Jesus had previously given His twelve disciples the authority over “unclean spirits…and to heal every disease and every affliction” (Matt. 10:1, 8). While three of His disciples, “Peter, James, and John his brother,” were with Him at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1), the other nine disciples were asked by a boy’s father to heal the son of his illness, but “they could not heal him” (Matt. 17:16).
When Jesus returned from the transfiguration on the high mountain, He and the three disciples “came to the crowd.” The same father of the son whom the nine disciples could not heal came to Jesus and told Him of the failure of His disciples, asking Him to heal his son (Matt. 17:16; Mark 9:18). So, Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and removed it from the boy, and he was healed (Matt. 17:18; Mark 9:25-27).
LITTLE FAITH
After this episode, all twelve disciples came to Jesus privately to ask Him why they couldn’t heal the boy (Matt. 17:19; Mark 9:28). He told them that the nine could not heal the boy “Because of your little faith”(Matt. 17:20).
When Jesus used the term “little faith,” He used the Greek word ὀλιγόπιστος (oligopistos, pron. o-lee-GO-pis-tos), which means an incredulous feeling one has when a person lacks confidence in God and Christ. Jesus used this word to express His concern for someone who had anxiety or fear because of their “little faith.” He is the only one who used this Greek word in the Bible.
In the other 200+ times it appears in the New Testament, the word faith is translated from the Greek πίστις (pistis, pron. PIS-tis), which, in Christian usage, means the confidence that comes from conviction and reliance upon God and Christ regarding salvation.
What was Jesus teaching His disciples and all Christians? It might be said that our Lord is telling His disciples that they didn’t have enough faith in Him, or God, or the gospel. But Jesus would not have chosen them to be His disciples and would not have given them authority over “unclean spirits…and to heal every disease and every affliction” (Matt. 10:1, 8) if they didn’t have faith. So, ‘What is He teaching?’
In Mark’s gospel, the same event is described by telling us what Jesus is teaching. The disciples thought they had the authority that Jesus had through His connection with His divine nature, but they didn’t. That’s why Jesus explained to them that this kind of healing required prayer (Mark 9:29).
Jesus said, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17, 18).
If anyone believes in Jesus Christ, they can do everything mentioned in the verse above. In fact, a believer can do anything that Jesus has done. However, if someone believes that when Christ tells them to do something, He is just supplementing their personal abilities, then they are wrong. He told His disciples that they had “little faith” because they could not cast the demon out of the boy and heal him (Matt. 17:20).
Jesus’ disciples apparently believed that just because Jesus had given them the responsibility to cast out demons, they could do it. But what Jesus is trying to teach them is that they should have strong enough faith to believe that what Jesus has directed them to do will occur, and that, surely, in the case of a demon, can only be done after prayer to God in heaven. Jesus has the authority, but only the triune Godhead in heaven has the power to remove demons and heal people.
CONCLUSION
When we pray to God about anything, we have to believe that God can genuinely do it. If we have any doubt or waver in any way about what we are asking for, then our faith is a “little faith,” and He will not act on our prayer.
The disciples who were involved in removing the demon from the boy believed that, because Jesus had given them the responsibility to heal people and drive out demons, they, in and of themselves, had the power to do so. But they forgot that this involved no human ability. The healing and the driving out of demons are accomplished by prayer to God and a belief that God can do what you’re asking Him to do.
A true belief in Jesus Christ means we believe in everything Jesus is and does, as recorded in the Bible. Therefore, having that strong belief in Jesus and knowing that whatever we do requires God’s assent will enable us to do anything that is in God’s Will.
Jesus is teaching the disciples that if their faith in Him is so strong that they don’t attempt to do anything, even when Jesus Himself directs them, until they have gone to God in prayer.
