“Good News for Struggling Fathers”
(Mark 9:14-29)
Series: Encounters with Christ (Father and son with spirit)
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson
Take your Bibles and join me this morning in, (page 680; YouVersion).
We are in a special series of messages entitled, “Encounters with Christ,” discovering how a personal encounter with Jesus changes everything. Today is Father’s Day and we’re looking at the encounter of one particular father with Jesus. And it’s found in Mark’s Gospel, chapter 9. It is an encounter that immediately follows the transfiguration of our Lord Jesus on a mountaintop, where He is glory is seen as He is transfigured there in the presence of Moses and Elijah.
Those of you who have been with us in our Sunday evening studies know that it wasn’t that long ago we read of Elijah’s incredible mountain top experience in 1 Kings 18, only to be followed by a rather troubling experience of his in chapter 19. It was the same with Moses if you’ll remember back in Exodus and Deuteronomy. Moses is at once on top of the mountain with God Himself and then Moses descends from the mountain to find the people in all kinds of trouble and confusion.
So it is probably not by accident that Mark opens chapter 9 recounting the transfiguration of Jesus upon the mountain. Jesus is on the mountain with none other than—Moses and Elijah. And just as had happened with Moses and Elijah in the Old Testament when they descended from the mountain to encounter trouble below, so now our Lord Jesus as He descends from the mountain encounters trouble, as well. Let’s read about it in Mark 9 and beginning at verse 14.
Please stand in honor of the Word of God.
14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.
15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.
16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.
18 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.”
19 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.”
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.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood.
22 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.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
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!”
26 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.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Pray.
I’d really like to just get right to this study this morning. There is so much here and I’d like to give some encouragement to fathers today. So let’s study the passage first and let me give you a simple, descriptive outline of the contents and then, after about 20 minutes of study I’d like to give dads some encouraging reminders, okay?
So let’s study the text first. In my notes I wrote down three main headings. The first one describes the seriousness of this situation. There is a father who has a son possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. So I wrote down a number one and wrote:
The Seriousness of the Son’s Problem (14-24)
Jesus comes to where this crowd is gathered and He hears people talking and the scribes arguing with the disciples. The crowd sees Jesus and people run to Him. He asks, “Hey, what’s going on?!”
Then this father speaks. It’s verse 17:
17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.
Here is a father with a problem. It’s a serious problem. The dad says that his son “has a mute spirit,” which means his son is possessed by a demon that keeps him from speaking. We read later in verse 25 that the spirit also causes the boy to be deaf. It’s a very serious problem.
We don’t have time to do a full-orbed study on demon possession. Suffice to say that it was real then and it is real today. Our Lord Jesus certainly believed in the reality of it demon possession and the main thrust of this story is that He has authority over the demonic spirits. For now, let’s continue to note the seriousness of this problem. The father continues in verse 18, telling Jesus what happens when the demon seizes upon his son:
18 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.”
So the disciples were unsuccessful in casting out the demon. And Jesus responds in verse 19 in a rebuke of the disciples, verse 19:
19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation [that word ‘generation’ is usually used to describe the unbelieving nation of Israel, particularly it’s leaders (8:12; 8:38). So Jesus is disciples and their lack of belief], how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”
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.
This detail teaches that the evil spirits recognize the power and authority of Jesus Christ! So then, verse 21:
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood.
