A healing for you
A
Coming Day of “Never Again”
(Mark
9:14-29, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, June 2, 2019)
[14]
And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around
them, and scribes arguing with them. [15] And immediately all the
crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and
greeted him. [16] And he asked them, “What are you arguing about
with them?” [17] And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher,
I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.
[18] And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and
grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast
it out, and they were not able.”
[19]
And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be
with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” [20]
And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him,
immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and
rolled about, foaming at the mouth. [21] And Jesus asked his father,
“How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From
childhood. [22] And it has often cast him into fire and into water,
to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and
help us.” [23] And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All
things are possible for one who believes.” [24] Immediately the
father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my
unbelief!”
[25]
And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the
unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command
you, come out of him and never enter him again.” [26] And after
crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was
like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” [27] But
Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
[28]
And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately,
“Why could we not cast it out?” [29] And he said to them, “This
kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
What
are you arguing about with them?
When
Jesus and three of his disciples came down the mountain after the
amazing and life-changing Transfiguration of the Lord, they all
immediately ran into an ongoing argument involving the scribes and
some of Jesus' other disciples. The Lord had previously warned the
disciples about the teaching of the scribes and the Pharisees, and he
had just been speaking with Peter, James, and John about how the
scribes had missed the importance of John the Baptist, doing with him
whatever they wanted.
When
the master was temporarily gone, these religious enemies were causing
trouble. Meanwhile the crowd was amazed to see Jesus and they rushed
right to him. They had a need (or a passion to test him one more
time) and he had a question for his friends: “What are you arguing
about with them?” The father of a boy who needed healing believed
that the trouble was about the inability of the disciples to heal his
son. We can readily imagine that the scribes had used this sad
non-healing to rail against the friends of the Lord. But now the
master had arrived and that debate was over.
A
frightening enemy was lurking in the life of the young man. Note the
words describing the activity of this unclean spirit against the boy.
The spirit “seizes” him. It “throws” him down. The spirit was
not the boy's friend. It would want to break him and kill him.
Bring
him to me.
Jesus
would help the son by casting out the unclean spirit, but the boy was
not the only one in trouble that day. His father also needed help. In
fact, the whole generation, Jesus said, was “faithless.” They
were a heavy burden on the honest shoulders of the Messiah.
Jesus
said these welcome words of power: “Bring him to me.” They
brought him to Jesus. That's when the frightening performance began,
as if this bully spirit asserted its limited authority over the boy,
like a jackal jealous for his possession of a prey that it considered
its own. It “convulsed” the boy. Naturally such a sight would
have been overwhelming to all observing. Jesus asked the father a
basic question. “How long?” That's a great question, not only
going back, but especially going forward. “How long?” Going back
the question was “How long has this been happening to him?”
Answer: “From childhood.” Devastating. Going forward the question
was different: “How long will this be allowed to continue?” We
are waiting for that answer as the issue changes from the possessed
son to the desperate father.
The
father used understandable words for someone who had long been
disappointed and was almost out of strength: “If you can do
anything...” Jesus then exposed the bigger issue that he had
touched upon by mention of the argument with the scribes and his
reference to the “unbelieving” generation. Where is the father's
faith?
We
tend to focus on the father, or the disciples, or the crowd when we
think of the topic of faith here, but the key focus of faith is the
OBJECT of faith, not the person who may or may not be exercising
faith very well. The important thing about our faith is our own
inability and our then finding someone who is able. God is able!
Jesus is able! The Holy Spirit is able! We are the ones who stand in
need of divine compassion and world-changing help. God heals and God
gives faith. Suddenly “all things are possible.”
Come
out of him and never enter him again.
Jesus
did not do what he did that day to impress the crowd. He performed
most of his miracles because of compassion for needy people like us
who would be able to have hope in him through his word. When we read
and find faith, we are healed. Jesus said two things that should
impress us as we read about this encounter with a frightening
adversary. First, “I command you.” Who was in charge? Jesus. What
about today? Same answer. Second, “Never again.” The day is
swiftly approaching for a final “never again.” He will remove
from us every enemy, take us by the hand, lift us up, and we will
rise.
Faith
and prayer
Who
needed Jesus that day? The boy. The father. The disciples. The crowd.
The scribes. Who needs him today? We do. Remember to believe.
Remember to read the word and pray. All of these good spiritual
exercises are not about impressing any crowd. They are first about
God, the great object of our faith, who gives us every good and
perfect gift.
Inability,
possibility, and the power of God
Jesus,
the God/man who died for our sins, overturns an evil empire by His
word. That was true in the life of his disciples 2000 years ago and
it is true all over the world today.
Our
attempts to fix ourselves and this very damaged life all around us
often lead us to frustration and despair. Who can defeat the powers
of darkness? We know this for certain: Jesus casts out evil by his
own divine authority. He calls his disciples to a life of faith and
prayer as he continues to overturn demonic oppression everywhere.
Old
Testament Reading—Psalm 111 –
His wondrous works
New
Testament Reading—James 4:1-10
–
He
gives more grace
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