I Believe! Help My Unbelief!

~ Luke 9:37-45 (& selected texts from the Gospel of Mark)

June 22, 2014 ~ New City Church of Calgary ~ Pastor John Ferguson

Intro: Reality is a nice place to visit, but you wouldnt want to live there. ~ John Barth

Our minds grapple with this pithy statement, because on the one hand, we cannot help but to live in reality, and
on the other hand, we know that reality is both beautiful and brokeneven painful. And sometimes, we dont
want to live here. We long for an existence in reality where pain and suffering and brokenness are unknown.

CS Lewis, In a sense, it [Christianity] creates, rather than solves, the problem of pain, for pain would be no
problem unless, side by side with our daily experience of this painful world, we had received what we think a
good assurance that ultimate reality is righteous and loving.

Q: How do you hope in the midst of a sometimes painful reality?

Suffering drives some people away from God. In our text today, well see that the suffering in one mans life
drives him to Jesus. We are going to look at a passage which tells us about a man who was at his wits end
with the pain and suffering that his son was experiencing. And well see this man as he comes face to face with
Jesus of Nazareth, and in this encounter we will learn something about what it means to trust in Jesus even in
the presence of unanswered questions and piercing doubts.

So whether you are exploring Christianity or have been following Jesus for many years, youll learn that faith
and doubt can coexist at the same time, and you will be challenged to dare to believe that God moves towards
you in just such a condition.

37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. [And when
they came to the disciples, they sawscribes arguing with them. And he asked them, What are you
arguing about with them? - Mark 9:14-16 ] 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, Teacher, I
beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly
cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.
40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.

1. Note that this is not the rst time weve encountered evil/malevolent spirits in the gospel accounts.

For some skeptics, this is simply too much to believe b/c they havent experienced anything like this.
But isnt it at least possible that there is more to reality than meets the eye? If there is a benevolent
being that exists as our Creator, isnt it at least possible that there could be malevolent entities too?
Jesus teaches us that there is, and so we take his teaching at face value, even if we dont understand
What we do know is that there seemed to be an increased intensity in demonic activity at the time of
Jesus ministry

2. Note the controversy and confusion.

Keller 119, Evil is present, and everybodys confused.
Ryken 484, The disciples did not fail for lack of effort, but due to their lack of faith.

3. Note the human element of pain and suffering that this father and son are experiencing.

41 Jesus answered, O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear you?
Bring your son here.

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1. When Jesus described this generation, he used terminology that described Israel after the Exodus
when they witnessed signs and wonders and still were slow to believe or refused to believe in the
power of God (Dt. 32:5). The disciples had witnessed the power of Jesus Christ, and even received
power and authority over demons (Lk. 9:1), but apparently forgot about it when they tried to heal this
boy by exorcising the demon.

2. Jesus was frustrated and saddened. But notice his reaction was not to withdraw, but to move towards
this faithless and twisted generation. Later, he would weep over Jerusalems stubbornness to believe
(Lk. 13:34).

Ryken, One of the great sufferings of his earthly pilgrimage was the unbelief of his own disciples.

42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. [And Jesus asked
his father, How long has this been happening to him? And he said, From childhood. And it has often
cast him into re and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us
and help us. And Jesus said to him, If you can! All things are possible for the one who believes.
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe; help my unbelief! - Mark 9:21-24]

1. Not all present were faithless. At least one man who was faithful, even if he wasnt full of faith.

Desperation #1: If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.
Encouragement: All things are possible for the one who believes.
Desperation #2: I believe; help my unbelief.

2. I dont know of a more encouraging verse for those who feel discouraged by their lack of faith.

But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all
were astonished at the majesty of God.

1. Jesus was able to do what the disciples were not able to do: he rebuked the spirit & healed the boy.

2. The predictable response of the crowd: astonishment at the majesty of God.

Jesus knew that the responses of the crowds were ckle. The astonishment doesnt last for long.
Something else was on the mind of Jesus. And Jesus needed to grab the disciples attention. Fast.

But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44 Let these
words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. 45 But they
did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And
they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

1. The heart of the gospel is not that Jesus is a miracle worker, though he was, but that he came to suffer
and die for sinners, and through his death, to reconcile people to God.

2. The quadruple negative emphasizes what we already know about the disciples at the present: the didnt
get what Jesus had been telling them about the necessity of his death.

Maybe it was because of the implications for their own lives if Jesus would be delivered over into the
hands of men. If Jesus was going to be handed over, they would no doubt be rounded up too.

3. One thing, though, perplexed the disciples: though they didnt want to ask him about being delivered
over into the hands of men, they did want to ask him about one thing.

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[And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could we not cast it
out? And he said to them, This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer. - Mark 9:28-29]

The disciples were attempting to do things in their own power, without going to God in prayer.

So, why did Luke record these stories in his historical biography of Jesus?

The key to understanding Jesus is not so much in his miracles or even his teachings, but in his mission to die
for the sins of the world. Nothingnot the faithlessness of this world, nor the twistedness of this worldwould
deter him from moving towards it with redemptive purposes.

This miraclethough realis also a parable that helps us understand the main idea of our study.

Main Idea:
Jesus response to the pain and suffering and unbelief of this world is to move towards it with his healing.

Application: Two huge implications that we need to wholeheartedly embrace.

1. Jesus does not ask for perfect faith, but the presence of true faith.

(1) Many peopleincluding Christianshave wrong notions about faith and what it is.

Eg., Faith is believing in what you know aint true. / Faith is believing against the evidence.
Eg., Faith cannot coexist with doubt or questions. Nothing could be further from the truth!

(2) Faith is essentially trust; especially trust in light of the evidence.

Eg., I trust! Help my lack of trust! I have faith, but it is riddled with doubts and questions! I want to
believe but its so hard to believe! Help me.

(3) Some of you think that before you can become a follower of Christ, you must have all your questions
answered and all your doubts quenched. Believe me, when you become a Christian, you will have more
questions, and you will wrestle with your doubts on a deeper level.

Dont let doubts or unanswered questions keep you from taking the rst steps in following Jesus.

2. Gods heart is to move towards us in the mess of our lives.

(1) This man was full of questions and full of doubt. He didnt have his life all together. In many ways, he
was a complete mess. And yet, Jesus moves towards him with not only encouragement to believe, but
also healing in his hands.

Anne Lamott, Its okay to realize youre very crazy and very damaged. All of the best people are.

Some people are so acutely aware of the mess of their lives, of the pain and suffering and disappoint-
ment that they feel towards themselves that they are convinced that God would reject them. But this
passage teaches us that God actually moves towards us, and he calls us to simply trust him.

(2) Os Guinness, Christianity is the only religion whose God bears the scars of evil.


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