The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.
Mark 9:14–29
I Believe—Help My
Unbelief!
Proper 19B, 16 September 2012
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Every day, your faith is put to the test. You lay awake at
night, wondering why the day went the way it did. Bad news from around the
world is a distraction—especially if loved ones are in harm’s way.
Every day, your faith is put to the test. There are good
days and bad days, and both come and go—neither kind lasts. Yet, on the worst
days, the temptation is there to give in to the advice given to Job: Curse God
and die. We pray that the Lord would keep us steadfast in the one, true faith
until life everlasting, but the danger of unbelief is always around the corner.
A man in the Gospel according to St. Mark was having more
than a bad hair day. His son was demon-possessed. He thought the disciples
could help, because of the amazing, hopeful accounts he had heard about Jesus.
That’s where we first hear the story:
14When they came to the
disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were
greatly amazed and ran up to [Jesus] and greeted him. 16And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I
brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he
foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast
it out, and they were not able.” 19And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am
I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20And 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. 21And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been
happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to
destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible
for one who believes.” 24Immediately the father
of the child cried out and said, “I
believe; help my unbelief!” 25And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, 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.” 26And after crying out and
convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that
most of them said, “He is dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he
arose. 28And when he had entered
the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by
anything but prayer.”
The man brings his son, possessed
by a demon—a real demon—and the disciples could not exorcise it. This is not
just a case of mental illness misunderstood in a first-century way. Demonic
possession and mental illness can exist side by side or separately, even in the
21st Century.
Scribes and disciples are in the
middle of an argument—possibly about whether the disciples have the authority
to cast out demons. Meanwhile, the son of this man is still suffering under
demonic influence.
And what does Jesus talk about?
Authority? Who’s right in the argument? Does He give a medical or psychological
diagnosis? No. Jesus diagnoses the spiritual
problem: unbelief, lack of faith, trust, and hope in God above all things, and
especially in His servant standing right there—Jesus. The man explains the
situation, Jesus responds, and the argument is over.
“O faithless generation, how long
am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” How long
has this been happening? His whole life. Please do something if you can.
If. If? If! Jesus’ diagnosis was
correct across the board. The disciples didn’t get the job done—a lack of
faith. The scribes questioned the credentials of Jesus and the disciples,
testing them, often trying to trip them up. Unfaith. They saw the signs before
and still doubted who Jesus was. And here the man says, “if.”
Faith and miracles go hand in
hand. Sometimes faith precedes the miracle. Sometimes God grants it during or
after the miracle. A sign, a miracle all by itself is just entertainment.
Without Jesus’ teaching, the feeding of the five thousand is just dinner and a
show.
“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!”
The man heard and felt the stern
rebuke of the law. What a wonderful response: “I believe; help my unbelief!” If only we could remember that prayer
to Jesus in our day of trial.
And when Jesus saw that a crowd
came running together, 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.” And
after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like
a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the
hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
This is a different situation than
what we overheard last week. We also encountered a mute and deaf person. There
was a physical cause for that affliction. Here, with the son, there are
additional symptoms, including “it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his
teeth and becomes rigid.” Even the father knew a demon was at work.
Jesus demonstrated His authority
over creation as the Creator when He used fingers, spit, and prayer to heal the
man last week. This week, He demonstrates His divine authority over the devil
and death. The demon left the boy and, at Jesus’ word, the boy arose.
The miracles of Jesus teach us
that in the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the power of Resurrection Day is
present. Jesus gives us more than just a description of what the Last Day, the
day of Resurrection will be like—He shows us. The Word of Jesus, miracles, and
faith go together!
Do you have a good and gracious
God, or not? (pause) Don’t hesitate so long to answer. Don’t over-think the
question. Don’t let your emotions distract you. What does Holy Scripture say?
Yes. Yes. A trillion times, Yes!
Are we tempted to doubt the
goodness of God? Yes. That’s the devil’s work—and the influence of the
world—and the weakness of your own human flesh, too.
