March 3, 2010
WHAT IS FAITH? AND WHAT DOES A MUSTARD SEED HAVE TO DO WITH IT?
Matthew 17:14-23
Robert Heath
Central Truth
Things may be exactly as they should be, even if they are not as I think they should be.
Key Verse | Matthew 17:23
And they were deeply grieved. (Matthew 17:23b)
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
I am struck by the similarities between the disciples' and my reactions to Jesus' description of the plan for salvation. These guys are hanging with Christ day after day and are “greatly distressed” by the news of how Christ will accomplish His mission. (Matthew 17:23, ESV) The disciples have their idea of how He should establish His kingdom. But the Lord has His own operating plan for saving the world from itself. That plan involves sacrifice, love (why He puts up with us), and compassion. It also involves loving your enemies as yourself.
I obviously do not know what the disciples were thinking. But I bet their idea for God's plan involved driving the Romans out of Israel and establishing a worldly kingdom for the Jews in Jerusalem. I would have!
Likewise, I have my own thoughts and ideas on how He should make my life go. Thoughts like: “Shouldn’t she stay if this is going to glorify Him?”; “I could serve You so much better if I only had that job over there.”; “Why can’t I drink normally like everybody else?”; “Why don’t You make it easier to get through this life?”; and “Why can’t I eat nachos every meal and lose weight?” I have more self-centered ideas, but I am out of space!
The answer to these questions is, “I don’t know.” Except for the nacho question. I know that answer! But God will use me every day if I will just show up and be obedient to His direction and will for my life. He will use my past mistakes and current struggles for His glory and my good. I have faith that He will glorify Himself and that, in doing so, it will be good for me, too.
Wow, I am blessed beyond all reason!
Discussion Questions
1. Which concern distresses you more: Where you are in life or whose you are?
2. Do you think you have messed up your life too much for the Lord to use you?
3. We have the opportunity every day to be the “hands and feet” of Christ to those around us. How has Christ specifically asked you to be His hands or feet today? If He's asked and you've refused, what are you afraid of?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What did the man want Jesus to do for his son (verse 15)?
2. Why could the disciples not heal his son (verse 20)?
3. What in your life do you need to trust God with, by faith?