Mark 9:14-29

The Argument

Jesus is coming down from the mountain and sees that his disciples are arguing with the scribes and the crowd. The argument was about the disciples ability to heal a demon possessed boy.

The father began to explain what happened to his son when he attacked. It slams him to the ground, foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes stiff. What this demon does is not secret. it is obvious that this boy is possessed.

The boys father claimed that Jesus disciples could not cast the demon out. The insinuation is that Jesus did not have the power to overcome the demon.

Jesus expresses his indictment on all of humanity. He says that the generation was unbelieving. This was an indictment on the boys father, the disciples, the scribes, and the crowd. He asks the question how long would he have to put up with their unbelief.

Application

Crowds - the argument of unbelievers today is if God is a good God why does He allow evil to exist. Why doesn’t He put an end to it. The answer is who determines what is evil? God does! If their is morality then their is a moral law giver. If there is evil then there must be good. God shows the difference in His justness. He will judge evil. Even if we do not see it in our lifetime, He ultimately will judge evil.

Scribes- The scribes already had a preconceived notion that Jesus posed a threat to their lifestyle. They were rich, powerful, and in control. If they surrendered to Jesus, they would have to make Him Lord of their lives. This would mean giving up everything that was important to them. They didn’t want to believe because it would cost them more than they were willing to give up

Disciples- the disciples had become complacent by walking by sight, not by faith. Everywhere they went they saw Jesus handle situations. They knew he was close by if they needed help. In this instance Jesus is gone and they don’t have Him to go to. They rely on their own strength and power to try to heal the boy. They fail miserably. They didn’t even pray to get healing for the boy.

Father - The father was so emotional about the situation with his son that he lost hope. He forgot that God can do all things. We too may question God’s ability to intervene in a situation that is dear to our hearts. We may not say he can’t fix it but maybe we have a heart that says He won’t fix it.

The Healing

Jesus immediately instructs the boy to be brought to Him when he sees the crowd gathering. The demon springs into action and attacks the boy.

Jesus then asks and interesting question. “How long has this been happening?” Why did Jesus ask this question? Because he wanted to see the father’s pain. He wanted others to hear pain of the father because He was going to show how much He cares about our pain.

The father explains that this has been happening since childhood. In essence as long as he has been alive. This has been a source of pain for us for a long time.

It was in the pain that the true issue became a reality. In his pain he asks Jesus if you can do anything help us! Jesus gets to the heart of the matter by asking another question and a declarative statement “If you can? All things are possible for the one’s who believe.” This was not a cart blanc statement that gives us permission to “name and claim it.” Jesus was simply pointing out specifically to His disciples that faith was going to be a requirement to carry on his mission.

Jesus cast the demon out of the boy and commanded it never to return. The demon left and it appeared as if the boy was lifeless.

Application

There are things that are going to happen in our lives that will cause so much pain and grief that it will drive us to a spiritual liberation. I this instance the man said “ I believe, help my unbelief.” This is the most honest thing this man could have said. It was in this revelation that Jesus brought healing.

Jesus doesn’t expect perfect faith! He expects us to acknowledge our imperfect faith and ask for help with our faith.

There are things that will happen in our lives that we cannot fix. We are going to have to trust in Christ. This means to trust in His way, His time, and His love!

The Lesson

The disciples asked why they couldn’t cast the demon out. Jesus explained that this type of demon comes out only by prayer.

Our faith is not built on intellectual knowledge, personal strength, or blind faith. Our faith is built on our knees. It is when we call out to a loving God who hears our prayers and answers according to His will and adjusts our hearts to receive His answer with joy!