Little Faith
January 16, 2023
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, 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.”
When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
This is Belief 101
he text is formidable. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this excerpt from the ministry of Jesus, each with a slightly different twist.
All include and conclude with Jesus' reminder of His own death. The one who can do anything must die.
The disciples are bewildered, confused, and afraid to ask more. Matthew says they were filled with grief.
In the meantime, a little boy has been healed and restored and faith has been affirmed.
A father has confessed his weak and feeble belief and asked for help with his unbelief.
The frailty of the disciples' faith has been rebuked, but the man who admitted his frailty and asked for help has been affirmed.
Jesus says it really doesn't take that much faith to do remarkable things. Just the size of a mustard seed will accomplish much, but limited faith will limit possibilities.
Yet, with God, everything is possible.
Here are the bullet points:
- LITTLE FAITH IS LIMITING.
- IT ONLY TAKES A LITTLE TO DO BIG THINGS.
- EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH GOD.
- BELIEVING BEGINS WHERE WE ARE.
- EXTRAORDINARY PRAYER RELEASES BONDAGE.
- EVERYTHING HINGES ON A TRUTH THAT IS HARD TO TAKE.