Matthew 17:14 ¶ And when
they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man,
kneeling down to him, and saying, 15
Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for
ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they
could not cure him. 17 Then Jesus
answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be
with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed
out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and
said, Why could not we cast him out? 20
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say
unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this
mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall
be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this
kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Luke 9:37 says that these events happened the day after the last
ones. A lunatic can be a reference to a mental disease or some issue that
causes seizures and fits. The Greeks recognized diseases that caused seizures
including epilepsy but they understood little about it although Hippocrates
suggested it’s origin was the brain. In this case the seizures were caused by a
devil. Jesus rebukes the devil and the faithlessness of the disciples who could
not deliver the child from the devil.
Verse 20 tells us that with sincere faith things that seem
impossible are possible but it does not suggest that the Apostles had the
capacity to move literal mountains around. Only a modernist assumes such a
thing. Jesus thing tells them the “nuts and bolts” of this work; prayer and
fasting. Check to make sure this verse is in the Bible you use.
Matthew 17:22 ¶ And while
they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed
into the hands of men: 23 And they shall
kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding
sorry.
Again, the disciples did not understand that the Messiah had to
die and be resurrected. This repeated prediction of what Jesus must face
dismayed them.
Matthew 17:24 ¶ And when
they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to
Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the
house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the
kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of
strangers? 26 Peter saith unto him, Of
strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them,
go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh
up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that
take, and give unto them for me and thee.
Here, Jesus provides the tax money that is required of them
supernaturally, making a point to Peter. Indeed, it appears that there is no
warrant to justify being rebellious against the laws of the land in which you
live for the fruits or proof of your being a Christian outwardly cannot be
legislated against.
Galatians
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is
no law.
James
1:27 Pure religion and
undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows
in their affliction, and to
keep himself unspotted from the world.
See what Paul and Peter also said;
Romans
13:1 ¶ Let every soul be subject unto
the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are
ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore
resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall
receive to themselves damnation. 3 For
rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be
afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the
same: 4 For he is the minister of God to
thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not
the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth
evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only
for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6
For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers,
attending continually upon this very thing. 7 ¶ Render therefore to all
their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom
fear; honour to whom honour.
1Peter
4:15 But let none of you suffer as a
murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in
other men’s matters.16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let
him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
The exception appears only to be when the secular rulers demand
that you disobey what God has called you to do in proclaiming Christ and His
gospel to the world.
Acts
5:26 ¶ Then went the captain with the
officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest
they should have been stoned. 27 And
when they had brought them, they set them
before the council: and the high priest asked them, 28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that
ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with
your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. 29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather
than men.
Don’t use Christ as a justification for your seditious, rebellious
heart. If you want to make a case for resistance against everything from a
local zoning ordinance to the federal tax code then make it based on sound
political arguments, moral arguments, or personal opinion or self-interest but
don’t use the name of God to justify your unwillingness to do what lawful
authority tells you to do.
This doesn’t mean we don’t fight and try to change unjust laws
like the ones that permit and even encourage infanticide or encourage depraved
behavior or try to limit the power and scope of government over our lives as
citizens. It just means to be careful how you bring your Saviour into the
argument. In the end all of the laws, institutions, and structures of your
country will be burned up and in eternity be totally meaningless. Keep in mind
that the government is not a fit substitute for God though Christians have made
it so. The three branches of proper government are not found in Washington,
D.C. but under God’s righteous authority.
Isaiah
33:22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is
our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.
Notice Isaiah said the LORD, not the Supreme Court, Congress, or
the President.
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