True Power

This morning, we pick back up in the Gospel of Mark following an extraordinary experience that a few of the disciples had with Jesus, as they witnessed his transfiguration. Jesus, in his grace, allowed Peter, James, and John to see him in his divine nature so that the truth of his teaching (especially the truth of his crucifixion and resurrection) would be confirmed. Our text today picks up immediately following that event, so let’s read Mark 9:14-29. From this text, see two points: the Faithless Generation and the Formula for True Power.

First, from verses 14-24, see the Faithless Generation. Mark tells us, in verse 14, no sooner had Jesus come down off the mountain, than he is met with conflict. He comes back to find that the disciples are in a dispute with the scribes over a failed healing. It’s unclear what exactly they were arguing about. Were the scribes disagreeing with the disciples over their method of healing? Were they ribbing them for being unable to do what their master had done? Jesus approaches and asks what the fuss is all about, and a man answers from the crowd and explains that he brought his demon-possessed son to his disciples to be healed, and they were unable to do so. Jesus rebukes the whole lot by saying, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you?” There is great debate among scholars as to who exactly Jesus is rebuking: the scribes, the disciples, or the man? I want to suggest that this rebuke is aimed at all of them because all three represent different kinds of faithlessness.

First, you have stubborn faithlessness. The scribes were members of the religious elites, trained in the great scholarly works of their times. They’d resisted Jesus at every turn because they wanted to preserve their traditions and power. As Jesus would regularly say of them, “you are like your fathers who persecuted the prophets.” This whole conflict has echoes of Israel’s rebellion at Mount Sinai. Remember, in Exodus 32, Moses goes up on the mountain to receive the law, and while he is there, the people make an idol in the form of a golden calf and worship it. Now, Jesus has been up on a mountain (with Moses), his face shown (like Moses’), and he comes down the mountain again to find the crowds squabbling in disbelief. This generation was faithless because they refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah and the source of God’s blessings.

Second, you have stupid faithlessness. The disciples had seen and done so much with Jesus. Just in the book of Mark, they’d witnessed four exorcisms. Jesus had sent them out as missionaries, and they were empowered to do these things on their own. But, the moment he removes himself to a high mountain, they lose all faith and fail to carry on the ministry without him. This generation was faithless because they forgot the source of the power of God.

Third, you have the sorrowful faithlessness. In verse 20, when the man brings the boy to Jesus, the boy immediately falls on the ground, convulses, and foams at the mouth. Jesus asks how long he’s been like this, and the father answers “from childhood.” Before we consider the faithlessness of the father, there are a couple of things to point out about this possession. First, there is no shortage of confusion over whether this boy suffered from a demon or from epilepsy. Some argue that the symptoms the man describes match too perfectly with epilepsy, so this must be a natural disease that these primitive people did not recognize. Others argue, no, the Gospel says that it was a demon, so it must mean that any time someone has epilepsy, they really have a demon. This confusion highlights two errant views of demons and disease. Some have been influenced by secularism to the degree that they deny any (or almost any) spiritual dimension to this world. So, when they read of a demon possession in the Gospels, they immediately look for a natural explanation, saying that demons don’t really exist. Others go in the opposite direction, saying instead that every disease has its roots in the Spiritual realm, and therefore, if we are sick with anything, it is because Satan and his demons are at work in our lives. Both are wrong. To the person who would deny the reality of the demonic, recognize that this is a failure to accept the Bible on its own terms. Jesus very clearly taught that demons were a reality, and he regularly did battle with them. He even faced Satan in the wilderness. Now, you might try to argue that Jesus was merely accommodating the people in their ignorance, but this would make Jesus a liar who intentionally deceived people. This does not meet with the Jesus we find in the Gospels who was more than happy to challenge the false beliefs of his day. On the other hand, for the person who would say that everything is caused by the active work of demons, I think you give them too much credit while failing to recognize our own contributions to the sinful state of this world. Disease and death did not come into this world because of demons. They came as a result of man’s sin. As Paul says, in Romans 5, death entered the world through one man, and through him death spread to all men. Disease, sickness, pain, and suffering are all a result of the fall. To be sure, demons can and will use those things against us at times, but it doesn’t mean that “Satan is after you” just because you have a cold.

