Grace, mercy, and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
Jesus
comes down the mountain with some companions, and what does he find? It’s a
scene from “My Fat Greek Wedding” or “Zorba the Greek” or the “Italian Game” or
“the Polish Party” or “The Irish Wake.” It is wild, confused, a loud crowd
shouting, arguing, a not uncommon human behavior in the Middle
East . The agitation isn’t surprising. But St. Mark reveals a
surprise that he doesn’t explain. “When they saw (Jesus) they were greatly
amazed,” we could translate “super-amazed.”
But it is only Jesus, just like the three disciples noticed, after
Elijah, Moses, and that terrible
voice hidden in cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.” That’s
where Jesus just came from, the Mount of transfiguration. But he looks… just
like Jesus now. Nevertheless, when He shows up the crowd is super-amazed. The transfiguration was truly amazing though
only three disciples saw it. And just before that the disciples were amazed
when Jesus predicted his death. They
didn’t want any of that. Peter told Jesus so.
Now down from the mount the amazing Jesus
asks those disciples whom He left behind “”What are you arguing about with the
scribes?” Arguing with the scribes is
not surprising. They’ve been after Jesus since the start of his public
ministry. Their amazement at what he says and does turned into jealousy, envy
and hatred. When Jesus isn’t around to attack his disciples will do. Now
there’s another surprise. Jesus asks his disciples to explain what’s wrong, but
they don’t. Instead a man speaks up from the crowd, a man lost in the crowd.
But he was the reason for the verbal fist fight between defensive disciples and
offensive scribes. He was pushed away by their argument, as if his problem
doesn’t matter. Did he speak up only after a silence, because the Scribes
didn’t want to incriminate themselves or because the disciples were ashamed,
ashamed of a failure? Or was it because
the man couldn’t wait, so blurted out “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he
has a spirit that makes him mute.” This man brought his son to Jesus. Since
Jesus wasn’t there, he gave him into the disciples’ hands and they couldn’t
help. They were Jesus’ disciples, commissioned to preach good news, heal the
sick, cast out demons… except this one? Was that the argument, why not? Did the scribes say “What’s wrong with you,
why are you so weak?” The man who brought his boy said so. He implies the
ability to cast out demons depends on having enough strength… kind of like
having enough faith. He said the disciples “were not able,” literally “they had
not the strength.” What does that tell us about the man’s understanding of
faith?
Yet note this man brought his son to
Jesus. And the particular word used for “brought” implies he carried a heavy
weight. He brings his burden, a weight
carried for years, the constant watchfulness, the many rescues from drowning,
burning, from demonic attempts to utterly destroy the child. (As an aside, the
boy’s symptoms are similar to epilepsy, but the real cause of this youth’s
state is demonic, as shown by Jesus.) The devil aims to utterly destroy. The
man doesn’t just say “to destroy” but literally, “to super-destroy.” This is
the burden he brings to the super-amazing Jesus. The tormented son is seized
and torn without relief. Except for the love of his father who brings, bears,
carries him to Jesus, he would be lost. This whole incident is so intense - the
emotion, the cries, the amazement, the hot argument, the severe convulsions.
Then St. Mark shows the nature of the crowd when they hear the man’s cry. They
rush to see what will happen next. The event is not marked by a quiet faith.
And there’s Jesus, in the middle of the agitation, the dispute, the pressing
need, the rubber necking, exclaiming “O faithless generation!” He too is intense. And Jesus does not first
address the man. He indicts all in his hearing: scribes, disciples, crowd, man
and boy, “O faithless generation!” He
says “faithless generation” not just weak-faith. All are faithless, for instead
of trust, people act like be-headed chickens. The people act like panic
stricken New Yorkers in H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds.” And it is a war
between worlds. Where’s the faith, despite being super-amazed at Jesus, despite
all needing Jesus so very much.
Where’s the faith from this man who
says to Jesus “if you can, if you have mercy, if you will help?” Where’s your
faith, my faith, for in our troubles throughout life how often are we indicted?
Jesus describes every generation in saying “this generation.” It is our problem too, we who are born
without faith, and even with faith suffer what seems a perpetual adolescence.
When will we grow up in the faith? When will we have faith like a little child?
Does not the faith that believes all things receive all things? Yet Jesus does
not walk away after his outburst against our deficient race. Instead He speaks
the sweetest words, super-amazing words; words to make our hearts leap,
thoughts rise and confidence soar. Jesus says “How long am I to be with
you? How long am I to bear with you?” Are these words gospel sweetness? Are they
the answer to our faithlessness and to weak faith when needs press severely,
sometimes for years on end? How long is Jesus to be with us? What did Jesus
just say in the context of this passage? He spoke about his departure to the 12
and why He must go away. Soon after, Peter, James and John saw his
transfiguration, and were promised that after He goes away He shall never go
away. When Jesus went away to the cross, what did He accomplish so that He will
never go away? He rose, ascended, is ruling and interceding forever and for
whom? For you!
