Moving Mountains

Matthew 17:14-23

Immanuel – 10/13/24

          Purpose

          I want us to understand the power that faith holds and how to access that power.

          Jesus, Peter, James, and John have descended from the Mount of Transfiguration. Last week I argued that this mountain is none other than Mount Hermon, north of Galilee in the ancient region once called Bashan.

As we have seen on three different accounts, Jewish lore viewed Bashan as a demonic domain. And if Bashan was a demonic kingdom, Mount Hermon was its castle. The Canaanites believed Mount Hermon was the home of their supreme god, Baal; from Hermon’s heights he governed the heavens and all the lesser gods.

Of course, the Israelites knew these were not actual gods, but fallen sons of God/fallen angels/demons. According to their tradition, they viewed Mount Hermon as a primordial, antediluvian demonic fortress. When these fallen sons of God were cast from heaven they landed upon the summit of Mount Hermon. From there they launched a global rebellion against Yahweh, to deceive the nations, bent on twisting humanity into idolatry and perversion.

How significant it was that the unfallen Son of God, transfigured and revealed as fully God and fully man, uncorrupted and incorruptible; launched a redemptive mission from the summit of Mount Hermon! From the summit of this mountain Jesus’ path goes straight to Jerusalem and the demon-defeating, serpent-crushing cross that waited there.

But the cross was still some months away. Yet it is no coincidence that – as Matthew frames things – the moment Jesus reaches the base of the mountain, He is immediately confronted with the demonic.

Read vs 14-16

Faith and Faithlessness

Jesus had taken the disciples to Caesarea Philippi to escape the needy Jewish multitudes. He wanted to spend some time just with His disciples. But it seems that the crowds had found Jesus. Perhaps this was one motivation for taking Peter, James, and John to the top of the mountain: to find certain isolation away from the growing stream of people. But upon their return to the other nine disciples, all chances of solitude are gone. Mark tells us that a very large crowd has gathered.

Suddenly springing from the midst of this crowd, a man runs up to Jesus and throws himself at Christ’s feet. His beloved son suffers terribly. Though we only hear about a demon at the point of Jesus’ healing, it is inferred in the father’s plea; for normal seizures do not happen only when a person is near fire or water. This is not a mere affliction of the body; this is a demonic spirit attempting to kill the boy.

It might seem odd for a demon to want to kill its host body, but demons delight in ruin. If demons are parasites, then what they are feeding on is fear, chaos, corruption, and finally, destruction. Yes, the core motivation of our enemy is destruction. As Jesus says in the Gospel of John:

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”                                            -John 8:44

And just a short while later, Jesus says,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”                                                 -John 10:10-11

Satan is the father of lies. He is a thief, murderer, and destroyer. The whole demonic realm is bent on the same ruinous objectives. How obvious that the demon possessing the boy would desire to murder him.

But the fact that the boy still lives reveals that he has a very caring family, doing their best to keep him from harm, tending to his wounds, worrying like crazy, seeking out anything in all the world that might help him. This family is so intensely pursuing a cure that the father brings his son all the way to the feet of Mount Hermon, where the latest rumor has located Galilee’s miraculous healer.

Evidently, when the father arrived, he found that Jesus was not there. So, he turned to the next best thing, Jesus’ disciples. Had the disciples already garnered a reputation for healing and casting out demons? Remember how Jesus had given them authority to do such things back in chapter 10?

[Jesus] called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.

                                                                   -Matthew 10:1

At that time the disciples did go out and exercise the authority Jesus had given them, even casting demons out of people. But something has changed between then and now. There is some kind of misfire happening and the disciples cannot repeat their previous success.

Hear the desperation in the father’s words: I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.  When these words hit Jesus, He has an emotional response; not at first being moved to compassion, but to frustration. 

Remember, God the Father had glorified His Beloved Son on the summit. Moses and Elijah had appeared. The Shekinah glory of God was brilliant around Him. The experience was powerful beyond imagining, yet so brief. And then Jesus descends into the valley and is immediately confronted with a helpless boy, a helpless father, a helpless generation, and His own helpless disciples. Then there’s the demon, preying upon the helplessness of men. 

This doesn’t compare in any way to the highs and lows of the moment we are reading about, but I am reminded of my own experience. In my early 20s I was backpacking in a remote area of the Adirondacks with a few friends. This one night was so clear, the stars were so bright, the Milky Way was like a river of silver flowing from the horizon. I felt so compelled to worship that I separated myself from the others to glory in our Creator. It was truly a worshipful experience.

Eventually I walked back over to our campsite and wanted to share the worshipful experience. But I found my friends in another mood: laughing, being loud, carrying on, saying dumb things, being a bunch of buffoons. I began to tell them about my worshipful experience, but my one friend looked me right in the eye and then burst out laughing. He was mocking me. All of the worship in my heart was instantly consumed by the fires of anger, and I punched him in the face. Regret immediately punched back.

