Help Me in My Unbelief!

All right, well as we come to the word this morning, last Sunday just as a reminder we heard about what happened with Jesus up on the mountain.

! Witnessed by Peter, James, and John. They saw the glory of Jesus. They were enveloped by that bright cloud from which God spoke and gave testimony to his son.

And then Jesus ordered Peter, James, and John not to say anything about what they saw until after he had risen from the dead.

Well, the next day they made their way back down the mountain only to find that Jesus' disciples, the rest of them, other than Peter, James, and John, were surrounded by this great crowd of people.

We pick up the story in Luke chapter 9, verse 37.

Luke 9:37

The next day when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.

A man in the crowd called out,

Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.

A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams.

It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth.

It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.

I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.

Mark, in his gospel, actually gives the most detail about what happened here, including the moment when Jesus and the three who are with him first arrive.

Listen to how Mark tells us in Mark chapter 9, verse 14.

Mark 9:14

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.

As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

What are you arguing with them about?

Jesus asked.

And a man in the crowd answered,

Teacher, I brought you my son.

You can almost picture this.

There's this commotion happening in the crowd.

Jesus' other nine disciples are right in the middle of this.

And then the teachers of the law are there too.

And they're arguing with Jesus' disciples.

And then there's this one man here.

And all the people are standing around and kind of caught up in this moment.

And then all of a sudden, Jesus approaches with Peter, James, and John.

And this feeling of excitement just sweeps over all of them.

And they run to him.

And I can't help but wonder what they're thinking in this moment as Jesus arrives.

Perhaps for the nine disciples that Jesus had left behind,

you know, I imagine them feeling utterly relieved.

Like, oh, here comes Jesus.

He's going to sort all this out.

He always knows just what to say to the teachers of the law.

And he's going to know what to do about this man's son as well.

And then for the people, perhaps, look, there's Jesus.

Let's see what he has to say about all this.

Maybe he can help this man's son.

I don't know.

Maybe some of them even thought that Jesus might meet his match with this particular spirit.

The disciples couldn't do anything about it.

And then for this man, the father of the afflicted son.

You know, I imagine that he had this deep mixture of disappointment.

That these disciples of Jesus couldn't help.

But maybe there was also a spark of hope with Jesus' arrival that maybe he can do what his apprentices can't.

And Jesus walks up to his disciples.

At this point, as we just heard from Luke, the father comes before Jesus.

Matthew tells us that he actually knelt before Jesus.

And he begins to explain to Jesus what this is all about.

There's this spirit.

And it seizes my son.

And when it happens, he suddenly screams.

And the spirit throws him into convulsions.

And he foams at the mouth.

Mark includes even more details.

This spirit has robbed him of speech.

And when it seizes him, it throws him to the ground.

He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.

Also in Mark, a little bit later in the conversation,

the man, the father says,

it has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him.

The father says that this spirit scarcely ever leaves him.

And it's destroying him.

Some translations say it severely bruises him.

It's heart-wrenching even to think about this happening to a young boy.

One of the things that many have noticed here

is that some of the symptoms that this boy is experiencing

are the same as what people with epilepsy experience

when they have a seizure.

And I think we should just talk about that for a minute.

Matthew in his gospel actually uses the ancient term for epilepsy here.

Quite literally, he was moonstruck.

That was their word for it.

Moonstruck.

That's what we get the term lunatic from.

And back then, it's because they associated that behavior,

the seizures,

with sort of the transcendent powers of the moon

in their understanding of things.

So they had this very specific word to describe these symptoms.

And even today, we know that people with epilepsy

sometimes have grand mal seizures,

which leads to convulsions on the ground

and even foaming at the mouth.

And the foaming at the mouth

is caused by the clamping of the jaw muscles,

which makes it impossible to swallow normally.

And then the rapid breathing and the shaking

lead to saliva frothing or foaming in the mouth.

But we also notice that all three gospels

are quite clear that what this boy is experiencing

is caused by this evil spirit,

this demon.

Now that might make us wonder

if there's a connection between evil spirits

and certain disabilities

or health conditions.

As Mark says in his gospel,

the spirit also robbed him of his speech.

