The Hindrance of Unbelief

The occasion for the text of the message is Jesus' teaching on the need for true faith in having one's prayers answered. Just prior to our text, Jesus and His Apostles, Peter, James and John had returned from Jesus Christ's transfiguration. As they had come down the mountain, they observed a multitude gathered around Jesus' Apostles that remained below with the people. There was a son with his father among the people. The son was a lunatic and possessed with a devil. The father requested that the Apostles remaining below should heal his son, but the Apostles were hindered in healing the son, because of their unbelief. The father then came to Jesus when He arrived at the scene where the father and son were standing. Then, the father humbly kneeled down to Jesus, and said, "have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water." The Lord, then, cast out the devil in the child and He was healed. Jesus, then, reproved the Apostles who were hindered by unbelief in healing the lunatic child. Jesus further took the opportunity to teach the people a precept about faith. That is, if a Christian professor's faith is true faith, and is as small as a grain of mustard seed; nothing shall be impossible for him, because his prayer is from a heart of true faith. – Pastor Merica