Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

And when he came to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to him, greeted him. And he asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not." He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me." Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He had come into the house, his disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" So he said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

- Mark 9:14-29

Mark's gospel has shown us recently in a number of different passages that the disciples are far from perfect, in terms of being students of Christ and understanding all that he has to teach them. In Wednesday's reading, for example, the disciples fail to understand Jesus' reference to "the leaven of the Pharisees" because they can't seem to understand two miracles of feeding the multitudes. In that passage, Jesus' exasperation is very clear. In Thursday's reading, we read of Jesus telling Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!" because of Peter's rebuke to Christ after Jesus told his disciples of his future rejection by the elders, chief priests and scribes, the contempt Jesus will be shown, that he will be killed, and also of his resurrection. Still later, in yesterday's reading, we are told that they do not understand what rising from the dead means. So, we have had a picture, through the gospel readings, of the disciples following along, but understanding not much, seemingly, of what they are being told by Christ, and what is being revealed to them.

And when he came to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to him, greeted him. And he asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" My study bible points out that Jesus, here, is very faithful to his own. He doesn't ask his disciples, but rather the scribes. It is the scribes who must answer. Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not." This child somehow reminds us of the young man who lived among the tombs, possessed by a legion of spirits. This spirit is destructive to the boy. He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me." There is a great deal in this passage having to do with faith and faithlessness. First, Jesus is loyal, faithful, to his disciples when he makes the scribes answer about the discussion. And now, here, we see another indication of Jesus' seeming impatience, exasperation. In a sense, it seems surprising to him the lack of faith he finds, given all that has already taken place. "How long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?" is a sad hint, given that Jesus has just revealed that he will be rejected and killed, and we hear these questions knowing what is going to happen. My study bible notes that "faithless generation" is said of all, including the father of the child and Jesus' disciples.

Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Again, there is the picture of the highly destructive spirit that possesses this boy, and the desperation of the father who desires help for his child. "Have compassion on us" is a reflection of Jesus' words at the feeding of the multitudes, that he had compassion on them. This man knows Jesus well enough to ask for his compassion and help. But he also says, "if you can do anything." My study bible notes that this phrase is prompted by the inability of the disciples to cast out the demon. It notes: "What Christ's disciples can or cannot do reflects on the Lord Himself."

Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" The father's response to Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" is one of the most profound passages in all of the gospels. In some ways, I'd like to say, this is a reflection of all of us. Well, I cannot speak for everyone, so I will say that it hits home for me. It doesn't matter how far I've gone in this faith journey, I always need to add, "Help my unbelief!" But again, we go back to faith, the issue of faith. Jesus goes directly back to this appeal of belief, trust, faith -- just as he asked in frustration before, "How long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?" after using the words, "faithless generation." My study bible here has a very helpful note, which I will repeat: "The presence of doubt does not imply the absence of faith. Christ honors whatever faith we have and will increase faith when we sincerely desire him." I think it is important to understand that Grace also demands of us our own response to it, our own "work" in affirming that faith and saying "yes," and desiring more. Elsewhere, Jesus has said, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. Jesus' power is immediate and potent. Even though the boy is "as one dead," Jesus can take him by the hand and lift him up. It is a kind of foreshadowing of the Resurrection, which the disciples have been told about, but don't yet understand.

And when He had come into the house, his disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" So he said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." Again, the disciples' teaching and discipline comes in private, as a kind of loyalty, of faith, to them, just as Peter's rebuke was also in private. Many ancient manuscripts do not include "and fasting." My study bible notes that it is, however, appropriate, as "both are essential expressions of the life of faith." And it is in this light that we must see Jesus' answer. I think of it in terms of the quotation I noted from John's gospel: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." But belief comes through our cultivation of this life of faith and its expression, such as via prayer and fasting and whatever else we do to cultivate faith, and renew and invigorate our relationship to God, to Christ.

So, we have a great mission here ourselves, along with the disciples. Our job is to cultivate our faith, to do what we can to shore it up, deepen it, build it. "Faith" we remember, is from a Greek word that means much more than an intellectual assent to a set of propositions. "Faith" implies trust as much as anything else. It is just the same as shoring up a relationship with another person, although this is a relationship with a Divine Person. We cultivate and express that faith in the ways that we can. We work at it, through prayer, or services, or whatever of the many, many ways in which we can express that faith by asking to share more deeply in this relationship, and affirming our commitment to it. As my study bible noted, "The presence of doubt does not imply the absence of faith. Christ honors whatever faith we have and will increase faith when we sincerely desire him." Our cultivation and commitment to that faith is met on our part by our "work" at this relationship: prayer, worship, fasting, or whatever form this "work" takes for you. But our effort is also necessary. At least, this is what this passage says to me. We must do our part to come to Christ in relationship, to open the door to faith and Grace. This Lent, we have forty days to work at it, just as in the example our Lord first set for us when He prayed, fasted and was tempted in the wilderness just at the beginning of his public ministry. In today's passage, there are sad hints of the end that is to come. He has warned his disciples, who do not completely understand, and he asks the question, "How long shall I be with you?" At the coming of Pentecost, the disciples would understand much that they do not understand in these Gospels. But we are to understand the importance of the cultivation of our own faith and trust, of this deeply essential relationship and its growth in us. What do you do today to build that time with Him in your life, and the faith and trust He wishes of us?