The Power of Jesus
Truth Taught- Jesus is able to cast out a demon that the disciples fail to remove. Through this account, our Lord teaches about faith and prayer.
Mark 9:14–29 (ESV)
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.”
1. The Disciples Fail to Cast Out This Demon (9:14-18)
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.”
Jesus and the three disciples make their way to the bottom of the holy mountain and immediately find a crowd engaged in a major dispute. The Scribes and Jesus’ disciples were arguing probably about the right way to cast out demons. The Scribes nor the disciples were able to help. This episode exhibits the disaster which occurs when men from whom the power of faith may be expected are proven to be void of power when needed.
This was the sad story of these flustered disciples. They had already before engaged in casting out demons when Jesus had sent them out two by two. Here when needed, they were unable to cast this one out.
This is a call for the Church’s men to lead their families and be able to lead their families. Men, we need to know the Scriptures and know what to do when our families need spiritual guidance. The disciples were greatly needed by this father with a demon possessed son and no one could help.
This text does not dwell on the inability of the disciples for very long. Mark focuses his attention on the One who can cast this very stubborn demon out of this young man.
Two weeks ago, when we looked together at the Transfiguration, I made some connections between Jesus and Moses. Both went up on top of a mountain. God the Father appears in a cloud and speaks. We looked at what God said to Moses and what He said to the disciple.
Deuteronomy 18:15 (ESV)
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—
Mark 9:7 (ESV)
7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
There is another similarity that we should see together…
15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.
What’s a little odd here is that typically in Mark’s Gospel the crowd is amazed after Jesus teaches or performs a miracle. This time it is different. They are greatly astonished before anything happens. What’s really going on here?
When Jesus comes down the mountain, He still has a glory about Him that the crowd immediately notices.
The word translated, greatly amazed, is only found in Mark’s Gospel ekthambeomai it means trembling with astonishment on the verge of panic. Many scholars say that this is owing to the glory of Jesus’ countenance which is much like the radiance of Moses’ face when he came down the mountain.
Exodus 34:29 (ESV)
29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.
So, the astonishment of the crowd and our Lord being immediately recognized came about by Jesus’ unexpected appearance and the hope He brought with Him.
2. The Father’s Faith in a Faithless Generation (9:19-24)
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!”
Notice when the boy is brought to Jesus and the demon sees our Lord, the demon is also panicked.
when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy…
Those who see this episode as simply someone with epilepsy don’t read the entire passage. When the demon saw Jesus, much like when the people saw Jesus there was panic.
Demons usually erupt in fits when they see Jesus. They know Him. Jesus and the fallen angels go way back. They know who He is and the power He has. The demons know they are no match for our Sovereign Lord.
In this single encounter, Jesus is going to show us that much of His mission is to overthrow the strongholds of Satan.
1 John 3:8 (ESV)
8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Mark quickly takes notice of the poor father here. After the demon sees Jesus and throws the boy to the ground convulsing, Jesus turns to the father and asks… How long has this been happening to him?
21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
Do you sense how calm Jesus is here? No one can cast this demon out of the boy from the best Israel can offer neither can the disciples and Jesus very calm, turns to the father.
I want us to see that there is another healing about to take place here, one that is very unexpected. This poor father who has been tortured by the demon as much as his son has been begins to believe.
Think with me at the struggle of this father…
For years his son has been unable to speak and to live with any type of life at all. The demon is always throwing him to the ground, throwing him into the fire and trying to drown him. The father has to always be watching his son with no peace at all.
Now he brings his son to Jesus but our Lord is not there. When he asks for help, no one is able to help him. What discouragement and disappointment he is going through. His hope is sinking.
So, he has some faith, maybe a mustard-seed’s worth because he brings his son to Jesus. He believed to some small degree in the accounts he has heard about Jesus and what He can do. So, there is a little faith.
This father’s faith, albeit small for now, is rooted in the fact that Jesus is powerful, compassionate and kind.
I want us to see something truly amazing here…To Jesus, casting out the demon is not a big deal. Even with this demon being more than anyone else could handle, to Jesus this is nothing. Notice what Jesus is working at and seeking to produce in the father…Faith!!
The father has a little faith. Let’s look together at his answer…
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.”
The father saw that the disciples could not cast out the demon and this caused him to wonder if Jesus could do it.
Faith is present in the father but has been shaken as the disciples are unable to help him at all.
Jesus replies to this request with surprise…If You can? Then our Lord quickly reminds this struggling father that all things are possible with God. I am God and with God all things are possible. At that instance saving faith is birthed in this struggling father.
