Matthew 17:14-18:14
Of course, we are
continuing on in our series on the book of Matthew titled “Jesus, King of
Kings.” Today’s message spans Matthew 17:14 through 18:14. Before we go into
the passage, I just want to remind you briefly about the passage which preceded
this one.
The first half of Matthew 17 tells the account of the transfiguration. Jesus climbed up a high mountain together with Peter, James, and John, but not any of the other disciples. Once they reached the top, Jesus was transfigured or transformed before their eyes. His face shone like the sun. His clothes became as a bright white light. Then, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter not knowing what else to do said some funny things. God spoke audibly declaring loud and clear, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” Peter, James and John immediately fell face down on the ground. Jesus came and touched them. When they looked up from the ground, the moment had passed. They saw only Jesus.
As they returned down the mountain, Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until He had been raised from the dead. They talked on for a bit, approaching a large group of people waiting on them. Perhaps even with Peter, James and John still seeing spots.
Let’s pray, and then we will pick up the action in Matthew 17:14.
Father God, we pray that You would speak to us from Your Word this morning. We need You to edify us, to commune with us, to transform us. Teach us, we pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before Him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” – Matthew 17:14-16
The crowds still are looking and waiting for Jesus. This father kneels before Jesus paying him great honor and likely worship. His prayer is a good one. “Lord, have mercy on my son.” This is the prayer of any parent with a sick child. In this case, the boy has serious life-threatening seizures that repeatedly seem to happen at the worst times and places.
Jesus’ disciples were unable to heal this man’s son. They apparently had tried, but it did not work. This point of crisis is a critical faith moment that many people face. This man has a deep urgent need: the illness of his son. He goes to those who he thinks can help, but they cannot. Jesus’ disciples cannot heal the man’s son. What happens when we do not get the answer we are looking for? This man puts his faith in Jesus and approaches Him when He arrives.
What if Jesus did not heal the man’s son? What then? Our relationship with and dependence on God should not be based only upon getting what we want or even upon what we think we need. Practically though, that can be the result. If you have been left wanting or hurting, it is easy to distance yourself others and even from Jesus. If you feel this happening, please do not close your heart, but reach out to Jesus again and again. Job said the most startling thing in the midst of his own loss and sickness, “Even though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” Job’s hope in God was complete. And God did deliver Him. We, too, will be delivered perhaps not in the way we planned on earth, but eternally, we have been delivered. We then should persist in that hope and not walk away from the love of Christ.
Jesus reply to his disciples is stern.
“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” – Matthew 17:17
I think we sometimes “paint” our own pictures of Jesus which leave out some of the attributes of His character. What does your “picture” of Jesus look like? Can you see Jesus saying something like this? I am not going to try to modify or soften what Jesus says. That would be an error. Nor do I want to exaggerate what Jesus has said either.
We would do well to keep in mind that Jesus had already sent the disciples out in chapter 10 with authority to drive out evil spirits and authority to heal every disease and sickness. The disciples had already done for others what this man had asked them to do for his son.
Other translations use the word faithless in place of unbelieving. Perhaps that expression gives us some insight into what is going on. Jesus used this expression, “you of little faith” in various circumstances whether he was talking about God meeting our physical needs or God protecting us in a storm or Jesus doing what He told the disciples He would do, particularly rising from the dead.
Do you have those “you of little faith” moments? I had a rather silly example this week in my engineering work. I had a project which was not going anywhere despite customers and others far above me in the organization insisting that it must. We desperately needed a couple of approvals. I had set the project up according to our standards, but instead someone else decided we needed to do it differently, so my effort got sidelined. In spite of this, the new direction still didn’t go anywhere. When I examined this second effort, I realized that the value of the project was wrong. Someone else had stopped the second effort for an entirely different reason, but it gave me the opportunity to fix the project valuation. I am sorry if this all sounds rather like gobbledygook. But there was this moment when I was standing looking over a superior’s shoulder telling him what to change and how, it dawned on me that we had just been saved from another several days’ long roadblock. I literally had to hold back an emotional response and I heard Jesus’ admonishment, “you of little faith.”
Just as I mentioned isolating ourselves from Jesus is serious business, and having an unbelieving attitude is serious business. We cannot see what was going on in the disciples’ minds at this moment, but I wonder if they themselves were doubting when they could not heal this man’s son. Jesus would not have called them unbelieving and perverse if it were not true. He also knew that He would not be with them in the flesh always. A new time was quickly approaching where Jesus would ascend to heaven.
“Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. – Matthew 17:17-18
Jesus is healer. Whatever had prevented the disciples from healing this boy, it was not an issue for Jesus. The boy was healed and from that very moment.
One additional observation just to be clear, not all seizures are the result of demon possession. There can be a variety of reasons causing seizures. In this case, the seizures were in fact being caused by a demon. I think we can recognize a particular malevolence from the father’s plea that these seizures happened in ways which immediately put the boy’s life in danger whether in water or near fire.
