Session 7
Mark 9:17-29
Memory Verse: Mark 9:4
When we receive the gift of salvation that only Jesus can offer, we begin a life-long journey with Him. In our walk with Him, we recognize the need for stronger faith. Instinctively, we’d rather Jesus pour stronger faith into us like a truck pours cement into a house’s foundation. But, in reality, our faith only gets stronger when it’s stretched like a muscle. Of course, that strain can be painful, but God uses it to create a faith that’s resilient.
In Mark’s account of Jesus’s encounter with a father whose boy was possessed by an unclean spirit, we have an example of how Jesus strengthens faith by working through “stretching” circumstances. As you study the passage, have an honest conversation with God about your areas of unbelief. Ask Him to stretch you—even when it hurts—so you can become more like Him.
At some point, every person struggles to believe that circumstances in life can change. It may be a sickness, addiction, financial dilemma, or some other situation that never seems to get better. Often, that person has done all he or she could to change the situation, but it still remains. In desperation, that person may turn to the Lord, but with a faith that has grown weak. It’s not always easy to keep the faith when we see no alleviation of the problem. (PSG, p. 64)
Mark’s record of Jesus’s healing of a blind man (8:22-26) marks a shift from presenting Him as miracle worker to a renewed focus on Him as a teaching Messiah. Mark picked up Jesus’s story with Him traveling with His disciples in the region around Caesarea Philippi. Instead of one city, Caesarea Philippi was actually a collection of small villages about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. These towns were built to honor Caesar Augustus, but Herod’s son, Philip, added his own name to avoid confusion with the Caesarea located along the Mediterranean coast.
Outside Caesarea Philippi, Jesus questioned His disciples about who they believed Him to be. In his Gospel account, Matthew provided more detail, including the common rumors about Jesus and the divine inspiration of the disciples’ response through Peter (Matt. 16:13-20). However, both writers emphasized Jesus as the Messiah (Mark 8:29).
Mark also revealed a gap in the disciples’ understanding of what being the Messiah actually meant. Building on Peter’s confession, Jesus taught them about His impending death and resurrection. Uncomfortable with the idea of a suffering Savior, Peter actually rebuked Jesus—who, in turn, rebuked the disciples for being more concerned with man-made ideas and interpretations than divine truth (8:31-38). Jesus also wanted to show them that suffering was their destiny just as it was His.
In chapter 9, Mark shared Jesus’s transfiguration, one of the most explicit statements of His divinity recorded in Scripture. By pointing to Moses and Elijah, Mark indicated that the entirety of the law and the prophets were completed in Christ (9:2-13). Luke stated as much in His Gospel when the risen Savior interpreted the Messiah’s role using the law and prophets while talking with a pair of mourning disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:25-27).
Mark interrupted this teaching block with another example of Jesus’s mastery over the spiritual realm. Coming down from the transfiguration, Jesus healed a boy oppressed by a demon (Mark 9:14-29). The disciples had been unable to provide relief for the boy and his father, but Jesus demonstrated His own power and authority in casting out the evil spirit.
The chapter closes with Jesus sharing in-depth teaching about the end times and warnings about hell (9:30-50). Slowly, Mark was moving his audience from the meat of Jesus’s earthly ministry toward Jerusalem, where His work would culminate in His crucifixion and resurrection.
Read Mark 9:17-29.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
17 Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.” 19 He replied to them, “You unbelieving generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20 So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
(v. 17) Teacher: The term shows the man’s respect for Jesus as an expert in the things of God. While it is not necessarily a statement of loyalty or surrender, it does acknowledge the man’s belief that Jesus had been sent by God and could heal his son.
(v. 17) A spirit that makes him unable to speak: During the course of Jesus’s earthly ministry, demons were very active. Their interactions with humanity brought harm and destruction. In the New Testament, many illnesses are also associated with demonic activity. It is important to note that not all physical illnesses or disabilities are caused by demons; however, we know that evil spirits can cause them in some cases.
In the context of this passage, the boy had been inflicted by a demon who was causing frightening physical issues. In verse 17, the boy’s father said the spirit left him mute. Jesus later stated that the spirit also caused deafness (v. 25).
