Matthew 17:14-21 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,… They were justified in undertaking to cast the demon out, and ought to have succeeded. It was the right and privilege of their discipleship, and they were guilty of the harmfulness of their failure. And so with us, our demons and the world's demons have been subjected to us. Our duty and privilege is to master and exorcise them. And to the measure of our opportunity we are guilty of the world's evilness and our heart's weakness. It should not be Christ's direct act. Thank God it will be that if we fail, they shall at last be east out; but it should be ours through the Christ-life and power with us. He has committed the work and responsibility of evil's overthrow to us, and sternly and awfully He will require at our hands the lives marred and wrecked by our failure. Our great need is faith in this power of ours. We want to know and feel we are not helplessly in sin's grip, nor weak though despised before evil's array and seeming sovereignty in the world. The world is ours as we are Christ's — ours to be conquered and won. (S. D. Thomas.) Parallel Verses KJV: And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,WEB: When they came to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him, saying, |
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