May 27

Text: Matthew 17:14-18

And when they came to the multitude, a man came up to Him, falling on his knees before Him, and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic, and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water.  And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him."  And Jesus answered and said, "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."  And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. (NASB)

Have you been frustrated by the forgetfulness and unnecessary incompetence of another person?  You patiently taught the person what to do.  The person witnessed you repeatedly doing what you taught him to do.  Everything necessary for the person to function was provided.  Then, after all of that, the person failed to do the task.

Before the failure, the person declared what he could do.  He was not shy about announcing his training.  He welcomed others’ confidence in him.  Yet, at the moment of functioning, the person did not function.

Have you considered the moments of frustration Jesus experienced when the disciples unnecessarily failed?  A man brought a demon-possessed son to the disciples and asked them to heal him.  They failed.  The man then turned to Jesus for help with his self-destructive son.

Jesus’ frustration with his disciples was evident.  He knew his time to be on earth was short.  He already had told them of his impending death.  Soon Jesus would not be there to be their “fall back.”  It was the time for faith, not faithlessness.  It was time to be consumed with God’s purposes, not with their vanity.

Jesus did what they did not do.

Suggestion for reflection: When is the resurrected Jesus disappointed with our faithlessness?  (Read Ephesians 6:10-18.)