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn't we drive it out?”
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:19-20
Why couldn’t they do it? They had so little faith. Ouch! Comparatively, their faith was smaller than a mustard seed because Jesus said mustard seed faith can move mountains. In fact, He says mustard seed faith is unstoppable.
Mustard seeds only appear in the gospels and they are exclusively used in analogies. Jesus uses mustard seed analogies 5 times. One writer observed that expressions involving comparisons around the mustard seed were common during this time as the point at which something became insignificant. If it was mustard seed size or smaller, it did not matter.
Jesus uses the mustard seed analogy in two different ways. The first way we already saw in Matthew 13. He talked there about how the kingdom of heaven was like a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds of garden plants, but when it grows it can become the largest of garden plants as a tree with a height of ten feet or more.
The second way Jesus uses mustard seeds in an analogy is as an example of faith like we see here in Matthew 17.
The Greek word for mustard in this verse is most commonly associated with the plant I normally think about when I think about mustard. It is a kind of spindly plant with yellow flowers that can get to 6 or more feet tall. Small birds can land on it certainly, but I would be surprised to see a bird find shade on one. And so, many writers and theologians think that Jesus was talking about a different plant because there is not such a great match between his description in Matthew 13 and the traditional mustard plant.
It is interesting, but the seed size between the two types of plants is about the same: tiny, but not literally the smallest seeds on earth.
Salvadora persica is known as the mustard tree. It has a bunch of other names including the arak tree, the jhak tree, the peelu tree, and the toothbrush tree. It grows in climates like found in Israel. About the only place you can grow it in the continental US is in the southern tip of Florida. Here are a few pictures of it. That certainly seems more fitting with Jesus words in Matthew 13, “when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” You can eat the leaves which taste mustardy and the fruit which are tart, small, and plentiful, and interestingly cuttings from it can be used as a toothbrush. Medicines are made from its roots. After only a bit of research, I can say it is a pretty amazing plant, and you’d probably be happy to have one in your garden in Jesus’ day.
I spent this much time talking about the mustard tree for a couple of reasons. One is just because it gives us confidence that scripture is accurate and true. There is such a plant that matches Jesus’ description of it in Matthew, Mark and Luke. There is such a thing as a mustard tree.
The other is this idea of a mustard tree which grows from a small seed that becomes a perennial living tree. The traditional mustard is an annual and only lasts for a season. Our faith may only be like a mustard seed, so small as to be nearly insignificant. And yet, and yet, it can be mountain moving. It connects us with power far greater than we have ourselves, the true vine. Nothing is impossible with Christ.
I have often prayed that the spiritual impact of our church would far exceed our numbers. Through faith, we can see the mighty hand of God at work. We need to believe this and not lose faith, or if we see our faith weakening, we need to return to Jesus and be refreshed and restored.
Let’s move on.
When they came together in Galilee, He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief. – Matthew 17:22-23
Jesus’ observation here is told by Matthew in a way that couples with Jesus’ earlier question, “How long shall I stay with you?” Some time has passed since the discussion about faith, but the next insight that Matthew shares is Jesus speaking of his death and resurrection.
This is the second time in Matthew that Jesus has foretold his death. At the end of chapter 16, we saw Peter rebuking Jesus. That was an uncomfortable situation. This time, we do not see that kind of response from the disciples.
It does seem that they stop listening. Jesus talks of being delivered into the hands of men and being killed. That is shocking and sad even to think about. The disciples are right to be filled with grief at the thought.
However, Jesus says the incredible thing, “On the third day, He will be raised to life.” That seems to be beyond the disciples grasp. It is like they miss it. That is sad, too.
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes, He does,” he replied. – Matthew 17:24-25
This sounds just like what we have come to expect from Peter. He speaks first, and then thinks. Does he even know if Jesus has paid or will pay the tax? In light of what we’ll see in a second, it feels like Peter just blurts out the answer that he thinks the temple tax collectors are expecting.
The temple tax has its origins all the way back in the Old Testament, in Exodus 30. Moses counted the people then at God’s command. Every man 20 years old and older had to give a half shekel no matter whether he was rich or poor. The application of this tax can also be seen in II Chronicles 24:9 and Nehemiah 10:32. It is not a trivial amount of money, approximately two days’ worth of a laborer’s wages.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their own children or from others?”
“From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. – Matthew 17:25-26
Easy to pass over, but Jesus knows already about Peter’s exchange with the tax collectors. No one else can do that. Jesus is God.
Jesus communicates something beautiful here. The tax here is the temple tax. It is the tax on God’s “house,” as it were. Jesus examines the parallel taxes that the kings of the earth exact. Who pays taxes to the kings of the earth? Not their own children. Their children are exempt.