So, what of this boy and his epilepsy? We are told twice (in verse 17 and 25) that this spirit is a “mute and deaf spirit”. The primary malady that it is causing is his muteness. But, it appears that the boy also had epilepsy, which this demon exploited for even more torture. Why does this matter? I think it matters because the miracle that Jesus performed was two-fold. Not only did he free the boy of a demon that took his voice and hearing, but he also freed him of his epilepsy.

With that understood, let’s turn again to the father’s faithlessness. He told Jesus that the boy had had this affliction since childhood, and then he asks, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us.” We can certainly sympathize with this father. For years, he’d struggled with his son’s deafness, unable to communicate even the basic facts of life. He had to constantly be on guard for another episode. Perhaps he’d done as so many parents have – changing everything about his life so that he could care for this child. He couldn’t leave him alone because he might harm himself. He couldn’t sleep because of the late-night terrors this boy would have. And, to add insult to injury, when he reached out for help, hoping Jesus’s disciples could do something, it only started an argument. So, you could understand if he was a bit skeptical at this point. You might understand why he would say, “if you can do anything.” But, Jesus corrects his doubt, reminding him that all things are possible through faith. At that reminder, the father makes one of the most beautiful statements in all of scripture: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”

That statement leads us to my second point: the formula for true power. This story revolves around an important theme – Jesus, as the all-powerful Messiah who comes to bring the blessings of God, grants that power to those who believe and pray. It’s popular now to say something like, “there is power in prayer”, or “you just have to have faith.” I understand that most of the time we are well meaning with these clichés, but they shorthand the true source of power. Faith and prayer have no power in themselves. You can believe in something all you want, but unless that thing has true power in itself, your faith will not do you any good. And, you can say all the incantations you want, you can plead to the heavens, but unless you are directing your prayers to the true God of heaven, they mean nothing. Faith is not the source of power, but the conduit through which we receive the power of God. It is the empty hand that receives a gift. This father’s statement of faith is beautiful because it shows the amount of faith that is needed to receive the power of God. All this man has is faith the size of a mustard seed… and that is all he needs. O Christian, see the beauty of God’s grace in this. It is not the power of your belief that saves you, but the power of the Christ you believe in. So, on these words from the father, Jesus commands the demon to come out, and immediately he is gone.

This story ends with an important note. Later on, that evening, the disciples ask Jesus, “why couldn’t we cast the demon out?” Jesus answers, “this kind can only be driven out through prayer.” You might notice, Jesus didn’t pray when he exorcised this demon. He just spoke, and the demon was gone. So, why does he tell the disciples this? He does so to establish a pattern for the church in fighting spiritual warfare. If we are to have victory over Satan, it will not be by saying the right things, quoting the right scripture, sprinkling holy water, waving a cross, or even invoking the name of Jesus. It won’t be because we have special gifts, memorized enough scripture, or had a mountain-top experience. It will only be through prayer that we have victory in Christ. In Ephesians 6, Paul calls us to stand against the attacks of Satan by putting on the armor of God. He goes through all the different pieces of armor and their benefits, but he ends with one last direction, which explains how all of those pieces fit together. In verse 18 he says, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Isn’t that a funny image: a soldier, dressed to the hilt in armor, standing on the battlefield, but not in battle array, not in fighting position, but with hands clasped, praying to heaven. We often use this very image to portray cowardice or desperation. But to Paul, this is how we fight. We fight this way, because in the end, we aren’t the ones doing the fighting. The God of Heaven fights for us. The radiant Messiah fights for us. So, we pray that his kingdom will come and his will is done, and we hold fast in faith, trusting that his power is with us.