When they came to the crowd a man approached, knelt down before him, 15 and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. 19 Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Jesus has just come down from the mountain where Peter, James, and John witnessed the Transfiguration and heard the Father declare, “This is my beloved Son … listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). At the foot of the mountain, Jesus encounters a father whose son is suffering severely. The father kneels before Jesus, calls Him “Lord,” and pleads, “have pity on my son.” His posture and words express reverence and trust as he brings his son’s suffering directly to Christ.
Matthew describes the boy as a “lunatic,” an ancient term connected with the belief that certain seizures were influenced by phases of the moon. His symptoms resemble what today would be recognized as epilepsy. Matthew then tells us specifically that this particular boy is also afflicted by a demon. The Gospel therefore distinguishes the physical symptoms from the demonic affliction present in this particular case.
Jesus responds, “O faithless and perverse generation.” His words recall Moses’ description of Israel as a “twisted and crooked generation” (Deuteronomy 32:5). Moses was speaking of a people who had experienced God’s care yet repeatedly failed to place their trust faithfully in Him. Jesus’ words carry the same concern. Although they may address those gathered around Him broadly, Matthew places particular attention on the disciples, who had already received authority from Jesus but, in this instance, failed to rely fully upon the God from whom that authority came.
Jesus then says simply, “Bring him here to me.” He rebukes the demon, the demon leaves the boy, and the boy is immediately cured. The power comes from Christ. Earlier, Jesus had given His disciples authority to heal the sick and drive out demons (Matthew 10:1). Their authority remained dependent upon the One who had given it to them.
The disciples realize that, even though they had previously been given authority to drive out demons, they were unable to do so in this case. They therefore approach Jesus privately and ask, “Why could we not drive it out?” Jesus answers, “Because of your little faith.” Matthew repeatedly uses this expression when the disciples struggle to trust God fully (Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8). They believe in Jesus and follow Him, yet their faith still needs to deepen into greater trust and dependence upon God.
Jesus explains this with the image of a mustard seed, one of the smallest seeds familiar to His listeners. “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” He tells them, they will be able to move mountains. “Moving mountains” was a vivid way of describing what appears humanly impossible. Jesus is teaching that the power of genuine faith comes from God. Even faith that seems very small can accomplish great things when it places its confidence in Him.
This lesson becomes especially meaningful immediately after the Transfiguration. On the mountain, the disciples had seen Christ’s glory. At the foot of the mountain, they confront their weakness when they are unable to drive out the demon afflicting the boy. Faith must accompany them in both places. The same is true for every disciple. We sometimes experience moments when God’s presence seems very clear, and at other times we face circumstances that appear far beyond our strength. Jesus teaches us to place our confidence in God in every circumstance.
Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains because genuine faith places its trust in God, for “nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). Our strength rests in Him, and through faith we learn to trust His power, His wisdom, and His saving work in our lives.
Lord Jesus, deepen our faith and teach us to place our trust in You. When we face difficulties beyond our strength, help us remember that Your power is greater than every obstacle before us. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Notes on Matthew 17:14–20.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. 38.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. 107–108.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 660, par. 108.
- Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. 220–221.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 944.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully rev. ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1208.
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