And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, 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.”And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”—Mark 9:14–29

Introduction

The move from the Transfiguration to the demon-possessed boy is jarring. I think Raphael’s last painting captures the scene with skill. It hangs in the Vatican Gallery and is entitled The Transfiguration. R. Kent Hughes describes the painting very well in his commentary (Mark, vol. 2, p. 21):

The uppermost part pictures the transfigured form of Jesus, with Moses on the left and Elijah on his right. On the next level down there are three disciples, Peter, James, and John, recently awakened and shielding their eyes from Jesus’ blinding brilliance. Then, on the ground level is a poor demon-possessed boy, his mouth hideously gaping with wild ravings. At his side is his desperate father. Surrounding them are the rest of the disciples, some of whom are pointing upward to the glowing figure of Christ—who will be the boy’s only answer. Raphael has brilliantly captured something of the overwhelming contrast between the glorious Mount of Transfiguration and the troubled world waiting below.

Today, we are going to descend into that troubled world. This story will address three problems we face today. We will see and feel the solution together as we get to the end of the story.

 Outline:

1. Problem 1: Demons (vv. 14–22)
2. Problem 2: Unbelief (vv. 23–27)
3. Problem 3: Prayerlessness (vv. 28–29)

We will walk through each point and then see the main point of the passage in the climax of the story. 

1) Problem #1: Demons (vv. 14–22)

The story starts with the usual cast of characters: the crowd, the scribes, and the disciples. Jesus and Peter, James, and John are reunited with the other disciples. We are not surprised that there is conflict (v. 14).

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.

Then the crowd sees Jesus and they respond with great amazement and they greet him in verse 15. In verse 16, Jesus inquires into the argument that is happening.

And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”

At this point, in verse 17, someone emerges from the crowd to explain the situation. It is the father of the demon-possessed boy. The problem is that he brought his son to Jesus’ disciples and they failed to do anything for the boy. You can see his charge at the end of verse 18.

“So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”

Apparently, this is what the scribes are arguing about with the disciples. In the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus is away from his disciples, a crisis is not far behind. The same thing is true of us when we are away from Jesus. 

But now the scene shifts to consider the horrible drama that this dad deals with every day. The demon attacks the boy in three ways: (1) takes away the ability to speak and hear, (2) takes away bodily control, and (3) seeks total destruction through burning or drowning.

1. The demon makes him mute and deaf (v. 17).

First, verse 17 says the spirit’s evil work attacked the boy’s ability to speak.

And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.”

Verse 25 goes further in showing that the spirit also takes away the ability to hear. Jesus calls the spirit “a mute and deaf spirit.” 

2. The demon causes a loss of bodily control (vv. 18, 20).

 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.

The spirit does the same thing to the boy in the very presence of Jesus.

 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

The boy is more like an animal foaming at the mouth and grinding his teeth than a human being reflecting the image of God at these points. That is a clue for the next point. 

3. The demon aims at total destruction (vv. 21–22).

And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him.

This text reveals the demonic agenda—they seek to distort and destroy what God has made good. We see it in Mark 5 with the degradation of the man with a legion of demons—the systematic destruction of the image of God. He was more like an animal than a man. He would fiercely attack others that tried to chain him like an animal. He would even attack himself, as Mark says he used to cut himself. But he was healed by Jesus and was in his right mind. The image of God could be seen in clearer colors than before. Even after the legion of demons are cast out of the man and they are permitted to enter the pigs, they show their thirst for death and destruction by driving the pigs over a cliff and drowning them.

Mark 9 shows the same deadly agenda: Attack the image of God. Disable and distort the image of God by making the boy mute or stiff and lifeless. Or destroy the image of God through burning or drowning the boy. This was the key to explaining why the demons are so bloodthirsty for humanity. They want to destroy all of God’s creation—but especially humanity because we are made in the image of God. They hate God. So they hate the image of God. There is no way that they can destroy God so they make it their unholy ambition to destroy the image of God.

This problem still exists today. Demons are at work in both direct and indirect ways. They will often tempt people with suicide or other destructive temptations. I also believe that there are other insidious destructive designs they have on humanity. Abortion is an obvious example. My pastoral plea at this point is don’t veer off into the ditch of over-emphasizing their influence or under-emphasizing their influence. Over-emphasizing their influence will keep us paralyzed with fear. Under-emphasizing their influence will allow them to work unhindered without unmasking and confronting their evil work. 

