Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 17:14-Matthew 18:4 (Click title for audio access)

"From The Mountains To The Prairies..." • 11.7.10 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- The first part of chapter 17 is thrilling, being a preview of the coming attraction: Jesus, coming in the fulness of His majesty to reign over the Earth in power and authority.

- It was great to be there, if even just in study. But as in life, what goes up, must come down! Jesus, clothed in humanity, returns in His humanity, to face the human condition.

- It's not too long before He is right back in the thick of things.

Text

• Matthew 17:14-16 : "And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 'Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.'" : Another crowd and another need. A Father of an ill child makes for a desperate individual.

- He came begging the Lord to have mercy on his son. How many parents throughout history have fallen before the Lord for the sake of their children?

- As a parent, I'd venture to say that our children's conditions provoke this response often.

- The man says that his son was an epileptic. That word is used by the translators reflecting the ancient belief that epilepsy was caused by offending the moon god.

- The word is literally "lunatic." Literally, this man said that his son was "moonstruck!"

- The seizures that plagued this “moonstruck” boy, that would have been similar to an extreme epileptic condition.

- The boy’s problem had nothing to do with the moon. This was a young man that was oppressed by a demon, which will bear itself out in a moment.

- The danger to the boy reflects the conditions of their day, where fires and outdoor water sources were plentiful. When he came near either, there was a good chance he would be in danger.

- This man had brought the boy to His disciples, presumably while Jesus was returning to them, and to no affect. The disciples proved to be powerless in this situation.

- The good thing is that the Father continued to seek out the help of Jesus. His disciples will fail today. The answer is still in Him.

• Matthew 17:17,18 : "Then Jesus answered and said, 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.' And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour." : Whoa, Lord! When you first read this verse, you are stunned with the truth. If Jesus ever wanted to unload upon us, it would be warranted!

- His words here are direct. This is a lament. Faithless and perverse. The first word is pretty clear. Even the best of men lacks faith. Faithless and perverse.

- Perverse should be considered metaphorically, as crooked or turned aside, like a tool that is bent. The picture is a tool being employed, only to find itself altered.

- The nail stares as the hammer is pulverized! The sense is that it's not hard to move us from what we believe. It's not difficult to twist us!

- This frustration of this moment is exacerbated by where they have just come from. Jesus' feelings here reflect the struggle that humanity faces without Him.

- Jesus, in a moment of simplicity, rebuked the demon and it came out. That's all. Just like that!

- It just takes a moment for Jesus to change a destiny and cure an ailment that had been a reality for so long. From that very hour.

- Parents: Never give up! Keep bringing your kids before Jesus! You never know when that hour will come when He changes things.

- Anyone else: Never give up! Keep coming to Jesus, who in a moment, can change it all!

• Matthew 17:19-21 : "Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, 'Why could we not cast it out?' So Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.'" : I love that the disciples came privately to Jesus. This must have been a source of embarrassment to them on a superficial level, but a blow to their confidence at a deeper level.

- After all, they had had success previous to this, but something had changed.

- Jesus tells them that it was their unbelief. They had looked at this person and they surmised in their hearts that there was nothing they could do. This was too difficult a case.

- They had been impressed with the power of the demon rather than the power of God. That happens to us all the time. We fear the circumstance and forget the Lord!

- Their unbelief had shut the door to their authority. They were believers who were stricken with situational unbelief. This can afflict us as well.

- For example, consider when a person suffers with a long term illness. At some point, mentally, we truly stop believing that God can do anything about it!

- We accept what it is and fail to continue to ask for healing or God’s intervention. We trust in doctors and medicines, something that very few of the people of Christ's time had access to.

- At some level, we change our faith allegiance from God to something else. Am I saying that we should not employ medications or seek the help of Doctors? NOT ONE BIT!

- What I am saying is that we must continue to believe that God CAN do anything, even if He has not yet done anything!

- We need to recall that in certain instances, the people who had come to Christ had suffered with their affliction for years! The woman with the issue of blood, for example, suffered for 12 years!

