Tag: faithless generation
“If You Can!”
Scripture reading for November 10: Mark 9:20-24; vs 29 “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. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running, 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.” Verse 29: “And He said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.””
When it comes to healing and difficult cases of deliverance, most people are very skeptical when it comes to prayer and faith healing. The parents of an epileptic child had suffered for years with their son. They found His disciples and they were not able to deliver the child. When Jesus heard the argument with the disciples, he called to the father to bring the boy to Him. Now they approached Jesus and the spirit in the boy convulsed him and he rolled on the ground and foamed at the mouth. Jesus asked the father how long this had been going on and he answered since early childhood. The son had been cast into fire and into water by the spirit that was seeking his destruction. The father pleaded with Jesus, “If You can do anything, have compassion and help us.” He encouraged his faith by stating that all things were possible for those who believed. Jesus spoke directly to the spirit and it came out.
As we look at this miraculous healing, we see that a lack of faith was a limiting factor with the disciples of Jesus. He rebuked them for their failure in deliverance. Jesus also rebuked the father for his lack of faith in asking “If You can?” questions. We see the father immediately confess his belief and also his unbelief, asking Jesus to help him. The disciples came to Jesus afterwards and asked why they could not drive the spirit out. Jesus answered that this kind of spirit requires prayer (and fasting).