We have victory in Jesus over them, but it is only in Jesus.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be,
Christ Jesus, it is he,
the Lord of hosts his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

Many of you will remember the victory Jesus gave over the demons at last year’s Jr High Camp.

This story has been a tragedy without Jesus, but that is all about to change to victory. Verse 22 is a passionate cry for Jesus to have compassion on them. This is a shared struggle. Notice that he does not say “have compassion on him and help him,” he says, “have compassion on us and help us” (v. 22). The father has suffered with his son. I didn’t understand this point until I became a father. I would rather suffer than have to watch my children suffer. So this father is strung out on one disappointment after another. He is at the end of his rope. He struggles with doubt. His hopes were dashed by the failure of the disciples. He does not doubt Jesus’ willingness to help—he doubts Jesus’ ability to help. He is probably cynical about anyone being able to help. “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us” (v. 22). Jesus is about to show the boy’s father that his real problem is not the demon.

2) Problem #2: Unbelief (vv. 23–27)

Jesus now interacts with the man like a skillful surgeon, and he puts his finger on the real problem in verse 23. “And Jesus said to him, ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Do you see what Jesus is doing? The man assumes the problem is probably with Jesus, not with himself. He places a limitation on Jesus. But this is the very heart of faith. Faith recognizes that there is nothing that can hold Jesus back—he is both willing and able. The limitation is with this man’s faith. He has the beginnings of trust in Jesus’ compassion, which is why he is asking, but this faith is mixed with the dross of doubt in Jesus’ ability (“If you can do anything”).

The father takes Jesus’ word to heart. He suddenly sees the real source of the problem: He believes partially, not fully. His faith is weighed down with doubt. What should he do about that? Try harder to believe? He brings all of it to Jesus in verse 24.

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

It is hard to bring out the force of this word for “cried out.” This phrase is used 10 times in Mark. It always a strong emotional outburst. Don’t think of a gentle rain or drizzle, think of a thunderclap. This word is something the demons do when they see Jesus (Mark 3:11; 5:5, 7; 9:26), and what people in need do when they see Jesus and cry out for mercy (Bartimaeus in Mark 10:47–48), or shout “Hosanna!” (Mark 11:9), or shout loudly for his crucifixion (Mark 15:13, 14).

You should hear this word “crying out” like a desperate “shout”—something you do when one thing becomes everything. The heart is not divided with different desires. It is the opposite of half-hearted. This is a desperate cry, not a half-hearted gesture or topic for debate. This desperate desire has seized him; it has become the only thing that matters; it is uppermost—the one agenda, the one desire that rises above all the rest in that moment.

Pride will keep someone from crying out like that. You don’t want people to see you desperate or that needy. Sometimes if we face difficulties, the impulse is to try harder, do better, or persevere longer. It is a symptom of the same problem—proud unbelief. Faith is humble. Faith humbly recognizes our inability and worshipfully acknowledges God’s supreme ability, and then it leads to action: shouting out for help and compassion and mercy.

Ironically, this confession of unbelief is actually an example of belief—it is a prayer of faith. The father has faith that Jesus can help him with his lack of faith. Bringing our doubts to Jesus does not offend Jesus. He already sees what is in our heart. He knows the problem. But have we reached the point where we will humble ourselves, confess our need, bring it to him, and beg him to do what only he can do. Watch what Jesus can do now in vv. 25–27 when the father asks him to go to work.

And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, 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.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

These three verses show us three things about Jesus’ power. First, he has incomparable, irresistible authority. We have seen this time and time again. Does anyone doubt it at this point if you have read Mark? The dead legs of the paralytic have to obey, and he is able to get up and take his mat and go home. Jesus puts a stop to a raging storm with a sentence from his mouth. He walks on the water. He casts out an army of demons with a word. He is the Word who made the world and spoke it into existence. No one can resist his power. He commands, and it happens. He is a king like no other.

Second, Jesus has irreversible authority. He acts with permanent decisiveness. What Jesus does cannot be undone: “Come out of him and never enter him again.” This is the glory of the Jesus of Revelation 3:7—“the One who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.”

