I Believe, Help My Unbelief

INTRODUCTION

Please take God's word and turn to Mark chapter 9.

Today we are looking at Mark chapter 9 verses 14-29.

This is also found in Matthew 17:14-21 and Luke 9:37-43.

This passage illustrates the transition from living by sight to living by faith (MacArthur)

The Christian life is all about faith

Paul told the Corinthians that “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7)

He wrote to the Galatians, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Gal. 2:20)

The writer of Hebrews defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1), and then adds, “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (v. 6)

When Thomas needed proof to believe, Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29)

Peter echoed this by writing, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him… and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).

That’s the essence of the Christian walk—we believe in what we cannot see

We trust in a God we’ve never seen, a Savior we’ve never seen, and a Spirit we’ve never seen

We believe in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ—all by faith

We rest in a justification that we didn’t witness, and we look ahead to an eternal glory we’ve only read about.

Faith saves us, faith sanctifies us, and faith is what keeps us holding on to the hope of heaven

Is our faith perfect? No. But it’s enough.

Not because of anything in us—but because it’s a gift from God (Eph. 2:8–9)

It’s not some kind of blind leap, either

Our faith is rooted in the Word of God

Peter called it “the prophetic word made more sure” (2 Peter 1:19; cf. Matt. 5:18; 24:35; Luke 16:29–31)

Paul said it’s “the word of His grace, which is able to build [us] up and give [us] the inheritance” (Acts 20:32)

The disciples had the rare opportunity to live by sight for over two years

They were physically with Jesus

They heard Him teach

They watched His miracles

They saw how He handled every situation

But that would soon change

Jesus was going to the cross, and afterward they’d have to live the way we live—by faith

The Spirit would bring their memories to mind, and those would become the foundation of the Gospels and the New Testament letters

But Jesus wouldn’t be with them in the flesh anymore

He would speak through His Word, and empower them through His Spirit

As Jesus headed toward the cross, He was preparing His disciples to serve without His physical presence

And one of the key lessons He kept coming back to was faith

When the event in this passage happened, Jesus wasn’t with them—and the disciples were faced with a challenge

They needed to trust, to walk by faith—not sight

And they failed

Their understanding was still immature, and their faith was weak

Jesus had already warned them in Mark 8:17, “Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?” and again in verse 21, “Do you not yet understand?”

This moment is also captured in Matthew 17:14–20 and Luke 9:37–45, but Mark’s account gives the most detail—probably because Peter, who witnessed it firsthand, passed it along to Mark

This all happened right after the transfiguration, and the contrast between these two moments is stunning

The transfiguration was on a mountain—this took place down in the valley

Up there, it was all glory—down here, all suffering

On the mountain, God was clearly present—here, Satan was at work

At the transfiguration, the heavenly Father spoke; in this story, an earthly father cried out in pain

On that mountain, the perfect Son was revealed; in the valley, a tormented son needed deliverance

There, men stood in awe of God’s holiness; here, they stood helpless before human brokenness

Listen to the story as I read all three accounts as one from John MacArthur’s book, “One Perfect Life.”

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that He came to the disciples. He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”

Then suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, have mercy on my son, who has a mute spirit, for he is my only child. He is an epileptic and suffers severely. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it throws him down and convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. And it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. So I brought him to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not cure him.”

Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring your son here to Me.”

Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, as he was still coming, the demon immediately threw him down and convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose; and He gave him back to his father. And the child was cured from that very hour. And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.

