The Power Of Faith
THE POWER OF FAITH
MARK 9:14-29
Even our great faith can contain unbelief.
We are back again in the world of human need where there are no more visions to sustain men, and they must live by faith rather than by sight. The Jesus who was revealed as the Son of God on the mountain top is now to be seen as the Son of God with power to heal and save.
The story apparently takes place in Galilee, for the scribes are said to have been disputing with the disciples. We never learn what they were arguing about: clearly it cannot have been very important! When Jesus reappeared, the people were greatly amazed. This has sometimes been taken to mean that heavenly glory still clung to him (cf. Exodus 34:35), but it is more likely that they were simply surprised by his sudden return, especially at a moment when his presence was urgently needed. A man had brought his son, suffering from a demoniac attack associated with epilepsy, to the disciples, and they had been unable to cure him despite the commission in 6:7. Jesus reproached the people for their lack of faith in words modelled on Deuteronomy 32:5, and spoke directly to the father who sought his help with the words, “if you can help, save us.” Jesus at once seized on his word: “You say, ‘If you can’? All things can be done by the one who believes.” The answer evoked the noble response of the man in which he confessed his weak faith and sought the help that Jesus is ready to give those who find it hard to believe. Thereupon the boy was healed.
Preachers often handle this story in terms of the mountain top and valley experiences of life. Surely, however, the primary point in the story is faith in Jesus. Jesus reproached the whole company present for their lack of faith. He instantly responded to the appeal of a man who sought his help. When the disciples asked why they had failed, he replied that prayer, which is the spoken expression of faith and the active appeal for faith to God, was the one essential. (The addition “and fasting” in some manuscripts is probably not original.)
This is the lesson of this story. Mountains and valleys, the visible presence and absence of the Lord—these should be of no account. Faith is what matters. And where faith is weak, Jesus will draw near and help those who call upon him.