Jesus is saying that His followers are children of God. Just let that sink in freshly. If you follow Jesus, you are God’s child, His chosen precious child. He loves you. He will take care of you. Isn’t that just still the most wonderful thing to think about?
Jesus also says that God’s children are legally exempt from the temple tax. But, that is not the end of the conversation.
“But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” – Matthew 17:27
This is a really thought provoking principle. We see here a contrast between strict rule following versus a gracious response. If Jesus stopped before verse 27, Peter could have gone back to the tax collectors and created a conflict which would have accomplished little. I would not have thought of it if not for a conversation with Carl yesterday. Peter’s word is also at stake here. He told the tax collectors that his teacher paid the tax. If Jesus sent Peter back with the exemption answer, it would have been contradictory to what Peter said at first.
There are times where we just want to be right and known as right independent of what offense it might cause. That is not Jesus’ way. Yes, he does confront the Pharisees and Sadducees and teachers of the Law and others. Jesus does not walk away from every conflict by far. However, the confrontations that Jesus has have a purpose. This is not one of those times.
We need wisdom to know when to stand up for an idea and when to just be gracious and quiet. Let us seek God for knowing how to respond, especially in challenging circumstances.
Then, too, we see the miracle of the coin in the fish. This is incredible. Only God can arrange for something like that.
This brings us to the end of chapter 17 which is also the ending of a substantial section of the book of Matthew. It is possible to see Matthew 14:1-17:27 as a broadening of Jesus’ ministry from Israel alone to the entire world including Jews and Gentiles. From the middle of chapter 16 to the end of chapter 17, we also have seen Jesus revealing his identity, demonstrating His divine nature, and communicating His destiny both in dying and rising again to life.
As we move into chapter 18, Jesus will begin his fourth major discourse in the book of Matthew. Throughout chapter 18, Jesus will be addressing His disciples. Primarily, He will be training them how to shepherd other disciples: how to value and honor new Christians and how to extend forgiveness to one another.
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. – Matthew 18:1-2
This is a good way to deal with something which was apparently on the disciples’ minds a good bit. Rather than arguing among themselves like we see in parallel passages in Mark and Luke, the disciples come to Jesus and ask. That can be an example for us, too. Rather than arguing among ourselves about questions, coming together to Christ and His Word is simultaneously a wise and humble approach.
Jesus responds to the question with an object lesson of the most surprising kind. Who knows what basis the disciples presupposed greatness would be defined by, but it probably wasn’t anything about being child-like.
Last week, Jonathan talked about Peter’s response to Jesus about Jesus’ identity in Matthew 16. Some have used Jesus’ response to Peter in Matthew 16:18 to indicate Peter’s supremacy over the other disciples and even the whole church. If Jesus really meant that Peter were the greatest in Matthew 16:18, would not He have gone ahead and reinforced that thinking here?
Instead, Jesus takes a child before them to talk about greatness. In fact, he’s going to work his way up from entering the kingdom of heaven before talking about greatness. Jesus give the disciples a two part answer followed by an exhortation. Then in the view of those, He delivers a big warning.
So, here goes … the first part of the answer …
And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3
A change is needed. Wherever the disciples are at the moment, they are not thinking like little children. Again, they appear to be on a quest for greatness, perhaps posturing themselves based on their accomplishments or based on an appearance of Jesus’ regard. In parallel passages they do not talk about greatness, they argue amongst themselves about who is the greatest.
Jesus response is a “let’s back the truck up” moment. Before He even gets to talking about greatness, Jesus explains being child-like is a prerequisite to entry into the kingdom of heaven.
What are little children like. Young children are trusting and unpretentious. They do not brag. They aren’t fixed on appearance. They have a capacity to believe that most of us to some extent have lost.
If you are telling a suspenseful story to a child, the level of detail required to create suspense is different based on the age of the child. Think of how children of different ages would react to a suspenseful story that begins, there was door and behind that door was a ferocious tiger. For a seven year old, a sense of suspense doesn’t arise until you get to the tiger. For a five year old, they can already reach a state of suspense just thinking about an unopened door. For a three or four year old, all you have to say is “there was” and they’re already on pins and needles.
Another way to think about being child-like is to think, “Who is the storyteller of my life?” I saw this question asked by Jill Carattini. So much of what we see in the world whether it is leadership development or improving personal productivity or whatever, it is about taking control. You must write the story of your life. You must become the story teller.
Ultimately, the question we can ask ourselves about who is the storyteller of my life is, “Is it me or is it God?” We must change from being our own storyteller to allowing God to be the storyteller. At any moment, you can step back from trying to be the storyteller and ask God to be your storyteller.
Let’s move on to the second part of the answer of who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
“Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:4
Greatness is living positionally as a child. That is startling. This greatness is about taking up the role of a child. Children are subject to the direction others. Their role is to do what they are told. To be respectful. Children do not get to decide things like when to go to bed.
