On Line Bible Study - for the week July 13-19, 2009

Lesson 396

Mark 9:14-29 - Jesus heals a boy possessed by an evil spirit.

Because we are covering a lot of material I'll have to assume that you will read the stories on your own rather than put the text in the body of this email. Mark 9:14-29 has several key points:

1. This is less a healing than it is an exorcism.
2. Faith is the issue - the faith of the man whose son is possessed, and the faith of the disciples.
3. There are hints of the resurrection in the story.

The problem the child is dealing with is a demon - this emphasizes the cosmic nature of the fight between good and evil that Jesus is engaged in. That's what this project is about! The disciples are unable to perform the exorcism - even though Jesus had commissioned them and empowered them to cast out evil spirits (see Mark 6:7), this one required a power the disciples did not have. But it is a power they lack because they are an unbelieving generation . . . (Mark 9:19). The father's faith is equivocal - he says to Jesus: If you can do anything, take pity on [my son]. Jesus responds with what seems to be some exasperation - 'If you can'? Everything is possible for one who believes.

As the child is freed from the demon, he lies as if dead. Jesus extends his hand to him, not unlike what he did with Simon Peter's mother-in-law and with Jairus' daughter. The imagery is not unlike what he will depend on his Father to do for him after the crucifrixion. Everything is possible for one who believes ... We can't help but wonder as to the faith required of Christ to do what he did.

And now Jesus leaves Galilee for the last time, instructing his disciples as he travels.

Mark 9:31 The Son of Man is going to be delivered over to human hands. He will be killed, and after three days he will rise.

This is the briefest of the three predictions of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. As we read this second prediction, we begin to sense there is more to this than a simple "prediction". There is something behind the event being foretold - God is the agent acting behind it all, to accomplish God's purposes. But we are told the disciples did not understand. And the fact that they then begin to argue who is the greatest indicates the extent of their lack of understanding. Jesus brings a child into their midst, equating faithful ministry with service and identifying himself with this little one.

And then, this interesting situation:

Mark 9:38 "Teacher," said John, "we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

In their commentary on Mark, Donahue and Harrington translate this as follows: ....and we told him to stop, because he does not follow us.

Does not follow who? Does this get to the heart of our tendencies toward exclusivism? Is it Jesus we follow, or our own selves? Who are we to determine how, when, where, and why Christ is active in the world? Is he Lord or our lives -- that is the first thing we need to tend to, and perhaps the only thing we need to truly concern ourselves with!

Jesus continues to teach as the gospel progresses ...