Matthew 17:14-21 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed
Matthew 17:14-21 – Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed
|| Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43
MT17:14 Now as they approached the crowd a [father] knelt down before[1] Jesus, MT17:15 saying, “Master, show mercy[2] to my moonstruck[3] son who suffers terribly.[4] He often falls into fire or water.[5] MT17:16 I brought him to your disciples[6] but they were unable to cure him.” MT17:17 So Jesus responded: “O faithless and twisted[7] generation, how long must I remain with you?[8] Bring him to me right here!” MT17:18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon and it left the boy. The boy was cured from that hour. MT17:19 Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and asked, “Why were we unable to exorcise the demon?” MT17:20 Jesus told them: “It was because of your tiny faith.[9] I tell you this truth: If you even possessed faith the size of a mustard seed[10] you would say to this mountain,[11] ‘Transfer from here to there!’ and it would be transported. Nothing would be impossible for you [disciples].” MT17:21 [[“However, this kind of demon is exorcised only by prayer and fasting.”]][12]
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[1] A [father] knelt down before: Or, NOR: a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him.
[2] Show mercy: Or, WEY: have pity.
[3] Moonstruck: The Greek is SELENIAZETAI. Or, KJV: lunatick; ASV: epileptic; LB: mentally deranged. The word only occurs in Matthew (Matthew 4:24). In Mark the boy is possessed by a mute spirit (Mark 9:18).
[4] Suffers terribly: Or, KJV: sore vexed; ASV: suffereth grievously; NEB: bad fits; WMS: excruciating pain.
[5] He often falls into fire or water: Or, KNX: often throw himself into. Mark 9:18 says,
“Wherever it seizes him it dashes him to the ground.” It is the demon that drives the youth to burn or drown himself. The demons wish to escape but cannot (Compare Luke 9:37).
[6] Disciples: Since Jesus has been with the three (Peter, James, John) this may mean the other nine apostles.
[7] Faithless and twisted: Or, RHM: faithless and perverted; BER: unbelieving and rebellious; KNX: misguided; GDSP: unbelieving, obstinate. It is hard to imagine Jesus includes his disciples though they are part of that generation.
[8] How long must I remain with you: Perhaps some frustration? The Nazarene knows from Daniel 9:26 that his days are numbered.
[9] Tiny faith: The Greek is OLIGO(=small)PISTIAN(=faith/belief) here in the W&H text. The Received Text uses APISTIAN (unbelief, non-faith). Or, ASV: little faith; NEB: your faith is too weak; RIEU: lack of faith. To Jesus faith or belief has varying size and strength.
[10] Size of a mustard seed: Do we see Jesus pinch his two fingers together indicating the size? Use find or search on the word mustard for notes elsewhere.
[11] This mountain: Having just come down from Mount Hermon can we see Jesus point to that 9,000-foot peak? This is an absurdum or hyperbole, an exaggerated metaphor. Note something similar at Zechariah 4:7 and 1 Corinthians 13:2. Compare Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23; Luke 17:6.
[12] [[…]]: א, B, Syc,s omit verse 21; C, D, W, Vg, Syp, Arm add the phrase as in the KJV.

A Mustard Seed
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Preceding
Matthew 17:1-9 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Transfiguration Vision
Matthew 17:10-13 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Elijah Has Already Come
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Related
- Today’s Meditation (9.12.18)
- Faith
- The Parable of the Mustard Seed
- The tiniest seed
- Little Faith and the Blessings that Come From it
- Mountains Moving
- “What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things?” ~Jesus
- Matthew 17, the Ttansfiguration, the healing of a boy with a demon, the “temple tax”.
- Pass the Mustard
- Mustard Seed Faith
- Small Faith
- Mustard Seed Size Faith
- Sunday, November 25, 2018 [postponed from 18 November]
- Mark 4 – Jesus jokes about a mustard seed
- Tree vs Herbs
- Mustard Seed Faith 1
- Mustard Seed Faith 2
- Mustrd Seed Faith 3
- The Mustard Seed Luke 17:5-6 NKJV 5) And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6) So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree
- The Power of a Mustard Seed
- It starts with a small seed
- The Tiny Seed of Faith
- Shrimp & the Mustard Seed
- Faith or Just Hope?
- Consider the Mustard Seed
- Fairy Floss Faith or Mustard Seed Faith
- Faith Like A Mustard Tree
- We Are the Branches
- Speak To The Mountains!
- Mountains Moving
- 8/14/18 | Mustard Seed Faith
- Praying :: With the Faith of a Mustard Seed
- Lord, Increase Our Faith
- Lord I believe. Help my unbelief!
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