Obviously, this was a very un-Christ like moment for me. And though my reaction was sinful, the initial emotion was not. We see Jesus having it here, and it is a very human emotion. Jesus profoundly felt the disconnect between what is worshipful and what is selfishly corrupted, the heights of faith versus the lows of faithlessness; and He is frustrated, even exasperated.

Read vs 17

Undoubtedly, Jesus is frustrated. Why? Because these Jews, who are supposed to be the people of God, are faithless and twisted. Faithless, because they fail to believe in Jesus as God become flesh. Twisted, because they insist on turning to things other than Jesus. The Greek word for twisted is diastrephó: it can also be translated as corrupted, perverted, having turned away.

Isn’t it the goal of the enemy to corrupt, to pervert, to turn us away from God, to devour our faith, to destroy. It sounds like while the Son of God has planted a flag of victory atop Mount Hermon, the demons of Bashan have been at work in the valley. Even still, it is the faithlessness of the people – His disciples – that gives room for demonic corruption.

But “faithless and twisted generation” are not words Jesus is coming up with on the spot. He is adopting the words of Moses; or maybe it was Moses using the words of the living Word of God.

The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He. They have dealt corruptly with Him; they are no longer His children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation…And He said, ‘I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness.”

                                                                   -Deuteronomy 32:4-5,20

The same sort of faithlessness, the same sort of twisted mindset that afflicted the people in Moses’ day also afflicted the people in Jesus’ day. But it was worse in Jesus’ day, for the Beloved Son of God stood before them and still they chose their demonic perversions over faith-filled trust. Yes, there was demonic corruption, but such corruptions exploit the sinful choices of man.

What a burden it was for the Uncorrupted One to be constantly surrounded by such faithlessness and sinful corruption. Exasperated, He says, “How long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?”

But Jesus did not lash out. He punched no one in the face. He is perfect. He is gentle and lowly, with a heart that overflows compassion. He tells the father, and perhaps His disciples too, to bring the demon-possessed boy to himself. Evidently the boy was some ways off.

Read vs 18

The disciples tried and tried and tried; but nothing they did could cast out this demon. It means the demon was more powerful than Jesus’ disciples.

But see the power of Christ! At His rebuke the demon flees and the boy is freed. The healing is instantaneous. The demonic has no ability to resist the powerful authority of King Jesus. The power of Christ is limitless, and it is the demon now rendered helpless.

Imagine the celebration. See the surprise of the crowd. See the son’s joy as he realizes that his affliction is over. See the father embrace the son that has been fully restored to him. See the look on the disciples’ faces: a mixture of gladness and confusion.

Read vs 19

As I said earlier, Jesus had given the disciples the power to cast out demons before; so their present failure to do so naturally confuses them. They pull Jesus aside to ask about this. Somehow, they find a way to get Jesus away from the crowd: Perhaps they didn’t want anyone to hear about the mechanics of their failure? Were they embarrassed?

Read vs 20

Now we learn the reason for the disciples’ failure – though it was implied earlier. The disciples lacked the faith. We get no explanation about their lack of faith, but I think we can draw a reasonable conclusion. The disciples had begun to presume that because they had success before, they will have success again. They began to presume upon their own ability, their own strength, and their own authority. And just as when Peter presumed he knew better about Jesus’ death, such presumptions are satanic.

Faith is complete trust in Jesus’ power and abilities. Faith is self-denial: where we deny trusting in our own power and abilities.

Faithlessness is when you begin to rely on yourself. It’s when you think you can handle it yourself, that you need to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, that if you put in enough practice, study, preparation, finances; you’ll do well for yourself. But do you hear how self-centered all of that is? Faithlessness is self-orientation; and people who are self-oriented are twisted, corrupted, perverted, and turned away from God. And when you turn away from God, you walk right into the murderous arms of the enemy.

It seems that the disciples’ failure to cast out the demon is because they fell into self-orientation. They fell into the trap of the enemy. They have been with Jesus for so long. They should have known better. But they chose to believe in themselves rather than Jesus.

We are not so unlike these disciples, because we too should know better. Do you know what one of the most pronounced symptoms of faithlessness is, of self-oriented corruption? Prayerlessness.

Notice in the English Standard Version of the Bible, which we use here at Immanuel, there is no verse 21. That’s because Biblical scholars believe verse 21 was a later addition. None-the-less, the words have great value here. The scribal addition reads, “But this kind (of demon) never comes out except by prayer and fasting.” I don’t believe Jesus meant a certain amount or type of praying and fasting will allow people to cast out demons.

But even still, prayer and fasting are critical to the life of faith. If ever you fast, your fasting should be filled with prayer. Prayer is always, always, always, about seeking God. It is asking for Him to work. It is asking for His wisdom, His power, His healing. Prayer is not about what I can accomplish, it is about what God can accomplish.

Prayerlessness reveals faithless self-orientation. A prayerless person is easy pickings for the enemy.