And we are struck by the seriousness of the son’s problem. The father’s boy has been troubled by this demon since he was a child. So he’s not a child any longer. He’s grown. We don’t know how old, but he is at least a young adult. How difficult it must have been for this father. The mother is not mentioned, but let’s assume she is alive and just not mentioned in the narrative. How hard it would have been on her, too. The father continues to speak of the seriousness of the situation in verse 22:
22 And often he (the demon) has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him (ancient near eastern living was not like today with fences around every possible danger zone. The spirit tries to kill the boy by causing him to fall into fire or water). Then, the father says at the end of verse 22: But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
And actually the verse should probably be translated the way the majority of translations have it, with verse 23 more like Jesus’ saying, “If you can?” Like a question or like an exclamation, “If you can!” And that’s probably the best way to translate it, with an exclamation mark. So the father says, “If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us” and Jesus repeats the man’s statement—as with a smile—“‘If you can!’ And then Jesus says, “All things are possible for one who believes.” I love verse 24:
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
That’s just so honest. This father of the son sounds like me, at times. You, too? I love that honest admission. We’ll come back to that. So, having noted the seriousness of the son’s problem, we read next, secondly, of:
The Magnificence of the Savior’s Power (25-27)
And this really is the point of the passage. Verse 25:
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!” (I especially like that! No more!!)
26 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.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
And Luke’s account adds that Jesus then gave the boy back to his father (Luke 9:42).
That phrase in verse 27, where Mark writes that Jesus “lifted him up, and he arose,” is literally, that Jesus, “raised him, and he was resurrected.” He raised the son and he was resurrected. Hard not to see a bit of foreshadowing there!
Because, as we have noted in these healings, what Jesus says or does, He says or does because of what He will accomplish in His death and resurrection. So, here for example, the boy who “became as one dead” and “arose” did so precisely because, Jesus Himself would actually “become dead” and would Himself “arise.”
We’ve read of the seriousness of the son’s problem, the magnificence of the Savior’s power. Thirdly, we note:
The Dependence of the Saints in Prayer (28-29)
And this narrative ends with two verses, verses 28 and 29, that underscore the importance of one’s utter dependence upon the Lord for absolutely everything. The disciples are scratching their heads trying to figure out why they were unsuccessful in casting out the demon. Verse 28:
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And Jesus replies, verse 29:
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Most of the modern translations have simply, “prayer.” The word “fasting” is not found in the older Greek manuscripts and that’s why it is omitted in most of the current translations. Of course, fasting is important too, but the real point is the utter dependence of the believer upon the Lord for absolutely everything. And that utter dependence of the Christian is demonstrated primarily through his or her prayer life.
The disciples lacked that consistent prayer life and so they were working largely from their own strength. Their day-to-day lives were not bathed in prayer. And this is why they lacked power in ministry.
You can do ministry by relying on a process or a procedure, but not power that comes through prayer. It’s like preaching without spending time in prayer. Or reading the Word without praying.
Prayer is a demonstration of the truth that we are not able to do all things ourselves. It’s an admission of truth that we can do nothing apart from God. Prayer is a demonstration of the truth that we depend upon Him for absolutely everything.
So there is our little descriptive outline of the events. We have noted the seriousness of the son’s problem, the magnificence of the Savior’s power, and the dependence of the saints in prayer. Now, I’d like then to give a couple encouraging reminders to all of our dads, a couple points of encouragement I believe surface from this study. Who are our dads again? (raise hands). Me, too. Dads sometimes feel “beat up” on Father’s Day. So be encouraged, number one:
It’s Natural for Fathers to Struggle in their Faith
Guys, none of us has this “living by faith” completely figured out. Be encouraged by that truth! You are not alone.
Again, the father in this story is so honest. Jesus says in verse 23, “All things are possible to him who believes” and the man replies so genuinely in verse 24, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” It’s natural for fathers to struggle in their faith.
Is there a dad among us who is perfect? I mean, is there anyone in this congregation right now who would raise his hand and say, “I’ve got this ‘living by faith thing’ all figured out. I never doubt. I never sin. I’m just like Jesus!”
No, rather most of us feel at times like the father in this passage: “Man, I believe, but Lord I also struggle with unbelief. I mean, I believe You are who You say You are and You can do whatever You wish—I really believe that—but I’m a sinner; I’m fallen and I live in a fallen world. It’s not an excuse, Jesus, I just need help. Help my unbelief!”
