David Bahn – Reflections

Spiritual warfare is not a metaphor; it is what is raging all around us. The enemy is cunning, powerful, stealthy, and set on our destruction. He will afflict a man’s son and cause him to have seizures. He will sneer with perverse joy when the boy falls into the fire or into the water. He will gloat when Jesus’ disciples cannot cast out the demon. But he recoils at the name of Jesus, and slinks away when the shadow of Christ’s power falls his way. We have a champion!

Matthew 17:14-20

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15″Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

17″O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

20He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, 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.”

On the one hand I don’t understand Jesus reaction to his disciples. Calling them an unbelieving and  perverse generation seems a bit harsh. I want to think that maybe Jesus had a bad day or was just tired. His disciples had failed. Maybe he was talking about the whole of mankind: perverse and unbelieving indeed. On the other hand, however, maybe Jesus is describing a condition from which we really do need to repent.

If faith as small as a mustard seed will move mountains, then perhaps our faith is too often microscopic. We back away from far lesser challenges. We wonder, sometimes, if God can help us. Our prayers ascend as little more than wimpish wishings for a morsel of God’s favor rather than a bold though humble request to feast at the table of God’s abundance.

Make no mistake, Satan is cunning, powerful, stealthy, and set on our destruction.  He is not to be taken lightly. But we have a champion. He casts out demons. He defeats Satan with a word. He has overcome death itself. He has atoned for our sins. Nothing lies in the way of us calling on his name – no matter the threat or challenge. And through faith in him we will win the victory.