The Berean

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"These [in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." - Acts 17:11
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Matthew 17:17-21

(17) And Jesus answering said, `O generation, unstedfast and perverse, till when shall I be with you? till when shall I bear you? bring him to me hither;' (18) and Jesus rebuked him, and the demon went out of him, and the lad was healed from that hour. (19) Then the disciples having come to Jesus by himself, said, `Wherefore were we not able to cast him out?' (20) And Jesus said to them, `Through your want of faith; for verily I say to you, if ye may have faith as a grain of mustard, ye shall say to this mount, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you, (21) and this kind doth not go forth except in prayer and fasting.'

Mark 9:23-29

(23) And Jesus said to him, `If thou art able to believe! all things are possible to the one that is believing;' (24) and immediately the father of the child, having cried out, with tears said, `I believe, sir; be helping mine unbelief.' (25) Jesus having seen that a multitude doth run together, rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, `Spirit -- dumb and deaf -- I charge thee, come forth out of him, and no more thou mayest enter into him;' (26) and having cried, and rent him much, it came forth, and he became as dead, so that many said that he was dead, (27) but Jesus, having taken him by the hand, lifted him up, and he arose. (28) And he having come into the house, his disciples were questioning him by himself -- `Why were we not able to cast it forth?' (29) And he said to them, `This kind is able to come forth with nothing except with prayer and fasting.'


This miracle teaches that it takes the power of faith to overcome the enemy (Matthew 17:20; Mark 9:19, 23-24). Why had the nine disciples failed? They had been careless in their personal spiritual walks 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. The apostle Paul uses Abraham as an example of this:

No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised. That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God). (Romans 4:20-22, The Amplified Bible)

Half of the healings Christ performed happened due to the prayer of loved ones and friends. The father of the demon-possessed boy remains a monument of faith, timid yet true, through his love for his boy. His pleading, "Have compassion on us, and help us," was highly honored by Jesus.

The key to the exercise of such faith is not its quantity, but the God to whom it is directed; therefore, even the smallest faith—"like a mustard seed"—will see spectacular results (Luke 17:5-6; Matthew 17:20). Jesus says in Mark 9:23, "All things are possible to him who believes." Faith acts as an open door into a relationship with God and as a shield that protects God's people when they are under spiritual attack.

— Martin G. Collins

To learn more, see:
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Exorcising a Young Boy (Part One)



 

Topics:

Exercise of Faith

Neglected Prayer and Fasting




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