And when He had come into the house, His disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

All of you know that my son Samuel has epilepsy

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder

It is marked by recurrent seizures

There are over 50 million people worldwide that suffer from this neurological disorder

3.4 million people in the United States suffer from it

There are many causes for this disorder

Some are birth related trauma

Others are strokes, tumors, brain infections, developmental disorders and genetics

Samuel suffers from a birth related injury

The boy in our story also suffers from epilepsy

But his condition is not from an injury or genetics

It is caused by a demon

Look again at Mark 9:17

Mark calls it “an unclean spirit” in verse 25

Jesus calls it a “mute and deaf spirit” in verse 25

All the symptoms are related to epilepsy but the source is a demonic

Verse 17 says as a result of being “possessed with a spirit” he is “mute”

And verse 18 says the demon “seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid”

Verse 20 also mentions the demon causing him to have a “convulsion, and falling to the ground,…rolling around”

These, as I said, are epilepsy type symptoms

But this type can be cured according to verse 29

The other types can recover and experience long-term remission

The scene begins where…

Jesus Returns from the Mountain with His Disciples (vv.14-15)

As they arrive, they “saw a large crowd around” the 9 disciples and “scribes arguing with them” (v.14)

The word “scribes” is used without the definite article only here in Mark

It doesn’t refer to “a representative committee but to certain individual scribes who had seized upon the failure of the disciples as an opportunity to taunt and shame them before the crowd” (Hiebert)

“They probably were from the Jewish communities around Caesarea Philippi (8:34)” (Hiebert)

“The subject of their questioning, or disputing, is not indicated but may be surmised; it related to the failure of the nine to exorcise the demon and was apparently aimed at discrediting Jesus because of it” (Hiebert)

And when the crowd saw Jesus, they were “amazed” (v.15)

The word “amazed” is a “strong compound verb, used in the New Testament by Mark (14:33; 16:5-6), suggesting a certain emotional shock” (Hiebert)

The KJV says they “were greatly amazed”

“The qualifying adverb “greatly” is used to bring out the force of the preposition (ek)…it suggests that the amazement was so intense that it was exhausting, reaching the full limit” (Hiebert)

“They had been so engrossed in their argument that they had not seen him come, and now, just when the moment was right, here he was in the midst of them” (Barclay)

“The next impulse of the crowd was to run to Jesus and gladly welcome Him who, they had thought, was far away.

They welcomed the fact that He who was the subject of critical discussion was now present Himself” (Hiebert)

In verses 16-18…

Jesus Confronts the Dispute (vv.16-18)

He is asking all three:

“You” refers to the crowd or the scribes

“Them” refers to His disciples, specifically the nine who didn’t go up the mountain with Jesus

But all three kept silent

Then all of a sudden verses 17 says, “And one of the crowd answered Him.”

It was the boy’s father

He said to Jesus in verses 17-18, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”

Jesus Rebukes the Faithless Generation (v.19)

He first refers to them as an “unbelieving generation”

Matthew adds “and perverted generation” (Mat.17:17)

Luke uses this phrase too (Luke 9:41)

The word “Perverted” (diestrammene) means, “twisted or corrupt”

This entire phrase echoes Deuteronomy 32:5

This reference sets the stage for Jesus’ language as a prophetic indictment of Israel’s persistent unbelief

The MacArthur Study Bible Chapter 9

The word “generation” indicates that Jesus’ exasperation was not merely with the father, or the 9 disciples, but also with the unbelieving scribes, who were no doubt gloating over the disciples’ failure (cf. v. 14), and with unbelieving Israel in general.

R.C. Sproul says this is “reminiscent of Moses coming down from Mount Sinai to find unbelief and unfaithfulness in the Israelite camp (Ex. 32).

The failure of the disciples to cast the demon out of the boy was surprising, since Jesus had given them power over demons (Mark 6:7, 13).

Jesus’ rebuke was primarily aimed at the 9 disciples

It was harsh

After all the time they had spent with Him, such lack of trust was inexcusable (cf. Num.14:11)

Jesus’ questions, “How long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?” was an expression of holy exasperation, like His rebukes, “You of little faith!” (Matt. 6:30; 14:31) and, “You men of little faith! (Matt. 8:26; 16:8) (MacArthur)

Jesus said to Philip in John 14:9, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Jesus Calls for the Boy to Be Brought Forward (vv.19-22)

He said, “Bring him to Me!”

