Jesus has just come down from the top of a Galilean mountain. Peter, James and John were with him for his mountain-top experience. They’ve just seen Jesus transfigured. Whiter and brighter he appeared, with Moses and Elijah. They spoke together about Jesus’ departure, his exodus. They glimpsed Jesus’ majesty. And they heard God’s voice come from the cloud: “This is my chosen one, my Son, listen to him”
Jesus in a world of unbelief Jesus has descended from the dizzying heights. Not just of the mountain, but from the glory that is surely his. When he came down the mountain, he also coming down to the world of unbelief and perversity. Look at what he says on page 34, third last paragraph:
O faithless and perverse generation, how long do I have to be with you and put up with you?
He sounds like a frustrated parent. I’ve had enough. I’ve got to get out of this place.
From the dizzying heights of his father’s favour and spending time with Moses and Elijah in glory, Jesus’ has crash-landed into the every day garden variety unbelief that characterizes his generation. For Jesus comes down the mountain to heal a demon possessed boy and to predict his death a second time.
What is the cause of such a general rebuke? There is a boy afflicted by what is called a demon, a spirit, and an unclean spirit. It is not just epilepsy, but some sort of demonic possession. The boy’s father asked Jesus’ disciples to cast it out. But they were unable to. So the boy’s father appeals to Jesus.
To whom does Jesus speak these harsh words? In the original the words are plural. So they are not just to the father. They seem to be addressed to the crowd, which includes Jesus’ disciples.
Matthew gives us a little more detail. Later, Jesus’ disciples come to Jesus privately and ask why they couldn’t drive out the demon. And Jesus says:
Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:19-21 TNIV)
Does this mean that his disciples have faith even smaller than a mustard seed? Possibly. Or better, it was because they didn’t act on their faith.
Mark tells us that Jesus also said, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer’. (Mark 9:29 TNIV)
They could have asked like Jesus. But apparently they didn’t. They did not receive because they did not ask. And Jesus is pointing this out to them.
Judgement begins with the family of God. And Jesus is frustrated with the lack of faith of his disciples. Jesus’ disciples were unable to cast the demon out because they lacked faith. They should have prayed, and it would have come out. So the disciple’s lack of prayer evidenced their lack of faith.
And this is a word for us. We too need to pray and not give up. Prayer is faith in action. God is able and willing to help. So we should ask him.
But it also appears that the father lacked faith. The father said this to Jesus:
'But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’ ‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’
That is the right response: to ask for help. I really believe. But there is part of me that doesn’t. So help me overcome it.
Let’s not give up on asking God. It is easy to do. The first disciples did. But let’s remember Jesus’ words: ‘Everything is possible for one who believes’. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He can and will save the one who calls out to him.
So believe, and you will receive .
But Jesus’ doesn’t want his disciples to stop there, amazed at Jesus’ faithful praying. For remember, on the mountain, he talked to Moses and Elijah about his exodus. And they will only have Jesus a short time. He himself said, ‘how long to I have to be with you and put up with you.’
The time is coming to leave the faithless and perverse age. But the Exodus road won’t be easy. Jesus’ way involves difficulty, suffering, flogging, beatings, and death on a cross.
And so now that Peter has realized who Jesus is and confessed him the Christ of God, Now that Peter and James and John have seen glimpses of his glory, Now that he has already told them he must go to the cross, and that his disciples must take up their cross daily, Now he will tell them again: Last paragraph at the bottom of page 34:
They were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while they were marveling at all the things he was doing, he said to his disciples, “Let these words sink in: the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men”. They didn’t understand how this could be; indeed, it was hidden from them so that they didn’t grasp it. And they were afraid to ask him what it meant.
The disciples didn’t get it. They didn’t realize that God’s Christ had to die. They still thought that the Christ was a mighty military ruler. They thought the Christ would win a victory through power of arms. They didn’t realize that the Christ would win the victory through the power of arms outstretched on a cross. The humiliation of crucifixion was the way Jesus would win the victory against sin, death and hell.
Fortunately, the penny does drop for the disciples after Jesus rises from the dead. The risen Jesus proves to them that the Christ had to suffer.
But one reason we know they don’t get it is because of their debate. Second paragraph at the top of page 35:
Now a discussion arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.
Jesus is saying he is going to die, on the cross. And they are debating about who’s the best. Thoughtless at best, at worst, callous and ignorant, faithless, and perverse.
Jesus there finds an object lesson. A child. He stands by the child. And he said to them:
Whoever welcomes this child in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the One who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the greatest.
Here is the reversal we always see. The least is the greatest. The Lord of all goes off to die on the cross. The creator buys us back with his own life. The foolishness of the cross is the power of God. When I am weak, then I am strong.
But there is one final lesson. It seems that the disciples had a bit of a ‘dog in the manger spirit’. If we can’t cast out demons, then no-one should! So John says:
“Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we stopped him, because he was not following with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Don’t stop him. For whoever is not against you is for you.”
Jesus doesn’t enforce strict copyright on use of his name. It is a reminder that true followers of Jesus are not restricted to our particular Christian ‘club’. Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal. Jesus knows those who are his. And they are not necessarily restricted to those we might see.