But a life of prayer bursts from a self-denying orientation towards Jesus Christ. Thus, a person who is oriented towards Christ delights in prayer, is eager for opportunities to pray. Such a person stands firm against Satan’s attacks. It is amazing how, when we acknowledge our helplessness in prayer, God gives us power.  It is like what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Listen to how closely Peter links prayer with resisting the devil.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.                                                    -1 Peter 5:5-8

Casting your anxieties upon the Lord is equivalent to praying. Praying is a primary method of resisting the devil. So, look over the landscape of your prayer life and ask: are you more oriented toward yourself or are you more oriented toward Christ? Is a lack of Christ-oriented prayer making you vulnerable to the enemy? And if you have gotten this all twisted up, what needs to change in your life? To be prayerless, continuing to rely on yourself, is to be just like that faithless and twisted generation which so frustrated Jesus.

Parents, your kids need to see that you are not perfect, that you struggle. They need to see you wrestling in prayer. There are so many things you can encourage your kid to be, but nothing is more important than encouraging your children to be people of prayer.  

We all need to be people of prayer. Our brothers and sisters in Christ need us to be people of prayer, not people who have it all together. We need to be a church that is oriented around prayer. Otherwise, what is all of this for? Are we just building a monument to ourselves? I know it is not easy, and sometimes it feels like dying, but Christ beckons us to deny ourselves, get on our knees before the cross, and pray!

Listen again to what Jesus says prayerful faith can produce.

Read vs 20

Jesus is speaking metaphorically, especially when you consider that rabbis of the time would often talk about moving mountains as a metaphor for accomplishing very difficult things. Jesus does not intend for His people to literally try to move mountains.

Listen to what John Calvin says about this: “[Jesus] does not mean that God will give us whatever comes heedlessly into our minds or mouths. In fact, since there is nothing more contradictory to faith than the foolish and unconsidered wishes of our flesh, it follows that where faith reigns there is no asking for anything indiscriminately.”¹

          Faith does not mean moving literal mountains. Faith is nothing like “the force”, as if it were some power that we can control and wield. In fact, faith is just the opposite. It is trust in God’s power and His control, not our own.

None-the-less, Jesus is still saying that the power available to the person of faith is limitless; because the power is not our own, it is God’s. A prayerful, Christ-oriented person has access to infinite power. Again, it is God’s power. Even the tiniest amount of faith – the size of a mustard seed – has access to such infinite power. Great faith or small faith, you access the same power.

So how do we access this power? Remember how Christ taught us to pray.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”                               -Matthew 6:9-10

The life of faith is all about God getting the glory, His kingdom growing, His will being accomplished: not your selfish fame, not your selfish kingdom, not your selfish will. God’s fame, God’s kingdom, God’s will: our hearts come into alignment with those things when we pray, and the power of God flows through us.  That’s what Christ teaches His disciples.

Pray for His glory, His kingdom, and His will – live for the same – and see what God might do! See the kind of power God displays through you. Trust Him, and watch the mountains move! Hear the words of Christ again, “Nothing will be impossible for you.”

For example, there is a cross-country runner that I know who runs on the winds of faith. Though he has incredible natural ability, he refuses to rely on his own strength. Desiring to run for Jesus and be empowered by Jesus, he bathes his runs in prayer – before, during, and after. Any successes he has, he is quick to deflect the glory to Christ. Though he diligently puts in the work, and encourages his teammates to do the same, he also encourages his teammates not to rely on their own strength and abilities, but to look to a greater power; namely, Jesus.

He is a good runner, but he may never record miraculous times. But do you know what, a whole cross-country team is witnessing someone living by Christ-oriented faith in a sport dominated by self-oriented achievement. That is the miraculous power of Jesus on display! By faith, the mountains of performance and recognition have been moved! Such is a snapshot of faithfulness.

Read vs 22-23

Jesus and the disciples are moving south now. They reenter Galilee and, for the second time, Jesus foretells His death and resurrection. For the second time, the disciples are distressed by this prophecy. Again, the whole bit about resurrection seems to go in one ear and out the other. They are finding it exceedingly hard to get past what they want, and the type of Messiah they want Jesus to be. The struggle to get over themselves is so difficult. It is difficult for us all.

But this is all of our struggle, to get over the things we want and truly live by faith, to know Jesus as He is and live in obedience to Him, to allow our will to be conformed to His perfect will.

Brothers and sisters, we have nothing without Jesus! Let us get over ourselves and orient our lives around Christ, His kingdom, His will. Let us deny ourselves and become people devoted to prayer. Let us give no foothold to Satan, but from our knees we give him hell.

For the cross of Christ has already vanquished him. Christ: fully God and fully man, uncorrupted and incorruptible, infinite in power, the victor over our foes, possessing all authority in heaven and on earth. His are the mountains to move, ours is to trust. And with such Christ-oriented faith, nothing will be impossible for us!

¹Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel According to Matthew. Pg 449. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.