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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
Yesterday, we read that after six days had passed since Peter's confession of faith and Jesus' prophesy of His Passion and death (see Thursday's reading), Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."
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?" It's interesting that Jesus steps in for His disciples. He asks the scribes what they are discussing; His own disciples He will speak to in private.
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." O faithless generation seems to be a general statement that reflects a lot of what we've read in the Gospel, as Jesus confronts the lack of faith He finds. The failure to heal this man's son may be one sign of that. The one thing we can see very well is the deep concern this father has for his son, who is severely oppressed by his affliction.
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!" Once again, as we have seen before, Jesus has drawn the boy away from the "faithless" crowd ("Bring him to Me," above). Again there is the emphasis on faith, as the father asks for compassion, and tells Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" What does it mean to start with a little faith?
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. The people come running together, but Jesus heals the boy. There is some indication it was a terrible kind of oppression, as the boy becomes as one dead. Once again Jesus uses touch to lift up the one He has healed, giving us several similarities in today's reading with the healing of Jairus' daughter.
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." Jesus waits until they have privacy before He speaks with His disciples. They don't include James, John, and Peter because these three (who form "the pillars" of faith consistently in the Gospels) were on the high mountain with Him (at the Transfiguration). My study bible says that "this kind refers to all powers of darkness, not those that cause a particular illness." Faith, prayer, and fasting have been traditionally taught in the Church as means by which spiritual healing is possible. Fasting may not be common to many today, but it is a traditional discipline which helps teach discernment and awareness, and applies to far more than food. We also fast by watching the words that come out of our mouths such as, for example, gossip and backbiting.
What gives us spiritual discipline? If faith is the basic ingredient for our lives, the one thing that Christ is seeking, what shores up faith? What helps our faith? Jesus speaks in today's reading about the disciplines of prayer and fasting. Surely these are meant to keep us on the right track, to shore up our faith and give it strength and endurance. I find there are many ways of practicing prayer. For every corner of the Church there is certainly a prayer method. Orthodox Christians traditionally have icon corners in their homes, which becomes a place like an altar at which to practice daily prayer, such as prayers of the hours. Many teachers of prayer from varied backgrounds teach about the helpfulness of having a designated place for prayer, be that in a private corner of a room, a particular chair or desk, or at a particular time. It's important also to find privacy, as our Lord teaches as well (see Matthew 6:5-13). Many suggest that one must find a quiet time and place: turn the ringer off on the telephone, shut the door, dim the lights if it helps. Anything that helps us focus and concentrate on this essential practice and dialogue with the Lord is going to help us in our own spiritual state of being. I consider prayer as essential as any other nutrient, food, or clean air to breathe. There is just so much that it does for us. Fasting is another discipline to consider. It does not mean simply following a set of rules like a diet! Fasting is designed to give us discipline and discernment, the power to say no to the things we know aren't really good for us, and it is meant to extend to the spiritual life. We watch not just what goes into our mouths but what comes out of our mouths -- again, as our Lord has so strongly taught and encouraged (see There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man). Jesus has also likened name calling to the prohibition in the Law against murder (see Matthew 5:21-26). John Chrysostom has given a famous collection of sermons (Homilies on the Statues), given during Lent in a period after the people of Antioch had participated in riots during which statues of the Emperor and his family were mutilated. Their bishop had traveled to plead for clemency from the Emperor in Constantinople. As the people awaited the reply, Chrysostom preached faith, prayer, and fasting -- against fear and their desire to flee. On fasting he taught about simplicity and reduction of vanity: make meals simple for awhile, he taught. Give the big productions designed to impress others a rest, he taught to those wealthy in the church: the servants, the fancy plates and dishes, the spitting fire, the grease, the expensive exotic foods. Let it go for awhile. He preached against the excess of show in fine homes. Stay away, he taught, from all the gaudy pursuits of the day. And he forbade them from swearing oaths. We might find this a bit quaint in our time, but if you think about it the swearing of an oath is a kind of vanity that tests the quality of our faith. Shouldn't our "yes" mean "yes" and our "no," "no"? (See Matthew 5:33-37.) The quality and honesty of our speech drains out the extraneous, leaves out temptations, keeps us from trouble, and gives us the kind of purity that is meant to be aimed for when one speaks of purity of the heart -- an honesty that is true from the depths of us. All of these are ways of fasting, ways to develop the integrity Christ calls us to. This Lent, let us consider what it means to live a life of faith, prayer, and fasting. You never know where it might lead you, nor what it may help you to conquer.
