14When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.
15"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.
16I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."
17"You unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me."
18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. - P126
19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn’t we drive it out?"
20He 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."
- P126
22When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.
23They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief.
- P127
A man asks Jesus to heal his demon-possessed son because His disciples could not do it. When the disciples later ask why they failed to drive out the demon, Jesus tells them it is because of their lack of faith. The disciples had healed before, but the situation with this boy showed how little faith they had. Jesus teaches them that even a tiny mustard seed level of faith has great power because it shows our trust in God, the supreme authority. - P128
The word "impossible" no longer needs to be a part of our vocabulary. Instead of being daunted by circumstances and driven to doubt and hopelessness, we can respond with faith, not because we are assured of our own ability and power but because we are confident in God’s. - P128
Because He is the Son of God, Jesus should not be required to pay thetemple tax, just as the children of kings do not need to pay taxes for theirown kingdom. However, to avoid offending the temple leaders, Jesus tellsPeter to go fishing at the lake, and in the first fish he catches, Peter will findthe exact amount to pay the tax for both himself and Jesus. We see Jesus‘
wisdom and grace in doing something that He does not have to do. - P128
Sometimes, we can be a blessing to others by wisely avoiding conflict and offenseand extending grace accordingly. - P128
Heavenly Father, thank You that nothing is impossible with You. In the most difficult challenges, help me to respond with a mustard seed level of faith, believing that You will guide me through. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P129
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