Author: Bill Hall

Hope you had a great day!

Mark 9:24
This is one of the most interesting verses in all of Scripture. It really grips the human sentiment. That paradox of faith and faithlessness is where we often spend our lives. We believe, and yet we don’t believe. This man evidently had more trouble with his faith than many others who came to Christ for help. However, we all have a tendency to be weak in our faith.
What is truly interesting here is the solution this man finds for his faithlessness. He asks Jesus to help. And, really, that was exactly the right thing to do. Our faith has to come from the Lord. He is the one who helps us to grow in faith, as we grow in him. With tears this man expressed his complete dependence upon Christ. We should turn to the same solution.

Heavenly Father, our dependence upon you is a reality. But, we often forget that fact. May we always realize our need for you! You alone have the answers. You alone can meet our deepest needs. You are glorious, holy, pure and true. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:23
This story is fairly unique in that we actually have this man making a statement concerning his faith. In most cases, those involved with the miracles of Jesus don’t actually say all that much regarding their faith in him. We do have a few instances where there is some kind of statement made as to Christ’s ability. Even among these examples, this particular event is different. This man actually questions whether or not Jesus is able to rescue his son.
So, as a result, we have Jesus returning to the lesson he always has in connection with his miracles. Though he is able to do any miracle anytime, it’s a question of belief. His ability is not limited by a lack of belief, but his willingness is another matter. The Lord Jesus is quite interested in his glory, as he should be. If he wasn’t, we would know he wasn’t God. Thus, if he’s going to do a miracle, he expects someone to believe in him.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us your Word, so that we might understand our lives. You are worthy of all of the glory! May we never forget that! You are not to be deprived of your glory in our lives. You deserve all that we are and ever shall be in service to you. Thank you for your faithfulness! You are so easy to love! We have nothing to give you, you give us all we have. I love you, Father. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:22
We hear the violence connected with illness when the man was talking to the disciples now explained as the actions of the demonic spirit. It does not seem likely that the demonic influence would have actually killed the boy, though the powers of darkness have a tendency to be destructive even to their own detriment. This demon had a comfortable place so to speak, and would not want to leave. The devil and his minions rule by fear and suffering, thus the demon cast the boy into the flames and the floods.
Jesus, of course, knew the motives of all there present, including the demon itself. And he was already aware of this history. Anyone familiar with the actions of the devil could have guessed that much themselves. Indeed, it is in keeping with the actions of the dark world to hurt the victims in such a way that it becomes more difficult for them to cry out for help. And, you will find many a sin tied to the destruction of the mind and the body.

Heavenly Father, thank you for freeing us from the kingdom of darkness! Thank you for giving us the victory in Jesus Christ! We are so glad to be more than conquerors in the Lord Jesus. We can know that we have victory in him. No matter what may come our way in this life, Father we know that you will care for us. Even when we go through difficult valleys, we know you will never leave us nor forsake us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 9:21

Have a Merry Christmas!

Mark 9:20
We have several other instances where the forces of darkness had quite strange reactions to the Lord Jesus. Because they knew who he was, they were naturally afraid of him. This particular demon was a little different, however. For whatever reason, he could not speak.
Frankly, it seems strange to say that a demon would not be able to speak. So, is necessary to say that we really don’t understand what the actual situation was. The Scriptures do not give us a lot of specifics or details when it comes to description of the demonic world. What we do know is that Jesus refers to this demon as a deaf and dumb spirit. Thus, whether this particular demon was deaf and dumb by choice, or by some detail of his makeup, he did not speak.
As a result, the temper tantrum we have here is the only thing that the demon could do to express his displeasure over the presence of the Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your great wisdom! You know what you should tell us, and what we don’t really need to know. You always give us the truth that we need for our lives. Thank you for your power! It is wonderful to know that Christ is more powerful than the god of this world. By the Lord Jesus we can have victory in our lives, regardless of the activities of the kingdom of darkness. Thank you for your love for us! In the name of Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 9:19
Often we hear it said that Jesus is referring to the faithlessness of his disciples in this particular verse. However, I believe that Jesus is referring to the lack of faith on the part of basically everybody there that day. The scribes, were faithless and unbelieving, trying to find a way to find fault with Christ. His disciples failed to solve this problem because of their lack of faith. And, the multitude around him did not have any more faith than the rest of them. In addition, the man who had come to Christ for the healing of his son, did not have very much faith either.
Jesus makes this statement sound as if he is tired of being patient with this lack of faith. And so, this becomes a difficulty as we remind ourselves that God is always faithful, and that his patience is limitless. The fact is, however, we have to remember that God is a person. And even though he is a perfect person, that does not mean he doesn’t have feelings like we do. Although Jesus was not going to fail to bear the faithlessness of this generation, that doesn’t keep him from expressing his feelings about it. God does this very thing throughout Scripture. Even though he is faithful, he asks us why we do not respond positively to his work in our lives.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your faithfulness. You never fail, no matter what. May we realize that you are not some force or principle, but that you are a person. You care what we do. You love us, and how we treat you matters to you. We will praise your name forever! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:18
So, we have the same thing over in Matthew chapter 17, and yet the language regarding the demon is not included. Instead, the man is describing the antics of his lunatic son. So we ask why the difference?
It seems likely that this man at first told the disciples his son was a lunatic. But, upon the arrival of Christ, the Lord asks some questions and makes some statements that cause the man to communicate the whole truth.
Some might try to separate these two instances, claiming there a different event, but that’s just not possible. The circumstances of the case are too similar to be different events. No, the similarities we have here are due to the fact that the lunatic claim was the first story.

Heavenly Father, may we always be truthful with you! You know what is inside us. You know our hearts. You alone may read our minds. May you always find there praise for you, and not anything else. Your name is truly great, and worthy of all praise! You are faithful, and wise, and true, and loving to the end. You are worthy of our service. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 9:17
This crowd may have been there for various reasons. But at this point everyone began to focus on the situation between the scribes and the disciples. The man, one of the multitude, had brought his son to be helped.
It is important to understand the complexity of this case. If we did not have the account of both Mark and Matthew we would not have the whole picture. So, as we look at this, we will draw upon Matthew 17 as well.
In this verse the man says his son has a dumb spirit. In Matthew we see that he says the boy is a lunatic and needs to be cured. So which is it?
Well, how would the man know the demon was dumb? Indeed, how would he know it was a demon at all if it never spoke? So, what we find in this verse is actually the result of some discussion of the matter by Christ. The man wanted people to simply think his son was sick, like an epileptic or something. But, he knew all along that their was more to it than that. Mark shares with us that information.

Heavenly Father, we do often want to pretend that we don’t have problems. We want to look so good before others. But, we must be honest, because you always know the truth. You cannot be fooled. Thank you for forgiving us for our pride through Christ. You are worthy of the glory, not us. We will praise you for your great glory! You are wonderful beyond our ability to know. Thank you for sharing yourself with us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.