- How much faith does one need? Jesus tells them that even with faith the size of the mustard seed, the smallest seed in their index, one can proverbially move a mountain of a problem!

- Many commentators believe that this was a euphemism of their day that was given to great men. Jesus is saying that power is in our hands as well!

- I was intrigued when Jesus told Peter, "O you of little faith" on the sea of Galilee. "Little" faith had caused Peter to walk on water!

- It's not the size of your faith that matters. It's that that little amount of belief is placed in a God who is not limited! The disciples may not have been trusting in the Lord at all.

- They may have trusted in their own formulas and strength, which caused them to see how meaningless both could be. But faith found in Christ is powerful.

- Think of faith as an investment. The size of your investment into a solid company will not matter. A company that is solid and trusted will turn that small investment into a great return.

- "Nothing will be impossible for you!" Wait: Without God, everything is impossible! That's the point! Faith brings God into every equation!

- Let me ask you: Is your faith stronger today than when you first believed? Pray and ask Him to make that a reality! Don't be unbelieving! It can happen to believers. These were the disciples!

- I recognize that I speak these things to those who have been in chronic pain or illness. Perhaps you have watched someone in that condition.

- Belief may not change a situation to a better situation. Belief may be represented in the fact that the situation remains for a reason.

- Faith says, "I believe that God can heal me today, but that He won't heal me until His purpose in my illness/distress/financial situation is met!"

- What is His purpose? Perhaps it's to humble us. Perhaps it's to give compassion. The point is that belief is not just about changing a situation to something that suits us.

- This brings us to an interesting verse, which seems to contradict what has just been said. Jesus has said that their unbelief had kept them from pulling this demon out.

- Then He says "But this kind will not come out except by prayer and fasting!" First, notice that there are different kinds of demons. Some are stronger than others. THAT'S encouraging!

- Jesus tells them that this kind of demon required a different measure. This kind required prayer and fasting.

- What is Jesus saying? Their dependance upon the Lord was the issue. He is not saying once you encounter a demon like this, begin to pray and fast.

- He is saying that one has to have an established life of dependancy, seen in the acts of prayer and fasting, prior to any such encounter.

- Any spiritual discipline, whether it be prayer, fasting or taking in God’s Word, works to prepare us for that which we will encounter.

- There is something that you will learn in this study that you will need to access at some point. When you pray and fast, you are developing a character that is getting stronger in dependance.

- A habit of dependancy upon Him is worth developing.

• Matthew 17:22,23 : "Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.' And they were exceedingly sorrowful." : Jesus needs to put this in their minds. He will be betrayed. This is the first time that He has given that detail. Somebody was going to hand Him over.

- He is saying this, letting them know that He is going to submit to suffering. He sees what will happen and willingly walks in that direction.

- The early church needed to see providence and obedience in this event. Jesus was aware and was subsequently obedient to what the Father intended.

- Jesus has told them that He would be betrayed, killed and then resurrected. Unfortunately, the disciples seemed to miss that last part.

- For the men, they were, as the ESV renders it, "greatly distressed." Jesus was their life. He was their everything.

- The thought of His death, when considered on the human plane, would have been devastating to them. Their love for Him was great.

• Matthew 17:24-26 : "When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, 'Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?' He said, 'Yes.' And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, 'What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?' Peter said to Him, 'From strangers.' Jesus said to him, 'Then the sons are free.'" : Did Jesus pay taxes? This was a traveling tax collector who collected for the temple in Jerusalem.

- This was a yearly tax that faithful Jewish men paid. It was equivalent during Christ's time to two days wages.

- When asked, Peter answered that Jesus paid it as well, even though Rabbis and teachers would be exempt.

- I’m convinced that Peter answered this and then wondered about it. “Jesus pays taxes, but why? He’s a rabbi! As Peter walks in, Jesus anticipated him. He interrupted Peter’s thought.

- Jesus pulls out an illustration for Peter regarding a royal family. The princes would never need to pay a thing. They lived freely. It was strangers who paid for their lives.

- Peter understood this naturally, but did not quite get the picture yet spiritually.

