37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God.
But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The transfiguration happened overnight and the next day Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, and John. A large crowd had formed. From it, a man came and begged Jesus to help his only son who was possessed by an unclean spirit. The spirit caused the boy to convulse and have seizures and wouldn’t leave him alone. He had asked the remaining nine disciples to help but they had been unable to. Jesus responded to this incident as indicative of the entire nation of Israel and called them a faithless and twisted generation. Even the disciples were partly caught up in the unbelief of the nation. Jesus rebuked the spirit for throwing the boy down into convulsions in a last desperate attempt knowing his coming fate. The unclean spirit left and Jesus returned the boy to his father, healed. The result of the miracle again was that all marvelled at the majesty of God.
While they marvelled at what had happened, Jesus pointed out again that He was going to suffer at the hands of men. They couldn’t understand how, in their growing understanding of who He was, Jesus would allow Himself to suffer. the disciples’ inability to understand was amplified because the truth was hidden from them and they were too afraid to ask Jesus about the matter.
With their focus still on the kingdom coming in glory, the disciples argued among themselves about who would be greatest. Jesus knew their hearts and the motivation of their argument. He took a child and gave them an object lesson in kingdom status. A child had the lowest social status culturally. Jesus told His disciples that to accept a child with the proper esteem was to receive Him and the Father who sent Him. The route to greatness in God’s kingdom is not to elevate oneself in superiority over others. Instead, we are called to deny ourselves. This was an important lesson for the disciples who would take the gospel beyond Israel to the Gentiles who were typically looked down on.
John then brought up someone who was not part of the apostles who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name. They had tried to stop him because He was not one of them. Jesus taught them that, while they had an important task in the establishment of the church, they were not God’s only representatives. There is space for everyone to minister in Jesus’ name. To think in exclusive terms is contrary to the kingdom mindset and hinders the gospel from advancing as it should.
How is your kingdom mindset? Do you think there are some people you wouldn’t be prepared to share the gospel with? This is a hard question that requires not only deep introspection but the gentle work of the Holy Spirit in revealing the real condition of your heart. Do you have a kingdom superiority complex? Are you open to the Holy Spirit softening your heart and helping you to deny yourself?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Ezra Rebuilds the Temple: Ezra 3