A few weeks back, I met a couple of engineers on my team. As things have been going lately, I was rushing from one thing to another. I needed to talk with one of these engineers about some details he was working on and make sure we were on the same page. As I approached them, they told me, “We know what your problem is.” I immediately was humble and ready to hear their response. No, that was not what I was thinking. Mostly, I was thinking this is going to be entertaining.
I replied, rather cheerfully I thought, “Ok, good. What is my problem?”
Your problem is, “You never tell anyone, ‘No.’ If someone asks you for help, you always try to help them.”
To which I replied, “Yes, I suppose you’re right.” Then, I got down to the business of why I wanted to talk to one of the guys. In retrospect, I missed an opportunity to explain why I do not (often) say no.
I am not trying to tell you that saying “no” is wrong. It is just that within the context of what I do part of the expression of child-like faith and witness works itself out in trying to go the extra mile, trying to serve others even at deep personal cost.
I would say that it even comes to the point of straining my relationship with my wife. She does not agree exactly because it is unfair. Other people that I work with do say “no” and do walk away before they have done what is required of them.
At those moments, I believe (or I try to believe) that I am doing the will of my Father. I believe (or I try to believe) that my Father will not let me fail. It is not always easy. Not when your peers are telling you that you are not doing it right, that living like that will make you crazy, that you can’t keep going like that. Not very many people think that I am great, and that is probably how it should be.
Going on now to verse 5, Jesus implies an exhortation which is easy to miss, so I put it on a slide by itself.
“And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” – Matthew 18:5
Those who are living a child-like faith should be welcomed into our lives, into our homes. In so doing, we are welcoming Jesus, and that is not an opportunity any of us would like to miss.
Jesus then goes on with a warning.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” – Matthew 18:6
The expression large millstone is literally a “donkey’s millstone” meaning that it is a millstone that must be turned by an animal, not a hand millstone.
This is a verse which I have thought on often. We do not want to cause those with child-like faith to stumble. We do not want to overload them with things that confuse or to take advantage of their obedience.
We should not even cause them to stumble much less to fall down. That is a high calling. There are many things which we do which cause others to stumble. Quarreling, fault-finding, blame-shifting, being selfish, not listening, expressing ourselves in an ungodly way (in jealousy or envy) and I am sure I’ve only scratched the surface.
This is serious stuff. So much so that Jesus has more to say on the subject.
“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.” – Matthew 18:7-9
Whoa! That is serious. The underlying message is that avoiding sin requires sacrifice. It is easy to avoid sin when it is convenient to us, if there is no real temptation.
In fact, to truly avoid sin in our own flesh or in our own strength, these recommendations do not go far enough. I know I have let my eyes cause me to stumble. But if I plucked out one of my eyes one day, and then continued walking in my own strength, I would still have pluck out the other one later. We need to be transformed, made new. We cannot live lives of holiness on our own.
We must position ourselves as children of God and walk in that newness of life. We cannot make it into the kingdom of heaven any other way.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” – Matthew 18:10
The “grown ups” can (and do) look down on the “little ones.” How simple, how naïve, how cute. Jesus says do not do it. They are precious and protected. Christmas time is a time when we see representations of angels all around. Primarily, we see them at Christmas as the messengers sent from God to proclaim the birth of Emmanuel, God with us, Jesus.
Outside of the Christmas season, I do not think most folks think about angels much. I think that is largely because we focus rightly on our relationship with God Himself.
Angels are real. They do exist. They do have important work in and around our lives. Angels are protectors of God’s people in general (not just literal children).
Here are just three verses that tell us about the work of angels.
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.” – Psalm 34:7
“For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” – Psalm 91:11
“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” – Hebrews 1:14 says,
I do not think you have a guardian angel. I think there are angels guarding and keeping each one of you who is a follower of Christ and therefore a child of God.
12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” – Matthew 18:12-14
The emphasis here in chapter 18 is again the how to shepherd other disciples: how to value and honor new Christians. In this parable, we often think of the lost sheep as representing an unbeliever. It seems though to align more with a believer, a little one, who has wandered off from the body.
This passage has the potential to bring a bit of jealously to the surface. It is not the passage that is in the wrong, it is the wrong that is in us. If you feel like you are in the ninety-nine and then the Father or the Shepherd is happier about the wanderer than you, it can prick a sense of envy in the attitude of the Father toward the lost sheep.
We see such a reaction played out in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The older son was jealous of the father’s warm reception of the younger son who had wasted the father’s fortune and behaved badly. The father’s answer to the older son’s anger was, “We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
I think back to Matthew 10:29, 31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care … So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29, 31)
We are precious to God, and we also have the opportunity to be ones who search for and restore His lost sheep. May He continue to weave us into His story according to His will and His perfect plan. And by faith, nothing will be impossible for you. Let’s pray.
