Matthew 17:14-20 When Faith Fails

When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him." And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to 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 to you. [Matthew 17:14‭-‬20 NASB]

The kingdom of God has an interesting dynamic: it only takes a little faith to accomplish great things, and it only takes a little doubt to completely subvert that faith.

We read in Matthew 10:1 that Jesus had already given His disciples authority to cast out demons. Mark tells us, "They went out and preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them." [Mark 6:12-13 NASB]

They had experience acting in Jesus' name, and casting out demons, yet they failed in this case. I think that's why Jesus allowed some frustration and annoyance show. Because of their experience, they should have done better. When they brought the boy to Jesus, He rebuked the demon and it came out of the boy. Mark tells us in chapter 9 that the demon tore at the boy one last time before coming out, and left him lying still, as if he were dead. Jesus raised him up and he was well.

When the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn't drive it out, he told them it was because of their lack of faith. By comparing faith to a mustard seed, Jesus is letting His disciples know that even a tiny amount of faith would have been enough.

So why did their faith fail them? I don't know for sure, but I can speculate that when they saw the violence of the demon, they allowed fear and doubt into their hearts. Later manuscripts add, "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." [Matthew 17:21 NASB] This verse was included in the King James Bible, and is placed in brackets in most modern translations indicating that the earliest manuscripts do not include it.

Obviously, prayer is necessary for even the most basic faith. You have to spend time with God if you will have faith in Him. The disciples were forbidden to fast at this point. Jesus had previously said, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." [Matthew 9:15 NASB] It seems out of character for Jesus to rebuke His disciples for something He had forbidden them to do.

Whatever the reasons, the disciples failed. Jesus corrected them, and then He taught them. He never rejected them, or turned them away.

There will come a time in all of our lives when we fail. When you fail, don't think Jesus is going to reject you. He will never love you any less because of your failures. In fact, because He loves you, He will correct you.

Learn from these disciples because they did something very right. After they failed, they got alone with Jesus to talk to Him about their failure. When you fail God in any way, don't turn away from Him. Don't try to hide in shame. Come to Him with an open heart, and learn from Him how to do better next time.

Matthew 17:9-13 Elijah

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" And He answered and said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things;  but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. [Matthew 17:9‭-‬13 NASB]

The disciples are just now coming to grips with their realization that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. They are trying to reconcile the prophecies that they know about the Messiah, with the person they see in front of them.

It has already been speculated that Jesus was Elijah (Matthew 16:14), but that speculation was set aside with the revelation of Jesus' true identity.

The very last prophecy of the Old Testament reads, "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." [Malachi 4:5-6 NASB]

The notion that Elijah would return to herald the coming of the Messiah was very popular in those days, because they thought it meant their time under the rule of Rome would soon be over. They thought they would know the Messiah when He came because Elijah would herald His arrival.

The disciples were no different. Although they accepted that Jesus was the Messiah, they couldn't understand how He could be there without first seeing Elijah.

Jesus told them, "Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him." Then the disciples understood that he was talking about John the Baptist.

Some have read this and come to the conclusion that John the Baptist was the reincarnation of Elijah. Let's be perfectly clear. The Bible does not teach reincarnation. We are taught, "It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment," [Hebrews 9:27 NASB] It is best to consider that John the Baptist is, metaphorically, Elijah.

He was not recognized because he was not what people expected. The popular concept of Elijah is based on his miracles, and demonstrations of power: stopping the rain, raising the dead, calling fire from heaven, and so on.

John the Baptist did not perform any miracles, but in the spirit of Elijah, he confronted ungodliness and exposed hypocrisy. He called upon the common people to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” [Matthew 3:2 NASB]

He also fulfilled the role as herald to the Messiah. He said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’" [John 1:29-30 NASB]

It is easy to miss what God is doing because we have preconceived ideas about what it will look like. Just as people thought they knew what Elijah's coming would look like, so people think they know what the end time signs will look like before Jesus' return. One thing about prophecies is that it is easier to interpret them after the fact. 

Let's not be so sure of our expectations that we miss what God is doing.

Matthew 17:1-8 Transfiguration

Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, "Get up, and do not be afraid."  And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. [Matthew 17:1‭-‬8 NASB]

 We are told in Hebrews 1, "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they." [Hebrews 1:1‭-‬4 NASB]

On the mount of transfiguration, the disciples saw a glimpse of His radiance and power. In essence, Jesus momentarily dropped His facade, and appeared in His natural state.

God made it clear that there was to be a transition in the way He spoke to the world. In the past, he spoke through the prophets, but from now on, he would speak through His Son. He said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" There is no greater authority.

The transfiguration also gives us a glimpse of what we, ourselves, can expect in the resurrection. Paul teaches, "But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?”..."There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another."..."So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body." [1 Corinthians 15:35-44 NASB]

That speaks to our eternal state, but in the here and now, our spirits are already being transfigured. The Greek word is metamorphoo, and is translated as either transfigure or transform. Paul uses the term when he says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." [Romans 12:2 NASB] And again, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." [2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB]

It's like being in a dark room with a single bright light. If you stay away from the light, you remain in the shadows. But if you approach the light, your image becomes more clear. As you get closer to the light you begin to shine by the light reflecting off of you.

