Matthew 17:14-21 - "The Demon-Possessed Boy"

In the story of the demon-possessed boy, we see the results of the fall coming into contact with the ministry of Christ's disciples. This is an early encounter in the long war for the cosmos. This war continues today, and so we can no doubt relate to the experience of these men as they encountered failure. Our faith is likewise too weak, too distracted, too misguided, too subject to doubts and to the accusations of those who oppose us. We remain a people in desperate need of the headship of Christ. Rather than humiliating us, He takes our failures and our deficiencies upon Himself. He shows us what sacrificial responsibility looks like, and in so doing teaches us how our faith can grow, not only in its strength, but also in its object – Jesus Christ Himself. So, the charge is this – when you encounter difficulty, setback, and even failure this week, remember that Christ is happy to shoulder your burden. He is not embarrassing you, but is training you to become stronger, wiser, less oriented to yourself and more to Him. Even if we are faithless, He remains faithful (2 Tim. 2:13a).