Following the glorious picture that was the transfiguration, Jesus and his 3 closest companions are brought back down to earth with a crash in Matt 17:14-23 (last week’s sermon passage). They are confronted with (i) a large crowd, (ii) a helpless father, and (iii) 9 hopeless disciples who were unable to help this father with his demon oppressed son. Peter, James and John are reminded that this life is not full of heavenly glory; it is full of chaos and hopelessness.
Jesus rebukes his disciples with the words ‘o unbelieving and perverse generation’ (v. 17), suggesting the disciples have perverted (twisted) their faith. Jesus elaborates in v. 20 when he (a) informs the disciples their failure came from having too little faith, but then (b) informs the disciples that a little faith is all that is needed to move mountains. What does Jesus mean by this?
He means it isn’t the size of a person’s faith that is important; it’s what their faith is in. The disciples had perverted their faith by placing it in themselves rather than in Jesus. They no longer ‘needed’ God’s help in fighting demons, death and disease, for they thought they could do it in their own strength. This episode reminds them how wrong they were.
Brothers and sisters, as soon as we think we can navigate this chaotic and hopeless world in our own strength, Satan has us in his grasp. This is why we must (1) bring everything to God in prayer, and (2) be accountable to peers in areas of temptation. Everything we fail to pray about, we’re trying to do in our own strength, aren’t we? And everything we keep a secret from others, Satan will use to exploit us. May we never think we can navigate this life in our own strength. Let us pray for God’s strength, and ask close peers to keep us on the path. It is only in God’s strength that we can live God’s way.
