Mt 17:14-20 Fire and Water
A man came up to Jesus and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water.”
A lunatic. What better way to describe a sinner. A sinner is not someone who has fallen from God’s grace; the sinner is someone who has elevated his reason to the height of disgrace. Like the lunatic, he believes way too much in himself.
Recently, we have seen plenty of cases of reasonable “lunatics” in the news. About a month ago we saw one in Colorado. Less than two weeks ago, we saw another in Wisconsin. But there are many more lunatics out there that we dare not speak of, for their lunacy has become a part of our society. For example: The abortionists; who care so much for the women, that they cannot care at all for their children, and in a single day can end the life of a dozen young souls. The animalists: who elevate the dignity of every-single-conceivable-living being except the human being. The pacifists: who will excuse the terrorist but not the soldier. The liberal politicians: who believe human rights come from the government and not from God or nature. In fact, they never define human rights because they are too busy redefining human rights.
I could go on and on, and I will.
The music/Hollywood artists: who inspire millions to “go for it” but only end up “falling for it”. [Most kids would be shocked if they only knew that David Bowe, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Janet Jackson did what they did not because they believed in it but because they could make a living out of it]. The fashion designers: who take no responsibility for teen abuse but alone have inspired millions of children to be immodest with their bodies and starve their bodies. Not only do their clothes cost a fortune, but the therapy required to heal their victims is outrageous! The atheists: who seek the benefits of a Godless society while ignoring the results of a Godless society. They ignore their handiwork just like they ignore God’s handiwork.
Often he falls into fire, and often into water. Lunatics are caring and careless; hot and cold. You may even say the lunatic is constantly in hot water! Like the lunatic, the sinner knows what he is doing. He may be sick, but he’s not sick enough. He may throw himself into the fire but he always ends up in the water. Yes, the lunatic loves to play with sin because it is interesting; it sparks curiosity. Sin, like fire, is sensational, thrilling and exciting. When the sinner gets too close to the fire and burns himself, then he can always jump into the lake of saving grace.
O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? Why do we have the problems we have today? Why do we continue with as many problems as before, but with a much more expensive twist to them? The Lord’s answer holds true today: Because of our little faith.
Christianity is the remedy for all the world’s problems because Christ is the answer to all our problems. The Lord is the antidote for the lunatic. May the Lord grant us the strength and courage to profess our faith as radically as those who undercut it!
Fire is quenched with water; sin is released by grace; hatred is destroyed with love; pride is baffled by humility; prisoners are freed by forgiveness; lunatics are healed with faith.
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed…then nothing will be impossible for you.”
