This Time He Asked Me

Pipe & Dram: Solving A Riddle In Mark 9?

Dear Friends,

Step into my study! Shall I fill you a pipe? Pour you a dram? Excellent!

I apologize that it has been awhile since our last visit. Today I want to share with you something that may (or may not) be an epiphany I had during church yesterday. I will let you decide whether it has any merit.

It concerns a strange little story recorded in Mark chapter 9, verses 14 through 29. I’ll put it here so that we have the full context:

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

“What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

It’s pretty straightforward. A man with a demon-possessed son asks Jesus’ disciples to cast out the demon, but they are unable. Jesus then casts out the demon, and his disciples ask him why they weren’t able to do it. The answer is this incredibly enigmatic statement: “This kind can come out only by prayer.” (Leave aside for the moment a manuscript variant that adds “and fasting.”)

That does not seem to clarify very much. Is there a certain prayer necessary? Is Jesus giving them a lesson in a specific technique? Is he just matter-of-factly telling us that there are really strong demons we ought to beware of? Maybe he is saying that the disciples were more focused on the Spiritual gift or power itself than they are the source of that power (i.e., the Father)? Who knows? He just doesn’t explain himself.

Or doesn’t he?

Notice something. Jesus says that this kind of demon cannot come out without prayer. Now, I ask you: what prayer? There isn’t any prayer in this story. Jesus doesn’t pray before violently casting out this demon. In plenty of other places the evangelists report that, “Looking up into heaven, Jesus prayed.” That doesn’t happen here. Rather, in response to the father’s request, he simply turns and rebukes the spirit.

Notice a few more curious things. Jesus initially rebukes the unbelief of “this generation,” and (exasperatedly) asks: “How long shall I stay with you?” “How long shall I put up with you?” Then he says, “Bring the boy to me.” What is the nature of this “unbelief”? It is unbelief about his own person. He is posing the implicit question Jesus always poses: Who do you say that I am? That this story is about who Jesus is becomes increasingly apparent with this detail: “when the spirit saw Jesus it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion.” The spirit knows who Jesus is.

Jesus now has a brief conversation with the father and we get some heartbreaking background information. This boy is tormented and “often” thrown into the fire or water to kill him. And then the boy’s father says, “take pity on us and help us.”

That, my friends, is a prayer. In fact, it is the only prayer recorded in this entire story. It is the prayer. Jesus responds, “if?” If? If I can do anything? “Everything is possible for one who believes.” This is quite a twist from what Jesus says in Matthew 19: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Jesus is making quite a claim in this response. The man replies with an affirmation of faith: “I do believe! But help me overcome my belief.” That is another prayer. Fulfill what you are promising me.

Jesus turns and casts out the demon; his disciples are confused and wonder why they couldn’t do it, and Jesus says, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

Friends, I do not think this story is about exorcism techniques; not about scary out-of-the-ordinary demons; not about the intensity of the disciples’ faith. This is a story of who is this man? You see, when the man asked the disciples to cast out the demon, that does not count as a prayer. They are mere men. But if you “bring him to ME,” and if you then ask, and if you then believe … that is a prayer.

What was the difference, Jesus? Why couldn’t we do it?

“This kind can come out only by prayer” means—one might even imagine there was a sly wink involved—this time he asked me.

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Thanks for visiting me in my study! I hope we can have another visit soon.