Observation: When Jesus returns from the transfiguration, he sees a crowd with his disciples. They have been trying without success to heal a boy with an evil spirit. Jesus succeeds, but after having a few sharp words.
At first he calls "them" an "unbelieving generation" and laments the failure, wondering aloud how long he will have to keep showing them the truth. Then when the boy's father wonders "if" Jesus can heal the boy, Jesus shoots back about the "if" statement with the firm truth that all things are possible for those with faith. It is in the context of this second interaction with the father/crowd that we understand the first interaction ... Jesus was not frustrated by his disciples' inability to heal the boy, he was frustrated with the lack of faith by the Jews who brought the boy. It was this lack of faith that prevented the miracle. Furthermore, when Jesus concludes this scene by saying these types of spirits can only be cast out with prayer and fasting, it is not the disciples who have been failing to pray, it was the crowd and the father.
These people brought this boy for a healing, but the truth is they never believed in the Lord's ability to heal him. They 'hoped' Jesus could, but they had never taken any act of faith - prayers, requests, supplications, and humble submissions to the Lord - to pursue the Lord's response. They are an "unbelieving generation" in that they do not believe in the power and authority of the Lord. They might hope a miracle-man can do something, but that's it.
And this comes on the heels of Jesus' explaining (after the transfiguration) about the alignment between Elijah and John the Baptist. When asked about what it means when prophets have said Elijah must proceed Messiah, Jesus points out this did happen - that John proceeded him - but ALSO that the mission of Elijah/John was to prepare the Jews, and instead the Jews abused John and eventually killed him. Therefore, that is what they will do to Messiah/Jesus too.
These events - the teaching after the transfiguration, and the healing of this boy - are identical in this way. They are about the fact that the Jews want the Lord to provide for their well-being ... they want the Lord to send Messiah to deliver them ... they want the Lord to heal their sick and broken ... however, they actually don't believe he can or will, and therefore they reject the messenger sent to prepare them, they reject the Messiah sent to save them, and all along the reject disciplines they were taught to bring them into the presence and love of the Lord anyway.
Application: Yes, I believe the Lord can and will. However, I do not pray enough and I do not fast enough. I do not do the things to bring myself into the presence and love of the Lord. This is my failure, and today Jesus wonders how long he must put up with me.
Prayer: Lord, you are more than my hope. You are my trust, my rock, my Lord, my savior, my God. In you I have full trust and full belief. Help my unbelief, which takes the form of a wandering mind and lack of attention and focus on you daily. Amen.
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