Message preached Sunday, February 7, 2016 from Mark 9:25-29
Theme: We cannot do the work of Jesus apart from Jesus Himself.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
Over the past few weeks, in our study of the ninth chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we’ve been concentrating on just one story. But it’s been a very rich story with some very important lessons to teach us. Let’s go back and consider what we’ve already learned from it.
The context of the story is that the Lord Jesus was descending a mountain with three of His disciples. He had taken Peter, James and John with Him on a trip up this mountain; and there—during the evening—He was transformed before their eyes. They beheld His majestic glory as the Son of God. It was a remarkable experience that we refer to as ‘the Transfiguration’. And in the story that we’re currently studying, Jesus and those three disciples were coming down the mountain to meet up with the other nine disciples below.
And so, our story begins in Mark 9:14;
And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?” Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me” (Mark 9:14-19).
And that gave us the first great lesson that we learned from this passage. The nine disciples were failing to cast the unclean spirit out of the boy. The scribes were challenging them and bringing accusations against them. The boy’s poor father was frustrated and desperate. But everything began to change the moment they brought the situation to Jesus. That’s something we need to constantly remember about our trials and struggles in life. Things begin to get better the moment we humbly bring our needs to Jesus. In the midst of the perplexing problems of life, He’s the one to go to.
But we must come with trust in Him. And that leads us to the next lesson we learned from this passage. Mark goes on to tell us, beginning with verse 20;
Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (vv. 20-24).
And that outcry from the father gives us the second great lesson we learned. Jesus had told the father that, if he would trust Him and believe in His sufficiency, all things would be possible—including the deliverance of his son from the torment of that unclean spirit. And the father admitted that he believed; but also confessed that he struggled with doubts. “Lord, I believe,” he cried out with tears; “help my unbelief!” We learned from this that the best place to go to with our doubts about Jesus is right to Jesus Himself. He helps us in every way if we will turn to Him. He even helps us with our unbelief.
And then comes a third great lesson—one that we’ll concentrate on this morning. Mark goes on to write, beginning with verse 25;
When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose (vv. 25-27).
What a miracle! What an astonishing display of the power and authority of Jesus! After all the frustrated attempts by the disciples—with just a word—Jesus commanded the demon to leave; and out it went. And then, He took the boy by the hand and raised him up, and he was completely well. When the Gospel writer Luke tells this story, he wrote that He “gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the majesty of God” (Luke 9:42-43).
But what had gone wrong? Why were the nine apostles so incapable of casting the demon out of the boy? It’s very important to remember that they had, at one time, been able to do that kind of thing. Back in the sixth chapter of Mark’s Gospel, we read of how Jesus had sent them out two-by-two to preach to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; and as they went, He gave them—among other things—power over unclean spirits. And when it came to this boy, they no doubt simply tried to do the same thing that they had been able to do before. Yet, they were terribly unsuccessful. They were becoming objects of ridicule to the scribes who challenged them. They were disappointing the hopes of the poor father who came to them. And they themselves were becoming frustrated. Why were they failing so badly?
It was a teachable moment for them. And Jesus gave them the explanation. Mark goes on in verses 28-29 to tell us;
And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” (vv. 25-29).
The translation that I’m using has the words “and fasting” at the end of verse 29. But the very best and most reliable ancient Greek texts do not have those words. They have Jesus simply saying, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer . . .” And the word for prayer that He uses is one that’s made from combining two Greek words together—euchā, which refers to a prayer or a petition directed to God; and the preposition pros, which means “toward” or “in the direction of”. So proseuchā speaks of an attitude of heart that is directed in worship and reverent dependency toward God—and attitude that has the heart inclined toward prayer. It’s the opposite of a ‘self-reliant’ attitude. It’s a God-worshiping, God-dependent, God-trusting attitude.
I think it helps us to understand this if we look at what Matthew wrote in his Gospel when he told this story. When the disciples came to Jesus for an explanation of why they couldn’t cast the demon out of the boy, Matthew wrote that Jesus told them;
“Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).
Apparently, the disciples had thought that the authority and power that Jesus had once given them was now theirs to use in whatever way they chose. They had thought that Jesus had given them the ability to act as independent ‘healers’ and ‘exorcists’. They didn’t realize that to try to do such things in their own supposed ‘power’ was to trust in themselves—and not in Jesus. In other words, they were trying to do the work of Jesus without Jesus Himself.
