3
All Things Possible
(Mark 9:14–29)
When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?” And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.” (9:14–29)
The Christian life is a life of faith. Believers, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). The apostle told the Galatians, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Gal. 2:20). Faith “is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1), “and without faith it is impossible to please Him” (v. 6). Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29), while Peter reminded his readers, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).
Christians trust in God whom they have not seen, Christ whom they have not seen, the Holy Spirit whom they have not seen; they embrace a death and resurrection they have not seen; trust in a justification they have not seen; and look forward to eternal life in a heaven they have not seen. Believers are saved by faith, sanctified by faith, and hold the hope of glory by faith. That faith is not perfect, but it is sufficient—not because of human ability but because it is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8–9). It is not a blind faith but a proven faith anchored in the testimony of the Word of God, which is “the prophetic word made more sure” (2 Peter 1:19; cf. Matt. 5:18; 24:35; Luke 16:29–31) and “the word of His grace, which is able to build [believers] up and to give [them] the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).
For more than two years, the disciples had walked by sight. They had actually been in the presence of Jesus, the Son of God. They had watched Him react to people and situations, heard His teaching, and witnessed His miracles. They had lived by sight. Soon, however, they would have to live by faith. After His death, they would always have the memory of what they had seen. That memory would be enriched and enhanced by the Spirit of God, allowing them and their associates to record what they had witnessed in the Gospels and be further delineated in the Epistles that they wrote. But no longer would Jesus be physically present with them. He would speak to them through His Word, the Scripture, and empower them in the Holy Spirit
As the Lord moved inexorably toward Jerusalem and His death, resurrection, and ascension, He taught His disciples a series of lessons designed to prepare them to minister in His absence. Those lessons were bracketed by lessons on faith, of which the one recorded in this passage was the first. The Lord also taught them concerning humility, offenses, the seriousness of sin, marriage and divorce, the place of children in the kingdom, earthly riches, true wealth, sacrificial service, and then a final lesson on faith.
Jesus was not present when the incident began, so the disciples were challenged to walk by faith, not by sight—and failed miserably. They were a work in progress, characterized by lack of understanding and shallow faith. In Mark 8:17 Jesus had chided them, “Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?” and reiterated in verse 21, “Do you not yet understand?”
Matthew (17:14–20) and Luke (9:37–45) also record this incident. Mark’s account is more detailed, possibly because Peter, Mark’s source for much of the material in his gospel and an eyewitness to this incident, provided many of the dramatic details. The episode took place immediately after the transfiguration, and the contrasts between the two events are striking. The transfiguration happened on a mountain; this happened in the valley below. In the transfiguration, there was glory; here there was suffering. In the transfiguration God dominated the scene; here Satan did. In the transfiguration, the heavenly Father was pleased; in this incident, an earthly father was tormented. In the transfiguration there was a perfect Son; here there was a perverted son. At the transfiguration, fallen men were in holy wonder; in this story, there was a fallen son in unholy horror.
This scene, one of the most striking in the New Testament, may be viewed under five headings: demon possession, disciple perversion, desperate plea, divine power, and decisive prayer.
DEMON POSSESSION
When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?” And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. (9:14–18a)
After the transfiguration, Jesus, Peter, James, and John came back down the mountain to the nine apostles and other followers and disciples of the Lord who had remained in the valley. Just as Moses came down from God’s presence on Mt. Sinai to the faithless people of Israel, so also Jesus came down from being in God’s presence on the Mount of Transfiguration to find faithless people waiting for Him. When the four arrived, they saw that a large crowd had gathered around the disciples, expecting Jesus to be with them. In addition, there were some scribes from the surrounding region present, as always dogging Jesus’ steps, seeking something they could use to discredit Him (cf. 3:1–2; Luke 11:53–54; 14:1). Since the Lord was not there, the scribes were arguing with His disciples. They were on their own and, as it turns out, things had not gone well.
