Luke 9:37-45 – Faith in God or faith in method?

What do you think the disciples were thinking about when they were coming down from the mount of transfiguration? The scene of all that had happened up on the mount must still be very vivid in their minds. However, their exhilaration was soon interrupted by a large and hostile crowd that came to confront Jesus. In verses 37-43, we see a man among the crowd with a very difficult problem. He had a son with a demon induced fit. And whenever that demon seized his son, it would cause him to scream suddenly, convulse violently, foam at his mouth and he would be left in a devastated state. This man brought his son to Jesus’ disciples, who were not with Him at the mount of transfiguration, for help but they were unable to exorcise that demon. 

 

We can detect from the tone of this man that he was in deep desperation. We can also detect from Jesus' response His disappointment with His disciples. Their powerlessness was obviously in their unbelief. In previous passages we have learned that they had been successful in conducting deliverance sessions, but why not this time? They probably failed not for a lack of trying. Their failure was probably due to their regression from faith in God to a reliance on their methods and processes. While Jesus was still engaged in conversation with that man, his son had a violent seizure. Undoubtedly Jesus took control, rebuked the spirit and healed the boy and returned Him to the father. And the crowd marveled at what the Lord had done. Not wanting His disciples to be too carried away by the change in the mood of the crowd, He took the opportunity to share about His impending suffering and death.

How easy it is for us to shift from trusting God to relying on the process. Faith placed in processes and methods and not in God is not faith. Reliance in one’s past success can also erode faith in God. With every new situation we face, we need to come to God and put our faith anew in Him not in the methods of past successes. We must not take the grace of God for granted.