themselves. They were not depending upon the Lord to heal, but rather themselves to heal. Their misguided perspective resulted in failure.
There are many who serve the Lord, but do not depend upon the Lord in their service. They elevate self to worshipful status, rejecting and rebuking those who do not follow. They seek fans and followers. They pursue their own kingdom. Their faith is centered upon an idol; themselves and their plans. Humility is a foreign concept.
Jesus continued by saying, “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.”
“Removing mountains” was a Jewish figure of speech for that which was incomparably difficult (mountains were thought to be the most stable of all things; cf. Ps 46:2; Is 54:10); mustard seeds were used to define a proverbially small quantity. Jesus is thus telling the disciples that nothing God asks them to do will be impossible if they trust him. (Cf. Zech. 4:7.),” explains commentator Craig Keener.
Consider these lyrics written several decades ago. The song is entitled Steeple Song by Don Francisco.
I don’t care how many buses you own
Or the size of your sanctuary
Doesn’t matter how steep
Your steeple is, if it’s sittin’ on a cemetery.
I don’t care if you pave your parking lot
Or put pads upon your pews
What good is a picture perfect stage
If you’re missin’ all the cues.
I don’t care if your pastor is super powered
And your program’s always new
What you need is love and truth
And men are gonna come to you.
It doesn’t matter if you know the Bible
If it’s all just in your head
But the thing I need to ask you
Is have you done the things I said?
Do you love your wife?
For her and for and for your children
Are you layin’ down your life?
What about the others?
Are you livin’ as a servant
To your sisters and your brothers?
Do you make the poor man beg you for a bone?
Do the widow and the orphan cry alone?
I don’t care if you pray for miracles
I don’t care if you speak with tongues
I don’t care if you’ve said you love Me
In every song you’ve sung.
It doesn’t matter if your sacrifice of praise
Is loud enough to raise the dead
The thing I need to ask you
Is have you done the things I said?
Do you love your wife?
With all you’ve got inside you
Are you layin’ down your life?
What about the others?
Are you livin’ as a servant
To your sisters and your brothers?
Do you make the poor man beg you for a bone?
Do the widow and the orphan cry alone?
Lord, we were your prisoner
But we did not come to you
When was it that we saw you sick
That we didn’t follow through.
Every time you turned your head
And pretended not to see
When you did it not to the least of these
You did it not to Me.
Steeple Song by Don Francisco.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 