Nothing Will be Impossible

I went to church today. There's a close knit body of believers that gathers in a local movie theater, and I thought some air conditioning and quiet meditative time with other believers would be refreshing. And I am refreshed! The speaker used lots of scripture in his talk, and you know what? The Bible is stuffed full of hope in the coming Kingdom of God!

The sermon was from Matthew 17, the section on the demoniac that the disciples couldn't heal. Jesus tells them that if their faith is small as a mustard seed they will tell a mountain to move and it will. Unfortunately, the preacher chose to dwell exclusively on 17:21, which isn't in all manuscripts, and probably wasn't part of the original. He used it to springboard his content on prayer. His point was, "Prayer is hard because God is distant, but it is important for you to do it anyway." He said that he didn't understand a lot of the things that Jesus said, and I think that is because he doesn't really understand the Kingdom of God. That's something I want to understand better, because I think it lights up the words of Christ.

I am really encouraged by the text:
Matt 17:14-20
14 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. 16 I 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." 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can [shall] say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.(from New International Version)

His disciples came to him, confused and frustrated (and maybe embarassed) by their lack of effective ministry. And Jesus basically tells them not to worry. They have baby faith, but when it is full grown it will have the power to do anything. The words "little faith" are rendered in some translations as "unbelief," but that is not accurate. The greek word there appears only this passage, no where else. It is from the words that mean "puny" and "faith." The next sentence he says that if they have faith like a seed of mustard (a puny but powerful thing), they will ultimately have effectiveness. Isn't that encouraging? Even if our faith today is small and confused and babyish, one day we will be full grown participatants in the administration of Christ's love, justice and restoration.

1 Cor 13:8-128 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (from New International Version)

This section on being a child is sometimes used to exhort us to come to maturity. However, it seems to me that we will not be what we are becoming until Christ returns:

1 John 3:2-32 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Does your faith seem childishly puny? Mine does. But this is great encouragment! Jesus didn't expect us to have mighty, full grown power--we just have the teaser. We are *children* of God. What we will be has not yet been made known. But we will be like Jesus in his resurrected form when he comes back!

Let us not begin to think (or continue thinking) that this is what we'll be when we are mature. We will not have real maturity until Christ returns--until then, we are just children--dearly loved and accepted, but having not come into our inheritence yet. Our appropriate response is joyful expectation and humility.