When Jesus and the three apostles reached the valley, the people spotted Him, and immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. The Greek word translated amazed is a strong compound word, leading some to speculate that Jesus was exuding an afterglow from His transfiguration (cf. Ex. 34:29–35). That was not the case, however, since it would have contradicted His command that the disciples tell no one what had happened on the mountain (cf. the discussion of Mark 9:9 in the previous chapter of this volume). In light of that prohibition, Jesus would never have made that supernatural event obvious. The crowd was awestruck as they always were in His presence (cf. Matt. 9:33; 12:23; Mark 2:12), because Jesus was the miracle worker, the one who performed signs, wonders, and healings.
Coming to the defense of His disciples, Jesus asked, “What are you discussing with them?” The word translated discussing is commonly used to refer to arguments or debates with the Jewish religious leaders (cf. 8:11; 12:28; Acts 6:9; 9:29). Neither the scribes (probably because they were afraid to debate Him) or the disciples (who evidently were not doing well in the debate, and moreover had failed to cast out the demon) answered.
But while they remained silent, one of the crowd answered Him. A man came to Jesus and fell on his knees before Him (Matt. 17:14). Shouting to make himself heard above the noise of the crowd (Luke 9:38), he cried out, “Teacher, Lord (Matt. 17:15), I brought You my son (Luke notes that this was his only son, adding to the pathos of the situation; Luke 9:38), possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. Here was a situation the disciples had failed to handle, which led to their embarrassed silence.
Demons have been actively doing Satan’s bidding in the world ever since the fall. They do not usually make their presence known, choosing rather to operate covertly by disguising themselves as angels of light (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14). During Jesus’ earthly ministry, however, they launched an all-out assault against Him, manifesting themselves more often openly and to some degree more willingly than is their normal practice. But Jesus unmasked them, forcing them to reveal themselves even when they were unwilling to do so.
This demon would likely have preferred to have remained undiscovered in the boy. Although his father had discerned that his son’s condition was the result of demonic activity, others may have diagnosed him as having some kind of a mental disorder. In fact, in Matthew’s account of this incident (17:15), his father described his son’s symptoms as those of a lunatic (i.e., an epileptic). Those symptoms may have stemmed from the physical battering the demon inflicted on his unfortunate victim. Luke records that the father spoke of the demon mauling his son, using a verb that could be translated “to crush,” “to shatter,” or “to break in pieces,” vividly describing the violence of the demon’s assaults on the boy (Luke 9:39).
DISCIPLE PERVERSION
I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” (18b–19)
The failure of the disciples to cast the demon out of the boy was surprising, since Jesus had given them power over demons (Mark 6:7, 13). While the crowd was made up largely of those who did not believe in Jesus and the faith of the boy’s father was weak and incomplete, the Lord’s rebuke, “O unbelieving generation,” was aimed primarily at the disciples. It reveals that the cause of their inability to cast out the demon was their failure to believe. The interjection O expresses emotion on Jesus’ part (cf. Luke 13:34; 24:25), revealing that the disciples’ weak faith was painful to Him.
His rebuke was harsh; Luke 9:41 adds that He also called them a “perverted generation” (cf. Mark 8:38; Deut. 32:5, 20). After all the time they had spent with Him, such lack of trust was inexcusable. Jesus’ soliloquy, “How long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?” was an expression of holy exasperation, like His rebukes, “You of little faith!” (Matt. 6:30; 14:31) and, “You men of little faith!” (Matt. 8:26; 16:8). Acting to do what the disciples had failed to accomplish, Jesus said, “Bring the boy to Me!”
They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” (9:20–24)
The boy’s father was about to get what he so desperately wanted, while the demon would get what he desperately did not want. In response to the Lord’s command, they brought the boy to Him. While he was still approaching Jesus (Luke 9:42), when he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a final, violent convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.
While this dangerous display of vile demonic power was going on, Jesus calmly asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” The Lord was not asking, of course, for information that He did not already possess, since He is omniscient. He wanted to bear the father’s pain; to have the man tell Him the heartbreaking story of his son’s demonic oppression. The father was not coming to an impersonal force but to a person. The healing miracles Christ performed reveal the compassion of God and that He cares about human pain and suffering. Jesus allowed this suffering man to unfold his heart to the sympathetic and merciful Lord.
