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25th June 2025
WednesdayReflection
knowing-jesus.com
all "Scripture is given by inspiration of God,"
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"What Does
Matthew 17 v 19-20 Mean?"
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked him, "Why couldn't we drive the demon out?" "It was because you do not have enough faith," answered Jesus. "I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, 'Go from here to there!' and it will go. You could do anything!"
GNT
The disciples had been with Jesus constantly for three years.
They had heard his authoritative teachings, been given great revelation about the Son of Man, who was in their midst, and heard the voice of God proclaim,
"This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased."
They had witnessed the Lord Jesus perform many mighty miracles that clearly authenticated His Messianic claims, and they themselves had been endowed with power from on high to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
They also had received authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to drive out demons.
And yet, as Christ's three-and-a-half-year ministry drew to its close, His chosen disciples were incapable of casting out the tormenting spirit from a demon-possessed boy.
Jesus had just been transfigured before Peter, James, and John who glimpsed the glory of His heavenly majesty, and yet as Jesus returned to the remaining nine disciples, He was approached by the father, who was distraught because Christ's disciples had tried, and failed, to cast out the demon from his son.
Jesus responded with a strong rebuke that demonstrated an element of righteous frustration with His own disciples, by saying:
"You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me."
The men who were in training to carry on Christ's ministry after Israel's rejection of His offer of the kingdom and His forthcoming sacrificial death on a Roman cross, had failed miserably in this test of faith.
Jesus had known for some time that the Jewish leaders had rejected Him when they accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub.
He also knew that the people only followed Him for the physical benefits they received from Him rather than their spiritual hunger for the truth.
And so He said to them
"It was because you do not have enough faith," answered Jesus. "I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, 'Go from here to there!' and it will go. You could do anything!"
Despite walking with Jesus for years, seeing Him perform many mighty miracles, proclaiming Him to be 'the Messiah - the Son of the living God', and being endowed with miraculous power themselves, Jesus scolded His disciples for their weak faith.
It was not the amount of faith that was lacking but trusting in the object of their faith - which is Jesus.
They were not trusting HIM.
It was not the quantity of faith that mattered but the person upon whom their faith was founded.
The faith of the disciples should have been rooted and grounded on the Person of Christ, but instead, they were relying on themselves and their own abilities instead of Christ's strength.
Because of their lack of faith in Jesus, none of His disciples could cast out the demon.
Due to their lack of faith in Christ, He could not or would not work the works of God through them.
The value and outworking of our Christian faith is found in Jesus alone and not in the strength, intensity, or size of our faith.
It is not pumping up faith in our own faith and abilities.
The tiniest amount of faith placed in the correct OBJECT is the key to moving mountains.
Once we understand that without Jesus we can do nothing, but through Him we can do all things, because He gives us His strength.
When the object of our faith is Jesus, then nothing will be impossible, because God will be enabled to work His work through us.
The value of our Christian faith is to rest our trust entirely on Jesus, who must be the singular object of our faith.
When faith is anchored on Him, we may be sure that He will not disappoint us.
May we never forget that faith is dependence upon God and this God-dependence can only develop when self-dependence ends.
This was the lesson that Christ's disciples had yet to learn when they were unable to cast out the demon from the boy.
Just as the body needs a daily intake of food, so the soul needs a continuous intake of Jesus, the Word of God:
"For faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God."
And it is as we grow in grace and mature in our Christian walk that we will discover that we can apply faith correctly; for the glory of God.
Faith is like a muscle that needs to be exercised every day, and when faith is anchored on Jesus, it will grow and be strengthened:"
And THIS is the victory that overcomes the world - even our faith."
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This is an edited version.
The full article is avaiable on request
'knowing-jesus.com'
We believe that all "Scripture is given by inspiration of God,"
by which we understand the whole Bible is inspired in the sense that holy men of God "were moved by the Holy Spirit" to write the very words of Scripture.
We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the writings - historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical -
as appeared in the original manuscripts.
We believe that the whole Bible in the originals is therefore without error.
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