Father God draw us to Yourself freshly in child-like faith. We desperately need Your Spirit working in us to transform and make us new. Thank You that Your mercies are indeed new every morning. We love You in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
The first half of Matthew 17 tells the account of the transfiguration. Jesus climbed up a high mountain together with Peter, James, and John, but not any of the other disciples. Once they reached the top, Jesus was transfigured or transformed before their eyes. His face shone like the sun. His clothes became as a bright white light. Then, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter not knowing what else to do said some funny things. God spoke audibly declaring loud and clear, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” Peter, James and John immediately fell face down on the ground. Jesus came and touched them. When they looked up from the ground, the moment had passed. They saw only Jesus.
As they returned down the mountain, Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until He had been raised from the dead. They talked on for a bit, approaching a large group of people waiting on them. Perhaps even with Peter, James and John still seeing spots.
Let’s pray, and then we will pick up the action in Matthew 17:14.
Father God, we pray that You would speak to us from Your Word this morning. We need You to edify us, to commune with us, to transform us. Teach us, we pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before Him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” – Matthew 17:14-16
The crowds still are looking and waiting for Jesus. This father kneels before Jesus paying him great honor and likely worship. His prayer is a good one. “Lord, have mercy on my son.” This is the prayer of any parent with a sick child. In this case, the boy has serious life-threatening seizures that repeatedly seem to happen at the worst times and places.
Jesus’ disciples were unable to heal this man’s son. They apparently had tried, but it did not work. This point of crisis is a critical faith moment that many people face. This man has a deep urgent need: the illness of his son. He goes to those who he thinks can help, but they cannot. Jesus’ disciples cannot heal the man’s son. What happens when we do not get the answer we are looking for? This man puts his faith in Jesus and approaches Him when He arrives.
What if Jesus did not heal the man’s son? What then? Our relationship with and dependence on God should not be based only upon getting what we want or even upon what we think we need. Practically though, that can be the result. If you have been left wanting or hurting, it is easy to distance yourself others and even from Jesus. If you feel this happening, please do not close your heart, but reach out to Jesus again and again. Job said the most startling thing in the midst of his own loss and sickness, “Even though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” Job’s hope in God was complete. And God did deliver Him. We, too, will be delivered perhaps not in the way we planned on earth, but eternally, we have been delivered. We then should persist in that hope and not walk away from the love of Christ.
Jesus reply to his disciples is stern.
“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” – Matthew 17:17
I think we sometimes “paint” our own pictures of Jesus which leave out some of the attributes of His character. What does your “picture” of Jesus look like? Can you see Jesus saying something like this? I am not going to try to modify or soften what Jesus says. That would be an error. Nor do I want to exaggerate what Jesus has said either.
We would do well to keep in mind that Jesus had already sent the disciples out in chapter 10 with authority to drive out evil spirits and authority to heal every disease and sickness. The disciples had already done for others what this man had asked them to do for his son.
Other translations use the word faithless in place of unbelieving. Perhaps that expression gives us some insight into what is going on. Jesus used this expression, “you of little faith” in various circumstances whether he was talking about God meeting our physical needs or God protecting us in a storm or Jesus doing what He told the disciples He would do, particularly rising from the dead.
Do you have those “you of little faith” moments? I had a rather silly example this week in my engineering work. I had a project which was not going anywhere despite customers and others far above me in the organization insisting that it must. We desperately needed a couple of approvals. I had set the project up according to our standards, but instead someone else decided we needed to do it differently, so my effort got sidelined. In spite of this, the new direction still didn’t go anywhere. When I examined this second effort, I realized that the value of the project was wrong. Someone else had stopped the second effort for an entirely different reason, but it gave me the opportunity to fix the project valuation. I am sorry if this all sounds rather like gobbledygook. But there was this moment when I was standing looking over a superior’s shoulder telling him what to change and how, it dawned on me that we had just been saved from another several days’ long roadblock. I literally had to hold back an emotional response and I heard Jesus’ admonishment, “you of little faith.”
Just as I mentioned isolating ourselves from Jesus is serious business, and having an unbelieving attitude is serious business. We cannot see what was going on in the disciples’ minds at this moment, but I wonder if they themselves were doubting when they could not heal this man’s son. Jesus would not have called them unbelieving and perverse if it were not true. He also knew that He would not be with them in the flesh always. A new time was quickly approaching where Jesus would ascend to heaven.
“Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. – Matthew 17:17-18
Jesus is healer. Whatever had prevented the disciples from healing this boy, it was not an issue for Jesus. The boy was healed and from that very moment.
One additional observation just to be clear, not all seizures are the result of demon possession. There can be a variety of reasons causing seizures. In this case, the seizures were in fact being caused by a demon. I think we can recognize a particular malevolence from the father’s plea that these seizures happened in ways which immediately put the boy’s life in danger whether in water or near fire.
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn't we drive it out?”
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:19-20
Why couldn’t they do it? They had so little faith. Ouch! Comparatively, their faith was smaller than a mustard seed because Jesus said mustard seed faith can move mountains. In fact, He says mustard seed faith is unstoppable.
