Scripture Reference: Mark 9:14-27

Jesus had just returned from the Mount of Transfiguration to find a multitude gathered with the disciples. The scribes had also gathered and were questioning the disciples concerning their inability to heal a young man who was possessed. Jesus immediately calms the crowd, and in the events that followed, He taught a great lesson on faith.

I hope you would agree with me that we are a people of faith. We are saved by grace through faith. We walk in faith, believing in One that our eyes have never seen. We talk of faith, sing and teach of faith. Faith is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity.

However, if we are being truthful, our faith has a tendency to waver. At times it is strong and at other times it can be very weak. Even at my age, I know my faith tends to waver from time to time. The weakness of faith is the focus of this passage. I want to take a few moments to look at the aspects of faith that are revealed in these verses.

I. The Significance of Faith

“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.’”

Here we find the great need in the passage. A man has brought his son, to the disciples for healing, one who is possessed with a demon. He is in a pitiful condition, taken in convulsions, foaming at the mouth, and gnashing in his body.

This young man was in a desperate situation. He was in need of a miracle that only the Lord could provide. His father was helpless to provide for Him. The disciples were unable to deliver the young man although Jesus had given them power to do so. Faith was all that remained. It was the only hope for this young man and his father.

In times like these, faith is significant. We have all faced situations where we were helpless to provide for a particular need. We may have been surrounded by friends and loved ones who offered loving support, but they too were unable to provide for our need.

There are times when we just have to trust the Lord in faith. We have faced situations in the past that were beyond our control and they will continue as long as we live. Faith is essential if we are to overcome. The beloved apostle John wrote in his first epistle:

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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