This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting

 

 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 (following St. Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ) 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 wishes, 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?"  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.  My study Bible comments that Christ rebukes the man for placing blame on the disciples when it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.  In effect, it says, Jesus defends His disciples in front of the multitudes, but later teaches them privately what they lack.

 

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!"  My study Bible comments that sickness in Scripture is often connected to demonic activity.  This father shows humility before Christ, but he lacks 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.  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."   Let us note that these disciples who could not cast out the demon are the nine who remained behind while Jesus took "the pillars" of the faith -- Peter, James, and John (Galatians 2:9) -- to the mount of Transfiguration.  Importantly, while the father of the child lacked faith, these disciples also are given a teaching about strengthening the power of their faith through prayer and fasting.  Note that Jesus corrects them first in private, teaching us that we should do the same.

 

 Once again in St. Mark's Gospel, we encounter a person afflicted with a mute spirit.  The first time we encountered a similar affliction, it followed immediately upon the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman who repeatedly begged Christ to cast a demon out of her daughter (see this reading).  There we could compare the repeated asking by this woman, and her clever and articulate retort for which she received the healing for her daughter, with the affliction of the man who was both deaf and had a speech impediment.  The means by which she could reveal faith and humility to Christ was not available to that man, whose friends asked for help for him instead.  Here we have a father pleading on behalf of his child, who seems to be afflicted with epilepsy, or at any rate the father describes repeated episodes of dangerous seizures.  This spirit is also called by Christ in His exorcism a "deaf and dumb spirit."  So, not for the first time, we note that this affliction seems particularly cruel, in that it somehow inhibits the deeper relationship with Christ.  The spirit itself is described as particularly malicious, casting the boy into the fire and also water (as described by his father).  So, if we understand these afflictions as those hindering faith, and most importantly, communion with Jesus Christ, we may look at the activities of the demonic as those which oppose faith so that human beings may be deprived of the healing relationship with their Creator and Savior.  This is the traditional perspective of the Church regarding the forces of evil and their origin; that the fallen spirits seek to hinder human beings from entering the Kingdom as "sons of God" by adoption, and therefore "sons of light," and taking the places they once enjoyed.  So, with this point of view in mind, let us consider Christ's teaching in private to the disciples who are mystified as to why they could not cast out this particularly malicious and difficult unclean spirit.  His response is to teach them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."   It teaches us something important about the practices of our faith, which are meant to help our own "unbelief."  In this instruction, Jesus also gives us a sense of the power behind our faith practices, and their importance -- seen and unseen -- in the spiritual battleground of this world.  When we put deep and regular effort into such practices, we are engaging in this battle, joining into Christ's effort of salvation for our communities and our world.  So let us do so and not be discouraged or deterred, for it is Christ Himself who teaches us that this is the way to participate in His mission of salvation for the life of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes

 

 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 (following Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ) 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?"  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."  My study Bible says of today's passage that sickness in Scripture is often connected to demonic activity.  

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.  The key issue in today's reading is faith, and our struggle with it.  Clearly there are degrees of faith, as shown in varied places in the Gospels, but also here in an explicit way.  Jesus laments this "faithless generation" which would seem to include all the people.  We should remember that Jesus has come down from the Mount of the Transfiguration where He was with Peter, James, and John.  So the disciples who could not cast out the demon were the other nine.  Let's note also that this is the center of a dispute, where the scribes are also critically eyeing what happens with Christ's disciples, and the boy's father is also struggling with his faith, as evidenced by his plea with Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

 

 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 key to this passage is faith, and the levels of faith within each person.  Prayer and fasting are two things that help to shore up and to build faith.  St. Jerome comments on this passage, "The Lord himself consecrated his baptism by a forty days’ fast, and taught us that the more violent devils cannot be overcome except by prayer and fasting."

 

