Summary:
The Healing of a Boy With a Demon
Verses 14-23
When Jesus, Peter, James, and John arrived to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. He asked for mercy for his son, who had seizures and great suffering. Many times, his son fell into the fire or water. He had brought his son to Jesus' disciples, but they couldn't heal him.
Jesus called the current generation unbelieving and perverse, asking how long He would stay and put up with them. He told the man to bring Him the boy. Jesus rebuked the demon and it left. The boy was healed at that moment.
The disciples came to Jesus privately and asked why they couldn't drive out the demon. Jesus said it was because they had so little faith. He said, " '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. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.' " (Verses 20b-21)
When they regrouped in Galilee, Jesus told them that the Son of Man would be betrayed by men. They would kill Him and He'd be raised up on the third day. The disciples grieved over this.
Lori's Thoughts:
I mentioned yesterday that only three disciples had a connection close enough to Jesus, that they were allowed to see Him in His heavenly form. The fact that the other disciples could not drive out the demon from this boy shows you what little faith they had, which is why they were not ready to see the divine Jesus.
A mustard seed is quite small. Sometimes, in this life, we get discouraged by evil and forget to focus on the solution. We see the results of evil, because the devil throws them in our face - cancer, everyone else's success, hate crimes, etc. We need a daily connection with Christ to get to the point where we focus on Him, trusting His will and timing, to set all things right.
For a while, I silently suffered, wondering where my life is going. I felt like I kept being told to just wait and see a little longer. Well, I got impatient and started to doubt that God even sees me, which is ridiculous. Think about who you love the most. Someone you'd die for, before letting them be harmed. It can be a child, a friend, even a pet. Where does that great love come from? It comes from God. God cares for you, individually, in a similar way, but much more deeply, because He is perfect. Sometimes He keeps things from us or makes us wait for our benefit. I say He cares for us as individuals, because the way He interacts with me is different than the way He interacts with, say, my brother.
I reached a low point last week and wept. I wanted to jump out of my own skin. Sometimes this physical human body is so frustrating. Well, I had an iota of hope and listened to the voice telling me to hold on a little bit longer. The next morning, God told me, "See. The sun always comes up." Later that day, He showed me a job opportunity in my home state. I'm going for it! I'm trusting Him to make it work out, if He wants me there. I'm trusting His judgment.
I think we know by now that Jesus usually speaks figuratively. When He said that we could move mountains with a mustard seed of hope, I think He meant moving spiritual mountains. The demon in the boy was a stronger kind, that required purification on the disciples' part to drive it out. By prayer and fasting, our bodies grow weak, but our spirits grow strong, because we are leaning on God that much more.
This demon was the mountain. With mustard seed faith, that is a close connection with our Father, evil has to flee when we rebuke it.
Fortunately, the boy's father did not place his hope in man. When man failed, He went directly to the Source. The father acted on his faith by seeking Jesus, worshiping Him, and bringing his problem to Christ. The father's request for mercy was immediately answered and his son was whole. Imagine what you can do for others with your prayer requests, if you have faith.
Now, the disciples grieved, because their greatest friend would suffer and die. That's completely understandable. But, they were focusing on the first part of Jesus' statement. The second part was that He'd rise again. Death would not defeat Him!
People, we will grieve in this life. "...we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." (I Thessalonians 4:13) Don't forget that Christ has conquered death, suffering, and all evil. Once His kingdom is prepared for us and we are prepared for it, He will take us home. Do you believe it?
Summary...
The Temple Tax
Verses 24-27
Jesus and His disciples went to Capernaum. The two-drachma tax collectors asked Peter if his teacher pays the temple tax. Peter said yes. Peter, then, went to the house and Jesus spoke up first. He asked Peter from whom the earthly kings collect their duties and taxes - from their sons or others? Peter answered from others. Jesus said, then, that the sons are exempt. But to not offend the tax collectors, Jesus sent Peter to go fishing in the lake. The first fish he'd catch would have a four-drachma coin in its mouth. Peter was to use it to pay both their taxes.
Lori's Thoughts...
Jesus is above money. He relied on God for His provisions. Remember the angels that cared for Him after His 40-day fast and temptations in the desert? Jesus did not pay the temple tax, because He had already given His whole self to God. He is God! But, the earthly church leaders focused on money and things beneath God.
Once again, Jesus was patient and gave the tax collectors what they wanted. I just hope they took their eyes off of the shiny coin and realized in whose presence they were. One of them is worth phenomenally more than the other.
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