A Meditation on Faith and Doubt

"And one of the multitude answered and said, "Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a mute spirit:  And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him; and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out: and the could not."

He answereth him, and saith, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I suffer you?  Bring him to me."

And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tore him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.  And he asked his father, "How long is it ago since this came unto him?"  He answered and said, "of a child.  Oftentimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us."

Jesus said unto him, "If though canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

Mark 9:17-24

A desperate and grief-stricken father brought his son who was seized by a malevolent spirit to be healed by the mathetais (disciples) of Iesous.  They could not help either the father or the son.

The father then meets the Iesous and tells him a story of harrowing torment that his son has suffered through the presence of a malevolent being.  And thereafter the father said to the Iesous:  "but if thou canst do anything have compassion on us and help us."

The child's condition was an obvious and pathetic presenting problem.  But the father's words to the Iesous revealed a deeper phenomenon.  The Iesous knows that both the father and the son have compelling needs.  Both are in need of deliverance.  Both are tormented, and are co-sufferers.  There is the interplay of torment between the father and the son.  Their emotional synergy is exemplified by "...have compassion on us, and help us."

To this plea coupled with doubt the Iesous answered, "if thou canst believe (pisteusai)" present indicative middle in the Greek Text.

A work of powerful self-examination and collapse of old boundaries is placed before the father.  Then the Iesous adds, "...all things are possible to him that believeth."

The anemic faith of the father is exposed.  He is no longer able to hide from himself.  He cries out the the Iesous:  "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

The word "help" in our text is the Greek word 'boethei' and it means: "to run to aid another."

Are you stuck by doubt and have you tried to hide from it?  You are not alone!  The Iesous is not threatened by unbelief.  The confession of faith and doubt is a crisis of faith.  Ask for help today, and He will run to aid you.

For more information about Dr. Josiah Rich, please visit his web site.