A HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS

SS. Fully Trusting God For Blessing

(Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43a)

I. Introduction

A. Right after Peter, James and John had witnessed Christ’s Kingdom glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, Christ was confronted by a significant failure of faith in Him for ministry success by His disciples.

B. Jesus then taught His disciples their need fully to rely on God for blessing in Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29 and Luke 9:37-43a. We view this event in Scripture for our insight, application and edification:

II. Fully Trusting God For Blessing, Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43a.

A. Right after the Mount of Transfiguration where Christ’s Person was greatly validated by His transfiguration and the witness of Moses, Elijah and God the Father, Jesus faced Israel’s vast unbelief in Him, Mk. 9:14-19a:

1. When Jesus returned with Peter, James and John from the Mount of Transfiguration, He met the other disciples who were “confronted by teachers of the law who argued with them in the presence of a large crowd” (Mark 9:14 NIV, ESV; J. Dwight Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, 1991, p. 260).

2. The argument centered on the case of a demon-possessed boy, Mark 9:17-18a; Ibid. The disciples were unable to cast the demon out though Christ had given them authority to do so (Matt. 10:8; Mark 8:18b), so the scribes were likely arguing that the disciples’ failure to exorcise this demon in spite of Christ’s giving them authority to do so meant that Jesus was not the true Messiah and Son of God that He claimed to be!

3. Jesus thus strongly critiqued that generation for its enormous unbelief, Mark 9:19a.

B. Nevertheless, in great grace, Christ then met the needs of the demon possessed boy, Mark 9:19b-27:

1. Jesus asked that the boy be brought to Him, and when the demon saw Jesus, he threw the boy into a convulsion, caused him to fall down and roll on the ground, foaming at the mouth, Mark 9:19b-20 NIV.

2. Jesus asked the boy’s father how long his son had been so afflicted, and he replied that it had occurred since childhood, that the demon had often thrown him into the fire or water to kill him, Mark 9:21-22a NIV. The father added, “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us,” Mark 9:22b NIV.

3. Jesus repeated the words of the boy’s father in the form of a question, asking, “‘If you can’?” before adding, “Everything is possible for one who believes,” Mark 9:23 NIV.

4. The boy’s father then said, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NIV)

5. Christ then rebuked the demon, telling him to leave the boy and never to enter him again, Mark 9:25. The demon shrieked, violently convulsed the boy and came out of him, leaving him looking dead, Mark 9:26.

6. However, Jesus took the boy by the hand and lifted him up on his feet, and the boy stood up, Mark 9:27.

C. Jesus then taught His disciples their need to trust God fully for ministry success, Matt. 17:19-21; Mk. 9:28-29:

1. Later in private, the disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast the demon out, Matt. 17:19; Mark 9:28.

2. He replied that the critique He had made about that generation of Israel on its unbelief to a degree applied to His disciples also (cf. Mark 9:19a), that the oligopistian, the “littleness of [your] faith” (Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 566) had caused this failure, Matthew 17:20a. [Some Greek manuscripts read “unbelief” (apistos) and not oligopistian, but later copyists substituted the more common term “unbelief” for the term “littleness of [your] faith” (Bruce M. Metzger, A Text. Com. on the Grk. N. T., 1971, p. 43).] Jesus added that if His disciples had faith as a grain of mustard seed, a tiny amount of true faith, they could tell the nearby mountain, the huge snow-capped Mount Hermon where the Transfiguration had recently likely occurred, to be removed to another place, and it would occur, that nothing would be impossible for them, Matthew 17:20b. [Of course, God’s will would determine if that mountain should so be moved, but if it were His will, the mountain would be so moved (1 John 5:14-15)!]

3. Matthew 17:21 about praying and fasting does not appear in many of the best manuscripts (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 66) and the words “and fasting” in Mark 9:29 do not appear in “important representatives of the Alexandrian, the Western, and the Caesarean types of text,” for the call for fasting was added later due to increasing stress on fasting in early churches (Metzger, op. cit., p. 43, 101). Jesus thus told His disciples to trust God fully by praying to cast out such demons, not to pray and fast to achieve this result!

Lesson: Jesus’ disciples failed to cast out a demon that Christ had authorized them to cast out because of their weak faith in Him, for they relied to some degree on themselves or their authority instead of trusting in the Lord.

Application: For blessing in life, may we not rely on any authority or power in ourselves, but fully trust in God.