Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you” Matthew 17:20, NASB1995).

I have so often wondered at these and similar words of Jesus. I have thought there is a mystery here being revealed, but I just can’t seem to comprehend it. Jesus is definitely revealing something about how to accomplish the “impossible.” I would think, oh, if I only had this great faith of which He speaks! How do we find great faith?

It is no accident that the story of the Canaanite woman from with a severely demon-possessed daughter was presented in chapter 16, the chapter immediately preceding the one which contains our above-referenced verse. It is also an object lesson that teaches us about faith. In that story, the woman comes to Jesus for help. She is desperate. Jesus strangely ignores her. This is unusual for Jesus. He even rejects her, saying that He was “sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 16:24). He was not denying that she was lost. But He went on to  metaphorically refer to her people as “dogs.”

This is where the story really becomes interesting because the disciples were already frustrated because she was “shouting.” They wanted her sent away, but she refused to take no for an answer!

Oh, that we would learn from her! Even while being rejected (not being from Israel), she persisted. She was even willing to accept the label as a dog, and offered to  “eat the crumbs from the Master’s table.

Jesus was allowing this situation to emerge in order to reveal her faith for all to see. He was instructing them (and us) on the road to inheriting the kingdom of God!

What do you want from Him, dear believer? Oh, you of damaged soul, of wounded heart, of broken dreams! He has great things for the humble of heart, who will not be dissuaded.

I am not encouraging you to seek your own desires, as some do. I am encouraging you to find the kingdom of God; to find great faith. Jesus was daily healing people. He was not (mostly) healing outsiders. But this foreign woman’s faith in Jesus opened the door for her to enter into His promise.

Are you broken, ruined, useless? Jesus has great things for you. He has opened the door to a magnificent life – the life that He lived and the love with which He loved.

Would you trade your rags (or even your riches – which are in effect, your grave cloths) for the true riches that are in Him? He will not deny you.

The door is open. Don’t take no for an answer, my friend. He will not make you rich in earthly riches. If that is what you seek, do not bother because you will be wasting your time. He will not enable you to serve sin.

But if you seek His riches, then know for a certainty you will not be denied, not in this life nor in the next. Righteousness, peace, liberty from fear, joy, living in the love of God – these are the true riches. He will cleanse you from the rags of your old life, and His new life will enable you to prevail in everything.