Note: This series is written as a first-person narrative in order to present Jesus in the context he walked in with the unknown disciple that narrates presenting my thoughts and sparking more thoughts with his questions. Enjoy.
It has been a few days since we were in Caesarea Phillipi. Jesus stopped us at a mountain. He called Peter, James, and John to him, and told the rest of us to stay.
As they disappeared from sight, Judas asked, “Why did they get to go with Jesus and we didn’t?”
“The Lord has his reasons, I am sure,” replied Thomas.
I looked at the few people who followed us as we went, and wondered what we should do. How long would they be gone?
The day became night, and night became day again; bringing with it a man and his son.
“Are you followers of Jesus?”
“Yes,” Matthew replied. “What can we do for you?”
“My son is possessed by a demon! Can you get rid of it?”
“Bring him here,” I said. The boy approached, frightened and not saying a word. I placed my hand on him and shouted, “Unclean spirit, leave this boy!”
Nothing.
A voice from the crowd mocked us, soon joined by others. Teachers of the Law. We argued with them while the father stared at us in disbelief.
“Is that Jesus?” someone said.
The crowd began to move towards the mountain to meet Jesus and the three who went with him. Peter, James, and John looked like they were in shock.
Jesus asked, “What are you arguing with them about?”
The boy’s father, who was in the crowd, answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
Jesus looked at me and the others, disappointed. I hung my head, as I heard him sadly say, ” You unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
Bartholomew, who stayed with the boy, brought him, leaving the crowd behind. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.”
But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
“Thank you!”
While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to us, “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”
I did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from us so that we did not grasp it, and we were afraid to ask him about it.
Later when the crowd left, we were filled with questions. The burning question on our minds was why couldn’t we drive out the demon? We had done it before when Jesus sent us 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.”
That was hard to grasp. Mustard seed size faith could move a mountain? How big was my faith now?
Matthew 17:14-23; Mark 9:14-32; Luke 9:37-45
A Ronin's Journey 