This is a command with a promise

The present imperative “bring,” or “be bringing” has a plural subject

It was directed to the crowd generally

The boy was now not with his father

He had been taken to place of safekeeping not far away (Hiebert)

Verse 20 says, “They brought the boy to Him”

The word “Brought” implies that the boy was assisted in his walk, if not carried, to Jesus” (Hiebert)

Jesus was about to act where weakness had failed

Verse 20 again says, “When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion (shakes uncontrollably), and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth” (v.20)

The affliction of the boy was displayed before the very eyes of Jesus in all its intensity (Hiebert)

Jesus in compassion, asked the father in verse 21, “How long has this been happening?”

This question had no bearing on the cure but led the father to confess the natural hopelessness of the boy’s condition

The father answers in verse 21 that this has been going on “from childhood”

He further relates his condition in verse 22: “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.”

Then he reveals the weakness of his faith

He says, “But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!””

The Gospel of Mark: An Expositional Commentary g. Cure of the Demoniac Boy (9:14–29)

Help was a desperate cry for immediate aid. His us instinctively identified the father with the misery of his son. Deliverance for the son would be deliverance for the father. His help given would be evidence of Jesus’ compassion. Of that compassion he had no doubt.

Jesus Confronts the Father’s Doubt (vv.23-24)

The boy’s father said at the end of verse 22, “but if you can do anything”

Jesus responds in verse 23, “If You can?”

This is not a question of the ability of Jesus to expel this demon, the question for the petitioner in all cases is his own ability of faith, i.e., his trust in the ability of Jesus.

He knew Jesus was willing by asking for his son to be brought to him but did Jesus have the “ability” to heal his son?

Remember he said “If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (v.22)

This is where faith comes in

He obviously has some faith because He brought his son to Jesus

He just didn’t know if Jesus could do anything to help them

To struggle with Jesus’ ability is amazing in light of His widespread ministry of healing the sick and casting out demons, how could His ability to cast this one out be in question? (MacArthur)

Jesus responds in verse 23, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

The Gospel according to Mark Frail Faith in a Strong Savior (9:14–29)

The problem is not divine unwillingness (1:40) or divine inability but human unbelief! What is impossible to humans is possible to God (10:27). “ ‘Everything is possible to him who believes.’ ” What Jesus commands of the father is what he earlier commanded of the hemorrhaging woman (5:34) and the synagogue ruler (5:36). The sole bridge between frail humanity and the all-sufficiency of God is faith.

Verse 24 says, “Immediately the boy’s father cried out for help and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

Albert Barnes writes,

Matthew & Mark Chapter 9

The man felt the implied rebuke in the Saviour’s language; and feeling grieved that he should be thought to be destitute of faith, and feeling deeply for the welfare of his afflicted son, he wept. Nothing can be more touching or natural than this. An anxious father, distressed at the condition of his son, having applied to the disciples in vain, now coming to the Saviour; and not having full confidence that he had the proper qualification to be aided, he wept. Any man would have wept in his condition, nor would the Saviour turn the weeping suppliant away.

Jesus Delivers and Restores the Boy (vv.25-27)

As Jesus spoke with the boy’s father, the crowd quickly grew

To prevent further public spectacle and out of deep compassion for the suffering father and son, Jesus ended the conversation and acted

His public ministry was drawing to a close, and there was no longer a need to prove His identity—He had already provided overwhelming evidence

His focus now was on preparing His disciples

Turning to the boy, Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit—“unclean spirit” being a common New Testament designation for demons, especially in Mark—and said, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.”

Immediately, the demon obeyed but not without resistance

With a final violent cry and convulsion, it left the boy

The child collapsed, appearing lifeless, so much so that many thought he had died

But Jesus, in His tender mercy, took the boy by the hand, raised him to his feet, and returned him to his father—whole and healed

Jesus Explains the Disciples’ Failure in Private (vv.28-29)

“When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, ‘Why could we not drive it out?’”

