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.”
Read Mark 9:14-29 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
While Jesus was coming down from the mountain where He revealed a glimpse of His glory to the three closest disciples, we find an event that began the day earlier with the rest of the disciples. During the time Jesus was up on the mountain with Peter, James, and John, the remaining disciples were being met by a father who was possessed by an impure spirit.
When Jesus comes down from the mountain, we learn that the disciples who were there were unable to cast this particular spirit out of the boy. It is worth noting here that the disciples had been successful in previous events, and Jesus had sent them out in pairs where they were able to cast out demons.
I’m not sure whether the father was losing hope because of the failure of Jesus’ disciples but when Jesus learns about what has happened in his absence, He replies by saying, “You unbelieving generation. How long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” (v. 19)
All three of the gospel writers who include this event include Jesus saying the exact same reactionary response. Each of these gospels record Jesus first commenting on the unbelieving nature of that generation. While we later learn from Mark’s gospel that prayer is a necessary ingredient for removing this sort of impure spirit, when we look at this event in Mark’s gospel through the lens of belief and unbelief, we get a picture of something powerful.
First of all, the disciples had belief that they could cast out this spirit, but I am fairly certain they had been neglecting prayer. Because they only had half of what they needed in this case, they failed. Perhaps Jesus knew this was the reason for the disciples’ failure and that is what prompted His statement.
However, just a few verses later, when asking the father more about the boy’s condition, the father hints at his own growing doubts by saying, “if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” (v. 22)
Jesus immediately challenges the doubt in this statement head on, and by doing so, He pushes the boy’s father to share what sort of belief he has. Mark tells us that, “Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” (v. 24)
This is enough belief for Jesus. Even a simple acknowledging that there is belief present – even if it is mixed with doubt – is enough for Jesus to work with. What matters in this statement is what we are focusing on.
Are we focusing on our doubts, or are we focusing on our faith? We cannot focus on both at the same time! Jesus challenges this father and those present to focus on whatever faith they currently have and then He uses this amount of faith to perform the miracle.
The same truth about faith, doubt, and belief that Jesus draws our attention onto in this passage is true for us today. While culture as a whole is perverse and unbelieving, this is because that is where they have placed their focus. Jesus’ challenge to this father is a challenge to everyone who calls themselves a believer of Jesus: Will we focus on our doubts, or will we focus on our faith? Jesus can only use one of these things for His glory, so we should be intentional about what we are focusing on!
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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