Matthew 17:14-20
When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of 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.”
I have to admit that I find this scene rather uncomfortable. The first part seems typical enough. Someone in need comes to Jesus, beseeching him for help. And not only asking for help, but kneeling as a sign of respect and perhaps even worship. His request is clear and, quite frankly, totally in line with the Jesus we have discovered throughout Matthew’s story. The man’s son is possessed by a demon and so asks for mercy, compassion, kindness, and healing and that’s typically exactly what Jesus offers.
All of which prompts the question: when Jesus goes off about this “perverse and wicked generation,” who exactly is he talking to? I hope it’s not the man, and you probably hope that, too. All this guy has done is bring his son for healing. Perhaps it’s the disciples, those he left behind when he went up the mountain and who apparently could not cure the demon-possessed child. Maybe it’s the crowds, who sat around waiting for Jesus to come back and fix all their problems instead of offering what comfort they could to this man and his child and looking out for each other in general. I just don’t know. Which might be part of what makes me uncomfortable.
Whatever the reason, after offering his words of reproach, Jesus turns his attention to the demon and, rebuking it, does indeed cure the boy and releases him restored and well to his father.
The next scene is also interesting, as the disciples want to know why this feat was beyond them. I suppose they should have known better, given Jesus’ earlier remarks, but they ask him anyway, and he says it was because of their little faith. He goes on, in fact, and insists that if they had even a speck of genuine faith, they could move mountains.
This isn’t a new critique of the disciples, but it still feels a little harsh. I would have thought that their faith is demonstrated by their giving up their former lives and following Jesus, that their faith is demonstrated through their devotion to him, that their faith is demonstrated by their attention to his words.
But maybe faith is more than that. Maybe faith isn’t just listening to God’s word, but believing it and, even more, being able to do something with it. Maybe, that is, faith is not simply believing that there is a God in some intellectual sense, but actually believing – and acting as if you believe – that God is working through you. Maybe faith is confidence that God will use you to make a difference in the world.
And maybe that’s what ticked Jesus off earlier. Maybe, just maybe, Jesus came to show us that God is a God of love and life and that God wants and intends to work through us to take care of the world. And so maybe the disciples and even the crowds themselves could have rebuked the evil spirit and cured the boy themselves…if they had believed God was working through them to oppose evil and spread life and love. If, that is, they had faith.
All of which makes me wonder: what does God want to do through us? What is God calling us to dare to try? How might we make this world a better place if we believe God is at work through us to care for the world God loves so much? If we, that is, have faith?
Prayer: Dear God, grant us the vision to see the things you would have us do and the courage to attempt them, trusting always in the love and mercy we know through your Son. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jesus’ lament of “how much longer must I be with you?” makes a lot of sense. He was not going to be incarnated in the flesh forever and we are now left to believe in the invisible.
People still want a sign, a person, something visible, and probably always will. Faith in the invisible is difficult and probably impossible for some. They are the “I’ll believe it when I see it” folks.
Someone with faith is an inventor. Someone with their “head in the clouds.” They believe that something not yet visible is possible. They have a vision of what could be and resist the naysaying, scoffing crowds. They are diligent to discover what must be done to realize their vision. They are pioneers and valiant people.
They believe, and act upon, the scripture “with God all things are possible.”