Jesus Cures a Boy with a Demon
14 When they came to the crowd, a man came to Jesus, knelt before Him, 15 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. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 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.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured from that moment. 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 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 17:14-20.
I love the fact that Jesus comes down off the mountain after His transfiguration and heals this boy, reminding the disciples that it is time to get your heads out of the clouds and do the work God sent you to do.
To have faith in God and to live a faithful life is the goal and purpose of life. The physical healings of Jesus always point to something deeper, something more akin to the purpose and goal of life. It’s never just the physical healing that matters. So when the disciples ask Jesus why they cannot heal people he tells them that the focus of life is to be on faith.
Put the cart before the horse, so to speak. Believe and have faith. The miracles will come later, with faith.
This is why daily quiet prayer in the presence of God is essential. Prayer is the gift of God that helps us grow in our faith. Never forget that!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy win me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” Hebrews 11:6.
“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” Matthew 21:22.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast”
Ephesians 2:8-9.
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