How long is He to bear with us? This
word for “bear” is very important. Like the word ‘to bring” it also means to
carry, to be laden, to lift up a burden. But this word is quite different than
the other word for “bear” in one respect. This “bear” is an Old Testament word.
It means to bring a sacrifice, offered at the temple. Now do you understand? How
long does Jesus bear with you? How far has He carried you? Did he carry you
into the sacrifice of His cross and hence into His resurrection? Did He forgive
your sin? Did He baptize you into His death and give you newness of life? Yes
indeed, confirmed by what Jesus next says, “Bring him to me.” Bring me this boy, the one a father carried
for years; bring him to Jesus who bears our sin. Bring him to Jesus although
hell breaks loose for a moment, tormenting, tearing, shaking, and convulsing
that tortured life, at Jesus’ feet. Jesus then acts like a doctor without
bedside manner, looking at a torn and bleeding patient and asks the bleeding heart
father, “How long has this been happening?” Jesus knows. But the man and the
crowd, the scribes and the disciples need hear what comes out of the man’s
heart, and what it is that Jesus will put into that troubled breast.
The man declares the demon’s intent of
super-destruction and cries out, “But if you can do anything, have compassion
on us and help us” … if you can, if you have ability, authority and power, if
you have compassion, if your bowels of mercy move at our plight, if you will
help. Did not Jesus just say “bring the
burden to me?” Have we already forgotten
the burden He is about to bear on Calgary
The man doubts God’s Son to His
omnipotent face after hearing the double promise, “How long shall I be with
you?” and “How long shall I bear with you?”
Jesus is with us. He bears us up.
That is why we bring our burdens to Jesus. But Jesus speaks a difficult
word, a law word: “All able for the believing.”
We know faith receives the gifts of the living God, but what if I am not
able? Or, is it true that Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith? Immediately the father of the child cried
out and said, “I believe; help my
unbelief!” Now we’re
getting somewhere. What a marvelous repentance and clear confession. Look how
Jesus moved this man from unbelief to faith, however weak the faith (and faith
however weak receives all). And look at what the man now comprehends about
faith. First, he confesses his unbelief… not as a verb, but a noun, a
condition, a state. He admits a
condition of unbelief, the sin of unbelief, the kind of unbelief that needs the
same kind of miracle as the father asks for his son. That demonic hold of
unbelief needs be broken; and Jesus, God’s Son, does that.
That’s why we baptize in Jesus’ name,
including an exorcism, words telling the devil to get lost, saying the baptized
now belongs to Jesus. Jesus heals our unbelief. That burden He carried to the
cross so that we might be joined to His death and to His life. (Read Romans
chapter 6 and Titus 3.) Jesus’ forgave the man’s unbelief, and now the man’s
confession of faith is a verb, a
verb that means “I now believe and continue to believe.” Hearing Jesus’ words, this man knows Jesus
can help, and that Jesus will help, despite his doubts. Then because the
thrill-seekers come running after hearing the man’s anguished cry, Jesus acts.
He casts out the demon. Some in the crowd say “the boy’s dead!” They did not
hear what Jesus taught about faith, did they?
St. Mark records, but Jesus took
him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. The boy is restored to the
father. In short, super-amazing Jesus showed up, stirred up faith and tosses
out evil. That’s what Jesus
accomplishes against all that would utterly-destroy us.
To emphasize this Mark points out
Jesus “took him” not like picking up a feather, but a word meaning Jesus took
by means of strength. Jesus has power. Jesus is able. Jesus is strong. Jesus
has faith. Jesus gives faith. So He lifted the youth up. Mark could have ended
the sentence there, but under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he adds more
for our faith. “And (the youth) arose.” He arose, Mark using a word of
resurrection, confirming the boy was set free from bondage, never to be
troubled again. That too is our future, the resurrection. This account ends in the privacy of a home,
Jesus with his disciples and their troubled question “Why could we not?” They
had cast out demons before in Jesus name.
It wasn’t about their strength; we’ve seen that in the text. It has to do
with the life of faith in the one who has enough strength. “This kind cannot be
driven out by anything but prayer” or “except by prayer.” Jesus does not mean
prayer is a human work, a militant forcing of God’s hand. That is not the life
of faith. The issue is, confronted by the demon did the disciples turn to
prayer, to Jesus, to plea however weak their faith, that Jesus bear and carry
that burden?” Such prayer acknowledges that the super-amazing, compassionate
Jesus helps.
So the prayers of the prophets and apostles
as recorded in Scripture indicate, as they called upon the Son, they were
answered. So we too pray, using the words God gave, such as the “our Father”
because He gave those words for faith’s confidence. The risen and ascended
Jesus bids you and me, “all things are possible for one who believes.” Bring
Jesus your burdens. The super-amazing, compassionate Jesus hears. Our strong
Jesus destroys the works of the devil and keeps us in the faith.
The peace of God which
passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord
(Amen)
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