Matthew 17:14-22; Psalm 119:1-8

Matthew 17:14-21
This scene comes directly after Jesus, Peter, James and John came down from the mountain after the Transfiguration. The three disciples had seen a glimpse of the glory of Jesus. The other nine disciples were in the crowd which they met when they returned from the mountain. A man approached Jesus with his very sick son, who apparently was possessed by a demon. Mark and Luke also report this dramatic incident in their Gospels. See Mark 9:14-28 and Luke 9:37-42. If we put all the details together, we find that the young man had frightful symptoms, and his situation appeared hopeless. We can conclude that his symptoms were beyond what we would expect from any known illnesses.

The nine disciples had tried to deliver the boy from the demon, but they had failed. When Jesus heard this, He was disappointed and grieved. His response in modern times to the disciples might have been, "What am I going to do with you? How long can I put up with you?" He asked that the sick boy be brought to Him, and He was able to rebuke the demon. The demon came out at Jesus' command, and the boy was healed. vv. 17-18

The disciples wondered why they had been unsuccessful. Jesus answered that it was because of their lack of faith. "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." vv. 20-21. The analogy of the mustard seed is an interesting one. Mustard seeds are very tiny, reminding us that God will honor even a little faith. They are also living, and when placed in fertile soil and watered, will grow and mature into a large plant. And so will our faith grow and mature when we place it in God and feed it with the Word of God. We all face "mountains" from time to time, and we can trust God to work as only He can do.

Psalm 119:1-8
Thinking about feeding our faith with the Word of God, it's interesting that we come to Psalm 119 which is all about God's Word. It is arranged in 22 short sections, each one corresponding to a letter in the Hebrew alphabet.

Section "Aleph": We are blessed when we walk according to God's Word. God intends for us to be obedient children, and we can tell what He expects of us only by studying His Word.

I am reminded once again of Romans 10:17, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

For our meditation: "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20-21