In the sermon yesterday morning we were in Mark 9:14-29. The same account is also told in Matthew 17:14-21. This is right after Jesus has taken Peter, James, and John to a mountain top where they saw Jesus transfigured before them. They saw the unveiled glory of Christ! But now that they’ve come back down the mountain from a glimpse at eternity, they are faced once more with the harsh realities of life in the moment. Jesus is still glorious Christ, we just see a stark contrast here as Jesus, Peter, James, and John come upon a crowd and an animated discussion sparked by a demon-possessed boy.
Amidst the gathered crowd, some scribes were discussing something with the rest of Jesus’ disciples. Some people noticed Jesus was coming, and ran over to Him. As Jesus walked up, He asked the scribes what they were talking about. Before any of the scribes could answer, a man spoke up, explaining to Jesus that his only son was horribly possessed by a demon. This demon would cause the boy foam at the mouth and gnash his teeth, and frequently made the boy throw himself into fire or water.
Pause for a moment and think about what that must have been like for the father of the boy, to have a child that he can’t help. He can pull him out of the fire or the water, but he can’t get rid of the demon, and the child will only throw himself into harm again and again and again. This poor father had likely tried anything and everything else he could think of, and spent every day trying to keep his son as safe as he could despite the pain the demon caused him.
Earlier on in Jesus’ ministry, Jesus sent out His disciples to do miracles, and among those miracles was casting out demons (Matthew 10:1 and Mark 6:7). The man had asked Jesus’ disciples to cast out the demon, but they couldn’t do it, and he said as much to Jesus. At this point Jesus was frustrated with the unbelief and lack of faith around Him. He asked for the boy to be brought to Him.
They brought the boy, and as soon as the boy saw Jesus, the demon threw him on the ground, foaming and convulsing. Jesus then asked the boy’s father how long the demon had possessed him. It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t know, it was a way for Him to connect the boy’s father to faith in Christ for his specific situation. It was probably also a way for Jesus to show that He cared. Maybe He crouched and placed a hand on the boy as He asked. The father responded that his son had been like this since he was very young. He was distraught, and asked Jesus that if there was anything at all He could do, then please have compassion on him and his son and do it.
Jesus then told the man that if he could believe, all things were possible to him that believes. Essentially Jesus was telling this man to believe in Him, to have faith in Him. The man cried out desperately, “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!”
At this point Jesus saw the crowd was running together and getting quite agitated at the spectacle before them. He rebuked the demon and commanded it to leave, forbidding its return. The demon then cried out and the boy convulsed further. Once the demon was gone, the boy stopped convulsing and screaming, but also laid there like he was dead. Many onlookers were sure the boy had actually died.
But then Jesus reached for the boy’s hand and raised him up. The word for “raised” in the Greek is the same word Jesus used when talking about His own resurrection (Matthew 20:19 and Mark 10:34). Imagine the father’s joy! I think he took his son in his arms and hugged him tightly, glad to finally have him of sound mind!
This would be a good ending right here, but the Bible continues it. Later on when Jesus went into the house, His disciples talked with Him privately to ask, “Why couldn’t we cast out the demon?” Jesus responded that it was because of their unbelief, their faithlessness, and that this kind only goes out through prayer and fasting. So we’re left to consider, had the disciples had faith in themselves and not in Jesus? Had not prayed first? Maybe they figured that since they’d been casting out demons already that this wouldn’t be that hard. But it was never them casting out the demons, it was the power of Jesus Christ.
In this account we see Jesus making the point that it only takes a little faith in Him to help you. The boy’s father only needed a little faith, as long as it was in Christ. The disciples only needed a little faith, as long as it was in Christ. Small faith is still faith, as long as it is in Christ. Weak faith is still faith, as long as it is in Christ. Christ is what makes that faith matter.
Related:
Mustard Seed Faith
Faith: How Much? In What?
Faith and Its Object