Tuesday, April 1, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: Matthew 17

We still hold on to the idea that God can change people, but mostly we mean God will help them turn over a new leaf rather than a radical transformation. When that kind of radical rebirth does happen, we go, ‘Wow! We didn’t really know that could still occur! I wish it would happen more often.’ But then we sink back into not really expecting it to occur again. 

–Lee Strobel, Case for Miracles 

To experience supernatural occurrences seems strange in our modern world. I would love to say I experienced a miracle one day, but that can only happen by first accepting the mystery of God. 

In the healing of the demon-possessed boy, a man approached Jesus and begged him to have mercy on his son. His son was physically experiencing seizures, hurting himself under the control of the demon. The disciples could not heal the boy, so the man's only hope was to come before Jesus. 

This is one of the times that we see Jesus frustrated with the disciples’ lack of faith, something rarely noted in the Bible. After Jesus healed the boy, the disciples pulled Jesus aside, and asked why they weren’t able to drive out the demon. 

Matthew 17:20
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Jesus wanted to invite them into the mystery of God, to be a part of God's kingdom work. This work requires faith in God, but the disciples were unable to participate because they had little faith. 

God is not asking us to be brazen and bizarre to experience his mysteries. He asks that we come before him with a little faith, as small as a mustard seed, because he can move mountains. 

In this story, Jesus met the disciples who lacked faith and the boy who needed healing. He provided for both of them, giving them the faith they needed to witness his miracle. With just a little bit of faith, it is possible to experience God's transforming power in any situation. 

Questions: 
What is God healing in this context? 

Why is it sometimes a challenge to have a little bit of faith? 

Next Steps:

Sit with God in quiet solitude. Make prayer your first response, not a last resort, when going to him for miracles.  

Journal about who you relate to in this story: the desperate father, the possessed boy, or the doubting disciples. 

Prayer: 
God, you are not asking for my faith to look brazen and bizarre, you are asking me to have faith as small as a mustard seed. I believe that I can experience your mystery and power. Even with a little faith, I know you have the power to transform me and my situation. I am coming before you as a first response. I need healing for [fill in the blank]. It is in Jesus’ name I pray for your healing power. Amen. 

Series Theme Verse:

Hebrews 4:15
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

This post was written by Becca Roberts, a West attendee, and a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.