14 When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him,
15 and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water.
16 I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to heal him."
17 Jesus answered, "You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him here to me."
18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why couldn't we cast it out?"
20 He told them, "It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you."
This episode gives us a sort of encouragement, especially if you are discouraged by failures in following Jesus. Jesus’ disciples failed too. Once they had cast out demons. But now, they prayed to drive out the demon, but it didn’t work. Why? Jesus said it was because of their lack of faith. It is hard to define what faith is. However, we can learn several points from this passage.
1. When we fail, don’t give up. Bring it to someone who can pray for you. Remember, the power is not in you but in Jesus. Whether through your prayer or other’s prayer, it is Jesus who heals you. If you concern about your reputation when you take your problem to others, it is not of faith. For faith doesn’t seek own glory.
2. What matters in faith is not its size, but it’s genuineness. Exercise your faith in small things first. Not relying on visible evidence, but focusing on God’s words and His will. Do not concern about the result of your prayer or your works. If it is God’s will, just do it. God will take His glory from your faith regardless of the result. It is a genuine faith.
3. Through your failures, Jesus will make your faith grow and mature.