And that gives us the third great lesson of this story. It’s a lesson that has to do with what—I believe—is one of the greatest causes of the frustration and fruitlessness that professing Christians often feel today. It’s an important reason why many churches—even large and seemingly prosperous churches—seem to make so little impact in this world. It’s because we cannot do anything for the Lord’s cause except by proseuchā—that is, by that constant God-ward attitude of worship, and reverential trust, and dependency as expressed by specific prayer in the name and power of Jesus.
As the story of Jesus’ healing of the boy so wonderfully teaches us, we absolutely cannot do the work of Jesus apart from Jesus Himself. We must do all that we do—and especially our work for Him—with complete dependency upon Him.
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I’ll never forget how this lesson was once taught to me. Many years ago, I paid a visit to a former Bible college professor of mine. He is a wonderful man of God—a powerful and fruitful missionary and evangelist, and a great Bible teacher.
As we chatted in his study, he told me about how there was a time when he was deeply frustrated in ministry. It seemed as if he couldn’t get anything done in his service to the Lord. He felt that his very best efforts were often met with failure; and he was very discouraged. I hope I don’t get too confusing by sharing from another Bible passage; but he told me that he once read these words from 1 Corinthians 15:58,
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58);
and those words frustrated him greatly. He told me that he prayed, “Well, Lord; I sure don’t feel that way! I feel like I have been very steadfast, and immovable in your service! I have tried hard to abound in Your work! But I feel like my labor IS in vain!”
And then, he said, it struck him. The verse says, “knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” He had been laboring with all his might in his work for the Lord—but not “in the Lord”. He had been trying to do it all in his own power—on the basis of his own talents and diligence and know-how. He had been trying to do the work of the Lord apart from a dependent attitude upon the Lord Himself. No wonder it all felt ‘in vain’!
This good man is a great teacher to me. And I feel, to this very day, that he was telling me that story so that I would learn from him—and not fall into the same trap of frustration he fell into. I’m afraid, though, that I often do. And yet I seek to correct my error whenever I’m aware of it. I immediately stop and pray about it; and learn to do the work of the Lord only “in the Lord”—that is, not trusting in myself; but working with that constant sense of dependent communion with Him—relying on the enabling power of the Holy Spirit He has placed in me; praying for His fresh help in each new task; thanking the Lord along the way for His leading and direction; walking in obedience to His commandments at each step; and committing the results of my labors to Him. Ever since that conversation with my professor, I have tried to take to heart what the Lord Jesus Himself once told His disciples in John 15:5;
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
And I wonder if this isn’t speaking to someone here today. Perhaps you have been trying to do the work of ministry in some way; using the gifts and talents that God has given you for the service of the church family, or perhaps for the sharing of the gospel with family and friends; but you’ve been feeling frustrated. You’re not seeing the results you expect you should. Perhaps you’re laboring hard in the Lord’s service, but feeling as if your spinning your wheels in the process—feeling that you’re labor for the Lord is ‘in vain’. Or perhaps you’re trying to overcome a serious problem in your life—a sinful habit, an ungodly attitude, a heart of bitterness and resentment, a sense of alienation from God in some way. Perhaps you’ve tried to overcome that problem by turning to this religious practice, or that spiritual habit. Perhaps you’re working hard to be a better Christian; but nothing seeming to work. Perhaps you’re feeling like those nine disciples.
Well; things began to get better for this boy as soon as the disciples and the father brought him to Jesus. And could it be that Jesus is saying to you today, “This problem that you have; this thing that you’re trying to do for Me; this need you’re trying to fulfill, or this difficulty in your life that you’re trying to overcome—you are frustrated in your efforts because you can’t do it without Me. This kind can come out by nothing but by proseuchā—by an attitude that constantly looks to Me, and trusts Me, and obeys Me, and depends upon Me.”
We truly cannot do the work of Jesus apart from Jesus Himself.
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Let’s look again at this passage and see how much this is so. Look first at . . .
1. THE AUTHORITY WHICH JESUS ALONE EXERCISES OVER HIS WORK (v. 25).
In verse 25, Mark tells us; “When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” And I see, in this verse, three great displays of Jesus’ authority.
First, I see it in His authority over the timing of things. We’re told that it was only after Jesus saw crowds running toward the scene that He action to help the boy. The feel of things is that He wanted to take care of the boy before the crowds got there. Why? Personally, I believe it was because He didn’t want to perform a miracle in front of them just to satisfy their curiosity. There was a time once before when, after performing a great miracle, the people had determined—then and there—to make Him their king. But that’s not why He came to this earth. He would, of course, one day reign as King; but only after He had died on the cross as Savior. And He didn’t want anything getting in the way of His work for us on the cross. Things were done according to His timing; in accordance with His own divine schedule.
