Sunday Sermons
Help My Unbelief - Part 2
Help My Unbelief
Matthew 17:15-16 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic, and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him."
“For he often”: Luke adds, “It scarcely leaves him” (9:38). “This suggests the continual unrest in which the demon kept his victim that the demon never really relinquished his possession of him” (McGarvey p. 423). “Often falls into the fire, and often into the water”: Mark has the father saying that this demon is trying to destroy his son (9:22). “Certainly the father means that the unexpected effects of the demonically induced convulsions required that the boy be constantly watched lest such terrible accidents endanger his life” (Fowler p. 621). Apparently, this boy had often been in danger of burning himself, falling into the campfire, or drowning. For drowning is just as real for a non-swimmer as for one whose body is out of control. When the spirit would seize him, the boy would scream, and then he would convulse and foam at the mouth. The expression, “it mauls him”, apparently means that the boy would be bruised by falling and moving on the ground during these episodes. Mark says, “it dashes him to the ground” (Mark 9:18). Luke also reveals that this son was this man’s only son (Luke 9:38). “Your disciples”: That is, the nine apostles that were left when Jesus went up the mountain with Peter, James and John. “They could not do it”: This is the first time that such a failure is mentioned. Their question at the conclusion is further proof that this is the only failure in their ability to work miracles (Matthew 17:19)
Mark 9:19 “And He answered them and said, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!"
Apparently, this rebuke was addressed to everyone present. “The perverse faithlessness and infidelity of the scribes had operated upon the multitude, and the doubts of the multitude had in turn influenced the apostles, and thus, with the blind leading the blind, all had fallen into the ditch of impotent disbelief. The disbelief of the people was a constant grief to Jesus, but it must have been especially so in this case, for it fostered and perpetuated this scene of weakness, mean-spiritedness, misery, and suffering which stood out in such sharp contrast with the peace, blessedness, and glory from which He had just come” (McGarvey p. 424). “How long shall I be with you?” “To rescue from the abortive attempts of your faithfulness and to teach you until you understand?” (Fowler p. 625). This isn’t self-pity on the part of Jesus, but rather, a biting and challenging protest against faithlessness of His contemporaries. “He had put up with this nonsense for almost three years now, and He longs for it all to be over. Not intolerable conditions, but intolerable unbelief” (Fowler p. 625). “Bring him here to Me”: Be impressed with the confidence and authority found in Jesus. This prompt and decisive action is a direct challenge to all unbelievers present.
Mark 9:20 “And they brought the boy to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling about and foaming at the mouth”
The demon isn’t going to come out without a fight. In this section we see the true nature of evil. The devil and his underlings don’t have any compassion or sympathy for man. It’s as if this demon wants to get in one last lick. Something to think about: If we disobey God we will end up in eternity with these demons (Matthew 25:41). “By causing the long-standing nature of the case and the malignity of it to be fully revealed, Jesus emphasized the power of the cure” (McGarvey p. 424). From “childhood” may not mean years and years, since the body was still a child (Mark 9:24). Notice Jesus’ calmness and steady nerve in the face of demon possession. Jesus also impressed upon all present the obstinacy of this demon.
Mark 9:22-23" But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" 23And Jesus said to him, "'If You can!' All things are possible to him who believes”
“If You can do anything”: Imagine the audacity of saying to Jesus Christ, “If you can”! No wonder Jesus said, “If you can!” “What do you mean by saying to Me, ‘If you can?’ All the might of the living God is at the disposal of the person who trusts Him!” “If Jesus marveled at the faith of a Gentile which trusted the fullness of His divine power, He also marveled at the disbelief of this Jew which thus coolly and presumptuously questions the sufficiency of that power”(McGarvey pp. 424-425). Be impressed that Jesus still expected this man to believe in the face of the disciple’s failure and the seemingly unanswerable attacks of the scribes. Is this our problem at times? Do we pray, “If You can do anything”? We might not say those words, but is that what we are really thinking? Compare with James 1:6-8.