It made him mute.

And so naturally, we may wonder

how many severe disabilities or disorders

are caused by evil spirits.

And I think we need to be very careful here.

First, there's nothing here to say

that all mute people

or all people who have epilepsy

are possessed or demonized.

But second, there is evidence here

that demon possession can result

in severe bodily harm or disability.

So we don't want to deny the effects

of the spirit altogether

because it clearly can happen

and did in this boy's life.

Neither do we want to take it

to the other extreme

and assume that all or even most disabilities

are caused by evil spirits.

If we look at some of the other accounts

of evil spirits in the New Testament,

demon possession,

one thing that seems obvious

is that when a person is possessed

by an evil spirit,

they do seem to lose some measure of control

over their own bodies

to the spirit.

The spirit seems to be able

to make them do or say things

that they wouldn't otherwise do or say.

And so did this boy have epilepsy

or was it just the demon

having its way with him?

We don't know exactly.

Could it have been both?

One of the disturbing things mentioned here

that really points to the spirit

as an explanation for all this

is in Mark's gospel,

Mark 9.22,

where Mark tells us

what the father said,

it has often thrown him

into fire or water

to kill him.

So this is a deliberateness.

If he just had epilepsy,

you know,

we wouldn't see that.

But this is clearly

more than just epilepsy.

One of the worst things

I think though we can do

from this account

is to begin assuming

that most disabilities

or illnesses

that we see in people

are demon caused.

And then even worse,

to try and cast demons

out of people with disabilities

who aren't possessed.

Sadly, this has happened

far too often

by people

in the name of Christ.

There's more than one reason

why a person

may come to have

a serious illness

or disability.

And nowhere does Jesus teach

that it's always

an evil spirit.

Though we see an account

such as this

that it could be.

Well, after explaining

the boy's condition

to Jesus,

we hear the father

say these words

back in Luke 9 verse 40.

Luke 9:40

I begged your disciples

to drive it out,

but they could not.

And here's probably

where the argument

and the commotion began.

This raises questions

for us,

doesn't it?

Why couldn't the disciples

drive out the demon?

At the beginning

of this very chapter

in Luke 9,

the first verse,

we heard about

how Jesus gave

the twelve

power and authority

to drive out

all demons

and to cure diseases

and he sent them out.

And so what's going on here?

Why are they not

able to do

what they had been

able to do before?

Did Jesus just give them

power and authority

to do those things

for the duration

of that missions trip

and now that they've returned

they no longer have it?

I imagine the disciples

themselves being

somewhat baffled

and even embarrassed

by this.

Like it worked before.

Why isn't it working

this time?

I'm doing,

I'm saying the same

things I did before,

but it isn't working.

How come it isn't working?

And the teachers

of the law

are probably

all over this.

Finally,

something that has

Jesus' name on it

that seems to have failed.

And then the father.

Did he feel

just deeply

disappointed

and disillusioned

that they couldn't

drive it out?

Well,

most of these questions

aren't really answered here,

but we do get

some ideas

and some hints

as things unfold.

At this point,

Jesus says something

quite unexpected.

You unbelieving

and perverse generation,

Jesus replied.

How long

shall I stay

with you

and put up

with you?

Bring your son

here.

That's not

what we're used

to hearing

from Jesus

in moments

like this.

Jesus usually

seems to meet

this kind

of human desperation

with compassion

and tenderness.

But instead,

Jesus seems

to rebuke

everyone

with a tone

of frustration.

I imagine

different ones

in the audience,

the crowd,

the disciples,

the man,

all wondering,

is he talking

about me?

Is it because

we couldn't

cast out the demon?

Who is this

pointed at,

these words?

Well,

in Jesus'

own words,

he points

it at this

generation,

which seems

to include

all of them.

He says

they are

unbelieving

and perverse.

Now,

nowadays,

perverse

has taken

on more

of the meaning

of sexual

impropriety.

Jesus is not

talking about

that,

but about

general

depravity,

corruptness,

twistedness

of the people.

And this

is a lament.

