“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Mark 9:19–20
This may be the most explicit example of Jesus being frustrated with His disciples.
Even though He had given them power over demons (3:15) and they had previously exercised that authority (6:13), they were now powerless to help a boy a father had brought to them.
Jesus’ rebuke was scathing. He called them unbelieving and asked two “how long” questions. The first, “How long shall I stay with you,” relates to the shortness of time that Jesus had left in His mission. The second “how long” found Jesus rhetorically wondering if He should fire them all: “How long shall I put up with you?”
We know the answer to both questions as we journey on with Jesus. We learn that He didn’t give up on His disciples even though, at this point in His ministry, He was very frustrated with them. That’s helpful encouragement because the Lord doesn’t give up on us either—even when we severely disappoint Him.
If Jesus was upset then by His disciples, I can’t begin to imagine how He must feel sometimes about His church today—a church that is often powerless in addressing the pressing needs of others. It really disappoints Jesus when His people are no help to those weighted down with adversities and dominated by evil.
But it’s more than frustration with His church—it’s also frustration with you and me. We must take this personally! What in your life or mine really disappoints the Lord? What causes Him to ask, “How long shall I put up with you?”
Jesus ordered the boy brought to Him and the demon manifested itself.
In Jesus’ ministry you will never find Him diagnosing a person with demon possession. The demon always manifests itself in His presence. When we have clean hands a pure heart, when we are in communion with the Lord, we also clearly see when evil manifests itself. One of the reasons for powerlessness over evil is that there is too much sin in us. The Devil in others cannot be driven out when there is an aggregate of evil and good in our lives. Yielding to temptation, prayerlessness, and giving in to spiritual laxity diminish our efforts to confront evil effectively.
Clearly the boy didn’t have epilepsy even though to the casual observer that may have appeared to be the case. In epilepsy there is no controlling evil spirit that shrieks and comes out (9:26). The boy was deaf and mute due to the indwelling presence of a demon (9:25).
Until the father brought his son to Jesus, there was no cure. Family, religious leaders, well-intentioned friends had not been able to help. The disciples should have been able to help since they had delegated authority from Jesus.
There are countless children whom the enemy is throwing down and tossing out—they are the lost boys and girls of our generation. Will we stand by helplessly and do nothing? Or, will we act in Jesus’ name to rescue them and confront the evil that harms them?
A Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me not to walk away from a desperate adult or child who needs help. I can’t help everyone, but I can do something about those You put within my reach.
Excerpted from Dr. Wood’s forthcoming book, Fearless: How Jesus Changes Everything, available in September from Vital Resources.
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