“This passage is no justification for the assumption on the part of some who would take this as an unqualified promise for indiscriminate application, implying that God will automatically bend the universe to suit the fancies of the sincere”(Fowler p. 627). Compare with 1 John 5:14. True “faith” is based on hearing what God has said. “The backing of God is not promised for some screwy idea we cook up and attempt ‘on faith’, because Jesus had not obligated God to deliver anything according to our whims” (p. 627).
Mark 9:24 “Immediately the boy's father cried out and began saying, "I do believe; help my unbelief”
What a great example. Jesus forced this man to make a decision. So many people want to sit on the fence or be a skeptic. But Jesus doesn’t allow any middle ground, one either believes or not. What a model of repentance! “What insight to call his little faith ‘unbelief’” (Fowler p. 627). Here we see a tremendous contrast with the scribes. They didn’t want to believe in Jesus, no matter how much evidence He presented. But this man wanted to believe. Do we earnestly desire such faith, or, are we looking for reasons to remain skeptical? He has an overwhelming longing to be all that it is possible for him to be, and this is the kind of faith that Jesus longs to find.
There had been a crowd during this whole discussion (Mark 9:14), but it appears that even more people were coming to see what was going on (9:25). “You deaf and dumb spirit”, means “the demon that caused the boy to be deaf and dumb”. Note, Jesus did not address the disease, but the demon. Jesus further expressed His own personal authority, “I command you”. He gave a specific order, “Come out of him and do not enter him again”. We know of demons that returned to former victims (Matthew 12:43-45). Fowler notes that the demons, which inhabited the man (named Legion) in Matthew 8:28ff were afraid and cowering. But this demon appears to be defiant, and might just try to enter this young man again. Clearly, this demon wasn’t coming out without a struggle. “The malicious effrontery and obstinacy displayed by this demon stands in marked contrast to the cowed, supplicating spirit shown by the Gergesene legion” (McGarvey p. 425). This situation created a momentary tense moment, which gave Jesus the opportunity of lifting up the boy, perfectly and instantly cured. This last step will leave the audience completely breathless and staring in wonder.
Mark 9:27 “But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up”
Matthew adds that the boy was cured at once (17:18).
Mark 9:28-29 “And when He had come into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" 29And He said to them, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer”
The failure of the disciples was not because of any insufficiency of power in Jesus. Remember, Jesus had given them power to cast out demons and they had been successful (Matthew 10:1). Give credit to the disciples, they swallowed their pride and came to Jesus for the answer. Neither were they envious of Jesus nor resented the fact that He had made them look bad. “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer”: First, it appears that the disciples had been arguing more with the scribes than depending and trusting in God’s power. It appears that they might have been more influenced on this occasion by the unbelieving scribes and the unbelieving father, than trusting in God’s power. McGarvey notes, “Prayer was the means of increasing faith. Demons, like spirits in the flesh, have different degrees of will force, some being easier to subdue than others, and this one, being particularly willful and obstinate, required more faith to expel it” (p. 426). “Because of the littleness of your faith”: Note, the real problem was not the unbelief of the scribes, people in the crowd, or the father, it was a lack of faith in the person doing the healing. The relation of faith to working miracles is clearly illustrated in Peter’s attempt to walk upon the water. The mere possession of miracle working power in the past (Matthew 10:1) was no guarantee of it in the future. Today modern “faith-healers” excuse their “failures” on a lack of faith in the person they are attempting to heal. But Jesus never did this, even on this occasion; the failure is linked with a lack of faith, not in the boy or his father, but in the disciples! We are not told what had caused this lapse of faith. It might have been when Jesus told them that He was going to go to Jerusalem and suffer and die (Matthew 16:21ff), which completely was at cross-purposes with their idea of the Messiah. Note, immediately after this miracle, He will stress the same truth (Matthew 17:22-23). It may have been that the disciples had grown self-reliant, supposing that busyness and activity could substitute for humility, prayer, and worship of God. Had they forgotten that the real source of their power was not themselves, but God? Where they shocked when the demon did not go out at the first try? At this point did they immediately give up, instead of praying to God? Yet this episode did not stop the activity or enthusiasm of the apostles. They accepted the rebuke from Jesus as being evidence of His love for them and continued to grow spiritually.
Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net/mdunagan@easystreet.com
