Urgency pt10

Imagine going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in a matter of hours. That is what Jesus experiences here.

To set the scene, He has been away with His closest disciples, and while there they have gotten a glimpse of the Jesus we will see one day. They saw Him in His glory. He was transfigured before them. For a moment, He was closer to home than He had been in 33 years. No longer denied His rightful glory- for a few moments.

But every mountain has a valley. And in this valley, are the other 9. And as Jesus leaves the mountain, He walks into the valley- where He is needed, not just by a desperate father, but by a group of confused and confounded disciples.

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(Read v14-18)

I should remind you before we look at this passage, that previous to this, Jesus had sent out the disciples two by two and they had come back reporting that “even the demons submit to us in Your Name.” (Mark 6:13) So this was not the first time they had encountered the demonic. And they had been successful before. Something different is happening here

What has transpired is not immediately clear. We have the disciples arguing with religious leaders. We have a crowd who is anxious to see another miracle. We have a boy whose life is at risk and a dad who wants to see him healed, and has so far been denied.

All of this.

And if that seems overwhelming, well it is. And some of you have been there. The competing priorities. The arguing. The desperation. The life or death (or seemingly so) decisions. For some of us that is every day.

And those moments intrude even on the good times. We have a powerful experience with God…and expect things to be different…and then reality hits.

We live in reality. And here is the good news, Jesus isn’t just on the mountain. He is in the valley with us!

(Read v19-24)

So who is the faithless generation?

That is a really good question. Whose faith is struggling?

The disciples- they cannot deal with the demon

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

The crowd’s wholesale shift of attention from the scribes to Jesus once again accentuates his authority over the scribes, who are cross-examining the disciples. The crowd’s dissatisfaction with the disciples is offset by its hopes and satisfaction at seeing Jesus.

Mark 7. The Exorcising of a Demon from a Deaf and Mute Boy (9:14–29)

the word “generation” is applied to unbelievers who oppose Jesus, but here it probably refers to the disciples. Jesus soon would be gone and then his disciples would take his place and do what he had been doing. This they had failed to do during a temporary absence. Having previously been able to exorcise demons (6:13), the disciples assumed they could do so whenever they wished. They failed, however, because of their lack of faith. Spiritual power is not something which once possessed will always be available. It must be maintained and renewed. Disciples then and now must constantly learn and relearn this lesson

2. The scribes- doubt Jesus’ ability to perform miracles since His disciples cannot produce one

The Gospel according to Saint Mark 6 A Dumb Spirit Is Driven out (9:14–29)

Mark offers no explanation as to why they should be arguing with the disciples, since Jesus’ question—‘What are you arguing about?’—is answered by one of the crowd (the child’s father) in terms of his own dealings with the disciples; perhaps we are to understand the scribes to be arguing (as happened in later disputes) about the authority and power of Jesus—an authority and power which on this occasion the disciples had been unable to demonstrate

3. The father- he just wants his son healed

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

A confrontation between Jesus and the scribes is preempted, however, by a desperate father who brings to Jesus his son “possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech” (similarly, 7:37). The father’s description of the malady carries all the pathos of a parent’s fear and dismay for his child’s safety. His son is not simply ill but assaulted

Why is Jesus so abrupt with them?

Because faith is so essential. And when Jesus leaves, as He has told them He will be doing, that is all they will have left. Notice His question- “How long am I to be with you?” He was leaving. He is returning to heaven. The question is in a way both rhetorical, and a declaration. He is not going to remain long. And even more, He says “How long am I to bear with you?” That word “bear” can mean endure patiently or hold up, like support. How long is He going to have to prop them up. When will their faith in Him be powerful enough to not need His physical presence?

Y’all stop and think about that for a second. We have to do that every day. We have to choose to believe. To place our trust in Jesus’ words and actions…rather than His physical presence.

And in those moments, when we have descended into the valley and feel overwhelmed, we have the same cry as the little boy’s father- “Help my unbelief!”

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

The sole bridge between frail humanity and the all-sufficiency of God is faith

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

True faith takes no confidence in itself, nor does it judge Jesus by the weakness of his followers. It looks to the More Powerful One (1:7) who stands in the place of God, whose authoritative word restores life from chaos. True faith is unconditional openness to God, a decision in the face of all to the contrary that Jesus is able.

The Gospel according to Saint Mark 6 A Dumb Spirit Is Driven out (9:14–29)

He is the typical disciple: he has the faith to respond which is the essential first step—yet this faith is never complete and must continue to grow, and precisely because it is response to Jesus, it depends on him and is a gift from him

Why is this such an essential prayer? Because our faith STARTS with God. He initiates the relationship and He sustains it. (Gospel presentation here)

How does He answer the father’s prayer? He delivers.

(Read v25-27)

What can cure the man’s unbelief? Deliverance. Jesus coming through when no one else can.

In the midst of the crisis, God will always offer a way out. He will deliver you. You have to be willing to trust in His ability to deliver.

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

Salvation is a process in which things must sometimes become worse before they become better

Why can we trust Him to deliver? Because that is what He does. It is His nature, His plan, His promise.

And how does He deliver- COMPLETELY! The little boy is fully set free and restored.

(Read v28-29)

But what about the disciples. Where does that leave them? Us? Those who know Jesus but are struggling to do what He has designed us to do?

They want to know why they failed. And Jesus answers that they have not prayed. What does He mean? They are not going to accomplish what they are called to do if they seek to do it in their own strength. If they rely on themselves. They have to rely on the Father.

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

Prayer is the focusing and directing of faith in specific requests to God. Both faith and prayer testify that spiritual power is not in oneself but in God alone, and both wait in trust upon his promise to save

Some of us this morning are discouraged, We feel the full, abundant life we have been promised is a sham. Is faltering. The ministry we have embraced is failing. And we are doing everything in our power to sustain, rebuild, maintain, push forward.

That is why we are where we are. We have unplugged from the limitless power of God. We need to return to, listen to, hear from, be strengthened by, and be restored by The Father.

What are you relying on today?