So it is with the Lord. I am speaking to those who are saved. If you only pray when you have a need, or if you get so busy with your day that you just "can't find the time" to spend quality time with the Lord, then you remain in the shadows of the world.

But if you will draw close to Him, then you will be transformed. Renew your mind, that is, devote your thoughts to Him. Turn your mind on Jesus, and leave it there throughout the day. Spend quality time with Him. If you don't have time in the day, then lose an hour of sleep to make the time. Your spirit is worth much more than an hour of sleep.

The analogy of stepping close to the light is incomplete. Yes, we reflect the light of Jesus. But more than that, we become transfigured to be like Him.

Draw close to God and receive His glory.

Matthew 16:25-28 Lose Your Life

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.   "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." [Matthew 16:25‭-‬28 NASB]

We are given a choice. We can follow the world, or we can follow Jesus. If you follow the world, you may gain the world, but you will lose your soul.

Paul said, "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience," [Colossians 3:1-6 NASB]

When you choose to follow Jesus, you become dead to your old life. This is true in a spiritual sense as well as figurative. You have to be willing to die to you old way of life if you want to truly live in Christ. Some - I should say most - will choose to hold on the old life, refusing to die, and so lose their soul.

Jesus said that He would return and "repay every man according to his deeds." Please don't misunderstand. Jesus won't be holding a scale and measuring your good deeds against your bad deeds. You won't be able to say to Him "I helped little old ladies across the street, so I deserve to get into Heaven."

The judgement is this: did you follow Jesus or not? In this life, did you seek the kingdom of God, or did you seek material gain or fleshly pleasures?

It's not about church attendance. You can do many good works, be a missionary to third world countries, and lead others to Christ, but if your own heart is not right, you will lose your soul.

Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." [Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB]

If you are counting on good works to get you into heaven, then you are still living in the world. Surrender to Jesus means giving up on your own efforts to be good, and trusting Him. Trying to gain God's favor by doing good deeds is sin. The good news is that God forgives sin when you come to Him in faith and ask for His forgiveness.

When you follow Jesus, you lose your old life, and are born again into the kingdom of God. 

There have many different speculations about Jesus' words, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

Understand that the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom. Paul said, "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." [Romans 14:17 NASB] One day, Jesus will return, but we don't have to wait for His physical return to live in the kingdom of heaven. We are told, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household," [Ephesians 2:19 NASB] 

Jesus died and rose again on the third day. He sent His Spirit to indwell each one of us. As believers, we are the kingdom of God, along with all of the faithful who have gone before us.

I urge you to turn from the pleasures of the world. Follow Jesus with all of your heart, soul, mind and body. You will experience great peace and joy in this world, and in the next, eternal life.

Matthew 16:24-26 Take Up Your Cross

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  [Matthew 16:24‭-‬26 NASB]

This has got to be one of the hardest things for a 21st century American to grasp. We live in a society that is driven by Wall Street. Success is measured in gross assets. Preachers are on TV and radio, and writing best selling books to tell people that they can be their best self. They are more motivational speakers than preachers of the gospel. We are taught that God's purpose is to fulfill our desires.

I recently had a conversation with a Christian brother who was boasting that he was preparing to "trade up" his large house for an even larger one. What bothered me in this conversation was when he said that it was God's will for him to have the larger house. I asked him how he knew it was God's will, and he answered, "because I desire it."

I was taken aback by his answer, and asked him why he thought that his desire made it God's will. He answered "because God puts the desires in my heart."

I pointed out that the Bible teaches that there are desires of the flesh, and not every desire is from God. How did he know this desire was from God? His answer was, "because I have peace about it." In other words, since he felt good about it, it must be from God. He also quoted a scripture that said, "God will give you the desires of your heart."

I hope you see the error in his reasoning. (He never did). Pridefulness, and the desire for prestige do not come from God. He calls us to humility. His will is not for us to indulge ourselves, but to deny ourselves. There are many prosperity preachers on the air that equate material gain with holiness. Yet the wealthiest men in America make no claim of being Christian.

The Psalm says, "Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart." [Psalm 37:4 NASB] Put another way "If you desire the LORD, He will give you your desire." If you seek Him, you will find Him. This doesn't even come close to saying "If you acknowledge the LORD and desire riches, then He will give you riches."

Jesus said that we should take up our cross and follow Him.

That means we are to die to self. Our own desires are subjugated to His. As Jesus said, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?"

Yes, Jesus loves you. He wants the best for you. What is best for you is not the indulgence of the flesh, but the building of your character.

Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." [Matthew 6:19-21 NASB]

Don't keep you eyes on material rewards, lest you gain the world, and lose your soul.

Matthew 16:21-23 Get Behind Me, Satan

From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You." But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." [Matthew 16:21‭-‬23 NASB]

For some context, Peter has just made his famous proclamation, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." [Matthew 16:16 NASB] After confirming Peter's words, Jesus told His disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

I'm sure the first desire of the disciples was to proclaim to all, "Jesus is the Messiah! He's come to save Israel!" But Jesus didn't want them to say anything. First, it wasn't yet his time. Second, the disciples still didn't understand what that meant. They were still looking for Him to overthrow the Romans and establish an earthly kingdom in Jerusalem.