• Matthew 17:27 : "Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.’" : Jesus did not want to cause them to stumble. The higher law is to live in such a way as to not offend. This is a good principle to dwell on: Are there things in our lives that needlessly offend?

- They trip people up. They are bothered about some freedom. Jesus made sure that this matter of the tax did not cause others to trip up.

- Even though He was considered a rabbi, He knew that doing something "unlawful" would taint His message.

- It would put Him and obviously any of His disciples in a bad light. So, Peter needs to get back out to work! He was to take a pole out and catch just one fish.

- This would be embarrasing to a commercial fisherman. It would be akin to taking a child's toy out to the lake. No doubt, Peter walked quietly and stealthily down to the lake.

- The fish that Jesus knew would be there, would be an open mouthed fish, known for eating anything. This one will have attempted to eat a coin.

- Jesus knew where to find this money. This fish had been created for this moment!

- Jesus condescended to the weaknesses of His society for the sake of principle. He could have pulled some strings, shown a miracle, pulled a "rabbi" card. Instead, He paid this tax.

- There is a beautiful picture here of salvation: Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe. He was both a rabbi, as well as the Son of God. The temple was His Father's house!

- The money that came in the mouth of the fish was payment for Him and Peter, who owed the tax. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt that we could not pay!

• Matthew 18:1 : "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'" : HOLD everything! Where did this concept come up!? Let's step back for a moment.

- Matthew has presented Jesus as the Christ in chapter 16. He is the Transfigured One in the early parts of chapter 17. He is humble enough to heal someone's son, submit to death and pay tax!

- But now, the question about THEIR greatness comes up!?

- Christ is the greatest. What the disciples want to know is, "Which one of us is second!"

- Just a few months ago, they had been simple fishermen that Christ called to be His disciples.

- Now, they are wondering about their status? You know, we have to understand that this is the tendency in every one of our hearts.

- We are sinners saved by grace who believe that we turn into saints who have graced God!

- We go from people who are just happy to get in to people who wonder why it is that we are not celebrated! The disciples needed to learn something.

• Matthew 18:2,3 : "Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.'" : Jesus needed a little object lesson. He brought in a little boy, probably a very young boy.

- He put the boy in the mush pot, where they all could look upon him. Imagine, these grown men staring at a little child. Jesus speaks to them.

- You have to change your course! You have to change the way that you think about yourself! Greatness is not on this little boys mind and it shouldn't be on yours.

- You need to become like one of them! Unassuming. Completely trusting. Thoroughly dependant. Otherwise, you won't even get in, much less, be considered great!

- Just as in so many other categories, Jesus takes this paradigm and shifts it onto it’s ear. Most want to grow up to be men. Jesus is telling these men to grow up to be children!

• Matthew 18:4 : "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." : Someone who does not humbles himself won't get in. The one who does humble himself is the greatest in the Kingdom.

- Being like a little child expresses itself in a person humbling himself. What does that mean?

- The word means to "debase, lower, or to think unassumingly" about oneself. It represents a decision first in terms of salvation. I come on my knees to the cross for salvation.

- I don't get up from there. I remain in that position. I want to put myself in the arms of the Lord and stay right there.

- Second, it represents itself in serving others, which the rest of this chapter will focus on. Why is it that this is the case? Because it's the perfect picture of what has been revealed about Christ.

- Here He is, the glorious King in waiting. His throne is on the mountain, but His life is poured out in the valley. His rightful place is glory, but His vision is pointed to the cross.

- He owns everything, and He owes nothing, but He buys generously and pays everything!

- This section shows us a great antithesis, in that the Great One shows great humility, while the humble consider themselves great!

- All the while, the true greatness is expressed in a willingness of a child to be directed.

- Just as the little child followed the direction of Jesus, so Jesus had followed the direction of His Father.

Conclusion

- There is no better way to end this teaching, than to open our bibles to a passage that wraps up this entire section that we have been studying.

- I don't want you to turn there, but listen to these words with chapter 17 in mind:

• Philippians 2:5-16 : "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,"