14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.
17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 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.”
19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought him. 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.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
-Mark 9:14-29
Many of us have had "mountaintop" experiences, or some call spiritual highs. Perhaps you experienced this after a retreat, after Saranac, after a church service, or even after meeting with a leader or a friend. These are great blessings that God gives us to remind us of what a close encounter with Jesus feels like and to remind us of His power and glory. However, as many of us have also probably experienced, this does not last forever, sometimes seeming to pass by quickly.
After the transfiguration "mountaintop" experience, Jesus and the select disciples return back down to society and immediately come across some trouble, in particular an argument and a sick child. There are some tense moments as Jesus expresses his frustration with the crowd by calling them an "unbelieving generation", and scary moments with the boy being tortured by the evil spirit. But it's interesting to note that these events occur right after the transfiguration experience as Jesus and the select disciples had to return to the world after their heavenly experience and come back to reality that's full of sin and pain.
Nevertheless, this idea of having faith and believing in Jesus continues from the many previous passages that also highlight the importance of having faith. In this particular passage, the characters can be divided into three groups: the outsiders (crowd, teachers of the law), the man who asks Jesus to heal his son, and the disciples.
At the start of the passage, we see this crowd arguing with the disciples over a spirit-possessed boy who could not be healed by the disciples. After sensing the people's lack of faith in the ability to heal the boy, Jesus expresses his frustration, even saying "how long shall I put up with you?" This first character group can represent those without faith, those who do not believe in Jesus and his ability to heal.
Next, we see the father who asks Jesus to help heal his sick son. As he converses with Jesus and pleads his case, he hints at his struggle with faith as he questions "if" Jesus can indeed heal his son. Jesus catches this and offers an encouragement by reminding him that "Everything is possible for one who believes", after which the father says the beautiful prayer of "help me overcome my unbelief". This second character group can represent those who have little faith, or are struggling with their faith.
Finally, we have the disciples who although believe in Jesus, still have a hard time exercising their faith. In other passages, we see the disciples having the abilty to drive out evil spirits and heal the sick, but in this particular case, they are unable to. Although it is not specified in this passage, I would imagine that the disciples tried many ways to drive out the spirit. However, they come up short and Jesus reminds them of the power of prayer and how many things are outside our control and are reserved for God alone. This third character group can represent those who believe in Jesus and have faith, but are struggling or have a hard time living it out.
Which of the character groups do you identify with the most? Faith is a tricky thing that can be hard to maintain in the many life experiences we go through. During mountaintop experiences, it may feel easy to live out our faith, but during difficult times at home, school, work, or elsewhere, it may be hard to exercise our faith. Either way, it is evident from this passage that Jesus takes this seriously and even gives a sense of urgency in verse 19. However, He also reminds us and encourages us to continue to present our struggles and needs to God through prayer as we practice having faith in God to work in our lives. But as we see in the father, it's important to humble ourselves and admit our struggles, and ask God to increase our faith. Our faith will never be perfect, and there'll always be times we have doubts or unbelief, but we can lift those things up to Jesus through prayer, and He is faithful to respond.
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
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