Mustard seeds only appear in the gospels and they are exclusively used in analogies. Jesus uses mustard seed analogies 5 times. One writer observed that expressions involving comparisons around the mustard seed were common during this time as the point at which something became insignificant. If it was mustard seed size or smaller, it did not matter.
Jesus uses the mustard seed analogy in two different ways. The first way we already saw in Matthew 13. He talked there about how the kingdom of heaven was like a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds of garden plants, but when it grows it can become the largest of garden plants as a tree with a height of ten feet or more.
The second way Jesus uses mustard seeds in an analogy is as an example of faith like we see here in Matthew 17.
The Greek word for mustard in this verse is most commonly associated with the plant I normally think about when I think about mustard. It is a kind of spindly plant with yellow flowers that can get to 6 or more feet tall. Small birds can land on it certainly, but I would be surprised to see a bird find shade on one. And so, many writers and theologians think that Jesus was talking about a different plant because there is not such a great match between his description in Matthew 13 and the traditional mustard plant.
It is interesting, but the seed size between the two types of plants is about the same: tiny, but not literally the smallest seeds on earth.
Salvadora persica is known as the mustard tree. It has a bunch of other names including the arak tree, the jhak tree, the peelu tree, and the toothbrush tree. It grows in climates like found in Israel. About the only place you can grow it in the continental US is in the southern tip of Florida. Here are a few pictures of it. That certainly seems more fitting with Jesus words in Matthew 13, “when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” You can eat the leaves which taste mustardy and the fruit which are tart, small, and plentiful, and interestingly cuttings from it can be used as a toothbrush. Medicines are made from its roots. After only a bit of research, I can say it is a pretty amazing plant, and you’d probably be happy to have one in your garden in Jesus’ day.
I spent this much time talking about the mustard tree for a couple of reasons. One is just because it gives us confidence that scripture is accurate and true. There is such a plant that matches Jesus’ description of it in Matthew, Mark and Luke. There is such a thing as a mustard tree.
The other is this idea of a mustard tree which grows from a small seed that becomes a perennial living tree. The traditional mustard is an annual and only lasts for a season. Our faith may only be like a mustard seed, so small as to be nearly insignificant. And yet, and yet, it can be mountain moving. It connects us with power far greater than we have ourselves, the true vine. Nothing is impossible with Christ.
I have often prayed that the spiritual impact of our church would far exceed our numbers. Through faith, we can see the mighty hand of God at work. We need to believe this and not lose faith, or if we see our faith weakening, we need to return to Jesus and be refreshed and restored.
Let’s move on.
When they came together in Galilee, He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief. – Matthew 17:22-23
Jesus’ observation here is told by Matthew in a way that couples with Jesus’ earlier question, “How long shall I stay with you?” Some time has passed since the discussion about faith, but the next insight that Matthew shares is Jesus speaking of his death and resurrection.
This is the second time in Matthew that Jesus has foretold his death. At the end of chapter 16, we saw Peter rebuking Jesus. That was an uncomfortable situation. This time, we do not see that kind of response from the disciples.
It does seem that they stop listening. Jesus talks of being delivered into the hands of men and being killed. That is shocking and sad even to think about. The disciples are right to be filled with grief at the thought.
However, Jesus says the incredible thing, “On the third day, He will be raised to life.” That seems to be beyond the disciples grasp. It is like they miss it. That is sad, too.
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes, He does,” he replied. – Matthew 17:24-25
This sounds just like what we have come to expect from Peter. He speaks first, and then thinks. Does he even know if Jesus has paid or will pay the tax? In light of what we’ll see in a second, it feels like Peter just blurts out the answer that he thinks the temple tax collectors are expecting.
The temple tax has its origins all the way back in the Old Testament, in Exodus 30. Moses counted the people then at God’s command. Every man 20 years old and older had to give a half shekel no matter whether he was rich or poor. The application of this tax can also be seen in II Chronicles 24:9 and Nehemiah 10:32. It is not a trivial amount of money, approximately two days’ worth of a laborer’s wages.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their own children or from others?”
“From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. – Matthew 17:25-26
Easy to pass over, but Jesus knows already about Peter’s exchange with the tax collectors. No one else can do that. Jesus is God.
Jesus communicates something beautiful here. The tax here is the temple tax. It is the tax on God’s “house,” as it were. Jesus examines the parallel taxes that the kings of the earth exact. Who pays taxes to the kings of the earth? Not their own children. Their children are exempt.
Jesus is saying that His followers are children of God. Just let that sink in freshly. If you follow Jesus, you are God’s child, His chosen precious child. He loves you. He will take care of you. Isn’t that just still the most wonderful thing to think about?
Jesus also says that God’s children are legally exempt from the temple tax. But, that is not the end of the conversation.
