AFTER Jesus had cast out the demon the disciples felt their impotence to cast out the demon even more severely. In private they ask Jesus why they were unable to command the demon to leave the boy. Jesus gives us the answer in verses 20 and 21. These verses may be very familiar to us no doubt, but if you are like me you may well feel that you know little of their meaning at least in experience. How often we would have liked to see the impossible being done in the Lord's work, and in ones own spiritual life, and instead find that our experience is like the disciples. The idea of being able to do the impossible like moving a mountain stirs ones imagination, but seems totally out of reach.

Our problem rests with the question of faith. It is clear from the answer Jesus gives that faith is the crucial thing in being able to exercise spiritual power and authority. Jesus tells the disciples that their impotence can be attributed to their little faith. This seems very clear but when we come to the question of how to increase faith and achieve great faith everything is so much more difficult. We try to exercise faith and go forth in the Lord's work with renewed confidence, but then our impotence seems to remain and we grow discouraged, and the exercise of faith become so much harder.

In meditating on verses 20 and 21 again for this meditation, more light has come to me which I would share with you. In the first place we need to notice two things which are of a textual nature. In the first place if you use the NIV (New International Version) as your preferred Bible text then you will notice that verse 21 is omitted, and simply referred to in a foot-note. The reason for this is that only some of the ancient manuscripts of St. Matthew's Gospel have verse 21. However I feel that verse 21 is important in the understanding of what Jesus says in verse 20, and so I believe the Authorized Version of the Bible is right in including it. The other matter is the way the NIV translates verse 20. The NIV says “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed.” This appears to me to be misleading. This translation suggests to me that the emphasis is on quantity in faith as if faith is something we work up by our own effort. The Greek simply says “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed”. Here the emphasis is on type and to be like. Jesus says faith must be like a grain of mustard seed, which points us in another direction.

The first thing to be clear about is the nature of faith. Faith is not some power we exert, or some work we do, or some gift we use. It is true that faith is a gift from God, but the emphasis is on the nature of faith. The nature of faith is to trust in someone other than our selves. Faith is seeking the help and power of someone else. In the Christian context, faith is always faith in Jesus, which is trusting in him and his power and his action. We believe in Jesus and trust him to exercise his divine power on our behalf. Faith is trusting in the omnipotence and sovereignty of Jesus. So we are seeking his power in our lives and in the church. So the power which faith finds at its disposal is the power of Jesus and of God. Seen in this way the impossible is entirely possible, and what Jesus is saying here is that great things are possible because we are trusting in Jesus and in his mighty power, and there is no idea of gaining almost magical powers by an action of will.

The next thing that needs to be caught on to is that Jesus speaks of faith as being like a grain of mustard seed. A mustard seed is very small and insignificant, but when it is planted and nurtured in the soil, it can grow into a fine strong and large tree. The seed like our faith is small, so when our faith is planted in Jesus, and nurtured in Jesus, then it will grow and be developed so that it becomes a large and powerful. How I see this is that our faith must be nurtured in close communion with Jesus in prayer and in his word. By this means we take time to commune with Jesus, become more like him, and find our mind and heart tuned to him and his will and purpose. Faiths potential is enormous only as it is buried in Jesus, and we live in the presence of Jesus, and absorb his life, character and will.

This is why verse 21 seems to me to be very much part of the teaching here. It may be that on this occasion Jesus did not speak the words of verse 21, but prayer and fasting is surely the only and right way to dwell in Christ and Christ to dwell in us. I have noticed that the examples of faith that can move mountains is seen in those who spend much time with Jesus in secret alone, and commune with Jesus most, and it is from this they live in the mind of Christ, and by this his impossible doings are seen in their lives.

The question of fasting comes in here. We think of fasting as denying food for ourselves, but the idea of fasting is a much wider concept than this. Fasting is giving time for Jesus, and so denying the many legitimate activities and occupations that present themselves in our lives, and instead spend the time seeking Jesus in his word and in prayer.