Power Connection - Matthew 17:14-18

Jesus not only claimed to have but actually demonstrated that He did have ALL AUTHORITY! His invitation to His disciples was clear - receive Me and you will receive all of Me including my authoritative power.

Jesus would very often put His disciples in difficult situations that would test their desires for Him and their faith in Him. This was not a new way of training because the Rabbinical training system often included episodes of such difficulty that the disciple would be embarrassed by his inability or lack of understanding of the situation. We all know what it is like to be "new" at a job and not have the fully scope of our duties or even how we would carry them out.

So why does Jesus rebuke His disciples after they demonstrated such inability to cure the "lunatic" (Matthew 17:14-18)?

I hope to put make sense of this question on Sunday because we all, as disciples, need to understand the source of our power and more importantly perhaps, how to live in constant relationship to that power.