It must have been quite a contrast for Jesus when he came down the mountain. Up there, he had just met with Moses and Elijah. He'd had a personal visit from loved ones at Home to strengthen Him for the time ahead; for a short time, it may have seemed that He breathed the very air of Heaven.
But not long afterward, there was a very different atmosphere when he reached the foot of the mountain. There, He was faced with ashamed and perturbed disciples arguing with a group of scribes, a despairing father and a very sick boy. It all looked like trouble, really.
And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”Jesus' reply was frustration itself. He had just had a visit from Heaven, where faith was a given. Here, the contrast was as great as black against white; the difference must have almost been palpable.
“O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”The disciples had tried to do as their Rabbi would have done -- but they had given up, intimidated by the convulsing boy who did not respond to their attempts to deliver him. "How long shall I bear with you?" Jesus was, to put it mildly, upset by their lack of faith. It irked Him. No wonder the scripture says, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Heb 11:6)
When the boy was brought to Jesus, he promptly fell at his feet into another convulsion, foaming at the mouth. The father's faith had almost faded altogether; all the disappointments of the past were spoken through these words, "But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." (emphasis mine)
Jesus needed to enlist this father's faith. His words struck like an arrow into that weary heart:
“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
The father reacted as if stung - had he really given up on his child? No! He would seize this opportunity, even though the past disappointments weighed heavily on his memory:
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
It was only then that Jesus acted to deliver this man's child. God can only act on our faith. He will not act on our unbelief.
Jesus was not moved by what things LOOKED like. Everyone else was. Faith! This world needs to see faith in action. God needs us to have faith so that He can work through us. Our lack of faith must continue to grieve Him.
O Father, we pray in Jesus' Name -- make us great people of faith! Teach us to walk in the kind of faith that pleases you and makes it easy for you to reveal yourself to the world. Forgive us of our unbelief; teach us the fear of the Lord that we might walk in the very air of Heaven and be unmoved by what we see.
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