There's a sense

of holy

frustration here

as Jesus,

the very

Son of God,

comes face

to face

with people

who are just

bent away

from God

and who

utterly lack

faith in him.

And this

lack of faith,

as we'll see

in a moment,

is present

both in

Jesus'

disciples

and in

the father

of this

boy.

So,

Jesus summons

the boy

and as the

boy is coming,

the demon

inside of him

does what

it has often

done.

Back in

Luke 9,

Luke 9:42

verse 42,

even while

the boy

was coming,

the demon

threw him

to the ground

in a

convulsion.

Or if we

flip over to

Mark and

read it from

his words,

so they

brought the

boy to

him.

When the

spirit saw

Jesus,

it immediately

threw the

boy into

a convulsion.

He fell to

the ground

and rolled

around,

foaming at

the mouth.

Jesus

asked the

boy's father,

how long

has he been

like this?

from

childhood,

he answered.

It has

often thrown

him into

fire or

water to

kill him.

But if

you can do

anything,

take pity

on us

and help

us.

If you

can,

said Jesus,

everything

is possible

for one

who believes.

God

is

so right

here we

see that

there is

the lack

of faith,

there is a

faith struggle

of some

kind in

the boy's

father.

I mean,

we might

blame the

disciples who

tried to

cast it

out earlier

and failed

for his

doubt,

but at the

end of the

day,

his faith

needed to

be in

Jesus.

It needed

to be in

God.

And he

does express

a lack

of faith

as to

whether

Jesus is

able to

do anything

for his

son.

And Jesus

basically says,

of course it

can happen

for anyone

who believes.

Everything

is possible

for one

who believes.

And then we

come to these

favorite words

of mine in

Mark's

gospel.

Immediately

the boy's

father exclaimed,

I do

believe.

Help me

overcome

my unbelief.

I do

believe.

Help me

overcome

my

unbelief.

Sometimes

we recognize

our own

lack of

faith,

but we

feel

powerless

to remedy

it.

We believe

to some

degree,

but what

can we do

about the

doubt that's

still there

in our

heart?

what can

we do

except cry

out to

Jesus

for help

to believe

as we

ought to

with a

full faith?

I'm

convinced

that this

is one

of those

prayers

that God

loves to

hear.

do you

struggle to

believe?

Or to

take Jesus

at his

word?

These

words,

I think,

are for

us in

those

moments.

Jesus,

I do

believe.

Help me

overcome

my

unbelief.

sometimes

all we

see is

the grim

and

seemingly

hopeless

realities

of sin

and

brokenness

all around

us.

We see

it in

the lives

of the

people we

love.

We see

it in

our

community,

in our

country,

in our

world,

and it's

overwhelming.

And we

lose sight

of God

and his

goodness

and his

power.

Well,

when Jesus

saw that a

crowd was

running to

the scene,

he rebuked

the impure

spirit.

You deaf

and mute

spirit,

he said,

I command

you,

come out

of him

and never

enter him

again.

The

spirit

shrieked,

convulsed

him violently,

and came

out.

The boy

looked so

much like a

corpse that

many said,

he's dead.

But Jesus

took him

by the

hand and

lifted him

to his

feet,

and he

stood up.

If we go

back to

Luke's

gospel,

we read

that Jesus

rebuked the

impure spirit,

healed the

boy,

and gave

him back

to his

father.

father.

And they

were all

amazed at

the

greatness

of God.

There was

an

astonishment

that just

swept over

all of

them.

They had

just

witnessed

something

of the

majesty,

of the

awesomeness

of God.

His

power was

unleashed

when Jesus

spoke.

And this

deeply

entrenched

and stubborn

spirit came

out at the

command of

Jesus like

it had no

choice in

the matter.

One minute

this poor

boy was

writhing on

the ground

in pain,

and the

next moment

he was

back to

normal,

as good

as new,

standing

with his

dad.

Amazing.

Well,

Luke doesn't

mention this

in his

gospel,

but Matthew

and Mark

do.

Later,

after this

is over,

the disciples

asked Jesus

privately about

why they

couldn't cast

out the

demon.

Matthew 17

Matthew 17:19

verse 19.

