Introduction
Throughout our lives, we experience the world around us, which, if we are not careful, can lead our souls into sin and illness and ultimately to eternal death. When we fail to honor the Trinity of God—God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, the Creator of all things seen and unseen—our souls become empty of His presence. This emptiness allows fear of darkness to take hold, leading us to be influenced by the dark, and then we can fall into many sins and abominations of the world.
However, there is a healer and redeemer who can restore us from our broken state and bring us peace and reconciliation with God the Father. This redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man, who came to earth to die for everyone, offering healing and salvation to all who call upon His name. In this blog, we draw a parallel between the healing of a boy in Matthew 17:14-17 and the sickness of the world, demonstrating that the Lord Jesus has the power to heal us all through His Word.
The Lord Jesus Can Redeem Us from the Sickness of the World
In Matthew 17:14-21, the Lord Jesus heals a boy having a demon. In this passage, we reflect on this healing and draw a parallel between the boy’s condition and the condition of the people living in the world.
Matthew 17:14 And they having come to the multitude, came to Him a man, kneeling to Him,
Comments Matthew 17:14. This is an example that clearly shows blind faith; faith by hearing had taken over this man. Even though he saw that the Lord Jesus’ disciples failed his faith, his faith in the Lord Jesus was greater than the failure of His disciples. For this faith, the Lord Jesus healed his son.
15 and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic, and suffers grievously; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water.
16 And I brought him to Thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
Comments Matthew 17:15-16. The man describes the boy’s sickness, but notice his faith and the words he used: “Have mercy on my son.” With a great need for help, this man was willing to humble himself and come and beg for mercy from the Lord Jesus, not asking, but begging. The mercy of the Lord is granted upon the faith you have. If you have faith, the mercy from the Lord will be granted.
17 Now answering, Jesus said, O faithless and perverted generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I hold up with you? Bring him here to Me.
Comments Matthew 17:17. This rebuke is a rebuke addressed toward the disciples. They had been with the Lord Jesus, but what they saw and heard did not stick in them.
18 And Jesus rebuked him; and the demon went out from him, and the boy was cured from that hour.
Comments Matthew 17:18. This verse declares the Lord Jesus’ authority over the unseen world, for the unseen world is under His feet; by His command, all things will obey.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private, saying, Why were we not able to cast it out?
Comments Matthew 17:19. This verse shows that the common failure in humans is doubt and putting themselves down before doing anything. But, before you do something, believe that all things are possible under the name of the Lord Jesus. By faith, it is not you who does it, but the Lord Himself.
20 And He says to them, Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Remove away from here to there; and it will remove; and nothing will be impossible to you.
Comments Matthew 17:20. This verse is used for encouragement; all humans have small faith, and this verse encourages those who have small faith but believe in the Lord Jesus. Faith starts with the question, “Do you believe there is a God?” Some may not believe everything in the Bible, but within themselves, they believe that there is a God. The Lord does not give to all to have the same way of believing; it is a gift to have faith. Faith is not measurable by quantity; it is a gift, and it is by knowing in the heart. Size and quantity are not the same and don’t measure the same way. The mustard seed in this verse represents the size of faith, not quantity. We cannot say we have a pound of faith, but we can say we have little or big faith.
21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.
Comments Matthew 17:21. We believe that this verse was part of the original manuscript written by Matthew. The verse is important for all believers; prayer and fasting symbolize faith and humbling yourself before the Lord. People try to omit this way, but true believers should recognize the importance of humbling themselves both by action and heart. The heart has to be humbled; humble by action alone, for people to see, is not enough.
The healing of this boy also has a hidden meaning. The world itself is like this boy; it has sickness and is set for punishment and cleansing through fire (see 2 Peter 3:7-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:7). But the Lord’s mercy gives a chance to all people to repent through the baptism of water and come to the foot of the cross. The Lord’s mercy and help are waiting: come! Just as the Lord Jesus healed this boy, He can also heal and save everyone from falling into the destructive fire that will come upon the world. We present the two passages of Scripture for consideration: 2 Peter 3:7-10 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10. These verses serve as a testimony to the wrath of God directed towards all the ungodly and those who do not obey the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.
2 Peter 3:7-10: But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being kept unto the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But this one thing let be not hidden from you, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is long suffering toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein will be burned up.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10: And to you who are afflicted, rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of His power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance on those not knowing God, and to those not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus, who will suffer punishment, even eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He will come to be glorified in His saints, and to be marveled at among all those that believed (because our testimony to you was believed) in that day.
Conclusions
All creation serves as a testimony of the Creator to humanity across all generations. The Holy Spirit, speaking through the apostle Paul in Romans 1:19-20, writes that all humans, within themselves, have knowledge of the Lord God Almighty. Human eyes, ears, and feelings can perceive the Creator through His creations. The verses state:
“For the manifest known of God is among them; for God has revealed it to them. For the invisible things of Him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things made, both His eternal power and divinity, for them to be without excuse.”
Therefore, all are responsible to honor the Trinity of God—God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit—and seek His mercy. If you hear about the Lord Jesus, do not hesitate to call upon His name; He is the only one who can bring salvation to your soul.
The father in the story featured in this blog, seeing the condition of His son, was willing to humble himself before the Lord Jesus and beg for mercy. As followers of the Lord Jesus, we need to pray for our children and those around us who stray away and are affected by the illnesses of this world. Through His work on the cross and His bodily resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus won a great victory over the enemy, offering salvation and freedom from the darkness for all. The Lord Jesus is the beloved and only begotten Son of God, who can reconcile us with God the Father and take us into His kingdom for eternity to be with Him. We must turn to the Word of God, the Bible, read and meditate on it, and follow all the commandments He gives us in His Word. Be baptized in water for the remission of sins in the name of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, and seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Meditation Tasks
- If you are reading this blog article and do not yet follow the Lord Jesus, we encourage you to seek God’s mercy. May He open your eyes and help you find faith in the Lord Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man.
- We invite all readers to explore our articles, “The Lord Jesus: The Son of God and The Son of Man” and “The Second Coming of The Lord Jesus.”