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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.

Mark 9:16
Here once again we have a place where the skeptic will ask a question. Why did Jesus have to ask them anything? Doesn’t he already know everything? Why would he need to inquire as to the subject of their argument? Wouldn’t this cause them to doubt his status as the Messiah?
The answer is a resounding no! And why? Well, it’s important to look a little bit more closely at what is being asked here. The original Greek used in this particular verse reveals that Jesus was asking what they were disputing about among themselves. In other words, Jesus was not asking them what they were talking about, but why they were arguing with each other. He was asking a rhetorical question, pointing out their confusion and disagreement with one another.
He was highlighting the fact that his disciples were bringing confusion to men who were supposed to understand the oracles of God. This question did not reveal weakness in Christ. Instead, Christ was pointing out the weakness of these teachers who were supposed to know more than he, or his disciples.
As we see in the next verse, neither Jesus disciples, nor the scribes there present, answered this question. And why? They understood what Jesus was intimating. The father of the boy with the demon answered because he saw it wasn’t a question that the scribes were intended to answer. He responded to it as a lead-in to his description of the problem to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, may we never forget that Jesus is the King of Kings. As royalty, he will always call upon us to understand truth, that we may treat each other as he treats us. His ways are right, and his judgement is just. He knows what we think, and how we think. He understands our deepest needs. He is Lord of our hearts. Thank you, King Jesus! You are truly the Highness and Majesty over all! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:15
Everyone was happy to see Christ. His disciples were relieved, knowing that he could solve their dilemma. The multitude always delighted to see Christ. The scribes wanted the opportunity to question him as well. So, everyone wanted him, but for various reasons.
So often we want the attention of the Lord, but for all of the wrong reasons. We forget to come to him for the things he wants us to bring to him. Instead we come with petty disputes, crazy problems, and frustrating situations. Yes, the Lord does want us to bring these things to him. But, we also come with our preconceptions as to how we want him to respond.

Heavenly Father, may we focus on you, rather than our issues. Though we should bring our problems to you, they often seem bigger to us than you. We have our eyes on the situation, rather than the Lord of All. May we always keep our gaze upon you and bring you our lives for your guidance and control, not just so that you can make things easier for us. We will seek to always remember that you are not a cosmic genie lamp, You are the All-Powerful Lord of the Universe! We must give you the glory and honor! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 9:14
Life stops for nobody. The scribes were giving Jesus’ other disciples quite a rough day. To look on the bright side of things, at least describes did know the Scripture better than most. However, this made them quite a bit more argumentative than most. They had to find for themselves some good reason to deny Christ, to reject him, to be able to say that he was not what he claimed to be.

Heavenly Father may we never try to find a way to avoid your truth. Thank you for the wonderful truth you make available to us. It is so amazing that we can look in your Word and see principles that we can use in our daily lives. Father, we will never be able to understand just how wonderful your truth is this side of glory. As we learn from your Word, make us sweeter, more spiritual, and more of a blessing. Thank you for your glorious wisdom! You are the God of all, reigning forever! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 9:13
Just as Jesus comes twice, Elijah returns twice. At the first coming of Christ, Elijah is John the Baptist. There will be another manifestation of Elijah proceeding the second coming of Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank you the truth that you make available to us. You have given us all that we need. It is a joy and delight to work in your service. You give us peace with you, and that is so important. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 9:12
A good reading of Isaiah 49 through 53 will help with understanding this passage. Jesus answers a question and asks another one. Elijah would indeed come before the Messiah. But, Jesus asks, how is it that it is also prophesied that the Messiah would suffer and be rejected? He is trying to get these men to think about Scripture for themselves rather than just relying on what the scribes said. The scribes were a good source, but they were failing to see the whole picture.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us Christ! Thank you for giving us the truth. Thank you for encouraging us to understand and grow. You are not afraid of people who think and ask questions. I love you! Praise your Name! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.