Matthew 17
COMMENTARY:
: 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. (1869 “lifted up” [epairo] means exalt self, take up, hoisted up, raise up, to direct one’s attention to something by looking closely at, or to lift from the ground.)
DEVOTION: Peter is guilty of opening his mouth every often while he followed Jesus. He would say things that Jesus didn’t appreciate. He had some good things to say but it seemed like he didn’t think before he spoke. On this occasion he wanted to build a place for the three men to rest. He wanted to set up a shrine to Jesus, Moses and Elijah. It was wrong but he had to say something.
Many of us are guilty of have foot in mouth disease as well. We open our mouth to say things that are not right in the eyes of the LORD. HE wants us to concentrate on HIM alone.
Too often we are looking for others to worship or set up shrines too. Sometimes it can be our pastor. Sometimes it can be that special author we like to read. Sometimes it can be our favorite speaker that comes to the area once in a while. These might be good individuals but if we take our eyes off the LORD we are worshiping men rather than God.
CHALLENGE: Keep your eyes on Jesus at all times. HE reveals HIMSELF in the Bible. Study to find out how you can worship HIM better.
: 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me. (430 “suffer” [anechomai] means bear with, forbear, endure, to sustain, or be patient with.)
DEVOTION: Jesus was not happy with HIS disciples. HE understood what they were going through with this young man. Someone had brought his son to them and they were unable to heal him.
Jesus returned from the mount of Transfiguration with the three key disciples and found a crowd gathered around this young man and his father.
The father told Jesus what had happened and this verse is HIS reactions. HE had been training the disciples. HE had sent them out on a mission’s trip to show them how much power they had available to them and yet they had failed to understand that they still had the power available.
Why were they not able to heal the son of this man? It was because they were availing themselves of the power God had given them. How were they to keep the power available? It was through prayer and fasting.
We have to learn that we have the same power available to us if we are willing to sacrifice time. It takes time to pray and fast until the LORD gives us power to do great things for HIM. We are a busy people who are too busy to take the time to get alone with the LORD until HE gives us direction to leave our closet to serve HIM with power.
God wants the church and those who are genuine believers to have power to do great things for HIM. It takes sacrifice and that is why we see many weak Christians who have no power. Each of us has to take the time to get alone with God to ask for this power.
CHALLENGE: Those who are genuinely filled with the Holy Spirit have the power.
: 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 his mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (570 “unbelief” [apistia] means unfaithfulness, faithless, want of faith, or weakness of faith.)
DEVOTION: Jesus is telling HIS disciples that they couldn’t remove the demon or evil spirit or evil angel from this young man because they lacked the faith to do it. HE tells them in the next verse that they can receive this faith to do the impossible only through prayer and fasting. Many today are not ones to fast for something they need from the LORD.
We need power each day. The Methodist pastors of Wesley’s day had to fast twice a week before they could be ordained to the ministry. The early Christians fasted twice a week but on days other than those that the Pharisees fasted. We today are soft and still want the power that comes from the LORD to live victorious lives. If we are disobeying the LORD and expect power- who are we fooling?
Now the second thought is – does God want everyone to be healed? Can a person have the prayer and fasting faith and still not heal someone? YES. I had someone close to me say that if I had faith I could raise my young son from the dead. The same person had cancer and died and the pastor at her funeral said that if she had enough faith she would be alive today.
Are these things true? There are times when, even with the right faith, death happens. But does that mean that we shouldn’t try to have prayer and fasting faith to have a powerful ministry for God today? NO!! How many of us want to do the impossible? Many people who call themselves Christians have never tried prayer and fasting. It is a command.
CHALLENGE: Is the LORD helping you move any mountains in your life lately? The promise is still true today. Strengthen your faith.
: 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go you to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first comes up; and when you have opened his mouth, you shall find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and you. (4624 “offend” [skandalizo] means put a stumbling block, may cause someone to trip or fall, to entice to sin, to cause to fall away, to cause someone displeasure, cause to no longer believe, to cause another anger, or to give up the faith.)
DEVOTION: Jesus didn’t preach against the government at the time. HE was confronted with the fact that they were not paying a tribute tax. HE used this occasion to train the disciples in their civil duty. Everyone was taxed except those in the king’s household. They were tax-exempt.
As a teaching tool HE told Peter to go fishing for the tax. HE told him to cast his hook and the first fish he caught to open his mouth and find their tax money.
There could have been enough in the hands of Judas the treasurer to pay the tax but HE used the occasion to show how the LORD can provide all their needs in unique ways.
HE can do this not only to pay taxes but also to give us our daily bread. HE has used many means in our life to provide for our daily need. There are times when we wonder where the money is going to come from next and then HE surprises us with HIS unique ways of doing things to help HIS people meet their daily needs.
Trust is the key. Peter trusted HIM to be right about fishing for his tax money. It was there and he paid the tax. We sometimes get caught up in the fact that our government gives us a privilege of religious organizations being tax exempt. They can give it or they can take it away.
In our present administrations mind is to take tax deductions away from people who give to a religious group. They are probably thinking that all churches will go out of existence if this happens. They are wrong.
Those who are genuine believers will continue to support the local church because they are doing it to say thank you to the LORD for HIS provision of salvation for eternity. They were going to continue to be obedient to the LORD by giving of their time, talent and treasure.
Yes there are going to be some churches that struggle because the people will stop giving but the LORD can still provide by other means. The local church has struggled in recent years because money is tight. Some baby Christians will struggle over whether to honor the LORD with their tithe or not. Mature Christians will not face this struggle. At least, they shouldn’t. They know the LORD is the one who promised to supply our every NEED.
CHALLENGE: Remember God always keeps HIS promises. Money is an area where new believers struggle. End the struggle!!! Give and watch HIM bless.
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