Why do we hesitate? Why are we
tempted to doubt? Why do some fall away from faith? It’s because we’re from
Missouri. That’s right—and I don’t mean the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. I
mean Missouri.
Wyoming is the Cowboy State and
the Equality State. Nebraska used to be called the Beef State as well as the
Cornhusker State. Missouri is the… “Show Me” State.
Our preferred way of living in the
world, according to our human nature, is called “Living by sight.” Show me, we
say. I won’t believe it until you show me the cold, hard facts. Show me the
money! People fall away from Christ, and are tempted to doubt God’s goodness
because we see bad things going on in the world. Bad things happen to good
people. Wars and rumors of wars. Tragic accidents. Painful experiences.
Dreadful diseases. Things like Nine-Eleven.
“Living by faith” is different.
About as different as one could be. Faith trusts in what we do not see, but Who
we know is there—a good and gracious God in Christ. We walk by faith and not
by…sight. No one said it was easy. Jesus still calls you to faith.
Faith can die. The best evidence
of this is our friend Peter. In order to avoid the appearance of “beating him
up,” be reminded of the rest of his story. Sure enough, Peter didn’t want Jesus
to go to the cross, and he denied Jesus three times, but Peter was forgiven by
Jesus Himself and restored to his vocation of disciple, apostle, and pastor.
In Mark 8 and Matthew 16 Peter
expresses faith, trust, and hope in God by declaring Jesus to be the Christ,
the very Son of God. Jesus calls Him blessed. That means blessed—full of faith.
Can one be a Christian and fall away? Yes. Can a fallen Christian be restored
to faith and forgiveness? Yes. Peter teaches us a lot by counter-example. Faith
is a gift from God, not something we generate in ourselves. As a gift, it can
be resisted, as Stephen taught us in Acts 7.
Feeding your faith is important.
Unfed, faith can die. Any parent would recoil at the idea of taking a newborn
home and not feeding him. It’s barbaric, inhumane, uncivilized! So is Holy
Baptism apart from teaching the baptized God’s Word in all of its articles.
How can we encourage the parents
of all the baptized to bring them to church in their first years of life? The
pastor has a microphone, so crying children aren’t a real problem. Not all
crying is a joyful noise, but would you really want to discourage a parent
bringing a fellow Christian to Church?
Children are more than the church
of the future. In Holy Baptism, they are already joined to the body of Christ.
They are an important part of the church now.
Are there others you know who
should be added to the shut-in list? I get to visit our current shut-ins at
home once every 6 to 8 weeks. Let me know how I can help.
How can we encourage more men to
see Jesus as He actually is? Our Lord Jesus is both loving and strong, merciful
and powerful, the Lamb of God and a victorious warrior over sin, death, and
Satan.
Bad things happen to good people.
We don’t throw up our hands in despair. No, we fold them in prayer. Bad days alone
don’t bring us to our knees, for we willingly bend the knee in prayer. Remember
Jesus’ last words in the text. They are mentioned last in the text and last in
this sermon so that you remember them!
“Why could we not cast it out?” the
disciples asked. Jesus answered, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything
but prayer.”
Prayer. Conversation with God.
Praise. Petition. Thanksgiving. Recalling His goodness and graciousness to His
people throughout salvation history.
Prayer is an action of trust.
Faith asks God to work in the situation. Do you play the game of asking, “If?” When
tense situations arise, do you worry about what you are going to do? I’m
guessing that the disciples did too—especially when the demon remained and the
scribes came criticizing.
Therefore, we continue to pray. Every
day, your faith is put to the test. There are good days and bad days, and both
come and go—neither kind lasts. When “If” and “Why” torture you on the worst
days, and although the danger of unbelief is always around the corner, remember
that your Lord is even closer. And remember to pray: “I believe; help my unbelief!” Jesus,
who dwells in highest heaven is in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is
near enough to hear your prayer. He is good, loving, and powerful enough to
take care of you. “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have
mercy. Lord, have mercy.” Amen.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
