Thursday, October 6, 2011
Mark 9:23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus.
POSSIBILITIES
Jesus had just been on the mountaintop praying to His heavenly Father, transfigured before his disciples and meeting with Moses and Elijah. His Father had testified in the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him." Then Jesus came down to find the other disciples in a big argument.
A father had brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus, but Jesus was up on the mountain, so instead he had asked the disciples' to drive out the spirit. They could not. The enemies of Jesus were all over that, and an argument ensued. What a come-down for Jesus!
Perhaps it was his disciples' failure that caused the father to wonder if Jesus could help. "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"
Jesus honed in on that expression: "if you can," and continued, "Everything is possible for him who believes." If we trust in Jesus, we are relying on Him through whom the worlds were made. Nothing is impossible for Him.
The distraught father knew that the weakness did not lie in Jesus. Seconds before he had implored Jesus' aid for himself and his boy in their trouble. Now he begs Him to come to the aid of his lack of faith. "I do believe; help my unbelief."
How often are we tempted to assess our Savior's ability to help by the efforts of His followers? We look at a fallible preacher in a tiny congregation in a lowly meeting-hall and we're tempted to think, "What help could I possibly receive here?"
But the weakness is not in Him who is in the midst of them. His strength is complete even when coupled with people's weakness. Yes, "I do believe! Help my lack of faith!"
