"i Do Believe; Help Me Overcome My Unbelief!"

“I DO BELIEVE; HELP ME OVERCOME MY UNBELIEF!”

Mark 9:14-29

Today we'll be looking at the story of Jesus casting an evil spirit out of a man's son. The sermon title is what the man said to Jesus after he was questioned about whether or not he believed Jesus could help his son. Although this statement sounds like an oxy-moron, it makes perfect sense. If we're honest with ourselves, we could say the same thing. We believe, but sometimes we find ourselves struggling with unbelief.

1) Unbelieving Generation.

Mark 9:14-19, "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.”

“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

Before this, Jesus had taken Peter, James and John up on the mountain where Jesus transfigured to his glorious state. When they came down, they encountered the scene of the other disciples trying to cast out the possessed boy. A crowd had gathered as well as the teachers of the law. Then an argument ensued.

When the people see Jesus they were overwhelmed with wonder. Why? It is suggested that as Moses came down from the Mount with his face beholding the glory of the Lord, Jesus may have still had the remnants of his glorified state about him so as to cause wonder, excitement and even fear, as some manuscripts put it.

Jesus asks what the argument was about. The teachers didn't answer, the disciples didn't answer, the crowd didn't answer, it was the boy's father that responded. The scribes probably didn't want to get into it with Jesus for risk of being put in their place and the disciples may have kept quiet because they were embarrassed over their unsuccessful attempt at driving the evil spirit out.

So the father spoke up and explained the situation. He may have felt bad that it was his situation that started the whole thing.

But what was the argument about? We don't know exactly but it's assumed that the teachers of the law were ridiculing the disciples for their failed attempt and they pounced on the opportunity to go after them about it. Then the crowd chimed in.

We see that the father was bringing the boy to Jesus, but since Jesus wasn't there, he either asked the disciples if they could do it or they just offered to. I don't think their attitude was, 'sure, we'll give it a shot' because later they ask Jesus why they couldn't do it, signifying that they felt they should've been able to and were somewhat surprised when they couldn't. There's a reason for that.

In Mark 3 when Jesus chose his Apostles, vs. 15 talks about them being given the authority to drive out demons. And in Mark 6, we see Jesus sending the twelve out to preach and drive out evil spirits. So it makes sense that they felt they should've been able to help this father and son.

Jesus' response is interesting. "Unbelieving generation". Who exactly is Jesus referring to here? The teachers of the law? The disciples? The crowd? The father? All of the above? It's hard to say, exactly but it makes sense that at least the teachers of the law were included. They were the most antagonistic ones of the bunch. They would be the ones who should've believed but refused to see the truth.

We see Jesus getting a little frustrated here, asking how long should he stick around and put up with them. The 'them' could very well include the crowd as well. John 12:37, “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him”.

This was said after Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the crowds had asked him questions and then he withdrew from them. So John 12:37 could easily include the teachers of the law and the crowd. But regardless, Jesus was disheartened by the unbelief that surrounded him. After all the miracles, after all the proof that validated that Jesus is the Messiah, people still refused to believe.

Times haven't changed much, have they? The ability to come out of darkness and into the light is an ever-present reality and the evidence is all around but so many people refuse to believe in Jesus as the Savior who came into the world to save mankind. As we look around we can easily see that we are living in an unbelieving generation.