Daily Devotion

No sooner had Jesus come down from the mountain that the demands and disappointments of life were upon Him. A man had come to the disciples seeking their help, for his only son was an epileptic.   Of course, his epilepsy was attributed to the activity of a demon. The word used in verse 42 is very vivid. As he was coming to Jesus, the demon dashed him down.It must have been a pitiful sight to see the boy convulsing and the disciples were helpless to cure him. But when Jesus came, He dealt with the situation with calm mastery and gave the boy back to his father cured.

 

Two things stand out:

(1) The time on the mount was absolutely necessary, but it could not be prolonged beyond its time. Peter, not really knowing what he was saying, would have liked to linger on the mountaintop. But they had to come down. Often there come to us moments that we would like to prolong indefinitely. But after the time on the mountaintop, we must come back to the battle and the routine of life; that time is meant to give us strength for life's every day. We cannot live forever in the moment on the mountain, but we cannot live at all without it.

(2) In no incident is the sheer competence of Jesus so clearly shown.When He came down from the mountain, the situation was out of hand. The whole impression is that of people running around not knowing what to do. The disciples were helplessly baffled; the boy's father was bitterly disappointed. Into the scene of disorder came Jesus. He gripped the situation in a flash and in His mastery, the disorder became a calming. So often we feel that life is out of control; that we have lost our grip on things. Only the Master of life can deal with bringing everything under control.

(3) Once again, the incident finished with Jesus pointing to the cross.Here was the triumph; here Jesus mastered the demons and astonished the people. And, in that very moment, when they were ready to acclaim him, Jesus told them he was on his way to die. It would have so easy to take the way of popular success; it was Jesus' greatness that He rejected it and chose the cross.He would not shirk the cross to which He called others.

Life Application: There is only one way to life and that is the way of the cross. Thinking of being with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit makes it worth it. Hang in there because it won't be long.

 

Prayer/Praise: I remember the old song,"O Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land, as on the highest mount I stand, I look away across the sea, where mansions are prepared for me, and view the shining glory-shore, myHeav'nly home forevermore. Thank You, Jesus! Amen!