Mark 9:14-29

This is a long story of Jesus casting out a demon. We see demon possession and casting out a lot in scripture. It's not like the movies, usually, but here it sort of is. This comes right after the transfiguration. Four of them have been on a mountaintop. Physically high and spiritually high for those four that went up. They had to come back to reality. They went from faith to unbelief.

This demon possessed boy exhibits lots of symptoms. But he does not hurt anyone, like in a lot of movies. The explanation of his symptoms sound a lot of like an epileptic.

Let me backtrack and add that not all epileptics are demon possessed. But what the father describes in 9:18 sounds like a grand mal seizure. They did not have medicines to control seizures like they do now. So prayer is the only way this boy can be helped.

Also most demon possessed people do not exhibit such obvious symptoms. It is a bad idea to quickly decide someone is possessed. One must tread very carefully and cautiously, not particularly from danger but from the social stigma associated with such a diagnosis.

But in this era when more people dabble with the occult, spiritual healers, curanderos, seances, and the like more people are like to become associated with demons. A couple of weeks ago and friend and I did gingerly cast out a demon. We were not sure and did not make a big deal about it. But we advised the people to stay away from such spiritual healers. It is nothing to be scared of.

Jesus always controlled the demon and did not let it show off by acting weird or violent. Yet we read in more than one instance that the demon did manifest itself before leaving the person. I think her we are getting an extreme example.

Why did Mark write about this casting out? I think the key reason is what Jesus explains in 9:19 - "Oh, unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you?" Jesus is again speaking of hard hearted unbelief.

But then Jesus takes care of the boy and his father patiently and compassionately. The one who has the unbelief problem is the father. I think the father has something to do with the possession. He has done something to bring demons around him, I think. Jesus is carefully working on this man's faith. After Jesus does heal the son it will be up to the father to keep the demons from coming back.

The father knows he needs help and he cries out for it. This is just the response that Jesus is calling for. Jesus calls it out of him. The father knows he is lacking in faith. I believe he has been seeking in all the wrong places - oracles and diviners, other religions, etc. He needs help and now he is asking the only one who can truly help him. Jesus has carefully led him to the right choice.

This is the choice that we also should make too when we know our need. We admit our need and ask for God to make up what what we lack. He wants to do it.