Then Jesus answered and said,
O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I endure you? bring him here to me.
Read Chapter 17
John Chrysostom
AD 407
But He, acquitting them of the charges before the people, imputes the greater part to him. For, O faithless and perverse generation, these are His words, how long shall I be with you? Matthew 17:17 not aiming at his person only, lest He should confound the man, but also at all the Jews. For indeed many of those present might probably be offended, and have undue thoughts of them.
But when He said, How long shall I be with you, He indicates again death to be welcome to Him, and the thing an object of desire, and His departure longed for, and that not crucifixion, but being with them, is grievous.
He stopped not however at the accusations; but what says He? Bring him hither to me. Mark 9:21 And Himself moreover asks him, how long time he is thus; both making a plea for His disciples, and leading the other to a good hope, and that he might believe in his attaining deliverance from the evil.
And He suffers him to be torn, not for display (accordingly, when a crowd began to gather, ...
Note this man’s lack of sense in another instance: in full view of the crowd he pleads to Jesus against his disciples, saying, “I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him.” But Jesus dismissed these complaints before the people and blamed him the more, saying, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you?” He is not addressing this person alone, so as not to upset him, but he is addressing all the Jews. For it is likely that many had been offended and thought ill of the disciples. But when he says, “How long am I to be with you?” he shows how welcome death is to him and his desire of passing on from here. He longs for his departure. It is being with them, and not so much the crucifixion, that is grievous. He did not put up with their complaints, but what does he say? “Bring him here to me.” And he himself further asks him, “How long has this been this way?” He is thereby both defending the disciples and leading the man to a better hope, that he s...
