Faith Daily Lectio Sunday, October 25, 2026 Gospel
Sunday, October 25, 2026 · The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25), kept as Reformation Sunday; Dorcas (Tabitha), Lydia, and Phoebe, Faithful Women
Gospel
Oratio (prayer)
Lord Jesus, a father knelt before You and begged mercy for his son. Send Your Holy Spirit as I read Matthew 17, that I may bring my own needs to You and trust Your word. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Matthew 17:14-27
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17Then 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.
18And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20And 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.
21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:
23And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
25He 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?
26Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
27Notwithstanding, 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.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed” (Matthew 17:20)
What other lines speak to you?
Coming down from the mountain, Jesus meets a father whose son suffers terribly. The disciples could not cure him, but Jesus rebukes the devil and the child is healed that very hour. Privately He tells the disciples their trouble was unbelief, and that faith as small as a mustard seed has a mighty Lord behind it. In Galilee He foretells again His betrayal, death and rising. At Capernaum Peter is asked about the temple tax, and Jesus provides the coin from a fish's mouth, for Peter and for Himself.
The Law The disciples ask, "Why could not we cast him out?" (v. 19), and Jesus answers plainly, "Because of your unbelief" (v. 20). His sigh reaches us too: "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?" (v. 17). We also try to handle our troubles on our own, and we pray little and trust less.
The Gospel Jesus does not send the father away. He says, "bring him hither to me" (v. 17), and "the child was cured from that very hour" (v. 18). That is His word to you about every burden you carry: bring it to Him. He goes on to Jerusalem knowing "they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again" (v. 23). He paid what you owe, as surely as He paid the tax "for me and thee" (v. 27). In Him you are a child of the King, and "Then are the children free" (v. 26).
Prayer Lord Jesus, I confess my unbelief and my weak prayers. Forgive me. Help me bring every burden to You, and keep me trusting that You have paid for me and made me free. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
Some troubles do not lift when we want them to, and like the disciples we may wonder why. Under trial it may help to hear the small word Jesus speaks to the father, "bring him hither to me" (v. 17), and to bring Him the person or the trouble again today, trusting the One whose faithfulness is greater than ours.
Prayer Lord Jesus, when my faith feels as small as a mustard seed, hold me fast. I bring my troubles and my loved ones to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
