Verse 14 → “And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to
him, and saying,”
Jesus, Peter, James, and John reunite with the disciples at the bottom of the mountain.
Before the transfiguration, Jesus had been on the northwest shore of Galilee.
When they departed to Caesarea Philippi, crowds likely followed them.
“a certain man” → unknown identity

Verse 15 → ‘Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire,
and oft into the water.”
“lunatik” → (seleniazomai) meaning crazy; a word associated with seizures
“sore vexed” → his son was suffering and in pain
“ofttimes he falleth into the fire/the water” → It sounds like this demon was trying to kill him.
If you have ever cared for an ill loved one, you have only a glimpse of this father’s pain.

Verse 16 → “And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.”
This would have likely been the other nine disciples.
Jesus had given them the authority to cast out demons. [Matthew 10:5-8]
If Jesus gave them this ability, why couldn’t they do it?

Verse 17 → “Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with
you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.”
“faithless” → (apistos) apostasy is the falling away or rejection of the faith
Jesus has harsh words for the disciples. [He had taught and given them the ability to do so.]
When one first teaches a child, they are patient.
When the child is old enough to know better, you cannot continue to baby them.
This account goes against the saying, “There is no bad student, only bad teachers.”
“how long shall I be with you/suffer you?” → Jesus has already told them he will ascend into heaven.

Verse 18 → “And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very
hour.”
None of the disciples could do it, so Jesus had to.

Verse 19 → “Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?”
They were not able to figure out what they were doing wrong.
If you understand what you did wrong, you can make adjustments to fix it.

Verse 20 → “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a
grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it
shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
Many pastors and churches have certain verses that they like to quote and teach certain lessons with.
This verse is one of those. → It is often used for motivation or convicting.
If you want to encourage others, quote this verse. [It will get them fired up.]
If you want people to walk the aisle, quote this verse. [It will make them feel guilty.]
Applying this verse to the church today is the result of overlooking the context.
This is called “Name It and Claim It Theology.” → [If you want it, claim it for yourself.]
Consequences of this verse → If you had more faith, your loved ones wouldn’t get ill.
Pastors will then try to find a way around this passage.
Verse 21 → “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
This verse is not found in Bible translations based on critical text as opposed to the Textus Receptus.
Critical Text → An ever changing accepted text, altered when historians and scholars say so.
If some new discovery calls into question the traditionally accepted scriptures…
Critical scholars will make changes to the accepted text.
Bible publishers then update their versions. (NIV, CSB, ESV…)
Textus Receptus → The historical documents accepted by the early church.
The text is unchanged and held as the standard for translating the Bible.
The King James Version, Young’s Literal Translation, the Darby Bible…
So why did the Critical Text throw out verse 21? → They found some old copies that didn’t have it.
There are a number of reasons why the Textus Receptus contained the verse and they didn’t.
Those manuscripts could have been incorrect, and therefore, not widely distributed.
They may have been scrap papers in a monastery and an archeologist stumbled upon it.
The fact is, early on the church fathers largely accepted and agreed upon the Textus Receptus.
The number of copies containing verse 21 far outnumber those without it!
Furthermore, with the inclusion of verse 21, the context is much more focused on the disciples.

Verse 22 → “And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the
hands of men:”
Jesus is preparing them and reminding them that he will not always be with them.

Verse 23 →“And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.”
“they were exceeding sorry” → The crucifixion of Christ is very difficult for us to think about.
However, the resurrection is the great victory story within the New Testament!
It is clear that the disciples do not know what the resurrection will accomplish.

Verse 24 → “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and
said, Doth not your master pay tribute?”
“tribute” → a payment made to a ruler or government to maintain peace or ensure protection
For Rome and Israel, it was a little bit of both… but mostly to maintain peace.
Why did they approach Peter with this question? → Perhaps it was just a coincidence.
However, it could have been an attempt by the Scribes and Pharisees.

Verse 25 → “He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What
thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own
children, or of strangers?”
What else was Peter supposed to say? → It would be criminal to do otherwise.
Jesus is using this scenario to reveal more kingdom information.

Verse 26 → “Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.”
Jesus is making a significant statement about the coming kingdom.
The children of the kingdom will not be required to pay tribute to the king.
They will not be required to offer sacrifices to maintain peace or receive protection.
According to Revelation, the nations will bring their “glory” and “honor” to Jerusalem.

Verse 27 → “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up
the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of
money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
To refuse to pay the tribute, would be for Jesus to assume his position as Christ prematurely.