Good Morning, meetpastordan readers. If you are a regular reader, you know I have referred many times to my procedure for producing this blog. The procedure is simple…I ask the Holy Spirit to help me get out of the way so He can work through me to bring honor and glory to God. Well… that procedure began last night as I lay in bed thinking about a conversation that took place a few hours earlier. In that conversation, my thinking was challenged by a friend who has a history (with me) of being (in my opinion) judgmental…and sometimes (in my opinion) down right demeaning. I could feel myself becoming agitated as the conversation continued, because (in my opinion) my faith and understanding of the depth of Scriptural truth was being challenged. The most positive thing I can say about the experience at the time was that I made conscious decision not to become defensive, but rather to take the conversation home with me to “chew on” for a while.
The first two “very early” hours this morning were spent in prayer and reading as I prepared to write about what came from yesterday’s experience. As I drifted off to sleep last night, I thought I was going to write about “forgiveness”, but now, after my conversation with God this morning, I am going to write about thanksgiving. Having my thinking challenged yesterday opened my mind to my own unbelief, so I am going to refer to a pertinent passage in the Gospel of Mark.
I am referencing Mark 9:14-29, and will quote various passages from the story of Jesus healing the boy possessed of an evil spirit. Mark 9: 17-18: “One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son for you to heal him. He can’t speak because he is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. …So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
Clearly the man knew who Jesus was because of his reputation as a healer, so he brought his son to him to be healed. When the disciples, who were working in the name of Jesus, failed to cast out the evil spirit, the man turned to Jesus and pleaded with him to do it. But now, perhaps because of the disciples failed attempt, there is an element of doubt…even when asking Jesus to do it.
Jesus was obviously aware of this doubt, but when he addressed the father, he also addressed all of the people there (and us). “You faithless people! How long must I be with you until you believe? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” Jesus’ humanness, his frustration, is clearly evident here. The people had seen his miracles, so why did they not believe? What more did they want? But after all, Jesus was familiar with unbelief that has its root in people not believing who he really IS. Mark 6: 2-3 tells us about his experience in Nazareth, his hometown. “The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They asked, ‘Where did he get all his wisdom and the power to perform such miracles? He’s just the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.” Here is Mark’s conclusion: “And because of their unbelief, He couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And He was amazed at their unbelief.” (Mark 6:5-6)
Now back to our original story. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening?” The father replied, “Since he was very small. The evil spirit often makes him fall into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us. Do something if you can.” Since there was a huge crowd observing this dialogue, I believe Jesus asked the question regarding how long this had been going on to show the urgency for a miracle right there and then. But it’s also important to note here that the father, who had enough faith to bring his boy to Jesus, also expressed doubt in his request.
Again, Jesus expresses frustration: “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” (Mark 9:23) While not expressed in the response, I believe the unspoken continuation of the sentence is, “Don’t you know who I am yet? Holy-Tomolly!” But then Jesus goes on to provide THE answer to this dilemma of faith. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” So here is the inevitable question…for the scenario being presented and for all of us today. Is the term “faith” and “belief” synonymous? Well…let’s see.
Mark 9:24: “The father instantly replied, I do believe, but help me with my un-belief!” (doubt) Crazy as it may sound, this is as honest expression of the difficulty of faith as one will find in the Bible. But the good news is…frail as it was, Jesus accepted it and immediately cured his son. This should give hope to all of us when we struggle with the same problem of un-belief.
So what is faith? “It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.” (Hebrews 11:1) And Belief? “To trust in; to hold a firm conviction about…” (Concordance NLT) So are faith and belief synonymous? In my mind, if there is a difference, it is not worth quibbling about. But the insight I got through this story, and from praying to God for insight regarding yesterday’s challenge, has brought me to this conclusion.
“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17). So let us not forget who the Word of God is…Jesus Christ. While we gain knowledge and wisdom from reading the scriptures, the real key to erasing un-belief is total confidence in our object of faith. “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” Romans 10:9-10
In the story presented above, the father had faith (he believed) because he brought his son. But his belief was so shaken, perhaps because of the failure of the disciples to cast out the evil spirit, that it shook his faith in Jesus’ ability to do it. Now couple that with the reference to Jesus’ frustration with his trip back to Nazareth, and we can see a commonality. In both cases, the people failed to recognize who Jesus IS. He is the Son of the Living God. He is the Word Incarnate. He is God himself. He cannot lie. (Titus 1:2) He embodies love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence etc. He is our source of strength, our courage, our wisdom, our patience, our peace and serenity. Simply put…He is THE answer.
True faith is total abandonment to God, believing that he is able to do anything, even rid me of my unbelief. Maybe this is why God lets others fail you, so that you will trust in him alone, in spite of all apparent impossibilities. But Jesus WILL demonstrate to us that God does the impossible, not merely the most improbable.
God demands faith because faith is powerful. It is powerful not just because of what it accomplishes, but because in whom it trusts. That is why I am thankful today. By being challenged yesterday, I got an insight last night and this morning into a deficiency in my platform of faith. This revelation revealed the power of my object of faith, not just the words of faith. Jesus Christ IS my source of strength for breathing life into the scriptures. A-men
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May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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