Here, Jesus teaches us that the issue here is not divine inability or lack of compassion in Jesus, no! the problem is belief. Faith is the answer.
So, Jesus is working not to cast out the demon but a greater miracle is instilling true faith in this shattered man.
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
True faith is always aware how small and inadequate it really is. This father becomes a believer not when he somehow stacks up enough faith but when he takes what faith he does have and risks everything on Jesus. He understands his weakness and folly. He understands that he doesn’t have all the answers. What he does do is he takes all the faith that he does have and places it on Jesus…
True faith does not doubt Jesus’ ability. Jesus can do whatever we ask of Him. The question is not ability, but will He? Much like the Hebrews being thrown into the furnace they told the King, our God is able to deliver us but even if He doesn’t, we still will not worship your image.
When this father yields his insufficiency to Jesus’ sufficiency. When he places his inability upon Jesus’ supreme ability, we see faith in action.
Do you see, he has some faith and cries out to Jesus I believe!! He also realizes he is imperfect and faulty at every turn, what then does he do with his struggles? He cries out to God for help. True faith takes no confidence in itself but is completely confident in Jesus.
True faith says I can’t do it but Jesus can. True faith says I realize my shortcomings and sin but I know a Savior who is able and powerful to more than make up for my lack and who stands ready to flood me with compassion and forgive all my sin.
Perhaps there is someone here today who has been trying so hard to build up a certain amount of faith? Perhaps there is someone who thinks that when I get good enough then I’ll come to Jesus. Listen, don’t wait. Take what faith you do have and cry out to Jesus…I believe, help my unbelief.
Take your small mustard-seed faith and trust Jesus. He can do it. He is strong. He is able. When we can’t do it, much like the disciples that day who were powerless to do anything, trust in Christ like this father did.
3. Jesus is Able and Suffering Precedes Glory (9:25-27)
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.
Jesus is able isn’t it true? He is able….
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.”
We see such great authority here. Our Lord rebukes and commands. These are words of power. He doesn’t have to do some lengthy chant or some physical feat, Jesus speaks words of command and this demon obeys.
The text tells us that after the demon left the boy, he was like a corpse. The literal rendering is the boy became as one dead.
It seems by the language and because Mark elaborates these points in between Jesus’ announcement of His own death and resurrection that the boy has actually died.
The demon came out of the boy and took his life in the process.
I think about the father and his fledgling faith. I’ve trusted Jesus and just look my son is dead.
Here may in fact be the first test of this father’s faith. The test is to trust the word and the promise of Jesus. God takes us through tests of our faith as well. In this life we have ample opportunities to trust in Jesus.
Our Lord reaches down takes the boy by the hand and raises him up. Trusting Christ sometimes means that things may get worse before they get better. Jesus was growing this father’s faith and He grows our faith as well.
4. The Disciples’ Big Mistake…They Were Prayerless (9:28-29)
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.”
One theme we have seen throughout this passage is the inadequacy of the disciples. Inadequacy of the disciples is a theme we see even in our own lives. I’m not sure how it is with you but I often feel inadequate for the calling God has for me. Here is the secret: Jesus calls disciples to tasks beyond their abilities.
Perhaps there is a calling in your own life and you have failed to step up and do it. You see your abilities and you see the task and say I cannot do it, what’s the use.
They had faith but their faith needed to be directed to Jesus who could cast out the demon. How do we direct our faith toward Jesus and His power? We pray.
I want to make sure we understand something today…self-confidence is one of the greatest forms of unbelief
Spiritual power is not found within yourself. The ministry is not in ourselves but in Jesus. Our inadequacy should drive us to prayer where the resources truly are.
Prayer is faith turned to God. Faith says I cannot do this but I know God can.
Perhaps there are things in your life that you’re struggling with. Maybe it’s sickness, events, situations, marriage or finances or any other struggle we may have. You believe and are a Christian but there is something you feel is still lacking. Are you connecting your faith to prayer and sending them to Christ, calling on His power?
The disciples could not cast this demon out by their own strength they needed to call on Jesus the One who could accomplish the task.
They learned that day that prayer is vital in the Christian life.
Let your inadequacies drive you to prayer. Your situation may not improve but you will find power in your life to face your trials God’s way.
As we think about this father who had the faith but cried out for more. Whether your faith is strong or weak. Whether it’s great or small fix that faith on Jesus because He can do what you cannot. He has the power. Connect your faith to prayer and send them to Jesus.
Resources
Mark by William Lane
Mark by James Edwards
Words of grace
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