And one of the reasons the church exists is to help one another out. A church is here to help folks who struggle in their faith; to help fathers who struggle in their faith. Seek out the help of brothers and sisters who can come alongside and say, “Hey, you’re not alone. I too struggle in my walk.”
There’s this line from a song that I run to. I run to all kinds of music. Lately it’s been “The Police,” an 80s group. Anyway, the song is called, “Message in a Bottle.” And it’s about a guy who feels he’s all alone, feels like he’s a cast away, “an island lost at sea.”
And so he sends out a message in a bottle. Maybe it reads, “Help.” And he sends it out and hopes someone will get the bottle and read his note and then write an encouraging note back to him and send it back in a bottle. And he says over and over in the song, “I hope that someone gets my message in a bottle.”
And so like a year goes by and it doesn’t seem like anyone’s gotten his S.O.S., his message in a bottle. And then finally this encouraging line. He says: “Walked out this morning and don’t believe what I saw—a hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore.” And then this memorable lyric: “Seems I’m not alone in being alone; a hundred billion castaways looking for a home.”
The encouragement of knowing we’re not alone! The church exists for countless castaways and outcasts who struggle in their faith. Seems we’re not alone in being alone.
Be encouraged, dads: It’s natural for fathers to struggle in their faith. Secondly, be encouraged, dads:
It’s Natural for Fathers to Struggle in their Family
Dads often struggle in leading their families. Much of this point is implicit in the narrative. Certainly we see the pain of this father in his concern for his son’s well-being. He is heartbroken over the spiritual state of his son.
Here is an evil spirit who has troubled his son since he was a small child. It’s almost unimaginable the pain that must have caused both mom and dad.
But the most important thing this dad did for his son was to bring him to Jesus. The father brought his chid to Jesus. “Teacher,” he says in verse 17, “I brought you my son.” He brought his son to Jesus.
Dads, it’s natural that you you will struggle in leading your family. That’s why the church partners with you in bringing your kids to Jesus. Bring your kids to the Lord. So, three ways to bring them—this is not on the wall, you’ll have to write these down if you want them—first, I wrote in my notes:
Bring them to worship.
I know I cannot expect others to read the Bible if I don’t read it. You can’t expect your sons and daughters to be any more spiritual than you are. You can’t expect them to pray if you don’t pray. You can’t expect your children to love Jesus if they can’t see that you love Jesus. Dads, you can’t expect your children to walk in purity if you’re not walking in purity.
I was talking with a struggling father on the phone this weekend. And we together noted the responsibility we have in leading our family. Bring your family to worship.
Dads—and moms—but dads especially, listen: Don’t allow your children to determine who goes to worship and when. Lead them by bringing them to the Lord. “Teacher,” the father said, “I brought you my son.” Bring your family to worship. Lead them.
I’m so glad that after my parents divorced that my mother made me get up and go to worship when I was a young, rebellious teenager. It was never a question of whether we were going. She didn’t come and ask for my opinion. You know like, “Todd, do you want to wake up and go today or do you think we all ought to just sleep in?” In my dreams!
As a parent, she didn’t let me lead her, but she led me. It wasn’t, “Do you want to go,” or, “Where are you happiest?” She made those decisions for me. So it was just, “Get up, get dressed, and get in the car.”
I’m especially grateful for that leadership now. Dads, lead your family by leading them to regular worship in God’s house. Teach them by example. In doing so, you will prevent their growing up into mere “consumers” of the church, coming only when it is convenient, coming only to get their little needs met—but regularly giving of themselves by regularly attending worship, serving the Lord, working among the body of Christ, joyfully serving Him and others.
JC Ryle, in his booklet, “The Duties of Parents,” writes of the parents leading their children by regularly taking them to worship. He says:
Do not be discouraged because your children do not see the full value of church and the Lord’s Supper now. Just train them to have a habit of regular attendance. Set it before their minds as a high, holy, and solemn duty, and believe me, the day will very likely come when they will bless you for your efforts.