Then the

disciples came

to Jesus in

private and

asked,

why couldn't

we drive

it out?

Jesus replied,

because you

have so

little faith.

Truly,

I tell you,

if you have

faith as

small as a

mustard seed,

you can say

to this

mountain,

move from

here to

there,

and it

will move.

Nothing will

be impossible

for you.

I bring in

this part of

Matthew because

it answers that

question we

asked earlier

about why

they couldn't

cast it

out.

And it

seems it

wasn't because

they didn't

have the

authority and

power to

do it,

but because

they lacked

faith.

because you

have so

little faith,

said Jesus.

Were they

trying to

invoke the

name of

Jesus to

cast the

spirit out,

but at the

same time

not inwardly

believing that

it would

work?

There was a

lack of

faith in

these disciples

of Jesus.

and I

think it's

a lesson

for us

as well.

Not that

we've all

been given

power and

authority to

heal and

cast out

demons,

but how

often do we

invoke the

name of

Jesus and

claim the

name of

Jesus and

yet don't

really believe

and have

faith in

him as we

should?

God.

Maybe we're

coming at

an issue

or problem

in our

lives with

everything that

we've got at

our disposal

except we're

just not

really trusting

God or

looking to

him for

the solution.

We're

meeting it

with our

own strength

and our

own resources,

everything we

have, but

deep down

are we

doubting that

God would

really care

to intervene?

They

couldn't

cast it

out because

they lacked

faith.

And then if

we flip over

to Mark's

account, we

read a little

bit more

about this,

Mark 9,

28.

After Jesus

had gone

indoors,

his disciples

asked him

privately,

why couldn't

we drive it

out?

He replied,

this kind

can come

out only

by prayer.

Now, there's

lots of

discussion about

this answer.

Is Jesus

saying that

there's

different

kinds of

demons,

some stronger

or more

resistant than

others.

Some of the

disciples can

simply cast

out with

their words

like Jesus

did and

others that

require prayer.

A lot of

people have

proposed all

kinds of

things from

these words

and some

things are

more wild

than others.

But a lot

of this is

just speculation

and guessing.

I think the

most important

part of this

statement of

Jesus that we

don't want to

miss is that

prayer is

required to

drive demons

out.

And this

says even

more about

where the

disciples failed

in the first

place,

doesn't it?

Did they

not pray and

ask God to

remove it?

They invoked

the name of

Jesus, it

seems, but

not in a

prayerful

dependence on

God kind

of way.

how often

do we do

the same

thing?

Do we go

through the

motions,

say the

words,

but is

our heart

actually

engaged?

Are we

really looking

to God

and talking

to God,

asking for

His help

because we

know we

need it

in a

situation?

are we

believing that

He has

what we

need to

deal with

what He's

put before

us?

I find

myself

convicted,

as I read

all this,

of my own

unbelief and

lack of

faith,

of my own

forgetfulness

to pray and

to talk to

God about the

things in front

of me.

how often

do I worry

about things

and forget?

How often

do I look at

my own

troubles as

insurmountable

until I'm

past them?

How often

do I look at

the lives of

people I love

and resign

myself that

there's not

likely to be

a breakthrough

or change

for them?

Maybe I've

prayed for them

in the past,

but is there

any point to

praying for

them again?

about the

same thing?

That's why

these words

of the

Father and

Mark are

so precious

to me.

I believe.

Help me

overcome my

unbelief.

I can't think

of a better

response to

all of this

than that

prayer.

So let's

pray it

together.

Father in

heaven,

Holy Spirit,

God,

we

forgive us

our

Lord.

Would you

forgive us

for our

lack of

faith,

all the

ways it

shows up

in our

lives

this past

week.

Forgive us

for the

unbelief in

our hearts.

We believe,

God,

we thank you

for the

love.

Help us in

our

unbelief.

Help us with

our doubts.

grace.

We thank you

for another

glimpse of

your greatness

and your

awesome power

and your

love here in

these words.

And we thank

you that your

name and

your power

is unrivaled.

We ask that

you would

increase our

faith,

Lord.

Refine it.

Make it

grow.

And we want

that for your

praise and

your glory.

Amen.