Day 300 of 365

Matthew 17:18-21

Scripture&Nature

(17-21) Jesus easily casts the demon out.

Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as 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. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

a. O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? There is a sense that Jesus is frustrated with His disciples. His season of ministry before the cross was coming to an end, and perhaps He felt frustration that the disciples did not have more faith.

b. Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him: Jesus delivered the demon-possessed boy instantly. What was too hard for the disciples was not too hard for Jesus.

c. Because of your unbelief: Jesus laid the inability of the disciples to cast out the demon at their unbelief. To be successful in a battle against demons, there must be trust in the Lord GOD who has complete authority over the demons.

i. “There are some things which are obtained by a stronger faith, and by more fervent and importunate prayers, than others are. A mercy sometimes seems to come to out of the hand of God with more difficulty, and wrestling for it.” (Poole)

ii. There was no point in blaming the boy or his father or the demon, though the demon was strong and had been there long. The fault lay in the disciples. “When the ministers of the Gospel find their endeavours, with respect to some places or persons, ineffectual, they should come, by private prayer, to Christ, humble themselves before him, and beg to be informed whether some evil in themselves have not been the cause of the unfruitfulness of their labours.” (Clarke)

d. If you have faith as a mustard seed: The faith that we must have has more to do with what kind of faith it is than with how much faith there is. A small amount of faith, as small as a mustard seed (a very small seed), can accomplish great things if that small amount of faith is placed in the great and mighty God.

i. Little faith can accomplish great things; but great faith can accomplish even greater things. What matters most is what our faith is in, the object of our faith. “The eye cannot see itself. Did you ever see your own eye? In a mirror you may have done so, but that was only a reflection of it. And you may, in like manner, see the evidence of your faith, but you cannot look at the faith itself. Faith looks away to itself to the object of faith, even to Christ.” (Spurgeon)

ii. You will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”: “Jesus here in effect calls faith an ‘uprooter of mountains,’ a phrase current in the Jewish schools for a Rabbi distinguished by legal lore or personal experience.” (Bruce)

e. This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting: We show our faith in and reliance on God through prayer and fasting. It displays an occupation with and dependence on Jesus.

i. Great prayer and fasting also display earnestness before God that brings answer to prayer. We often pray dispassionately, almost asking God to care about things we care little or nothing about.

ii. Prayer and fasting demonstrate:

· Great willingness to identify with the afflicted person.

· Great appreciation of the strength of the demonic world.

· Great dependence upon God.

· Great desire to fight and sacrifice for the sake of deliverance.

iii. “He that would overcome the devil in certain instances must first overcome heaven by prayer, and conquer himself by self-denial.” (Spurgeon)

https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/matthew-17/

Blessings&Light

|BlueEyed Girl|