How does Matthew 17:19 connect with other scriptures about faith and doubt? Setting the scene in Matthew 17:19 “Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it out?’” (Matthew 17:19) Immediate answer from Jesus (v. 20) “Because you have so little faith… if you have faith the size of a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you.” Key themes to notice • Failure traced to “little faith,” not to technique • Private conversation shows teachability and honest self-examination • Promise that even tiny, real faith releases God’s power Echoes of the same lesson in other moments with Jesus • Matthew 14:31 — Peter sinks after walking on water: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” • Matthew 21:21 — Fig-tree incident: “If you have faith and do not doubt… it will happen.” • Luke 17:5-6 — Apostles ask for more faith; Jesus points again to the mustard seed Broader New Testament reinforcement • Mark 11:22-24 — Faith plus “no doubt in his heart” moves a mountain into the sea • James 1:6 — Prayer must be “in faith, without doubting” or the petitioner is “like a wave of the sea” • John 20:27 — Thomas invited to stop doubting and believe • Hebrews 11:1, 6 — Faith defined as assurance; without it God cannot be pleased Shared thread running through these passages • Doubt disrupts the flow of divine power • God does not demand great faith, only genuine faith • Faith grows as it is exercised; the disciples’ question in Matthew 17:19 marks the start of that growth Practical take-aways for disciples today • Face moments of failure honestly, just as the disciples did • Trace spiritual setbacks to the root of unbelief, not merely to outward methods • Nourish faith by recalling God’s track record (Hebrews 11) • Speak and pray from a convinced heart, expecting God to act (Mark 11:24) • Celebrate even “mustard seed” breakthroughs, which confirm that nothing is impossible with God |
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