TGBC Sunday, 24 January 2021
Mark 9:14-32
Good News Translation
Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit
14 When they joined the rest of the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and some teachers of the Law arguing with them. 15 When the people saw Jesus, they were greatly surprised, and ran to him and greeted him. 16 Jesus asked his disciples, “What are you arguing with them about?”
17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, because he has an evil spirit in him and cannot talk. 18 Whenever the spirit attacks him, it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth, grits his teeth, and becomes stiff all over. I asked your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not.”
19 Jesus said to them, “How unbelieving you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy to me!” 20 They brought him to Jesus.
As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a fit, so that he fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has he been like this?” Jesus asked the father.
“Ever since he was a child,” he replied. 22 “Many times the evil spirit has tried to kill him by throwing him in the fire and into water. Have pity on us and help us, if you possibly can!”
23 “Yes,” said Jesus, “if you yourself can! Everything is possible for the person who has faith.”
24 The father at once cried out, “I do have faith, but not enough. Help me have more!”
25 Jesus noticed that the crowd was closing in on them, so he gave a command to the evil spirit. “Deaf and dumb spirit,” he said, “I order you to come out of the boy and never go into him again!”
26 The spirit screamed, threw the boy into a bad fit, and came out. The boy looked like a corpse, and everyone said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took the boy by the hand and helped him rise, and he stood up.
28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn't we drive the spirit out?”
29 “Only prayer can drive this kind out,” answered Jesus; “nothing else can.”
Okay, what's going on? Does it seem to be about faith, faith healing? The bleeding woman's faith was sufficient to heal her, but of course Jesus was there. The disciples don't have sufficient faith to heal, the boy's father has faith but isn't sure it's sufficient, and Jesus isn't there yet. The boy's faith isn't an issue, but his father's faith turns out to be sufficient once Jesus shows up and encourages him?
Facing life in general, and covid in particular, with friends and loved ones, and in Time we ourselves, sick and dying as a horrifyingly magnified new given, we can struggle mightily with this. I don't have an answer other than to be pretty sure the answer is not in rationalizing God, who is big enough to justify Himself. I'm wondering if the problem is indeed our faith, not whether we believe hard enough, but what we believe in the first place.
Furthermore, Jesus did not come to heal, what Jesus came for, the gospel, whatever that will turn out to be, Mark is trying to reveal now:
Jesus Speaks Again about His Death
30 Jesus and his disciples left that place and went on through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where he was, 31 because he was teaching his disciples: “The Son of Man will be handed over to those who will kill him. Three days later, however, he will rise to life.”
32 But they did not understand what this teaching meant, and they were afraid to ask him.
To what extent is Mark's gospel the same as Paul's gospel? Paul's gospel is that having the faith of Jesus, or that having faith in Jesus (genitive or dative case Greek, they're not quite the same) justifies us (makes us righteous in God's sight even though we are guilty as sin), sufficient for citizenship in the forthcoming kingdom of God on earth, which Jesus will return to rule.
As Mark's story is developing, and its focus is narrowing, his gospel seems to be in the answer to the disciples' problem: we now know that the messiah is going to suffer and die, but we don't yet understand why.
IDK yet.
T+