Third, Jesus has authority over death and life. Mark does not want us to miss this point. The boy was “like a corpse.” Some of them said, “he is dead.” And just like Jairus’ dead daughter, Jesus took this boy by the hand and “lifted him up” and “he arose.” Mark sees a foreshadowing between this miracle and the miracle that will end his Gospel: The resurrection of Jesus. This is resurrection power. The disciples have been confused about what it means to rise from the dead in the story right before this one. (“So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean”—Mark 9:10) Now, they have a stunning object lesson of that very reality. This is a preview of how the Gospel of Mark will end—except this time Jesus will rise from the dead.

The boy’s healing would have been a perfect way to end this story. It seems like that is the resolution—the climax of the Resurrection picture. But this story ends once again with a comment on the problem with the disciples, not the dad of the demon-possessed boy.

3) Problem #3: Prayerlessness (vv. 28–29)

And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

The story started with a focus on the inability of the disciples: “I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able” (v. 18). Now the story ends with an explanation concerning their inability. They ask Jesus in verse 28 why they were unable to do what they had done so many times before.

And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Jesus gives an answer that highlights their lack of prayer. They are relying on their own strength. They were given authority to cast out demons back in Mark 6:7, and they cast out many demons (Mark 6:13). But this time they are not able to trust in their techniques or past successes. They are being brought to the place of seeing and feeling their inability. What will they do when that happens?

But far more is happening here than meets the eye—this is not merely a one-time lesson for them in this singular situation. This problem is pattern in their lives. They are prayer-less—trying to do things on their own. Remember the story of the blind man (“I see men like trees walking”)? Remember the partial blindness or unbelief of Peter and the disciples? Remember the previous story where they did not understand what it means to rise from the dead, but they were afraid to ask? The very next story has Jesus telling them about his death and resurrection, but once again they are afraid to ask Jesus (9:32). In fact, they didn’t want to tell Jesus what they were talking about, because they were arguing about who was going to be the greatest (9:34). Their problem is prayerlessness because they are prideful.

This story is saying that the solution for the disciples is the same that the father needed to learn: “I believe, help my unbelief!” They partially believe and partially don’t believe. They have partial sight but not full sight. They should pray. They should bring their inability to Jesus.

Application 

Here is the main point: Faith brings even its doubts to Jesus. 

Prideful independence will distance us from Jesus and keep us prayer-less. Desperation is the best tutor for prayer; it is not a matter of mastering the routine of prayer or the techniques of prayer. That would be like trying to do prayer in your own strength, and trusting in one’s own strength is also what keeps many people from prayer. Praying in the flesh and failing to pray are cousins that have a family resemblance. 

I cannot tell you how many people I have met who truly believe that they need to work through their difficulties on their own. If they have doubts, then they need to think more or read more or study more until they are convinced—almost as if what they really believe in is themselves. When push comes to shove, they don’t go to Jesus but rather to themselves to figure things out on their own. That is a picture of the disciples—a picture of pride. 

Why was the dad of the demon-possessed boy different? Why did he come to Jesus with his unbelief whereas the disciples did not? The answer is the gift of desperation. Review with me why people come forward in the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 1:32 – sick and oppressed by demons

That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 

Mark 1:40–41 – a leper

And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 

Mark 2:3–4 – a paralytic (when he saw their faith)

And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.

Mark 2:15–17 – tax collectors and sinners

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. 

Mark 3:9–11 – healed and cast out demons

And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.  And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”

Mark 4:38 – the disciples woke him up when they thought they were going to drown

But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

Mark 5:21–23 – Jairus’ daughter (“don’t fear only believe”), the woman with the flow of blood (“your faith has saved you”)

Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live. 

Mark 6:6 – he marveled at their unbelief (in Nazareth) 

Mark 6:56 – they laid the sick in the marketplace so he could touch them

And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. 

Mark 7:25–26 – the Syro-Phoenecian woman (demon-possessed daughter)

But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

Mark 7:32 – the man who was deaf and mute

And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

Mark 8:22 – brought to him a blind man

And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.

Mark 9:17 – father of the demon-possessed boy

And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.

And today’s text …

Mark 9:24

Immediately the father of the child cried out. 

This dad fits the pattern of those who come to Jesus and are willing to humble themselves. He is not worried about being dignified or saving face or looking good—those things don’t matter to him. This father cares way more about the safety of his own son than his own reputation. 

