Increase our faith

Matthew 17:19–21 NKJV

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Matthew 17:

The circumstances surrounding the miracle

The world in which we live

A world of people looking for answers

Confused by their inability to resolve their problems

Confused by a religion who can diagnose the problem but give no answers

Skeptical of who are followers of Jesus but lack faith

The conversation with the father

The conclusion

We are powerless without prayer

Prayer is powerless without faith

Caleb

Have faith in God

; ;

The object of our faith is Jesus Christ and in His name we make our requests

Faith is not positivity or positive thinking, believe land

Caleb illustrates

The New American Commentary: Mark 7. The Exorcising of a Demon from a Deaf and Mute Boy (9:14–29)

Having previously been able to exorcise demons (6:13), the disciples assumed they could do so whenever they wished. They failed, however, because of their lack of faith. Spiritual power is not something which once possessed will always be available. It must be maintained and renewed. Disciples then and now must constantly learn and relearn this lesson

Holding to past triumph’s doesn’t assure us of victories for today

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 9:28–29

Apparently they had trusted in past successes (cf. 6:7, 13) and had failed.

Jesus didn’t say He had to be physically present but faith was needed

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5. The Cure of a Demon-Possessed Boy (9:14–29) (Matt. 17:14–21; Luke 9:37–43)

This episode of desperate human need and the disciples’ failure contrasts sharply with the glory of the transfiguration. It shows the reality of living in the world in the absence of Jesus.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 9:19

O unbelieving generation emphasizes the characteristic cause of all spiritual failure—lack of faith in God

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 9:20–24

Jesus took up the father’s words of doubt, If You can, to show that the point was not His ability to heal the boy but the father’s ability to trust in God who can do what is humanly impossible

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Seven: The Servant’s Secrets (Mark 8:27–9:50)

Jesus had given His disciples authority to cast out demons (Mark 6:7, 13), and yet their ministry to the boy was ineffective. No wonder the Lord was grieved with them! How often He must be grieved with us when we fail to use the spiritual resources He has graciously given to His people!

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Seven: The Servant’s Secrets (Mark 8:27–9:50)

The main lesson of this miracle is the power of faith to overcome the enemy (Mark 9:19, 23–24; and see Matt. 17:20). Why had the nine disciples failed? Because they had been careless in their personal spiritual walk and had neglected prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). The authority that Jesus had given them was effective only if exercised by faith, but faith must be cultivated through spiritual discipline and devotion. It may be that the absence of their Lord, or His taking the three disciples with Him and leaving them behind, had dampened their spiritual fervor and diminished their faith. Not only did their failure embarrass them, but it also robbed the Lord of glory and gave the enemy opportunity to criticize. It is our faith in Him that glorifies God (Rom. 4:20).