Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
He replied, “Because you have so little faith.” (Matthew 17:19-20)
The disciples were unable to cast out a demon from a boy and bring healing to him, so Jesus did it instead. When the disciples asked why they failed, the Lord replied, “Because you have so little faith” (“You don’t have enough faith,” NLT; “Because of your unbelief,” KJV).
Christian preachers and theologians often resist the notion that a person may fail to receive what he asks for in prayer due to a lack of faith. Rather, this is frequently castigated as the false doctrine of some fanatical and insensitive charismatics whose teachings offer people false hope and impose unwarranted guilt for failure. The Bible shows that their criticism is in fact directed against the Lord himself.
Jesus repeatedly scolded people for their lack of faith. He rebuked everyone for their lack of faith when they worried about food, clothing, and shelter. He rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith when they were fearful in the face of a deadly storm. More than this, when Peter failed to walk on water, Jesus rebuked him for his doubts. And in our text he told his disciples that they failed because they did not have enough faith. He represented all that our preachers and theologians condemn. His teaching on faith is too extreme and farfetched for them, and they refuse to tolerate it.
The apostles learned from Christ and agreed with him. As James wrote, “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7). The prayer is unanswered because the man doubts and lacks faith. This is the exact teaching that religious traditions have excommunicated from our churches. But if the Bible so often refers to this as the explanation for failure, the traditions must be wrong in almost always avoiding this as the explanation. They criticize those who follow Jesus’ teaching as those who offer false hope, but the truth is that they are the spiritual charlatans who offer false comfort.
In order to remain true to the Lord Jesus, we must restore this aspect of his teaching in our own ministry. Whenever it is appropriate – and it often is – we must repeat this explanation to those who hear us. Do not let them wallow in doubt and self-pity, or in the delusion that they have strong faith. Push them to greater heights. Why did I fail? Because of your unbelief! How come I did not receive an answer to my prayer? Because you have so little faith! Instead of making excuses for ourselves and for others, let us heed the words of Jesus, condemn unbelief, and strive to grow in faith.
Let us restore the high expectation that Jesus commanded. What unbelief regards as false hope, let us teach it all the more: “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). Let us shrug off the yoke of human doctrines and traditions, so that we may do great things in the name of Christ. If we will have faith, then nothing will be impossible for us. We will move mountains, and the unbelief of the theologians and their denominations will not stand in our way. By faith, we will cast them out along with the demons of hell.