March 2, 2016
BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT THAT MOUNTAIN, IT'S TIME FOR A CHECK UP
Matthew 17:14–23
Victoria Cano
Central Truth
Jesus isn't literally calling us to move the mountain, but He is calling us to show Him how deep our faith, trust, and hope in Him are.
Key Verse | Matthew 17:20
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 17:20)
Matthew 17:14–23
Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
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, 1 17:18 Greek it and it 2 17:18 Greek the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 3 17:18 Greek from that hour 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.” 4 17:20 Some manuscripts insert verse 21: But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting
Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection
22 As they were gathering 5 17:22 Some manuscripts remained in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
Dive Deeper | Matthew 17:14–23
Blood pressure, pain score, and symptoms are things we use to treat and diagnose patients in the hospital.
In this passage, the pain of the man was apparently at a 10. The blood pressure of Jesus was likely rising because of the disciples' inaction. The disciples' symptoms were that of fear and distrust. Let's assess them further.
The man was probably the picture of faith Jesus was looking for with His disciples. The man came hurt, desperate, and humble. He was relentless in his pursuit of healing. And yet, he was fully aware of the power Jesus had over his son’s condition.
The disciples, in contrast, did not have the best track record of showing Jesus they believed in His power. In Matthew 8:24-26, they were frightened when the waves were swamping their boat. In Matthew 14:28-31, Peter asked to join Jesus on the water and then lost sight of who He was, doubted his situation, and began to sink. In Matthew 16:8, the disciples were so preoccupied with the thought that they didn’t have any bread that they failed to understand Jesus' point about the religious leaders. Through these lessons of faith, the disciples were reminded of His power over nature and His forgiveness when we lose faith in who He is and what He can do.
The disciples had a blind spot, and Jesus was trying to improve it. Jesus watched the disciples as they struggled to connect their faith in who He is to trusting in what He is doing. So He did what any parent or teacher would do and had a firm moment with the disciples.
So what about you reading this today—what are the symptoms of your faith? What is on your mind every hour of the day? What is your heart seeking today? What are your actions saying about the God you believe in? When these are not aligned with the truth, our fear begins to set in, our doubt allows us to sink, and our faith begins to suffer. Before we set out today, let's fix "our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:2, NIV).
Discussion Questions
1. Which of the symptoms described above is marking your faith right now? What are the blind spots in your faith? What truth, found in the Bible, can you turn to to help restore your faith? (Ask community, go to gotquestions.org, or ask in a comment below.)
2. Compare and contrast the faith of Saul in 1 Samuel 15:1-31 and David in 1 Samuel 23:2-14. What was their motivation to follow God? How did that shape their faith and journey with God? Are you trusting in God's character?
3. How can you share the truth you've learned to transform those who are sick and hurting around you today? What one thing can you do today to start the domino effect of faith in their lives?
4. If you are struggling today in your faith, would you take a second and read Psalm 63 or Psalm 27? Would you highlight the promises David points out? Would you be encouraged that when David is tempted to doubt, he reminds himself of God's promises?