Matthew 17:14-21 stresses not Jesus’ healing, but the disciples’ reaction. While they have confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, they are not yet mature in their faith, nor do they correctly understand either Jesus or their own office. Their faith is still small, and they are not yet ready for the task that awaits them, so Jesus again teaches them about what they still need. Having descended from the glory of the transfiguration on the mountain recorded in Matthew 17:1–13, Jesus laments his disciples’ unbelief, which is hindering the cause of the gospel. The story also has a lesson for faith in general, even though the account stresses the disciples’ need to fulfill the duties of their commission. This is also why this miracle takes place during this particular moment in Jesus’ life. In Matthew 17:22–23, Jesus prophesies that he will be raised by God on the third day, echoing how the Old Testament shows the third day as the day of resurrection (Hosea 6:2), the day on which God appears (Exodus 19:11, Exodus 19:16), and the day of salvation (Genesis 22:4–19, Genesis 42:18; Joshua 2:16; Esther 5:1; Jonah 2:1).
The narrative of Jesus healing the boy with a demon, as the evangelist presents it here in Matthew 17:14-21, is certainly not intended primarily to draw all attention and focus to the healing itself—even though Jesus’ compassion clearly shines through—but the emphasis here falls on the behaviour of the disciples.
Even though they have already confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, they have not yet matured in their faith. Both on the mountain and below they have shown that they still do not have the right understanding of Jesus, nor of their own office. Their faith is still small, and they are not yet ready for the task that awaits them. Once again, Jesus teaches them and points out what they still need.
Having descended back down from the glory of the transfiguration at the top of the mountain recorded in Matthew 17:1–13, Jesus finds the unbelief of his disciples lamentable. Their unbelief caused great harm to the cause of the gospel. Furthermore, the story contains a lesson for faith in general, even though the emphasis here falls on the disciples’ need to fulfill the duties of their commission. This is also the reason why this miracle takes place during this particular moment in Jesus’ life.1
In Matthew 17:22–23, Jesus prophesies that he would be raised by God on the third day, which is significant because even in the Old Testament the third day was recognized as the day of resurrection (Hosea 6:2), the day on which God appears (Exodus 19:11, Exodus 19:16), and, in general, the day of salvation (Genesis 22:4–19, Genesis 42:18; Joshua 2:16; Esther 5:1; Jonah 2:1).2
14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him,