Angels and Demons
While God’s angels serve Him and His purposes in the world, demons oppose His work. These fallen angels had rebelled against God along with Satan. Both angels and demons are physical beings (though usually invisible) and display intellect and knowledge (though limited). Demons are further restricted by God’s power (Job 1:12; 2:6). While it might be tempting to look past the Bible’s limited information on angels and demons, believers should resist basing their beliefs on philosophical theories or popular portrayals of the supernatural.
(v. 18) Seizes him: The Greek wording implies violence or aggression, such as capturing or arresting someone. The boy’s symptoms were very similar to someone who has epilepsy, but Mark made it clear that the boy’s issues were primarily spiritual rather than physical. The demon was the source of the ailment. In addition to the symptoms mentioned here, the father later told Jesus that the spirit had tried to kill the boy more than once
(v. 22). It is not hard to understand why this man felt such desperation.
(v. 18) Drive it out: The boy’s father had asked the disciples to exorcise the demon. This request was perfectly acceptable since Jesus had already given them the power to heal and cast out demons (Mark 6:7), and the disciples had shown their ability to use this God-given authority successfully. But, for some reason, the disciples were unable to deal effectively with this demon.
(v. 19) Unbelieving generation: After hearing the father’s story and his request, Jesus rebuked this unbelieving generation. Although a crowd would have been present, Jesus most likely directed His comment toward His disciples. He had given them the authority and power to do these things in His name, but they had failed miserably in this case. Their faith had faltered in a crucial moment, giving rise to Jesus’s disappointment and frustration.
(v. 19) How long will I be with you?: Jesus had seen the disciples blow it before, but His movement toward the cross meant His time with them was running short. He had taught them things that they didn’t seem to grasp and had given them the power that they failed to use. They needed to take His instructions seriously and begin to understand what His mission was about. Still, even though His disciples were still a work in progress, Jesus displayed His own power to act where they had failed.
(v. 20) The spirit saw him: When the evil spirit saw Jesus, it knew and recognized Him for who He was. In response, the demon attempted to initiate a “showdown” between its own power and the power of Jesus. The spirit quickly threw the helpless boy to the ground with the kind of convulsions described in verse 18.
21 “How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father. “From childhood,” he said. 22 “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’? Everything is possible for the one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
(v. 21) How long: Jesus asked the father how long this demonic oppression had been going on and found out the boy had been suffering since childhood. As the omniscient God, Jesus knew the answer before He asked the question, but He was working to draw out the father’s faith. He also was preparing the crowd for what they were about to see.
(v. 22) Destroy him: The Greek word could also be rendered “loss” or “ruin.” It is the same root used by Jesus to contrast those who will find their lives and those who forfeit their lives (Mark 8:35). Throughout Scripture, human interaction with demons leads to pain and suffering. This aligns with the true nature of Satan. As Jesus stated in John’s Gospel, the enemy only desires to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).
(vv. 22-23) If you can: The words that the father spoke in desperation were repeated by Jesus as a mild rebuke. The father’s original statement suggested that his personal faith had been shaken by the disciples’ inability to exorcise the demon earlier in the day. He may have assumed that Jesus was also limited in His authority over such a powerful evil spirit. He also may have questioned Jesus’s willingness to help him after calling out the group’s general lack of faith.
However, Jesus responded to the father’s doubts by challenging the father’s faith. The man needed to put his complete trust in Jesus and His ability to do what only God can do.
(v. 23) Everything is possible: Faith in God’s power has no limits. Things that seem beyond the reach and comprehension of humanity are where God’s power makes the impossible possible. But Jesus also emphasized that faith/belief is part of the equation. Just as He could do no miracles in Nazareth because of the people’s lack of faith (Mark 6:5-6), He would not be able to help the man unless he completely trusted Jesus.
(v. 24) Help my unbelief: The father quickly composed himself and reaffirmed his belief in Jesus. In essence, he asked Jesus to replace his unbelief with renewed faith. In a sense, he wanted Jesus to fill in the gaps where his faith was a little thin.
