Maybe I Am Just Confused!

Saturday morning, February 2, 2008
The truth is I will probably never figure out why Jesus added the last part to the text I used in my last perspective (Luke 17:6-10), and I am certain that I do not know its relationship to faith (at least not in the present!), so I will move on to the next turn in the road, which is this: “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you. [But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.]” (Matthew 17:19-21). Hmmm—what can I say?
This is the way I see it: The disciples have just returned from the Mount of Transfiguration, which to say the least was no shabby experience. The must have been on a spiritual high and ready to kill another Goliath, to walk on water, to raise someone from the dead, to handle snakes, to turn water into wine, and to see another burning bush; however, they were asked to cast a demon out of some father’s son and they failed to geterdone! To add to their embarrassment, the father quickly gave up on them and took his son to Jesus, telling him that His disciples were pretty much out of the loop, as far as casting out demons was concerned and, thus, begged Him to have mercy on his son and heal him of his dreaded misery.
You do not have to be very smart to realize that Jesus was just a tad frustrated not only with His disciples, but also with the boy’s father. Listen to how Jesus responded: “O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me” (vs.17). A bit scathing, I would say! His “How long shall I put up with you” sounds exactly like something I heard my Mother say (more than once!) to both of my brothers in their earlier years, and trust me on this—she said it in such a way, as to make you wonder, if she wasn’t about to throw them out of the house (She never did it but I do remember thinking it would be in their best interest to keep a bag packed, just in case!).
I am of the opinion that these disciples wished they could have somehow dropped into a hole in the ground and disappeared—as in out of sight—but that was not to happen; instead, they would remain for the Grand Finale—one the probably never forgot (probably still remember it!). Notice how the show ended: “And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once” (vs. 18).
Then the debriefing: “Why could we not cast it out?” Jesus answer was clear, succinct, and easily understood, even by a moron: You couldn’t cast it out because you are too stupid! You will not pay attention; you will not listen to anything I tell you; you do not trust anything I tell you; you are full of pride; and, well, you are just plain stupid!
Well, that is not exactly what He said but it is close enough for hand grenades and horse shoes, which is closer than any of us should want to get to demons! This is actually what He said (just for the record): “Because of the littleness of your faith; . . .” (vs. 20a). Well, I cannot speak for them but I can tell you that I am well aware of the “littleness” of my faith, especially when it comes to doing things that I know I cannot do—walk on water, turn water into wine, move mountains, cast out demons, handle snakes!, raise the dead, heal the sick, dance, especially dance!
To tell you the truth I was of the opinion that my “little” faith was enough because regardless of how little it is, it is His, if I have any at all, and His is supposed to be enough for anything and everything—even dancing! Maybe I am just confused. Go figure!