Mark 9:14-29
“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 “O 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 him 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 evil 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.””

This morning I want to give you a second Biblical prayer that I have prayed in the past. Last week I mentioned that I have prayed, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” And he has. I am thankful for that.

This week I want to introduce a second prayer. The story is found in both Matthew and Mark, but I want to center on the book of Mark.This passage centers on our need to trust Jesus. We find in this passage the tension between belief and unbelief and how it is worked out in the heart of a man.

There are many things taught in the Bible that a person might struggle with. We have many who say, “I believe the Bible” but do not live by its teachings. I would propose to you that where there is true faith, there is true action. Our faith is revealed by our works, not by our words.

James says, “14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” James 2:14-18, NIV.

It is a struggle. Some who have been educated in evolution struggle with creationism. Some who have felt the effects of abuse struggle with the idea of the man as the head of the wife. Some who have lived in the world struggle with the idea of giving money to the church. Others struggle with the necessity of marriage. Still others may find a struggle with trusting God when their lives are falling apart.

The walk of faith is often a real struggle. At least it is for me. Sometimes I walk in highest confidence and at others I feel real doubt. That is why this man’s story grabs me.

“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 love my children. It would tear me apart to see that happen to any child, let alone my own. The child had been able to speak and now cannot. He is foaming at the mouth, grinding his teeth and then goes rigid. His body stiffens out.

First, we can feel for the child. This must be horrible to live like this.
Second, the behavior would draw attention whenever it happened. I will tell you that not everyone would be sympathetic.
Third, we can feel for the father. What do you do as a parent to control a child that is uncontrollable? I am sure this father tried everything. He may have spanked, timed out, threatened, physically restrained the child and just stood back and watch.
But what really gets me is the genuine love this father had for his child. There are fathers in this world that abandon wives and children because they are sick or in trouble. Not this father! He kept trying to find a solution. He loved his child.

I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
So the man brought his child to the disciples of Jesus. They had been going around casting out evil spirits and teaching about Jesus. The man obviously had heard about what they did and came up to them for help. What a disappointment. The disciples were able to cure others, but not his son. To further the problem, an argument broke out between the disciples and the teacher of the law.

“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.”

They were arguing over this man’s son. I do not know exactly what the argument was; the text gives no direct answer. But it is possible that they were arguing about why the disciples had been unsuccessful. That was the man’s problem. The disciples had not been able to cure his son. I wonder if the argument was over the question, “Why not?” Was it because the disciples were following the wrong teacher? Was it because of some major sin on the part of the child or parents? Was it because the disciples were not keeping the law the way the teachers of the law though they should? We don’t know the exact answer, but if that was the question, then Jesus gives a clear answer. The child was not healed because of unbelief.

19 “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

Unbelief is not the only reason people are not healed. People are not healed for the glory of God as seen in John. People are not healed to keep them humble as was the case with Paul’s thorn in the flesh. People are not healed because they don’t take medication as was the case with Timothy. People are not healed because they do not take care of themselves. People are not healed for a lot of reasons, but in this case, this child was not healed because of a lack of faith.

Who needed the faith for this child to be healed?
I give you two possibilities.
The first might be the disciples. It may be that they had never seen anyone so bad as this child. It’s like they believed God in lesser cases, but the foaming at the mouth and the erratic actions might have made doubt come in this greater case.

It might have been the father.
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.”

The child comes to Jesus. He goes into one of these convulsions. What causes it?
Some people say the child is having a fit of epilepsy. I can see the similarities, but Jesus does not say that. He says that there was an evil spirit in him. I believe Jesus. Jesus did not say that every convulsion was an evil spirit, but this one was.
So Jesus and the man see the fit this child goes into. Jesus asks the question, “How long has he been this way?” The man says, “From childhood.” That’s a long time.
There were repeated episodes of falling into the fire or water that almost took the child’s life.

As the child is laying on the ground, the man says to Jesus, “If you can do anything, take pity and help us.”

I don’t want to bore you with language studies, but the Greek language has several ways to say the English word if. It might say “If, and I assume it to be true…” or it might say, “If, like it’s possible…” as well as two or three more “if’s”
This man uses the second kind of “it”. He comes to Jesus and gives the kind of answer that many of us are familiar. I say it is possible that you can do this Jesus, but I am not sure that you can or that you will. Jesus jumps on this.

23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

“If you can?” He quotes the man. He almost says, “What do you mean “if” I can?”
I guess I stagger under these words of Jesus. I believe Jesus can do anything, but I am uncertain about what might be in front of me. I know Jesus can heal the sick. But whether or not he will heal the sick person in front of me makes me say to Jesus, “if you can…”

I somewhat resent Jesus’ words to the father. The disciples had tried and failed. A heated argument had ensued. What do you expect the father to think? He had enough empty promises.

But the father didn’t resent Jesus’ words. He loved his son too much and hoped so much for his healing that he embraced the rebuke.

24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Jesus gave two rebukes. The first was to everyone, the unbelieving generation. The second to the man, “What do you mean ‘if’?” The man immediately replies. “I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.”

Is this guy ok? How can you believe and ask for help overcoming unbelief? I don’t know, but this was as honest a prayer as I have found in the Bible.

God says, ‘I love your neighbor.’ You say, “I believe, help my unbelief.” It is beyond our comprehension how this can be true, but we pray the prayer.

God says, “Jonah was swallowed by a large fish.” “Lord, I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.”

Sometimes we feel the pressure of the world, squeezing us into its mold. Many of you young people may feel increased pressure to drink alcohol, have casual sex, do wild things during graduation time. Your Christian faith may feel outdated and out of place. If I tell you that it is not out of place, would you believe me? It may be at that moment you might need to pray, “Lord, I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.”

You go to college and take a class on religion. You will find the professors convincing. They will tell you that all religions are the same, that the points of similarity outweigh the differences. But you have read the words of Jesus when he said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the father, but by me.” And you may need to pray, “Lord, I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.”

This prayer is not intended to be blind faith in nothing. Rather, this prayer recognizes the following principles.

First, Jesus is the Son of God. Therefore Jesus is always right.

Second, our perception of right and wrong is distorted by our limitations. We do not know all. What looks good to us but is not looks good because of our limited perspective. It’s like the person who decided to use a crowbar to take down a piece of wood that was up on the wall. It seemed good until the wall paper and plaster came with it. The person just didn’t know that the wood had been nailed and glued. What looked good caused a major disaster.

Lord, I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.

We should give the rest of the story.
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil 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.””

This sort of implies that the disciples thought they could take out the evil spirit. But Jesus says in effect, “You needed God’s help.”

As we come to Memorial Day, I am reminded of the question many soldiers have asked, “Why are we charging this hill? Why are buddies dying?” In the limited view, it made no sense. But for many, the freedom of our country, the freedom of our homeland, was the bigger picture.

We are thankful for the freedoms we have as Americans. We waver in our belief about the merits of a battle or a war. We often do not see the bigger picture in a clear manner.

But we appreciate those who fight for us, overcoming doubt with courage, fear with fortitude. We appreciate those who have stood in the battle saying, “I believe, help my unbelief.” And in the spiritual realm, it is my prayer that I would stay faithful to God, that you would not be moved in your devotion to God and that we would follow Jesus. And sometimes we must pray, “Lord, I believe, help overcome my unbelief.”