Mark 9:14-27

Mark 9:14-27 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

The above exchange is a typical conversation between Jesus and Christians when we need a healing or a miracle: But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” We become so mesmerized by the facts of life that we begin to question whether Jesus can heal. Yes, we believe God exists, we believe Jesus came to redeem us, but we are not sure He can or will do anything else for us. When we face death issues or insurmountable obstacles in our lives, we cry out, help me overcome my unbelief. As humans, we know we are very vulnerable to the vicissitudes of life and even death. We know things don't always work out the way we want. We know death sometimes comes into our existence and steals us or our loved ones away before we are ready. We know life is like living on a tightrope, never assured of the next step. The Bible says, today is the day of the Lord--not tomorrow, for tomorrow might never happen.

All of this awareness of the intrinsic realities of life does not take away the fact that Jesus still desires to heal, to restore, to complete his work in us every day. In the above passage, Jesus asked the father, “How long has he been like this?” Jesus wanted to know the true condition of this boy. He wanted to know if this was a long standing condition or was it the result of something such as a head trauma, a condition that might soon disappear through the natural healing processes of the body. Sometimes we pray when we should just wait, wait for the body to heal itself. However, when Jesus knew this infirmity was from childhood, he rebuked the evil spirit, and cast it out. Jesus did not do this for show, for He did this quickly while the crowd was running to the scene. He did this out of love and compassion for the boy. Today, we are many times in the same mode as the father: help my unbelief, help me to know that you do care about my circumstance; I need you desperately. When Jesus came upon the scene, everything changed.

That remains true today: when Jesus enters the scene, everything does change. If nothing else, we know that He cares. His very words and reactions tell us that. Does this mean that our lives always will be extended or that our obstacles will be eliminated in the ways we desire. Not always, for God is still God. By faith, we still must rest in HIS HANDS, trusting in him. We still must say, not my will but yours be done. However, as revealed in the above texts, God wants us to live by faith, believing for the impossible. Jesus said, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Therefore, we are to address every problem by faith, yielding fully to his power and control. If we are deaf, we must ask him to let us hear, yet we must hear his still, small, voice with our inner ears as well. But, when God says to our spirit, enough is enough, then we must relax and place ourselves into his loving hands. For the ultimate faith is believing that God is good and He will always take care of us, whether we are here in the flesh or gone to be with him. He is the determiner of our flesh; He made us and He will receive us. Paul wrote to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We will never be alone, for He is with us always. That is our great comfort, that is our eternal hope: Christ in us our hope of glory!