Matthew 17:19-20 (NIV)

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.”

Have you ever questioned an act of faith that didn’t seem to work? That’s what happens in today’s passage with the disciples who failed to heal a demon-possessed boy. Let’s explore why this happens. 

Here’s the backstory:

Jesus and Peter, James, and John went up the Mountain of Transfiguration, while the other disciples were ministering in the community around the mountain. Keep in mind that Jesus had equipped His disciples with power, position, and purpose. 

We don’t know how long Jesus and the three were up on the mountain, but we know that a father brought a boy to the other disciples asking for him to be healed. The boy had been convulsing and foaming at the mouth for years. He was possessed by a demon and suffering greatly. 

The disciples appeared to be somewhat startled by the father’s request (possibly because this is where their faith starts to weaken). Jesus prepared His men to do this type of work—the power to fix the broken, the wherewithal to deliver the captive, and the capacity to heal the hurting. And they tried. 

One would think that they would regroup and try something else, but Mark’s gospel tells us that they get tangled up with the scribes on whether they really have the power to do this. They become preoccupied with fighting the enemies of Jesus.

As this event comes to a head, Jesus returns to a crowd in an uproar over this boy. The father calls out to Jesus about His disciples’ failure to drive out the demon. You can imagine that this scene was tense and the crowd was at its full height of emotion. 

Jesus has to come in and rescue the situation and the boy, but He’s frustrated. He says to the crowd, “‘O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!’” (Mark 9:19, NIV)

He heals the boy and God is praised for what He has done. The church fight ceases. The disturbance in the community is over. The father is satisfied. Jesus is being celebrated. What a wonderful worship experience. 

Everyone appears to be good, except for the disciples. They are disturbed. They approach Jesus privately because they have a few questions. Their minds are still back in that worship experience where they realized their faith wasn’t working. 

They were honest with themselves. They said, “My faith isn’t working.” They were happy that Jesus saved them, but they weren’t satisfied that they didn’t perform in that moment. 

The Application: 

Sometimes, we, like the disciples, want to say, “Lord, why isn’t this faith thing working for me?”

“I sang the song. I read the scripture. It doesn’t seem to be working for me. Maybe there’s something wrong with my faith.” 

We cry out to God, “You said we have power. When I went to use it, I came up powerless. You said I had peace, but if I told the truth, Lord, I can’t find peace. You said I had joy unspeakable, but it’s hard for me to find joy sometimes. You said I was blessed and highly favored, and I can’t find that.” 

Have you ever found yourself in a place where these disciples found themselves? Have you ever found yourself unable to access the power of faith? 

Although it might feel like that sometimes, your faith still works. Here’s why.

1. Faith works, but you have to work it. In response to the disciples’ question of “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” Jesus says, “Kind cannot come out by anything but prayer," (Mark 9:29, NIV). The point Jesus is making is that overcoming struggles, demons, relationships require our participation in the act of faith. And the act of faith is different depending on the “kind.” In other words, God doesn’t want an autopilot, formulaic approach to faith struggles. He wants a dynamic relationship with you that doesn’t move in straight lines.
2. Faith won’t leave you alone. The disciples had something gnawing at the inside of them. They couldn’t rest. Jesus showed up and gave them a victory for their team. That guilty feeling is simply God’s grace. It’s the “I’ve got better in me.” 
3. He still has faith in you. Jesus gave a rebuke and a remedy. Right there in the remedy is a gentle reminder that there will be a rematch. This kind comes out this way. When you failed, you failed in front of everybody. They all gave up on you. You probably gave up on you. I provided a remedy because I didn’t give up on you. This problem can be solved. This issue can be beaten. 

Will you put your faith to work?