Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-42
“Jesus said, to them, ‘You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.’" – Mark 9:19 NLT
After witnessing the miracle of Jesus' transfiguration up on the mountain, Peter, James and John returned with Jesus to find the remaining disciples caught up in a heated argument with some of the religious leaders. There was a huge crowd gathered around them. It seems that these religious leaders had come in an attempt to test Jesus' authority yet one more time. They had brought a young boy who was possessed of a demon and were going to see if Jesus would be able to cast it out. It was yet another test. This was evidently a particularly difficult case because the demon robbed the boy of the ability to speak and would cause him to have violent convulsions that would make him foam at the mouth. In these fits, the boy would throw himself into fires or even the water. This had been happening since he was a little boy. The boy's father cried out to Jesus, "Have mercy on us and help us, if you can" (Mark 9:22 NLT).
It seems that the disciples who had been left behind had tried to cast out the demon, but had failed. This must have been a shock to them, because earlier, Jesus had given the twelve power and authority to heal and cast out demons (Matthew 10). They had come back from that experience amazed and a bit prideful that they had been able to heal people and rebuke demons just like Jesus. But now they found themselves unsuccessful. Evidently, in Jesus' absence, the disciples had attempted to cast out the demon, but they had been unable to do so. Which is what must have started the heated argument. The father of the boy was disappointed. The crowd was frustrated, because they had come to see Jesus and were looking to see a miracle. And the religious leaders were excited because they thought they had found a chink in Jesus' armor. I'm sure part of the argument that was taking place was between the disillusioned disciples and the religious leaders as they argued over whether Jesus really was the Messiah. The disciples probably felt like they had let Jesus down, and the religious leaders were whipping up the doubts of the crowd.
Jesus stepped into this mess and immediately wanted to know what was going on. His response was less than flattering. "You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me" (Mark 9:19 NLT). This was addressed to the religious leaders and the crowd, who had come demanding and expecting a sign. They wanted further proof from Jesus that He was who He claimed to be. All that He had done up until this point had not been enough. They wanted more. They would not believe until they were convinced, to their own satisfaction, that Jesus was truly the Messiah. Jesus refers to them as "apistos" in the Greek. It means non-believing. This was all about belief or, in their case, unbelief. They refused to believe in Jesus. And at the core of all sin is unbelief. The problem was NOT that they needed more proof. It was that they refused to believe. The reality is, most of them would refuse to believe even after Jesus resurrected from the dead. It's interesting that when Jesus talked to the demon-possessed boy's father, He said, "Anything is possible if a person believes" (Mark 9:23 NLT). I don't think Jesus is saying that anything is possible if you believe in the outcome. Jesus is not espousing a name-it-claim-it theology. He is saying that anything is possible if you believe in Him. Jesus is to be the object of our belief. The father, desperate for a cure for his son, cries out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24 NLT). This man believed Jesus was who He claimed to be, but he was still wrestling with doubts. His son was still possessed. The disciples had failed to help him. The Pharisees and religious leaders were feeding his doubt with lies and false propaganda regarding Jesus. So he asks Jesus to take his struggling belief and strengthen it. As a result, Jesus healed his son. This man, even in his doubt, had come to Jesus and placed himself at His mercy. Jesus responded to this man's faith with compassion and power. He restored his son to health.
Then later on, when they were alone, Jesus turned His attention to the disciples.When they inquired as to why they had been unable to cast out the demon, Jesus told them, "You don't have enough faith. I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible’" (Matthew 17:20 NLT). Mark records another statement from Jesus. "This kind can be cast out only by prayer" (Mark 9:29 NLT). So it was a lack of faith and an absence of prayer. Jesus seems to be telling the disciples that their faith was less than that of the man who had brought his demon-possessed son. His plea to Jesus was a form of prayer. He cried, "Have mercy on us and help us, if you can" (Mark 9:22 NLT). He called out to Jesus in his time of need. The disciples didn't. When they were unable to cast out the demon, it left them confused and questioning what was wrong. They had been able to cast out demons before, but why were they not able to do so now. But what Jesus seems to be exposing is they panicked rather than call out to Him for help. They let doubt set in. Rather than turn to God the Father for help, they did nothing. Their cry should have been the same as that of the father, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!" When they hit a roadblock, they gave in, when they should have looked up. They had placed their faith in the outcome instead of in Jesus. They had fully expected to cast out the demon, and when they couldn't they lost faith. They began to disbelieve. It's interesting that the very first person to call out to Jesus when He arrived on the scene was the father, not the disciples. They didn't run up to Jesus asking for His help. They didn't acknowledge their unbelief and ask for assistance. The father did. And as a result, his prayer was answered. His son was healed. He called out to Jesus with his meager belief and his mountain was moved.
Jesus, I can be so guilty of unbelief. I say I believe and trust in You, but then when I face a difficult circumstance, I start to have second thoughts. I begin to waver and doubt. And rather than call out to You, I do nothing. And then, as a result, I fail to enjoy Your powerful presence in my life. You told us we didn't need a great deal of faith, we just needed a little. But that little faith needed to be direct at You, not at the outcome. We need to believe You are who You say You are. We need to come to You in our time of need. We need to bring out little bit of faith and trust You to do what only You can do. Amen.