Mark 9: 14-29
One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.[d] So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
Jesus said to them,[e] “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
This encounter is the very thing Peter wanted to avoid by staying on the mountain top he was on in our focus yesterday. Yet, here they are -in the depths of real life, and the disciples are unable to help this young boy and his father. Perhaps, one of the reasons was one of the important details Mark shares – the demon has rendered the boy mute.
First century Jewish leaders believed that for a successful exorcism the one casting out the demon needs to be called by name. This could not have been the case with this boy. Yet, Jesus calls it out and the boy is healed – thanks to the father’s cry to Jesus.
This story in Mark is telling us very clearly that all we need to bring is the little faith that we have, with all its doubts and limitations. We are met by Jesus just where we are. Here we find a distraught parent and a very sick child. But the disciples are also ‘sick’. From beginning to end this story highlights a major theme for Mark: the importance of faith in Jesus. Life involves struggles and difficulties that sometimes leave us feeling powerless.
Cry to Him, “Help my unbelief! May I never under-estimate the power of prayer.” Jesus listens to the deep desires of those who come to him in their need. He recognises faith and encourages it. Take time to express yourself to Jesus and ask Him to strengthen your faith.
Joyfully Yours 