“But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” – Matthew 17:27
This is a really thought provoking principle. We see here a contrast between strict rule following versus a gracious response. If Jesus stopped before verse 27, Peter could have gone back to the tax collectors and created a conflict which would have accomplished little. I would not have thought of it if not for a conversation with Carl yesterday. Peter’s word is also at stake here. He told the tax collectors that his teacher paid the tax. If Jesus sent Peter back with the exemption answer, it would have been contradictory to what Peter said at first.
There are times where we just want to be right and known as right independent of what offense it might cause. That is not Jesus’ way. Yes, he does confront the Pharisees and Sadducees and teachers of the Law and others. Jesus does not walk away from every conflict by far. However, the confrontations that Jesus has have a purpose. This is not one of those times.
We need wisdom to know when to stand up for an idea and when to just be gracious and quiet. Let us seek God for knowing how to respond, especially in challenging circumstances.
Then, too, we see the miracle of the coin in the fish. This is incredible. Only God can arrange for something like that.
This brings us to the end of chapter 17 which is also the ending of a substantial section of the book of Matthew. It is possible to see Matthew 14:1-17:27 as a broadening of Jesus’ ministry from Israel alone to the entire world including Jews and Gentiles. From the middle of chapter 16 to the end of chapter 17, we also have seen Jesus revealing his identity, demonstrating His divine nature, and communicating His destiny both in dying and rising again to life.
As we move into chapter 18, Jesus will begin his fourth major discourse in the book of Matthew. Throughout chapter 18, Jesus will be addressing His disciples. Primarily, He will be training them how to shepherd other disciples: how to value and honor new Christians and how to extend forgiveness to one another.
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. – Matthew 18:1-2
This is a good way to deal with something which was apparently on the disciples’ minds a good bit. Rather than arguing among themselves like we see in parallel passages in Mark and Luke, the disciples come to Jesus and ask. That can be an example for us, too. Rather than arguing among ourselves about questions, coming together to Christ and His Word is simultaneously a wise and humble approach.
Jesus responds to the question with an object lesson of the most surprising kind. Who knows what basis the disciples presupposed greatness would be defined by, but it probably wasn’t anything about being child-like.
Last week, Jonathan talked about Peter’s response to Jesus about Jesus’ identity in Matthew 16. Some have used Jesus’ response to Peter in Matthew 16:18 to indicate Peter’s supremacy over the other disciples and even the whole church. If Jesus really meant that Peter were the greatest in Matthew 16:18, would not He have gone ahead and reinforced that thinking here?
Instead, Jesus takes a child before them to talk about greatness. In fact, he’s going to work his way up from entering the kingdom of heaven before talking about greatness. Jesus give the disciples a two part answer followed by an exhortation. Then in the view of those, He delivers a big warning.
So, here goes … the first part of the answer …
And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3
A change is needed. Wherever the disciples are at the moment, they are not thinking like little children. Again, they appear to be on a quest for greatness, perhaps posturing themselves based on their accomplishments or based on an appearance of Jesus’ regard. In parallel passages they do not talk about greatness, they argue amongst themselves about who is the greatest.
Jesus response is a “let’s back the truck up” moment. Before He even gets to talking about greatness, Jesus explains being child-like is a prerequisite to entry into the kingdom of heaven.
What are little children like. Young children are trusting and unpretentious. They do not brag. They aren’t fixed on appearance. They have a capacity to believe that most of us to some extent have lost.
If you are telling a suspenseful story to a child, the level of detail required to create suspense is different based on the age of the child. Think of how children of different ages would react to a suspenseful story that begins, there was door and behind that door was a ferocious tiger. For a seven year old, a sense of suspense doesn’t arise until you get to the tiger. For a five year old, they can already reach a state of suspense just thinking about an unopened door. For a three or four year old, all you have to say is “there was” and they’re already on pins and needles.
Another way to think about being child-like is to think, “Who is the storyteller of my life?” I saw this question asked by Jill Carattini. So much of what we see in the world whether it is leadership development or improving personal productivity or whatever, it is about taking control. You must write the story of your life. You must become the story teller.
Ultimately, the question we can ask ourselves about who is the storyteller of my life is, “Is it me or is it God?” We must change from being our own storyteller to allowing God to be the storyteller. At any moment, you can step back from trying to be the storyteller and ask God to be your storyteller.
Let’s move on to the second part of the answer of who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
“Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:4
Greatness is living positionally as a child. That is startling. This greatness is about taking up the role of a child. Children are subject to the direction others. Their role is to do what they are told. To be respectful. Children do not get to decide things like when to go to bed.
A few weeks back, I met a couple of engineers on my team. As things have been going lately, I was rushing from one thing to another. I needed to talk with one of these engineers about some details he was working on and make sure we were on the same page. As I approached them, they told me, “We know what your problem is.” I immediately was humble and ready to hear their response. No, that was not what I was thinking. Mostly, I was thinking this is going to be entertaining.
