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Matthew 17:14-21
In Matthew 17:14-21 is a lesson of faith in Christ Jesus. A man has brought his son to the disciples of Jesus to be healed from what we will find out is a demon possession (Matthew 17:18). Jesus heals this man’s son, but as He does, He directs a comment to His disciples on their inabilities to heal this person, which is the reason the man brought his son to Jesus. Jesus states in Matthew 17:20 (NKJV), “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as 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.” In Matthew 10:7-8 Jesus sends out His disciples with instructions stating, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” It is believed that this healing of a demon-possession may have been the first time the disciples of Jesus attempted to perform such a task in the face of Satan; and in attempting this healing, the disciples left out one very important part of the healing – they tried to perform the healing through believing in themselves to overcome the powers of Satan – they left out Jesus. In Matthew 10:32-33 in the same instructions in which Jesus gave to His disciples as He sent them out, He instructs them, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” It is possible that the disciples of Jesus forgot to mention His name in the face of Satan, as it is He who overcame Satan for the salvation of the world (John 3:16-17).
This is an example of the power of the name of Jesus.
This is an example that we can only accomplish God’s will for our lives if we put and keep our faith in Jesus.
We pray and ask God for guidance and strength as we see a difficult task approaching, or when we are taken by surprise by trials and tribulations. God is always waiting for us to call on the name of Jesus to give us the help we so need, but how often is it that after we call on God to help us, we then go and try to accomplish the mission through our own strength? We all do it. But we must realize and understand that God does not give us the power to do things on our own – He is always with us – it is He that helps us to overcome the trials and tribulations of this world – it is Jesus that saves us from sin and sets us free from it. Put your faith firmly in Jesus today and rely on Him – call on the name of Jesus in time of need – trust in Him!
Dear LORD,
We are so strong-willed that sometimes we ask for your help and then leave You behind as we seek to accomplish the mission. Please help us to see that it is the power of Jesus that overcomes Satan, and that it is only through calling on the name of Jesus that we have power to do so – in Christ! In Jesus name I pray, amen.