14 And when they came unto the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling down to him, 15 and saying, 'Sir, deal kindly with my son, for he is lunatic, and doth suffer miserably, for often he doth fall into the fire, and often into the water, 16 and I brought him near to thy disciples, and they were not able to heal him.' 17 And Jesus answering said, 'O generation, unstedfast and perverse, till when shall I be with you? till when shall I bear you? bring him to me hither;' 18 and Jesus rebuked him, and the demon went out of him, and the lad was healed from that hour. 19 Then the disciples having come to Jesus by himself, said, 'Wherefore were we not able to cast him out?' 20 And Jesus said to them, 'Through your want of faith; for verily I say to you, if ye may have faith as a grain of mustard, ye shall say to this mount, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you, 21 and this kind doth not go forth except in prayer and fasting.'
22 And while they are living in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is about to be delivered up to the hands of men, 23 and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall rise,' and they were exceeding sorry.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 17:14-23
Commentary on Matthew 17:14-21
(Read Matthew 17:14-21)
The case of afflicted children should be presented to God by faithful and fervent prayer. Christ cured the child. Though the people were perverse, and Christ was provoked, yet care was taken of the child. When all other helps and succours fail, we are welcome to Christ, may trust in him, and in his power and goodness. See here an emblem of Christ's undertaking as our Redeemer. It encourages parents to bring children to Christ, whose souls are under Satan's power; he is able to heal them, and as willing as he is able. Not only bring them to Christ by prayer, but bring them to the word of Christ; to means by which Satan's strong-holds in the soul are beaten down. It is good for us to distrust ourselves and our own strength; but it is displeasing to Christ when we distrust any power derived from him, or granted by him. There was also something in the malady which rendered the cure difficult. The extraordinary power of Satan must not discourage our faith, but quicken us to more earnestness in praying to God for the increase of it. Do we wonder to see Satan's bodily possession of this young man from a child, when we see his spiritual possession of every son of Adam from the fall!
Commentary on Matthew 17:22-23
(Read Matthew 17:22-23)
Christ perfectly knew all things that should befall him, yet undertook the work of our redemption, which strongly shows his love. What outward debasement and Divine glory was the life of the Redeemer! And all his humiliation ended in his exaltation. Let us learn to endure the cross, to despise riches and worldly honours, and to be content with his will.