I replied, rather cheerfully I thought, “Ok, good. What is my problem?”
Your problem is, “You never tell anyone, ‘No.’ If someone asks you for help, you always try to help them.”
To which I replied, “Yes, I suppose you’re right.” Then, I got down to the business of why I wanted to talk to one of the guys. In retrospect, I missed an opportunity to explain why I do not (often) say no.
I am not trying to tell you that saying “no” is wrong. It is just that within the context of what I do part of the expression of child-like faith and witness works itself out in trying to go the extra mile, trying to serve others even at deep personal cost.
I would say that it even comes to the point of straining my relationship with my wife. She does not agree exactly because it is unfair. Other people that I work with do say “no” and do walk away before they have done what is required of them.
At those moments, I believe (or I try to believe) that I am doing the will of my Father. I believe (or I try to believe) that my Father will not let me fail. It is not always easy. Not when your peers are telling you that you are not doing it right, that living like that will make you crazy, that you can’t keep going like that. Not very many people think that I am great, and that is probably how it should be.
Going on now to verse 5, Jesus implies an exhortation which is easy to miss, so I put it on a slide by itself.
“And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” – Matthew 18:5
Those who are living a child-like faith should be welcomed into our lives, into our homes. In so doing, we are welcoming Jesus, and that is not an opportunity any of us would like to miss.
Jesus then goes on with a warning.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” – Matthew 18:6
The expression large millstone is literally a “donkey’s millstone” meaning that it is a millstone that must be turned by an animal, not a hand millstone.
This is a verse which I have thought on often. We do not want to cause those with child-like faith to stumble. We do not want to overload them with things that confuse or to take advantage of their obedience.
We should not even cause them to stumble much less to fall down. That is a high calling. There are many things which we do which cause others to stumble. Quarreling, fault-finding, blame-shifting, being selfish, not listening, expressing ourselves in an ungodly way (in jealousy or envy) and I am sure I’ve only scratched the surface.
This is serious stuff. So much so that Jesus has more to say on the subject.
“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.” – Matthew 18:7-9
Whoa! That is serious. The underlying message is that avoiding sin requires sacrifice. It is easy to avoid sin when it is convenient to us, if there is no real temptation.
In fact, to truly avoid sin in our own flesh or in our own strength, these recommendations do not go far enough. I know I have let my eyes cause me to stumble. But if I plucked out one of my eyes one day, and then continued walking in my own strength, I would still have pluck out the other one later. We need to be transformed, made new. We cannot live lives of holiness on our own.
We must position ourselves as children of God and walk in that newness of life. We cannot make it into the kingdom of heaven any other way.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” – Matthew 18:10
The “grown ups” can (and do) look down on the “little ones.” How simple, how naïve, how cute. Jesus says do not do it. They are precious and protected. Christmas time is a time when we see representations of angels all around. Primarily, we see them at Christmas as the messengers sent from God to proclaim the birth of Emmanuel, God with us, Jesus.
Outside of the Christmas season, I do not think most folks think about angels much. I think that is largely because we focus rightly on our relationship with God Himself.
Angels are real. They do exist. They do have important work in and around our lives. Angels are protectors of God’s people in general (not just literal children).
Here are just three verses that tell us about the work of angels.
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.” – Psalm 34:7
“For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” – Psalm 91:11
“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” – Hebrews 1:14 says,
I do not think you have a guardian angel. I think there are angels guarding and keeping each one of you who is a follower of Christ and therefore a child of God.
12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” – Matthew 18:12-14
The emphasis here in chapter 18 is again the how to shepherd other disciples: how to value and honor new Christians. In this parable, we often think of the lost sheep as representing an unbeliever. It seems though to align more with a believer, a little one, who has wandered off from the body.
This passage has the potential to bring a bit of jealously to the surface. It is not the passage that is in the wrong, it is the wrong that is in us. If you feel like you are in the ninety-nine and then the Father or the Shepherd is happier about the wanderer than you, it can prick a sense of envy in the attitude of the Father toward the lost sheep.
We see such a reaction played out in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The older son was jealous of the father’s warm reception of the younger son who had wasted the father’s fortune and behaved badly. The father’s answer to the older son’s anger was, “We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
I think back to Matthew 10:29, 31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care … So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29, 31)
We are precious to God, and we also have the opportunity to be ones who search for and restore His lost sheep. May He continue to weave us into His story according to His will and His perfect plan. And by faith, nothing will be impossible for you. Let’s pray.
Father God draw us to Yourself freshly in child-like faith. We desperately need Your Spirit working in us to transform and make us new. Thank You that Your mercies are indeed new every morning. We love You in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Good morning and welcome
to December 2020. Wait, what? Yes, in this strangest of years, which seemed at
times to stretch out in front of us and merely crawl along, we have come to the
last month. I, for one, am surprised that it is already here.
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