So Jesus began teaching them that being the Messiah didn't have anything to do with raising an army and marching in victory against Rome. Rather, it meant that He would suffer and die, and be raised again on the third day.

Peter, no doubt, was still a bit high from his fresh revelation about the identity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I imagine that he was feeling very sure of himself and his ability to hear from God the Father, and be his mouthpiece.

Peter felt free to take Jesus aside and set Him straight. Jesus' words didn't match Peter's expectations of the Messiah, so obviously, a little correction was needed.

Jesus' response was instantaneous and forceful. "Get behind Me, Satan!" He also let Peter know where he had made his mistake. His mind was not set on God's interests, but his own.

I can identify so well with Peter. When you have been used by God, it is easy to succumb to spiritual pride. When you are used to hearing the voice of God, it is easy to insinuate your own voice instead of His. Especially if there is a conflict of interest. Be extra cautious if it seems that God is telling you what you want to hear. That might be a good time to seek counsel from someone else whose opinion and spirituality you trust.

I'm not at all saying that God will not give you what you want. He loves you and wants you to be happy. He also knows that not everything you want is good for you. Also, He has the larger agenda of building His kingdom. That is His higher priority.

Learn to hear His voice. As you grow more accustomed to it, you will grow more confident and capable of discerning between His voice and your own. But always be aware of your own priorities and motivations, that they don't conflict with His.

Matthew 16:13-20 Upon This Rock

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"  And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."  Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ. [Matthew 16:13‭-‬20 NASB]

Jesus took His disciples about 25 miles north of Galilee to Caesarea Philippi, in what is now the Golan Heights. This got Him away from the crowds, so that He had time for some more private discussions with His disciples.

He asked who people thought He was, and received a variety of answers. When He asked "Who do you say that I am?" he received the right answer. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus affirms Peter's answer. "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." Peter's statement is probably one of the most important statements in the Bible, and it was said matter-of-factly. There was no thundering voice, no earthquakes, lightning, fire from Heaven, nor any other outward sign. Peter didn't fall into a trance or receive a great vision. He simply spoke from the heart.

This is how the Holy Spirit often speaks to us: directly to our hearts. Christians often go through life saying, "God has never spoken to me." More likely, God has spoken many times, but you didn't recognize His voice. The reason we don't recognize His voice could be because we don't expect Him to speak to us, or since He speaks directly to our heart, we think it is our own thoughts, rather than the voice of God. It could simply be lack of practice and experience listening for Him. And it could be that our own inner voice, our thoughts, are so busy and loud that we drown out the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.

Try this: when you pray, talk to God as you would talk to a friend. Just as you would expect a friend to respond, you can expect God to respond. And then - shut up.  Quiet your mind and your thoughts long enough to hear the voice of God. I can promise you this: God will speak to you, and He wants you to hear Him. You may not receive great prophetic words, but He will give the encouragement and guidance you need for your life. It won't come in a booming voice from the ceiling, but from the quiet voice where the Spirit of God lives in your heart.

Jesus goes on to say, "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church." I love this statement because of what it reveals about Jesus.

First, consider the location. I've been to the area that was Caesarea Philippi. Basically, the whole area is bedrock, with a lot of stones. Jesus considers both the environment and His audience to make a play on words. He says, "You are Peter." The Greek word is "petros", or "a stone". Then He says, "upon this rock." The Greek is "petra" or "a bedrock". I can visualize Jesus with His disciples having this discussion. Jesus picks up a stone and says, "Simon, you are a stone." Then indicating the bedrock around them, He says, "Upon this bedrock, I will build my church." Peter, and all believers are stones in the church that Jesus is building, but Peter's statement - the truth of who Jesus is: the Christ, the Son of the living God - is the bedrock that the church will be built upon.

This is the first mention of the word "church" in the Bible. The Greek word is "ekklesia" and means "a gathering". What is most significant about the word is that it was a common word that had absolutely no religious connotations at the time. This tells me that the church was meant to be a gathering of believers and not a religious institution. What the church has become, what we have turned it into is, in my opinion, appalling. Too often, it has become a monstrosity that keeps people from knowing God. Much evil has been done in the name of religion.

Yet, the true church remains; apart from religion.

The gates of hell, that is the power and authority of the devil, has set itself against the church. The most blatant attacks are seen in the form of satanism, pagan and atheistic movements. The more insidious attacks are in the form of corruption within the church. Replacing faith with ritual and replacing freedom in Christ with adherence to church rules and dogma.

Jesus said, “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." [Matthew 7:14 NASB] He also said, "“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’" [Matthew 7:22-23 NASB]

Many will face the Lord in judgement, having done the whole "church" thing, and having been faithful to their religion, but Jesus will say them, "I never knew you."

Be a follower of Jesus, not a follower of religion. Join with a gathering of fellow believers. That is the true church, not the rules and ordinances of an organization.

Let the Spirit of God guide you and lead you into freedom.