Faith to Move Mountains

Introduction

I

“Your faith’s just not big enough.”

That’s what the man with cerebral palsy was told coming to his fifth faith healing. He was sat far in the back in the wheel chair section. There where several there in wheel chairs, most didn’t make it to the front.

His disease had crippled him. He could walk, but barely and only with two crutches. It was easier to be in a wheel chair. He was in the crowd of about 1000 people. Several of whom had already testified to being healed. One person was supposedly blind and could now see.

The man with cerebral palsy was wheeled onto the stage in front of the large crowd. The faith healing commanded him with a loud voice, “Stand up! Get out of that chair.” With weak and shaking legs, holding onto the chair he rose up. The crowd began to cheer. But his right leg buckled and a pain shot up his spine. He collapsed forward on his hands and knees, tears rolling down his cheeks. The crowd grew silent.

“Weak!” The faith healer called to the crowd. “Weak! Your faith is weak just like you!” With that the faith healer pushed him over on his side. He bent down and spoke to the man directly, “Your faith’s just not big enough.”

N

I don’t think any of us want to be characterized by a small faith. Most of us want to be men and women of great faith. But what does that entail?

T

Jesus and three of his disciples descend the mountain where his glory was on full display. But what they are met with is a display faithlessness. Jesus addresses the generation’s lack of faith.

R

Matthew 17:14-23

O

Devastated, he didn’t know what to do.

Why doesn’t Jesus just transfigure in front of the whole world?

It’s not about the amount of faith, but the object of faith

Widening of the object of faith to include Christ - monolatry

From Glory to Godless

Matthew 17:14–17 ESV

14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.”

Revelation

Jesus, Peter, James, and John are traveling down from the mount of transfiguration when they come to this crowd. The man approaches with high respect for Jesus. He uses the phrase found often in the Psalms, “Lord have mercy. . .” You may be familiar with the song, kyrie eleison meaning “Lord have mercy”.

The plot heightens as we learn the plight of his son in v. 15 having seizures. It would have been common to walk by open wells, cisterns, and fires where they were living so it is no surprise that the demonic seizures cause him to be burned or nearly drown.

But v. 16 brings the real thing into focus when he tells him that the disciples were unable to heal. The culprit behind this disease is identified as demonic, there is a spiritual cause to the ailment. And yet the very people who were given authority over unclean spirits (Matt. 10:1) do not seem to have authority here.

Then Jesus laments. The lamentation is marked by the interjection at the beginning of the quotation in v. 17. It’s easy to miss if read matter-of-factly. But Jesus is filled with emotion. Matthew 17:17 “17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.””

Jesus makes reference to the song of Moses in Dt. 32. Moses dealt with the rebellious wilderness generation. The generation that saw the mighty works of God daily, every morning manna was on the ground for them, and yet they still did not believe God. When Moses came down the mountain with the 10 commandments, there the people were in open rebellion worshiping a golden calf. Now Jesus comes down the mountain where his glory was unveiled and here he is met with a crowd who is craving evidence against him.

It is tempting to make the demon-possessed boy the center of the story because it is an intriguing detail in out modern society where demon possession can sell lots of tickets in theaters. It’s entertaining, thrilling. But, Jesus does not marvel and lament over the demon, he laments over the unbelief. The focus of the story is not the miraculous healing, but the unbelief of the “generation.” The term generation was given to bring us back to Moses, but in Jesus’s day it is an inclusive term to refer to the whole crowd including the father and disciples.

The problem is not how much evidence everyone gets. The problem is does not lie in evidence or verification. The problem resides in the heart. The wilderness generation saw all of God’s mighty deeds and still went against God’s word.

These words show something unique about Christ, he’s more than just a mere man. But they also reveal the lack in the generation.

Relevance

Jesus laments unbelief.

They say the proof is in the pudding.

I was faced with this question: why didn’t Jesus reveal his glory to all his disciples, or to all the people everywhere?

But then you might consider all the things that Jesus did do, all the miracles that were already performed, all of his teaching, his character, the things surrounding his birth.

After all these things and still no one believes.

I remember my time as a teacher when I would repeat instructions 2-3 times to ensure that people understood what to do. I remember going over a quiz for a good fifteen minutes. I was going over the questions that would be on the quiz. Finally, I had a student raise his hand and ask me, “Don’t we have a quiz tomorrow?”

The entire class was in an uproar at that point, some laughing at the student who wasn’t paying attention, others exasperated, “He’s going over the quiz right now!”

Here is this crowd, along with 9 of the disciples who have seen or at least heard of everything Jesus has done. These disciples were given authority over unclean spirits by Jesus himself. No wonder Jesus laments.

The problem of faith in Jesus is not the lack of evidence or the need for verification. The problem is our dull, sin-riddled hearts. There’s nothing wrong with evidence or verification. There was a time in my life where a did nothing except read evidential apologetics like Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel. But evidence and verification are neutral. Two people can look at the same pieces of evidence and come to two very different conclusions. The problem lies not in the evidence or its lack but in our hearts.

What if Christ appeared in the sky right now to everyone in his full glory? Some may run and hide, some may believe its an outerspace alien, some may think its their god, some may try to shoot him.

I was once watching a debate between a Christian and atheist and the atheist was bringing up matters of evidence. The Christian brought up lots of evidence that the atheist dismissed. Finally the Christian asked, “what if God wrote in the sky the gospel message and put your name in it personally, would you believe?” The atheist said, no. “What if God showed up here right now and spoke to you, would you believe” The atheist thought for a moment, then replied, “No.”

This atheist was debating matters of evidence, but in reality the atheist had already determined in his heart two things no matter what evidence was presented. These two things were 1. God does not exist. 2. I hate him.