This is a common problem today as we try to live out our faith each day. As believers, we face a constant tension between the amount of faith we have and the doubts that whittle away at our confidence. Yet, the more we exercise our belief in Jesus, the stronger our faith becomes. To mature in our faith, we must learn to lean into God’s power to overcome our doubts. That means admitting our weaknesses and asking Him to give us what we lack—just as the father did.
God doesn’t expect us to have a perfect faith. He understands that we may have doubts at times, but He also calls us to bring our doubts to Him. He will accept us just as we are and work through our weaknesses
(2 Cor. 12:9). As He does, we mature in our faith and learn to trust Him more.
Faith and God’s Love
With his words, the boy’s father acknowledged that he struggled with unbelief. At the same time, he reached out to Jesus and begged for a stronger faith. When you have moments of fear and doubt, do you turn toward God or shy away from Him? If you are keeping some things in your life from God, whether it be doubts, fears, or something else, take the step now to bring them to your heavenly Father.
One great step to take in that direction is to dig into Scripture and recall what God says about you and His love for you. As you continue to wrestle with the truths of this session, read and meditate on Romans
8:31-38. Use the space below to make a list of all the things that may try to separate us from God’s love. Circle two or three that seem most real to your life. Then, spend time in prayer, thanking God that nothing could ever separate you from His love.
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: Come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 Then it came out, shrieking and throwing him into terrible convulsions. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. 28 After he had gone into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 And he told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.”
(v. 25) A crowd was quickly gathering: Realizing that the crowd was swelling to even greater numbers than when He had arrived, Jesus took swift action to help the boy and his father before things got out of hand. In doing so, He remained true to His approach. He wanted to avoid any misunderstanding about His messianic purpose. Exorcisms served to validate His messianic role and His message of God’s kingdom. If the crowd didn’t listen to what He said or somehow interpreted it wrong, the possibility of seeing Him as Messiah would be completely lost on them.
(v. 25) Rebuked: The Greek word involves a censure or warning suitable for the situation. In context, Jesus was exerting His divine authority as God the Son over the evil spirit. Apparently, the disciples had failed to rely on God’s authority when they failed to exorcise the spirit.
(v. 25) Mute and deaf spirit: Jesus directly addressed the evil spirit and gave it two specific commands: Come out . . . and never enter him again. Jesus’s power was greater than the power of the spirit inside the boy. As a result, the spirit had no choice but to leave the boy. God’s power will always be greater than any demonic spirit. His power is greater than any power rooted in the world (1 John 4:4).
(v. 26) He’s dead: The demon’s final attack involved sending the boy into one more violent convulsion, complete with shrieks and seizures. As the crowd considered the young man’s unresponsive state, they assumed the demon had killed him. If so, the evil spirit would have been the ultimate victor of this encounter. But Jesus reached down, took the boy’s hand, and helped him to his feet. The Messiah left no doubt about His power and authority over the supernatural.
(v. 28) Privately: Jesus often tried to move His disciples away from the crowds for teaching opportunities. This time, the disciples came to Him. They had failed in their attempts to help the man. Wisely, they turned to Jesus for an explanation and direction.
(vv. 28-29) Why couldn’t we: The disciples plainly asked Jesus the question that was on their minds. They wanted to know why they were not able to cast out the demon. Jesus’s words emphasized the importance of prayer and complete reliance on God’s authority in spiritual warfare.
The disciples may have fallen victim to their own success and been caught in the trap of depending on their own power instead of God’s power. They assumed their past successes were enough to guarantee success in this case. But believers can’t just rest on the past. We need to nurture an ongoing relationship with the Father through Jesus. We need a daily connection with God if we’re going to tackle each new challenge that comes our way.
Power of Prayer
As you reflect on Mark 9:28-29, evaluate the connection between spending time with the Lord in prayer and trusting Him to work through you. Ask yourself: Is prayer a consistent part of my daily life? If not, consider what you should do to make this spiritual discipline a priority in your life. Take the first steps in nurturing a vibrant, intimate prayer life with God.
Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. (See Luke 4:18-19; 18:15-17.)
Memorize a Bible verse and apply it to a real-life situation.
Memorize Mark 9:24 in your preferred Bible translation. Then write the verse in your own words. Finally, write a couple of sentences stating how this verse can help you to overcome the obstacles that challenge your faith.