The Life of Christ

With the young child rolling on the ground and foaming at the mouth, Jesus didn’t seem a bit nervous; instead, in a matter-of-fact tone He simply asks, “How long has this been happening to him?” Mk. 9:24 “And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can!’ All things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and began saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

This man suffered from the condition of a double heart.

• One side of his heart had the faith that moved him to bring his son to the apostles; the other side of his heart questions if he would be delivered, especially since the disciples had already failed in their attempt.

• This same condition often characterizes our own heart when it comes to specific challenges of faith.

• To announce his unbelief was to confess his sin; Jesus accepted his honesty and refused to allow his unbelief to disqualify his son from the miracle.

• In Acts 12:15 the early church demonstrated how to overcome a double-heart — still pray even though you have reason not to! They had prayed for James’ deliverance the night before, but to no avail. Yet they still gathered to pray for Peter, assuming the same would happen to him.

• Ps. 86:11 reads, “ Unite my heart to fear your name.”

Mk. 9:25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it,

When Jesus heard of the crowd gathering, He quickly cast out the demon before they arrived.

• He did not want this to become a spectacle and dilute the faith necessary to cast out this demon.

Mk. 9:25 “You deaf and dumb spirit,”

The boy was deaf in addition to being dumb; this was revealed to Jesus through the gift of discernment.

Mk. 9:25 “I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.”

This statement confirms the demon’s ability to reenter the person if there is no change of lifestyle (Mt. 12:45).

Mk. 9:26-27 And after crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.

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