Mark 9:14-29
14 And when they came back to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.
15 Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him.
16 And He asked them, “What are you disputing with them?”
17 And one person from the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, because he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak;
18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes stiff. And I told Your disciples so that they would cast it out, but they could not do it.”
19 And He answered them and *said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”
20 And they brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, the spirit immediately threw him into convulsions, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.
21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
22 It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”
23 But Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again!”
26 And after crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him, and he got up.
28 When He came into the house, His disciples began asking Him privately, “Why is it that we could not cast it out?”
29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything except prayer.”
At the Foot of the Mountain
Powerless disciples
Returning to His disciples waiting at the foot of the mountain, Jesus found them struggling to cast out unclean spirit. (1) The scribes, seeing the disciples’ inability to cast out the spirit, argued with them trying to discredit Jesus’ Messiahship. (2) A crowd had gathered around to witness this dispute. (3) A father, whose son was possessed by unclean spirit, approached Jesus and said, “[…] I told Your disciples so that they would cast it out, but they could not do it.” (4) Jesus responded, “All things are possible for the one who believes,” to which the man cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” This was a genuine cry. We are inherently unbelieving, incapable of obtaining faith by our own strength. Therefore, we need God’s grace and help. The man’s prayer, “I believe; help my unbelief,” is our prayer as well. After the Jews had rejected Jesus’ Messiahship, Jesus no longer performed any miracle in public. However, in this instance, casting out the unclean spirit was an expression of Jesus’ compassion for the individual’s need.
The meaning of “this kind”
Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and cast it out of the man’s son. The boy appeared as if dead, but when Jesus took him by the hand, he arose. The disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast it out themselves. Jesus replied that this kind cannot come out by anything except prayer (v 29). What does “this kind” mean? The boy was possessed by a spirit that made him mute and deaf (v 25). The usual method of casting out demons involves invoking their names, but it didn’t work with this kind of spirit. Moreover, this kind of spirit could only be cast out by the Messiah. Jesus taught His disciples that the unclean spirit that makes a person mute and deaf can only be cast out by prayer. Let us also seek from the Lord Jesus the power to overcome unbelief and evil spirits through prayer.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, I believe in You. Please help my unbelief and pour out the spirit of prayer richly upon me. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.