The private question (v.28)

After the dramatic public healing of the demon-possessed boy, Jesus and the disciples entered a house—most likely still in the region of Caesarea Philippi. It was there, away from the crowd, that the disciples asked Him a pressing and honest question: “Why couldn’t we cast it out?”

This question reveals the disciples’ confusion. They had cast out demons before (cf. Mark 6:13), yet this time they failed.

It’s a reminder that past success in ministry doesn’t guarantee present power.

Have you ever asked God, “Why didn’t this work?” after something you thought would succeed? Their question is one we often ask after spiritual setbacks

The first step toward growth is the humility to ask the right questions in private

Jesus’ Answer: The Need for Prayer (Mark 9:29)

“This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

Jesus responded with a simple yet profound explanation. “This kind”—likely referring either to a particularly powerful or entrenched demon, or to demons in general—requires prayer

Jesus was not introducing a ritual formula, but rather exposing the disciples’ lack of dependence on God

It wasn’t that they didn’t say a prayer; it was that they didn’t pray in dependence—they operated out of past experience instead of present trust

John 15:5 – “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Ephesians 6:18 – “Pray at all times in the Spirit.”

James 5:16 – “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

Prayer is not a backup plan; it’s the front line of spiritual warfare

Ministry in the flesh, even if well-practiced, is powerless against spiritual forces

Matthew’s Addition: The Little Faith Problem (Matthew 17:20)

“Because of the littleness of your faith…”

Matthew adds further clarity. Jesus rebukes the disciples not just for failing to pray, but for their small faith

Their failure to pray flowed from weak faith

They had faith in their past experience, not in Christ’s present power

Jesus continued: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed…”

Luke 17:6 – Faith like a mustard seed can uproot trees.

Hebrews 11:6 – “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Mark 11:22–24 – Believing prayer moves mountains.

Jesus didn’t call for more faith, but for genuine faith, however small

The mustard seed represents faith with the right object (Christ), not size

Faith and Prayer: The Highway to God’s Power

Prayer is the expression of our faith in God

When we cease to pray, it often reveals that we are trusting in ourselves

The disciples’ failure revealed a disconnect between profession and dependence

James 4:2 – “You do not have because you do not ask.”

Luke 11:5–10 – Jesus teaches persistence in prayer.

Luke 18:1–7 – Parable of the persistent widow: pray and do not lose heart.

“Humble, dependent, believing prayer is the highway that faith takes to the power of God.”

Faith That Works Even in Weakness

Jesus had healed others without requiring faith. But here, He connected the miracle to faith, because that’s the lesson the disciples needed for the future

Example: The Father’s Faith (Mark 9:24)

“I do believe; help my unbelief.”

Even weak, trembling faith—when placed in Jesus—is enough to unleash divine power

God doesn’t require perfect faith, only real faith.

The power didn’t come from the father’s strength—but from God’s grace working through honest, humble dependence

Final Application: A Lesson for Every Believer

“The disciples’ failure set the stage for a crucial spiritual lesson:

God’s power is not automatic; it is accessed by humble, believing, persistent prayer.”

Are you experiencing spiritual dryness, weakness in ministry, or failure in your walk?

Return to prayerful dependence on God

Believe that God works through small, mustard-seed-sized faith

Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop believing

Don’t rely on past victories

Rely on Christ now

CONCLUSION

The lesson Jesus taught His disciples is timeless:

You cannot win spiritual battles without spiritual weapons

Faith and prayer are inseparable—and when joined together, they unlock the power of God in our lives

What’s your faith like?

Challenged like the rest of us I’m sure

The call is the walk by faith following Jesus everyday

If you don’t have this kind of faith, you need to ask Him for it

Ephesians 2:8 tells us that it is a gift from God

As we pray, evaluate your faith

Is it in Jesus or your circumstances

Let’s pray.