Mark 9:14-26, 28-29 NIV
“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?” he asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought 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.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 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.”
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.”
What a contrast between the scene on the mountain and the upheaval in the valley! Three disciples exposed to the glory of Jesus and nine disciples struggling with a stubbornly resistant demon!
This debacle had drawn a crowd…as usual the ever-present, contentious religious leaders, an inquisitive bunch of onlookers, and nine disciples wrestling with a particularly obnoxious demon!
Jesus walked into the situation…ever the Lord of every impossibility. The distraught father of a demon-possessed boy immediately transferred his plea to Jesus, while the impotent disciples hung back because they had no answer to this dilemma.
Jesus was incensed… angry, frustrated! His diagnosis of the situation hit the mark.
“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?”
To whom was He talking? Who were the unbelieving people with whom He had issues? Not the Pharisees or the crowd… they had no connection with Him. It could only have been the nine disciples who could not budge the demon.
What was the real issue! No faith! Not just little faith. Faith as small as a mustard seed, as tiny as a grain of salt, would have done the job. No faith meant only one thing…they were relying on their own efforts to dispatch the demon. Faith always has an object, ourselves or someone else.
A “post mortem” of the event cleared up the mystery for the disciples.
“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.”
Some versions add “and fasting”, but the main issue is, “What place does prayer have in casting out demons or, in fact, any intervention of God in any situation?”
Jesus put His finger on the answer. Prayer is the only way to establish the connection with God called faith. First, through prayer, we learn our true place in this relationship between God and ourselves. He is God! We are not! Anything we say or anticipate outside of our place of absolute nothingness at His feet is pure impertinence, insolence!
Second, our nothingness before God should lead us to recognise our utter dependence on Him for, and in everything.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NIV
He is the sole object of our faith. The source of this conviction is found in His word.
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
Romans 10:17 NIV
So, prayer is essentially, first and foremost, not as we have been led to believe…that prayer is getting answers from God. Prayer is undressing ourselves before God, layer by layer, until we know who we are so that we can learn who He is. It is the application of God’s word that renews our minds, replacing false notions about ourselves and God with truth. Faith is, intended, establishing, once and for all, who has the final authority.
Many have been taught that “taking authority over” demonic spirits is the way to exercise authority, to cast out demons, to get anything done. Wrong! Rather, authority only becomes real when we take our place before God in true humility. He can entrust authority only to those who have such confidence in His authority that they act in tandem with Him.
Through prayer, we cement the conviction that Jesus is who He is and that He will do what He says He will do and what we expect Him to do because He has all authority and He is utterly faithful to His word.
It took a Gentile to define for us the nature of true faith.
“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”
Matthew 8:5, 7-10 NIV
Authority and faith! Did you get that? If our faith is not firmly founded on the authority of Jesus, it is not faith but presumption.
Now, His commission makes sense…if we have absolute confidence in His authority.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.””