Saturday, February 7, 2015

Saturday, February 7, 2015 

Mark 9:14-29

On the surface, this story seems to be about belief and lack of belief. The disciples cannot heal a boy who seems plagued with a ‘spirit’. The description is detailed and clear. The boy cannot speak. He foams at the mouth and thrashes about. Then the child goes rigid, as in death. These are all the signs of advanced epilepsy. The boy’s father claims that the boy has had this affliction since childhood and that his seizures have thrown him into water and fire so that his life is in danger.

Where was Jesus while these disciples stood helpless? He was at his Transfiguration, with Peter, James and John. God filled him with light, surrounded him with Elijah and Moses and told those three disciples that Jesus was his beloved son. Peter had been so overwhelmed by the experience that he wanted to stop, build tabernacles and worship there forever. But Jesus knew that the real work was not on mountain top experiences, but in the regular world. The four friends returned to join the others.

And in the regular world, Jesus found the rest of his disciples arguing with the teachers of the law about a poor child with an affliction. I suspect that no one was talking to the boy, except his father. The boy was simply an excuse for an academic debate about healing. No wonder nothing happened!

Jesus reaction is predictable. He is talking to the disciples as well as to the teachers of the law. His words read as frustration and anger, but read another way, these words could well be a statement of sadness and disappointment, motivated by one who loves those who have fallen short of the mark. 

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

And, as soon as Jesus arrives, the boy has a seizure. Mark describes it in First Century terms: 

“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.”

Again, Jesus is met with the father’s weak faith: “If you can do anything…” But Jesus helps redirect the father’s defeatist thoughts. The man begs Jesus to help his unbelief as soon as Jesus declares:

“Everything is possible for one who believes.”

So, in this moment, Jesus ties his ability to heal with the man’s ability to believe. Then, for the sake of the crowd that soon gathers, Jesus ‘performs’ a public healing.

“You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

The boy falls unconscious. The crowd thinks he is dead. Jesus raises him to stand again. It’s a little theatrical, but it helps Jesus lift the faith of the crowd to match the faith of the father. And later, indoors, to explain to the disciples why they failed, Jesus says that 

“That kind can come out only by prayer”

The lesson is almost missed here. The disciples may have attempted a healing, but like the father they were blocked by the big “IF”. IF they had the power. IF the boy could be healed. IF something could be done for a life-long affliction… They simply did not believe they could heal the boy. They may have succumbed to the nay-saying of the teachers of the law, or the lack of faith of the father or the crowd or all of the above. But the miracle did not happen. And Jesus spotted the problem right away. 

An “unbelieving generation” can say all the right the words and pray all the good prayers, but if there is no true belief anything will change, nothing happens. And when nothing happens, unanswered prayer is often written off as: “This is God’s Will” or “God’s Good Timing”. But I suspect it’s the Big IF in disguise. I suspect that it’s the lack of belief in the power of prayer.

A believing generation expects something to happen, and it does. A believing generation prays, then acts as if the prayer was answered. A believing generation bears fruit. Jesus took time to shore up the father’s belief before he healed the son. And that’s the pattern for us, shore up belief, then pray as if it is a real God-given power. Who knows? Miracles might occur!

Peter Mansell, Candlemas  2015