Mark 9:14-29

Mark 9:14–29 KJV (WS)

14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

Introduction

How many hiking fans are here?

Anyone not like to hike?

I like hiking that is easy and scenic.

I’ll never forget hiking the 4th falls trail at the wilds camp.

I didn’t think I was going to make it.

The only thing that kept me going was watching my pregnant wife climb out of there with no problem.

I like going on a hike that I’ve never been on because you can discover things that you haven’t seen before.

I also like going on hikes I’ve already been on because I know where I’m going.

I feel comfortable because I’ve been through that area before.

I don’t have to look at the signs.

I don’t have to follow a map because I have experience with this trail.

Now, if I’m on an unfamiliar trail, none of that is true.

I’m reading the signs, I’m watching my gps.

I’ve never been that way before.

Part of me is wondering if I’ll be able to make it.

Life is a lot like that.

When we go through something that we have faced before, we can be overconfident that we know what to expect.

When we cover new territory, we can be filled with doubt.

For the Christian, whether we are on new ground or familiar territory we should take every step in faith.

Jesus arrives on a dramatic scene involving his disciples. vss 14-15

There is a great multitude of people gathered around them.

The scribes are questioning the disciples.

When everyone sees Jesus they quickly abandon the disciples and run to Jesus saluting him.

Jesus starts to ask questions about what is going on. vss 16-19

He immediately targets the scribes.

Before the confrontation can go too far, a man from the crowd steps forward.

He identifies himself as the father of a young man who was possessed of a spirit that made him unable to speak.

The man had been trying to bring his son to Jesus.

He was greatly concerned for the safety of his son,

The spirit did more than make it so that the young man couldn’t speak.

The spirit was actively trying to harm the son.

We see this described in verse 18.

When the man had found the disciples, apparently without Jesus present, he had asked them to cast out the spirit.

This was something that the disciples had done in the past.

But, for some reason, they could not cast this demon out of the man’s son.

Jesus once again expresses concern over the lack of faith among the disciples.

He will not always be physically present with them.

The last passage that we dealt with focused on Jesus’ upcoming death and resurrection.

For those of us who know the rest of the story, Jesus will ascend back into heaven after his resurrection.

The disciples will need the faith to be able to minister to peoples’ needs without Him being there to step in when they lacked faith.

That was the problem with this demon.

The disciples were leaning on their past experiences and ability to cast on demons previously.

Jesus is disappointed by their lack of faith.

He asks for the man’s son to be brought to him.

Jesus turns his attention to the father. vss 20-24

When the son is brought to Jesus, something horrible happens.

When the spirit sees Jesus, he begins to wrench and torment his host.

The Bible says that spirit cast him to the ground and he wallowed.

Jesus asks the man how long his son has been this way.

The father tells Jesus that his son has been this way since he was a small child.

He then begins to detail more of the ordeals that they have had to face.

The spirit had tried many times to kill the son.

If there was a fire, the spirit would drive the boy into it.

If there was water, the spirit would cast the young man into.

Can you imagine how worn out this father must be?

You can hear the desperation in his words.

If thou canst…

do anything,

have compassion on us,

and help us.

A desperate request from a desperate father.

Jesus responds with a similar statement.

If thou canst…

Believe.

All things are possible to him that believeth.

To this the father cries out with tears.

Lord, I believe.

Help thou mine unbelief.

This man had heard Jesus bemoan the lack of faith among the disciples.

If they didn’t have enough faith, what chance did he have.

He needed Jesus to help him.

Jesus looks around and sees more people coming towards him.

Jesus does what the disciples could not. vss 25-29

He rebukes the spirit.

He calls him foul.

He calls him deaf and dumb.

He charges, orders, the spirit to come out of the son and not to enter into him again.

Suddenly, the spirit screams in a sound that none of us want to imagine.

He tears at the man’s son and then leaves him lying still as a dead man.

So much so that the people standing around said, “He is dead.”

Only, he wasn’t.

Jesus went over to him.

He took the son by the hand and lifted him up.

Try to imagine the joy that must have washed over the fathers face as he looked into the clear eyes of his son for the first time since he was a little boy.

This was a moment of great joy for that man.

It was a moment of failure and disappointment for the disciples.

Later on, when the disciples were alone with Jesus, they asked him, why they had been unable to cast out the spirit.

Jesus tells them that this kind of spirit only comes out through prayer and fasting.

Matthew 17:20 “20 And 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.”

It wasn’t that the disciples didn’t believe that a demon could be cast out, they had done this before.

That’s why they were so confused.

The problem was that they were not acting in faith.

They were treating this as though they knew what they were doing, they had done it before, this time would be no different.

No person has ever cast out a demon in their own power.

The problem with the disciples is found in their question.

“why could WE not cast him out.”

Their should have never been a “we” in this scenario.

It should have been about Jesus and faith in his power alone.

Whenever Jesus’ disciples think that they can do something on their own, then they are not operating in faith.

They will not be successful.

Instead, they should take the position of the father.

Lord, I believe, but I also recognize my limitations.

I need you to make them up for me.

The father believed that Jesus could help his son, and he received his son made whole.

Application

We need to learn to live by faith in all that we do.

It is very easy to lean on our own strengths.

We have talents and abilities in certain areas.

we have experience and even success in some areas.

These things can deceive us in to thinking that we can do something without God’s help.

Sometimes, though we have to do something that is beyond our ability and experience.

It is easier in these moments to live by faith.

To admit to God we don’t know what to do.

Pray and fast over this big situation.

God isn’t just interested in the big situations.

He wants us live by faith in the times of life where we are comfortable and uncomfortable.

Are there parts of your life where you are relying on your abilities and your experiences?

Why not seek to live this whole next week, treating even the mundane moments like big moments?

Why not live each day this week with the faith of the father in this passage?

Would it make a difference in your life?

Conclusion

Living, serving, and walking with Jesus is supposed to be a faith-filled endeavor.

We will sometimes face familiar roads.

We must never stop living by faith.

Even if we’ve been down that road before.

We will also face some hopeless situation.

We may fell like we don’t have enough faith.

In those moment, we can say with the father in this story…

I believe, help thou mine unbelief.

No matter where our path might lead, we must live by faith.