Scripture Passage
“This kind can be cast out only by prayer.” (Mark 9:29 NLT)
Observation
Guilty as charged. That’s what I think—about myself—when I read Jesus’ indirect indictment of his disciples in Mark 9:29. Jesus, Peter, James, and John have just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8) to the sight of the remaining disciples arguing with “some teachers of religious law” apparently because of those disciples’ inability to deliver a demon-possessed boy. (Isn’t that the way it works—great moments of spiritual delight are so often followed by some experience of utter frustration!)
Jesus takes charge, and—after a brief interaction with the boy’s father—commands the evil spirit to leave the boy. The evil spirit does leave and the boy is completely delivered.
“Afterward,” Mark says, “when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, ‘Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?’ Jesus replied, ‘This kind can be cast out only by prayer’” (Mark 9:28-29 NLT).
The obvious implication is that the disciples hadn’t prayed—at least, not enough, or rightly, or…something! And neither do I, apparently. I mean, I understand that there are different gifts and callings—that perhaps my strengths won’t be found speaking deliverance to demoniacs. And at the same time, an honest guy has to ask, “Why not?” That is, read the Biblical account and tell me why it shouldn’t be within the somewhat ordinary experience of somewhat ordinary believers to see, say, Matthew 10:8 fulfilled? Or Mark 16:17-18?
I’ll say it again—some of our limited success here is that we don’t pray more because we don’t see the spiritual realities of the world we inhabit. We’d turn to medical science for a diagnosis of the cause of this boy’s condition…and we’d turn to medical science for a cure. Well and good—I get that. But for those things that medical science can’t cure (only treat), is it possible that there may be a spiritual issue at the root—something perceivable and addressable only by those who consistently walk in intimate fellowship with their Heavenly Father through prayer? Could it be that we miss that possibility because our rationalistic culture has blinded our eyes to spiritual realities? Guilty as charged.
1 comment:
Pastor, Could it not also be that we are trying to serve two gods again. We strain between the Hospital and the Church. Isn't it amazing that Hospitals cost so much more than Churchs, but Guess where we go.
To me this is a call to Faith. We can move mountains with just a mustard seed, But we won't trust our father to Heal us. Especially when he has already provided Devine inspirational cures for the healings we've already recieved.
I love to come to God in prayer and find his answer is so much more than I could ever know to ask for. I pray that I (and all those reading this) can always rely on his promise that his answer is ALWAYS Yes and Amen. Martin
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