In Scripture, particularly in the New Testament narratives concerning Jesus, we often see that large crowds would make their way into whatever region Jesus happened to be present. The Mark 9:14-29 passage, though, is interesting: although Jesus was not present, the crowd still gathered. It seems the presence of Jesus's followers, along with the presence of a young man attacked by an unclean spirit, was more than enough to draw a crowd. Perhaps some of us in this twenty-first century have also experienced the pressure of being in the gaze of modern-day crowds.
The father said... "Your disciples could not."
In the absence of Jesus's physical presence, the father in the Mark 9 account had gone to Jesus's disciples. It appears that the father's disappointment was deep, because he went on to say an astounding thing to Jesus: "If You can." It is a scary thing to know that our personal failures can have the powerful effect of causing other people to question the power of God.
Jesus replied... "'If'? All things are possible to those who believe."
I wonder if any of us are harboring areas in our lives where, whether due to the pressure of the crowd or the pain of seeing no "results" from spiritual interventions, we have said the astounding thing: "If God can." My prayer for us today is that, regardless of the level of crisis we face, we will never question God's ability to act.
The disciples asked Jesus privately... "Why couldn't we cast it out?"
Some years ago my husband shared a comment on this verse, and I have never forgotten it: The reason the disciples were able to ask this question was because they had cast out demons in other situations. They were not novices in ministry. Jesus had empowered them to engage in deliverance ministry, and they had done so successfully (see Mark 6:7-13), but the disciples' lack of a consistent prayer life rendered them ineffective in this encounter with a more powerful demonic spirit than they had previously known.
Jesus said, "Only prayer and fasting can force out that kind of demon."
God has asked for our participation in this specific spiritual discipline, which Jesus indicated is the key to resolving difficult spiritual problems. Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene is continuing to carry out its forty-day prayer assignment... and, yes, a crowd is watching. Some in the crowd might even be argumentative. My prayer for us all is that we will press forward in faith and obedience to His word.
May God give us the strength to continue in prayer and fasting.
May God grant us hearts that believe in His power to heal and deliver.
God, as people are watching us, please use us to turn their eyes towards You.
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