Bring them to the Lord in worship. And bring them to the Lord in prayer.
Bring them in prayer.
The father in this passage brought his son to Jesus. He brought the needs of his son to Jesus. His son was troubled by a spirit that kept him from hearing and talking, so the father did the talking for him! You may not always feel you can talk to your kids about God, but you can always talk to God about your kids—and you can do that now while they are in the home. It is good for your children to hear you pray, to talk to God about them.
Don’t preach when you pray. Just pray, “God, you know I love this young man, this young lady,” etc. Let them hear you pray for them.
In what way do we bring our children to Jesus? We bring them to the Lord by bringing them to worship, and bringing them in prayer. And finally, we:
Bring them in love.
Love your kids the way your Father loves you. That is, love them for who they are, not what they should be, or what you think they should be.
Love your kids the way they are. That’s how the Father loves you. That doesn’t mean He doesn’t want you to grow in Christlikeness. Rather, it means that God loves you as you are because He made you that way. And as a parent, you are to love your children for who they are—their unique personalities, giftedness, and even oddities—because God made them that way.
So many of you have shared with me how encouraging this quote was when I read it some time back. It’s about how God often gives parents kids that are very different from one another. And this is a quote from Pastor Stephen Schwambach about parenting. He says:
I’ve had both kinds of kids, so I can testify: When God gives a parent an easy keeper you get way too much credit. When God entrusts a parent with a keg of dynamite dressed up as a kid, you get way too much blame. Think twice before you ask the the parent of a seemingly perfect easy keeper how they “did it.” If they’ve never tried to rear a keg of dynamite, they don’t have a clue.
That is so true! We often forget that Proverbs 22:6 is a proverb, a proverbial statement, not an ironclad promise: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” That’s a proverb—a good proverb, I might add—but a proverb nonetheless.
Our job as parents is to train up our children. They will eventually grow into adults and they will have the benefit of all of our training inside them. They’ll not forget it. They may stray and wander, at times, but it’s there—all that training and all that teaching.
Love your children for who they are not who you think they should be.
Remember that they are sinners. So watch your boasting about them. And be careful not to swell up in pride when others boast about them—telling you how wonderful they are—you know them just like you know yourself. They are sinners.
You are parenting for the long haul and, in some sense, it’s never over!
So remember that when you are tempted to boast about your little ones. Really guard against the temptation to post their every good deed on Facebook or write about their glowing accomplishments in the annual Christmas brag letter! Am I the only one who hates those things?! I heard recently from Sinclair Ferguson about this. He said, “The boasts of one Christmas letter may be the griefs of later ones.”
I know I’ve shared with you before about these bumper stickers that read, “My child is the smartest person in the world,” or whatever. “My child is a genius!” So I pull the car alongside and try to gaze into the car window that I might catch a glimpse of the royal wizard himself. And so I pull alongside and I look into the window and there he is, the little genius, gazing into oblivion with his finger shoved halfway up his nose!” The genius! I don’t think so.
Parents: we are in this thing for the long haul. It’s how your kids finish spiritually. That’s more important than anything else.
We need to be reminded that it really doesn’t matter whether our children grow up to be the best doctor in all the land, the best athlete, the best salesperson, or financial officer, or honor student—ultimately—those are not the greatest concerns.
Or was our Lord wrong when He asked, “What shall it profit a person if he should gain the whole world but lose his soul?”
Be encouraged dads, be encouraged moms, it’s the long haul of parenting that makes the difference—because it often may not seem to be making a difference now.
So I’ll conclude by reading again from JC Ryle in is, “Duties of Parents.” He says this:
“I do not doubt, that many children, will rise up in the day of judgment, and bless their parents for good training, who never gave any signs of having profited by it during their parents’ lives.”
I agree. And I think that is also good news for struggling fathers.
• Stand for prayer.
“Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but, through you, I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt, bearing my punishment and offering forgiveness. I turn from my sin and receive you as Savior.”
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