What about you? Could it be that your pain has a purpose? Could it be that everything you are going through is a broken road that leads you away from independence straight to Jesus and dependence upon him? Are you desperate enough yet (humbled enough yet) to bring your needs to Jesus? You can try to carry your cares in your own strength or cast them upon him because you believe in his strength. Do you despise weakness and desperation or do you see that it is a gift because it shows you your need for him so that you actually come to him in desperation and dependence? Pride seems to be the autopilot for fallen humanity. Like Paul Miller says (in A Praying Life), “A needy heart is a praying heart. Dependency is the heartbeat of prayer. We don’t need self-discipline to pray continuously; we just need to be poor in spirit.”

Satan’s most subtle and sinister trap is to get you to look at yourself so that you will not look to Christ. Listen to the way that C.H. Spurgeon talks about Satan’s temptations:

That which comes from the devil will make you look at yourselves and not at Christ. You do not have the faith ... the joy ... the repentance ... the assurance that Christ requires. … The Holy Spirit's work is to turn our eyes from ourselves to Jesus Christ ... it is not thy hold of Christ ... thy joy in Christ ... even thy faith in Christ or thy hope in Christ, but Christ's blood and merits. Do not look at thy hand which is grasping at Christ, but at him, the source of all these other things.

If you have never come to Jesus before, I want to ask you … Why? Is it because you would say that you have messed up too much? Would you say, “I have not been good enough or devoted enough to God?” Of course, you could never do enough. Trusting in yourself is the opposite of the faith that saves: You put your trust in Christ to save you, and you despair of ever doing enough to earn God’s favor.

If you are trusting in Jesus today, let me speak directly to you. Have you seen yet that this is an error we are prone to keep making? Have you seen that God sometimes will bring hard things into our lives that force us to look away from ourselves and look to him? Even the apostle Paul needed this lesson.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.—2 Corinthians 1:8–10

Pain is the gift that nobody wants, but it accomplishes what we want: It leads us to Christ. Spurgeon again says, “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.”

Conclusion

Remember in the introduction that we highlighted the glory of the Transfiguration above and the mess of the world below. Consider the stark contrast between what happened at the foot of the mountain and what happened in the scene before at the top of the mountain. All of this mess down below was happening while Jesus was transfigured up high on a mountain. While on the mountain, Jesus appears in all of his shining divine glory; the world below is a mess.

We do not see the earth filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. We see a world filled with what is ungodly. We see the presence of demons that are dead-set on destroying the image of God. We see false teachers (that were called children of Satan) mocking the disciples for their failure to cast the demon out (even though they couldn’t do anything either). Even the disciples are blind to their remaining unbelief manifested in their simply going through the motions. They are trusting in their techniques (we’ve done this a lot of times now). They have ceased to be conscious of their need to depend upon Jesus in prayer.

In this world filled with ungodliness and unbelief, we see Jesus’ response. He was vexed and grieved. He lamented the presence of evil in God’s good world. It will vex our souls as well. But here is the question. Will it lead us to doubt whether God can really do anything about it?

One day those two worlds will be one. The glory above will completely conquer the darkness here below. There will be no more death or demons. There will be no unbelief—we’ll have face-to-face fellowship with our Father who will wipe away every tear that resulted from this world of sin and darkness.

Sermon Discussion Questions

Outline

1. Problem #1: Demons (Mark 9:14–22)
2. Problem #2: Unbelief (Mark 9:23–27)
3. Problem #3: Prayerlessness (Mark 9:28–29)

Main Point: Faith brings even its doubts to Jesus.

Discussion Questions

• What is the attack strategy of the demon upon the boy? Why does the father ask if Jesus could have compassion on “us”—not only on the boy, but on the father as well?
• How does the tragedy of demon possession turn out for good in driving this father to Jesus?
• In what way does this victory over the demon show the authority and power of Jesus?
• Why does Mark talk about the boy looking dead and then being raised up? Why share those details?
• Why doesn’t the passage end with the casting out of the demon—why return to the question of the disciples’ inability and need for prayer? How does this theme fit with Mark’s wider theme of the failure of the disciples and what they really need?

Application Questions

• Evaluate your own prayer life. Does pride keep you away from prayer?
• In what areas do you struggle with pain, doubt, confusion, or even cynicism? Can you share those areas with your small group or someone else? If you can share them with others, can you bring them to Jesus?
• Are there examples in your life where desperation has driven you to Jesus? Share some of those examples. Are there examples now of things you need to bring to Jesus? What is keeping you from bringing those things to Jesus and crying out to him?
• What can you take away from this message and share with others in your life?

Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace that would run to Jesus and cry out to him, a faith that would bring your pain—and even your doubts—to Jesus.