James Nisbet Commentary - Matthew 17:19 - 17:19

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James Nisbet Commentary - Matthew 17:19 - 17:19


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FAITH AND SERVICE

‘Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?’

Mat_17:19

I. The secret of faith.—Still, as in olden time, it is the contemplation of the Lord’s transfigured person which is the secret of the best and purest faith. We cannot follow Him, unless in spirit, up the holy mount. We cannot handle, hear, or see the Lord of life. Between Him and us the cloud of centuries spreads. But it may be ours to meditate upon His person. We can withdraw ourselves a little from the world. We can concentrate our thoughts on Him. To lose the blessing of meditation, of being consciously alone with Christ, is to lose the potency of Christian action.

II. The potency of Christian action.—Action is greater than meditation. St. Peter said, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here.’ But it was not good for him to be there. There was work to be done in the world. Christ’s miracles are wrought, not upon the mountain, but in the plain. We may catch our inspiration from some mountain of Divine glory. But our work, which God has given us, lies at its foot. It is a mistake to think that we could serve better by ascending to some vantage ground of opportnnity. We are always looking for something out of the common, and forgetting the Divinity of common things. And yet it is easiest to serve Christ in the plain.

III. Evil spirits to be cast out.—There are still evil spirits in the world, which it is a vital matter to cast out. There is the spirit of lying; the spirit of envy; the spirit of intemperance; the spirit of impurity. Such are the spirits against which the Church, as a pillar of fire, stands in array. If we ask, ‘Why could not we cast him out?’ Jesus Christ Himself shall supply the answer, ‘This kind goeth not out but by prayer.’ Prayer is the secret of holiness; it is the witness of our spirituality; it is the promise of victory. When the faith of men and of the Churches has proved impotent, then the Divine voice is heard, ‘Bring him hither to Me.’

—
Bishop J. E. C. Welldon.