 In St. Jerome's commentary (quoted above), he recognizes the particular violence of these "devils" who often throw the child into fire and water, to destroy him, in the words of the father.  So we can read a correlation between the particular malice of these demonic spirits and the strength of faith required to combat them.  There is another commentary on this passage by a very early Church Father, called Minucius Felix, who writes, "These spirits therefore, having lost the simplicity of their created being and the primitive fineness of their nature, are now clogged and laden with iniquity. Utterly undone themselves, they make it their whole business to undo others, for companions in misery. Being depraved themselves, they would infuse the same depravity into others.… When we command them by the one true God, the wretches, bitterly against their will, fall into horrible shiverings, and either spring straightaway from the bodies they possess, or vanish by degrees, according to the faith of the patient or the grace of the physician."  In other words, he sees the viciousness of these demons as corresponding to their own fall and misery.  At the same time, we must see that it is faith that uplifts, and again the strength of the faith of the disciples (and of course, Christ Himself) makes the difference.  But clearly, through Christ's words directed at the disciples, we must understand that while faith is a gift, it is one that asks for and responds to our cooperation, and our own efforts to shore it up, through acts such as prayer and fasting.  Our dedication to Christ makes a difference, even our willingness to sacrifice for it through efforts such as these, giving our time, energy, work, and devotion.  This is why regular attendance of worship, and practices in the home, remain important to us and always have been a part of Church practice, and community practices.  We as faithful have a kind of honor to participate in these ways, and be a part of Christ's life and mission by so doing in whatever way that we can.  As today's reading demonstrates, and particularly the words of this Church Father teach us, it is the strength of our faith that makes a difference in terms of combating the effects of the malicious spirits in the "unseen warfare" that goes on around us all the time.  While these things always remain somehow mysterious to us, let us focus especially on the mystery and power of faith.  We've already seen Christ taking those who would be healed outside of a town where belief or faith was little to nonexistent, and in this we observe the importance of faith to healing.  In the healing of Jairus' daughter, He brought in with Him only Peter, James, and John (together with her parents) and put outside all those who ridiculed His statement that the child wasn't dead.  What we need to think about today, and for ourselves, is the power of faith in our own lives, and what difference it might make that we also participate in the things that Christ here indicates may strengthen it.  If faith makes such a difference in terms of the malice of the demons, then imagine how our own communities and environments are influenced in subtle and perhaps not-so-subtle ways in accordance with our faith.  In our own homes we might venerate icons (as in Orthodox Christian practice but shared between denominations), practice regular prayer of various kinds, and follow traditional fasting practices as well, in addition to our worship tradition on Sundays and other days services are offered.  There are many ways in which we can "work the work of faith" (John 6:28-29) and help to build up faith through our capacity to receive it.  St. Augustine comments, "So then in order that we may pray, let us believe, and let us pray that this same faith by which we pray may not falter."  Faith and prayer, then, go hand in hand.  Jesus teaches in today's reading, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."   In this sense, faith becomes the bedrock of the lives we wish to lead, and where we go in life, what we build in our lives and communities.  Without it, where do we go, and what do we do?  St. Paul writes, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  All the Gospels, and the mission of Jesus Christ, continually teach us this sacred blessing of faith, and its growth and fullness within us, and how essential it is to our lives in so many ways.  Let us do as He teaches.

 

 

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 

 

Yesterday we read that, after six days following Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, 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?"  Let us remember that Jesus has just come down from the high mountain to which He had taken Peter, James, and John, and where they experienced the Transfiguration (see yesterday's reading, above).  Jesus' first impulse is to intervene on behalf of His disciples, who are being questioned by the scribes in some sort of dispute which has drawn a crowd.  Jesus intervenes by asking the scribes directly, "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."  There seem to be several things going on in this reading, and several elements we should notice.  First of all, Christ has just returned from the Mount of Transfiguration.  So when He encounters the man and the crowd, He remains some ways away -- thus they brought him [the man's son] to Him.  Again, as in so many recent readings, the real substance of today's passage is about faith.  Jesus stays somewhat separate from the crowd for this reason, we may assume, as has been a pattern established in other readings.  This is a way of shoring up the faith of those seeking healing, and protecting it.  Note that Christ's command rebuking the spirit to "come out of him and enter him no more!" comes just as the people came running together.  But the substance of the story is all about faith.  When Jesus says, ""O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?" He is essentially rebuking this father for blaming the disciples, when, according to my study Bible, it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.  But, in effect, Jesus also teaches the disciples to build up their faith as well, through prayer and fasting.  In effect, my study Bible notes, Jesus defends His disciples in front of the multitudes but later rebukes them privately, "teaching us that we ought first to correct people in private" (see Matthew 18:15-17). 

 

 It's interesting to think about faith in the context of Jesus' teaching to the disciples.  Jesus has indicated many times the central importance of faith, and particularly so in the context of various healings.  See, for example, the experience of Jairus and his family in this reading.  In today's passage, it is noteworthy that Jesus gives instructions to the disciples regarding building up their own faith, when He teaches them that "this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  It would seem from this important teaching that we are to understand that faith is something like a muscle:  we can strengthen it by exercising it.  We can help to make it grow by exercising it.  Clearly these practices, "prayer and fasting," have always been important tools for the practice and shoring up of faith, for the living of our faith, for exercising our faith.  Let us consider, then, in what powerful ways we can work when we are willing to use the historic disciplines and expressions of faith we find in the Church.  It seems that we might strengthen our faith most importantly through this kind of discipline, and calling upon God.  Prayer is a way of affirming the relationship that we have with God.  Fasting is a form of showing discipline in remembering God, and enforcing our capacity for choice, especially to say "no" to what doesn't help our faith.  We might intentionally fast from certain foods for a season or a day, and for a particular purpose, but the effort of fasting is to help us to say "no" to what harms faith, like committing certain sins and abstaining from practices that harm us spiritually.  In a recent reading, Jesus taught something about the real nature of fasting, when He said, "Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."   The historical Christian practice of fasting really has to do with abstention from the things Christ says "defile a man," and that asks us for a discipline of faith, an exercise of our faith.  We need our faith to be strengthened in order to meet the challenges of life, and to secure ourselves in a good place -- that spiritual house built on a rock Jesus spoke of when He taught, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock" (see Matthew 7:24-27).  In the sense of exercising our faith, it would seem that simply "hearing these words of Mine" and doing them is another way to exercise our faith, and thereby make it stronger.  For we should remember that He also told us in John's Gospel, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).   Therefore, in keeping His word, we keep close to us both spirit and life, also abiding in us to help our faith.  It would seem that, going by this Gospel and our recent string of readings, magnifying our faith, making it stronger, is the best thing we can do.  It is what He repeatedly asks of the people in the Gospel, and by inference what He asks of us.  For we should all be thinking like this father, when He tells Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  As we move toward the beginning of Lent, let us keep in mind that it is a traditional time of deepening our faith, and the practices that help our "unbelief."