I Believe, Help My Unbelief!

Mark 9

When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him.  He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”  Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak, and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid, and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.  Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.  It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, help us! Have compassion on us!”  Jesus said to him, “If you are able! All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 

This scene was one of the most chaotic of our three years following Jesus. As he had done a few times before, Jesus had left us, taking Peter, James and John with him. We never knew where they went for these mysterious retreats. And they were usually very tight-lipped about them when they returned. In this case, we later learned that they had climbed to the top of a nearby mountain, where Jesus was literally transfigured from his ordinary appearance into something so extraordinary as to defy description. As Peter later said, Jesus seemed to glow from an inner light!

Of course, by now, we understood that Jesus did many amazing things, like walking on water, healing the blind and lame, and feeding multitudes. This time, however, was even more extraordinary. We could see it on the faces of the three who’d accompanied him up the mountain. They were in a state of shock, maybe even disbelief over what they’d witnessed. And they were speechless, which, by the way, was an unusual state for them, especially for Peter!

But while they were gone, the remaining nine of us had been pulled into a confrontation with some scribes. We had wished for Jesus, who was so very good at responding to their attacks and arguments. However, with Jesus absent, perhaps the scribes saw us as easy pickings to show their superiority. A crowd had gathered, too, licking their chops for a good fight.

I must confess that we were losing the argument with the scribes, who were pouring it on. And the crowd was loving every bit of it.

But then, Jesus arrived on the scene, fresh from his experience on the mountain top. And I must tell you, all of us, even including the testy scribes, could see that something about Jesus had changed. I can’t quite describe it, but he had a presence that immediately, upon his arrival, stopped everything in its tracks. As the passage above says, everyone there, disciples of Jesus, scribes and onlookers were “overcome with awe.” I am sorry that my description is so feeble, but you must remember that Jesus, and everything about him, went so far beyond human words to describe!

The buzz of the crowd stopped. The argument with the scribes stopped. The onlookers’ appetite for more verbal battle evaporated in the awesome presence of Jesus.

Now, it was Jesus’ turn to stir things up! His question about the argument brought forth the man whose son was demon-possessed. This man had unwittingly served as the excuse the scribes gave for assailing us. All he wanted, all he was, in fact, desperate for, was healing for his little boy.

But the scribes saw it as an opportunity to attack us and in doing so, to attack Jesus. We were fakes, they said. Phonies. We had proved nothing. And when we were unable to contend with the boy and his condition, that added fuel to their argument.

You must understand that in our day, removing a demon was considered about the most amazing of all miracles. It was believed that to be successful, it was necessary to call out the demon by name. However, in this case, the demon had effectively muted the boy, rendering it impossible to learn its name. We were helpless.

The situation was getting out of hand, just as Jesus and his three companions returned. And as I said, the large crowd was immediately hushed as if from some hidden force that commanded silence.

You may think that Jesus never showed anger but if you do, please consider yourself corrected by this encounter. You can’t miss it in his words as recorded in Mark’s Gospel.

While Jesus was not pointed in his words of anger, I certainly felt sure that they were aimed at the nine of us who had struggled, first with the demon and then, with the scribes. But he never said, and honestly, we were afraid to ask.

Of course, Jesus could also have been angry with the father of the boy. You may recall that Jesus was often approached by people seeking healing. It was almost a daily occurrence. And you may also recall that he often asked them about their desire to be healed. For example, Jesus asked the cripple at the pool in Jerusalem if he wanted to be made well. And of course, he answered in the affirmative. All was well and Jesus healed him.

In this case, however, Jesus got angry. Perhaps it was the father’s appeal “if you are able to do anything” that angered Jesus. It seemed to show a lack of faith. In any event, Jesus threw the father’s words right back at him. “If you are able! All things can be done for the one who believes.”

And of course, that prompted the father’s famous reply, which has, over the centuries, served as a signpost to countless believers. “I believe; help my unbelief!” 

Exorcising a boy possessed by a demon from Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 15th century.

I must say that his answer was, at the time, chilling to me. I was sure that he had failed the test of faith that Jesus had thrown at him. And as a result, Jesus would refuse to heal his son. The demon would remain, potentially for the rest of the son’s life.

If it had been me, and my son was tormented as was his, I would have said practically anything, anything at all that would convince Jesus to heal him. I would have said that night was day, that the sun was really the moon, anything at all to get help for my boy.

I was certain that Jesus would not be pleased with the father’s lukewarm response, pleading with Jesus to help his “unbelief.” And I was just as certain that the father should have affirmed a faith that was ironclad and could not be shaken, even if not completely true.

But the father answered honestly, expressing a heartfelt need for a stronger faith. And ironically, answering as he did actually revealed a great deal of faith on his part. Don’t you see? He was risking everything, for he could not be certain how Jesus would react if he answered truthfully. In his desperation, he could have played it safe but his faith in the truth would not allow it.

And the father’s faith in speaking the truth also revealed a faith that Jesus would honor that truth, and that Jesus could, indeed, “help” his unbelief. And of course, as we now know, Jesus did. He drove out the demon and healed the son, just as the desperate father had begged him to do.

This encounter was a great example to me, and I hope it is to you as well.

You see, Jesus doesn’t call us to utter words of faith if we don’t mean them. He understands that our faith is tenuous and fragile. He understands that voices, like those of the scribes, will try to tear it down. And try as we do, we can’t totally escape those voices.

But if we look to Jesus, and him alone, he can strengthen our all-too-human faith. We just need to trust that we can tell Jesus the truth!