His reply, “From childhood,” indicates that his son had been in this terrible state all his life. It was not due to any sin on the part of either the father or the son but for the glory of God (cf. John 9:1–3). And though the demon had repeatedly tried to kill the boy by throwing him both into the fire (commonly used for heating and cooking) and into the water (such as wells and pools) to destroy him, God preserved him for this moment to bring His Son glory. The father’s desperate struggle to keep the demon from killing his son was about to be ended permanently.
Encouraged by the Lord’s sympathetic concern for his beleaguered, battered son, the man asked Him pleadingly, “If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” Boētheō (help) literally means, “to run to the aid of one who cries for help.” His faith was weak and incomplete; he correctly perceived that Jesus was willing to deliver his son, but he was not sure that He had the power to help him. But he was desperate.
Jesus’ reply, “If You can?” was not a question but an exclamation of surprise. In light of His widespread ministry of healing the sick and casting out demons, how could His ability to cast this one out be in question? His further declaration, “All things are possible to him who believes,” is the lesson Jesus intended to teach. This was not the first time He had spoken of the importance of faith (cf. Mark 5:34–36; 6:5–6), nor would it be the last (cf. Mark 10:27; 11:22–24). The lesson that faith is essential to access the power of God applied to all the unbelieving crowd, the father, who was struggling to believe, as well as to the disciples, whose faith was weak and wavering. The disciples especially needed to learn this lesson, since after Christ’s death, they would need to access divine power through believing prayer (Matt. 7:7–8; 21:22; Luke 11:9–10; John 14:13–14; 15:7; 16:24; 1 John 3:22; 5:14–15).
Overcome with emotion, immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” He was honest enough to admit that though he believed in Jesus’ power, he struggled with doubt. Just as he pleaded in desperation for Jesus to deliver his son from the demon, so also did he plead for Jesus to help him be delivered from his unbelief. The Lord is not limited by imperfect faith; even the strongest faith is always mixed with a measure of doubt.
DIVINE POWER
When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. (9:25–27)
While Jesus was talking with the boy’s father, the word was spreading that He was there. Seeing that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He decided to end the conversation and take action. The compassionate Lord wanted to avoid any further embarrassment for the anguished father and his tormented son. Further, His public ministry was over and He had nothing left to prove, since replete evidence that He was who He claimed to be had already been given. His focus was on instructing His disciples.
Turning to the boy, Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit (a description of demons used twenty-two times in the New Testament, half of them in Mark), saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” The demon instantly (Matt. 17:18) and permanently left the boy—but not before one last, violent protest (cf. Mark 1:25–26). After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out. Exhausted and traumatized by the violent convulsions, the boy lay still and became so much like a corpse that most of the bystanders said, “He is dead!” But Jesus tenderly, compassionately took him by the hand and raised him to his feet, and he got up and Jesus gave him back to his father (Luke 9:42).
DECISIVE PRAYER
When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.” (9:28–29)
Later, when Jesus and the disciples came into the house (probably in Caesarea Philippi), the disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” They were puzzled as to their inability to do so on this occasion, since they had successfully cast out demons in the past (Mark 6:13). Jesus replied, “This kind (either a reference to a particular kind of demon, or a kind of being, and thus a reference to demons in general) cannot come out by anything but prayer.” The implication is that emboldened by their earlier successes, the disciples depended on their own power and neglected to pray. The lesson for them was that humble, dependent prayer is the highway that faith takes to the power of God.
Matthew’s account adds that Jesus rebuked them for the littleness of their faith (17:20; cf. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Luke 12:28), revealing that it was that weakness that kept the disciples from praying. But if they had faith the size of a mustard seed, they would have been able to unleash the power of God and overcome any difficulty. The mustard seed, the smallest seed used in agriculture in Israel, does not represent a level of faith to be achieved but rather the minimal faith that believers already have—such as that illustrated by the father.
Jesus healed many without faith, but here the miracle is connected to faith because that is the necessary lesson for the disciples in the future. Their power will come by believing prayer. That man’s weak faith was sufficient to bring the power of God to bear on his son’s situation. In the same way imperfect but persistent (cf. Luke 11:5–10; 18:1–7) faith is sufficient. It is those who do not ask who do not receive divine power to overcome life’s difficulties (James 4:2). The disciples’ failure set them up for this invaluable lesson on the necessity of believing, persistent prayer.