Mark 9:14-32

Mark 9:14-32 New Life Version (NLV)

A Boy with a Demon Is Healed

14 When Jesus came back to His followers, He saw many people standing around them. The teachers of the Law were arguing with them. 15 The people saw Jesus and were surprised and ran to greet Him. 16 Jesus asked the teachers of the Law, “What are you arguing about with them?”17 One of the people said, “Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a demon in him and cannot talk. 18 Wherever the demon takes him, it throws him down. Spit runs from his mouth. He grinds his teeth. He is getting weaker. I asked Your followers to put the demon out but they could not.”

19 He said, “You people of this day have no faith. How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.”20 They brought the boy to Jesus. The demon saw Jesus and at once held the boy in his power. The boy fell to the ground with spit running from his mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” The father said, “From the time he was a child. 22 Many times it throws him into the fire and into the water to kill him. If You can do anything to help us, take pity on us!” 23 Jesus said to him, “Why do you ask Me that? The one who has faith can do all things.” 24 At once the father cried out. He said with tears in his eyes, “Lord, I have faith. Help my weak faith to be stronger!” 25 Jesus saw that many people were gathering together in a hurry. He spoke sharp words to the demon. He said, “Demon! You who cannot speak or hear, I say to you, come out of him! Do not ever go into him again.” 26 The demon gave a cry. It threw the boy down and came out of him. The boy was so much like a dead man that people said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him and he stood up.

28 When Jesus went into the house, His followers asked Him when He was alone, “Why could we not put out the demon?” 29 He said to them,“The only way this kind of demon is put out is by prayer and by going without food so you can pray better.”

Jesus Tells of His Death the Second Time

30 From there Jesus and His followers went through the country of Galilee. He did not want anyone to know where He was. 31 He taught His followers, saying, “The Son of Man will be handed over to men. They will kill Him. Three days after He is killed, He will be raised from the dead.”32 They did not understand what He said and were afraid to ask Him.

Personal Insights

Jesus and the three disciples, Peter, James and John, had come down from the mountain after having an out of this world experience to face an argument. Straight from a mountain top experience into a valley. The rest of the disciples, a large crowd and teachers were arguing and Jesus asked them what they were arguing about. It all had to do with the healing or lack of healing of a demon possessed boy. The man asked Jesus to heal his son as the disciples hadn’t been able to.

The father is honest in saying that he didn’t have enough faith but that he wanted faith. Sometimes we just stop at saying we don’t have enough faith but don’t go the next step and say that we want it to be different. As one writer said “While unbelief sees impossibilities, faith sees impossibilities because faith draws on the unlimited resources of heaven” (African Bible Commentary). Jesus, of course, was able to deliver this boy from demon possession and for him never to suffer in this way again. Jesus healing was final and complete. Jesus demonstrated His power and authority over the demonic world yet again.

The disciples had many questions. They had healed before but why not this time. Why was the boy not delivered through their ministry? Jesus reply was simple “This kind can come out only by prayer”. Their dependence needed to be on God not on their own ability. Prayer keeps us humble and reliant on God and not on ourselves. As one writer in the African Bible Commentary put it the disciple’s hearts were not prepared. The writer goes onto say that “Only time spent alone with God before such an encounter makes victory possible”.

Jesus reminds us in these verses the importance of believing who He is and what He can do and of our need for intentional prayer. Time set aside to be in His presence.  God does not call us to self-sufficiency but to being sufficient in God and all that He is.

Simon and I have experienced this in this last year with his back and now my shoulder.  We can either struggle through and try and be self sufficient or we can trust God with these situations and ask "what am I supposed to be learning?" rather than "why I am going through this?".  No situation is wasted with God if we truly depend on Him.  Another good reminder for me in these days.