Help My Unbelief

Setting

Mark 9:14 – They came back to the disciples

Where did they come from?

What did they see?

What is Mark telling us about Jesus?

Jesus is the Son of God

Contemporary understanding that this meant equality with God

Situation

Mark 9:15 – Crowds run up to meet Jesus

Mark 9:16 – Jesus asks what is going on

Mark 9:17-18 – A man with a demon-possessed son

Jesus’ condemnation of this generation

Why does Jesus offer this statement?

This will tie into the end of our discussion.

Solution

Mark 9:20 – The boy is brought to Jesus and he is immediately thrown into convulsions

Mark 9:21a – Jesus’ response to the father

Isn’t this a heartless reaction?

Illustration – Benjamin at the ER

Jesus does not react the way we would expect Him to in an emergency

But is this heartless?

Illustration – Toy Story: scuffle between Woody and Buzz

Jesus responds the way He does because this is not an emergency

Mark 9:21b – 22 – the Father’s plea

The father is concerned about the life of his son

He recognizes this as an emergency

This is a plea for help

“If You can do anything…”

Mark 9:23 – All things are possible

Why?

What is the power Jesus is talking about?

The word dynamite is derived from this word

But we can’t use our modern definitions to understand 1st century words

“The unbridled ability to accomplish a task”

Illustration: arm-wrestling

Illustration: Star Wars: Luke and Yoda pulling the space ship out of the swamp

Jesus’ power is not like this

Remember the setting: Jesus is God

Jesus is the Creator of the universe

Is casting out a demon any type of challenge for this type of power?

Mark 9:24 – Some of the most honest and faithful words in the Bible

The father admits the weakness of his faith

Another plea for help

The father recognizes that there is nothing he can do by himself

He must run to the only source of help: Jesus

Mark 9:25-27 – Jesus heals the boy

The crowd thinks he is dead

Total peace can be scary

We always want something to be happening

Side-note

Mark 9:28-29 – Why couldn’t the disciples cast out the demon?

They thought their association with Jesus would be enough

But, they must tap directly into the source of power (Jesus) through prayer!

Sustainment for Weary Souls

We have all faced various life-altering trials

How do we seek resolution?

We cannot seek resolution within ourselves

We must seek resolution in the only One Who can bring resolution: Jesus

We will often doubt

But, we must always remember that Jesus is able—His power is unlimited

When we doubt, we ask for greater faith: a greater understanding of the greatness of the One in whom we believe