Second, I see the authority of Jesus in His manner toward the unclean spirit. Mark tells us that Jesus “rebuked” the spirit. The word that is used—in its most basic meaning—suggests the idea of assessing a penalty for a crime. And here, the idea is that of admonishing or reprimanding in a very strong way. Whereas you or I might draw back in fear of a powerful unclean spirit like this, Jesus displayed His great authority as the Son of God by confronting it with a severe rebuke. Only Jesus can do this—and we should never dare to do such a thing except under His command and with absolute dependency upon Him. Only He has such authority!
He called the unclean spirit for what it was; “Deaf and dumb spirit . . .” And then, we see Jesus’ authority in the way in which He issued a clear and direct order to the spirit that was very much like what would be used in the issuance of a military command or a judgment in a court of law: “I command you”—literally, “I place upon you”—“come out of him and enter him no more!” It was not just a command to depart for a time; but a command to leave once and for all, and never return.
Way back at the beginning of the Gospel of Mark—in Mark 1:27—Jesus had cast an unclean spirit out of a man; and the people who saw it said,
“What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him” (Mark 1:27).
And if this is true of the case of this poor boy and his father, then it would certainly be true in every other case we can encounter. I believe I’d be right in saying that whatever problem you or I may have, it’s no were near as terrible and dreadful and hard to solve as the one that this poor father had! And yet, Jesus exercised complete authority over it. He alone has complete authority over every problem that we can bring to Him.
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And He not only exercises complete authority over whatever we can bring to Him; but note also . . .
2. THE THOROUGHNESS OF HIS WORK WHEN HE HIMSELF DOES IT.
I say this with all reverence; but Jesus could have simply cast the demon out of the boy and then left. That was, after all, what the father of the boy wanted. We’re told, “Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, ‘He is dead’” (v. 26). The demonic spirit thrashed the poor boy around, and fought with all that it had—unwilling to come out. But it was forced to come out by the authority of Jesus. And after all the thrashing, and convulsing, and shrieking, and foaming at the mouth, and stiffening into rigidity, there was a sudden and terrible stillness. No sound. No motion. No apparent life. From all that the crowd could tell, the vicious battle that this demon waged in coming out had killed the poor boy.
To be honest, whether the boy really was dead or not is something I don’t believe we can know for sure. But could you imagine Jesus just leaving after that? The demon was gone. The thing asked for had been granted. But could you imagine Jesus abandoning the poor father to scoop up the body of his son and trying to bring life back into him? That’s not how Jesus does things. We’re told, “But Jesus took him by the hand”—literally “seizing” or “grasping” his hand—“and lifted him up, and he arose.”
Because Luke tells us that Jesus handed the boy over to his father, this would mean that there was no gradual recovery time. The boy didn’t gradually begin to have his vitals restored. He didn’t lay there and groan for a while. Jesus took him by the hand, hoisted him upright, and he was completely and instantaneously well! No more demonic spirit oppressing him. No more thrashing or convulsing. He never threw himself into the fire or into the water again. He could hear perfectly, and he could speak perfectly. He was made by Jesus—in a moment—a perfectly well, strong, happy boy being embraced by his overwhelmingly happy father!
And may I suggest to you that that’s why we need to depend on Jesus? He doesn’t do things halfway. What He does—when He is permitted to do it in His own time and in His own way—He does completely! Whatever battle He fights, He wins! Whatever of His work that He does, He does thoroughly! You and I cannot do that. Only He can.
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And that highlights for us . . .
3. THE CONSTANT DEPENDENCY WE MUST HAVE ON HIM IN DOING HIS WORK (vv. 28-29).
Let me read the end of the story once more;
And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” (vv. 25-29).
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ; let’s repent of our foolish attitude of independence and self-reliance. We can’t do anything without Jesus Christ; and anything we think we can do without Him amounts to nothing at all.
Let’s examine ourselves carefully. Have we embraced the world’s attitude of ‘practical secularism’? Have we mistakenly thought that we can divide life up between the things we can do with Jesus’ help and the things we can do without His help? Have we tried to do the work of the Lord on our own power and on our own volition; and have we suddenly remembered—along the way, and after a great deal of frustration and fruitlessness—that we haven’t even stopped to pray and ask for His permission, or leadership, or help? Have we tried to solve the major problems and difficulties of our life through the ‘answers’ and ‘solutions’ that the unbelieving world offers—completely ignoring Him?
How else can we put it? We need to repent of our unbelief! These things in our life cannot be accomplished—and His work in us and through us cannot be done—apart from Him. May He teach us more and more to seek to do His work, and walk His way, in complete dependency upon Him.
May we do with Him what only He can do in and through us!