But what about for you? What doubts lurk in your mind? What unbelief do you harbor there? Perhaps you faced childhood trauma and you think if God were really real and good then that would not have happened. Perhaps in the face of a temptation you wish you had never faced you find yourself again, “God if you were real, I would not be tempted to. . .” Maybe it was at the loss of a loved one, someone dear to you you think, “God if you were good you would not have taken away. . .” Perhaps your own weakness and frailty in the body make you doubt. . .any number of things can cause doubt to arise.

Then what do these doubts do? Doubts become good lawyers. They seek to justify our actions. “Well, because God allowed this for me, I’m going to. . .” “I just need to feel something so I’m going to. . .”

9 times out of 10 when you face your besetting sin, you find your unbelief lurking in the some corner of your mind.

The solution is not to ignore it or pretend you don’t have those feelings. But to acknowledge the doubts the bring them to God.

Jesus laments unbelief, does he lament your unbelief?

Bridge

The Misplaced Element

Matthew 17:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Revelation

(note v. 21 is not included in the earliest manuscripts, it was added in order to harmonize with Mark’s account).

Jesus takes care of the demon quickly in one verse. The boy is healed instantly. Notice that the healing is instant and nothing is said of the boy’s faith or lack of it. The boy’s healing was not dependent upon his faith. But then the story shifts back into the main focus. The disciples want to know why they could not cast out the demon.

Jesus identifies the problem in v. 20: “Because of your little faith.” “Little faith” is an interesting word—one word in the original, and it seems to be a word unique to Jesus. The disciples have enough faith to come to Jesus and inquire, but their faith is weak, small, narrow. Their weak faith cause them to worry about what they will eat and wear. Their weak faith caused them to fear the storm. Their weak faith caused them to doubt about food even after Jesus had miraculously provided food to thousands.

Little faith sees the present problem as more powerful than God. Ultimately, weak faith has a wrong view of Jesus. It ignores God’s power, provision or promises.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 14. The Healing of an Epileptic Boy (17:14–20 [21])

At a superficial level the disciples did have faith: they expected to be able to exorcise the demon. They had long been successful in this work, and now they are surprised by their failure. But their faith is poor and shoddy. They are treating the authority given them (

But Jesus does not ask for an immaculate faith. He does not demand a super faith, but rather a faith the size of a mustard seed. A mustard seed is one of the tiniest things that can be seen with the naked eye. This shows just how tiny the disciples’ faith was. Little faith is smaller than a mustard seed, microscopic, nonexistant, not even able to cast out a demon.

Morning and Evening Morning, November 28

Doctrines held as a matter of creed are like bread in the hand, which ministers no nourishment to the frame; but doctrine accepted by the heart, is as food digested, which, by assimilation, sustains and builds up the body.

Little faith doubts God’s power, mustard seed faith may not comprehend all of God’s power, but it marvels in it and trusts it more than any other power out there. Little faith forgets God’s promises, mustard seed faith holds dearly onto God’s promises. Little faith forgets God’s provision, mustard seed faith remembers his provision and trusts for more.

Nothing will be impossible should be taken in the same context as Philippians 4:13 “13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” The disciples will be able to do anything necesary to further the kingdom, even that which seems impossible. The faith of a mustard seed is able to do the seemingly impossible. This is what Jesus promises his disciples, and this is what the disciples end up doing in the book of Acts. They heal incurable diseases, raise the dead, escape from prison, and on and on.

Mustard seed faith does not work on a principle of magic and manipulation but on a principle of relationship. Faith healers and other false teachers will say you need to visualize what you want as if you already have it. If you don’t get that thousand dollars then you did believe that you had it already. This is the thinking of magic, it is false, it is not even faith in God.

Mustard seed faith says, “Lord right now we need this to further your kingdom, but whether the answer is yes or no we trust you know best.” This is not manipulation or magic, but a relationship that acknowledges the lordship of Christ.

Bridge

This mustard seed faith is always qualified with truth, and always rejoices in truth. Truth is what Christ brings his disciples again next.

The Object of Faith

Matthew 17:22–23 ESV

22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

Revelation

Here, Jesus again predicts his coming betrayal, death and resurrection. This is something that the scripture has always pointed to. Genesis 3:15 “15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””

Isaiah 53:3 “3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

And yet the disciples show their weak faith again when at the end you see they are greatly distressed. Mustard seed faith though it may not even be significant, it may not even get the spotlight, it may never be great among men—it will always go back to this truth - the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Relevance

The Gospel provides the answers for all weaknesses of little faith.

“Why does God allow suffering?” little faith asks

The gospel replies, Why did God endure suffering?

“Why do I have to face this temptation?” Little faith asks, but he was tempted in every way yet without sin.

“Why can’t I be healed?” little faith asks, but Christ was raised from the dead defeated every infirmity and death itself. One day all pain will be gone, every tear wiped away, even death itself is defeated in Christ. Do you believe this?

Application

Where in your life do you experience little faith? Is it in your temptations? Is it in your suffering? Is it from your past? present? anxiety of the future? Is it from your relationships?

The problem of little faith won’t stay in that one little area. It will bleed out into everywhere else. What do we do?

Discover the area of little faith in our lives. It may be through the symptoms of something else we discover doubt in God.

Acknowledge the weakness. Don’t ignore it or cover it up.

Ask God for help in trusting him in that area.

Ask for help from others if needed. - This is what your church is for, this is why we are together, to bear one another’s burdens.

Once you see that tiny faith transformed into mustard seed faith you find yourself depending on God more and bringing others to God as well. Truly you can do what is seemingly impossible: overcome sin, restore brokenness, reconcile enemies, see a lost soul saved—these are the weightier things, the things to be sought after. And in this whole process we find a heart that yearns for God.