Matthew 17:18-20

Peace to you my brothers and sisters.

Today’s Bible Verse: [Matthew 17:18-20 KJV] 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Looking at the time and place this was written, it is first century Israel between the time of the resurrection of Jesus and the destruction of the temple. At that time the superstition was that certain maladies were caused by external “spirits”.

Look at the malady of this young man:

[Matthew 17:15 KJV] 15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

If we look closely it can be seen that he is prone to seizures and may have what we now call epilepsy.

Jesus could have explained this to them but instead He simply cured it. That is the miracle because even today there is no cure for it.

Jesus had given His disciples power to cure; however, they lacked the faith to do many of them. That is the problem with this generation, a lack of faith. I say this of myself as well so I can say that we lack faith.

[Philippians 4:13 KJV] 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

His Holy Spirit is with us and all we need to do is ask His Holy Spirit for strength during these trying times.

[Philippians 4:19 KJV] 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

We worry so much about the things that we need and forget that God promised us that He will supply what we need. Today so many live from paycheck to paycheck and we worry if we can pay the rent, pay the mortgage, buy food, and so on. Put faith in God that all we need will be provided.

[Mark 9:24 KJV] 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

His unbelief was that small lack of faith that we all have. Jesus, through His Holy Spirit can bolster that.

We all have a job.

[Matthew 28:18-20 KJV] And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.

All of the disciples of Jesus are to spread His word and the gospel.

This is the gospel:

[1 Corinthians 15:1-6 KJV] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

[Acts 2:22-24 KJV] 22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

Go forth and spread this good news.

I pray that God has revealed Himself to you and that you have salvation.

Remember, God is sovereign. That means that he controls everything.

I hope this has been a blessing to you. May the rest of your day be blessed. Peace.