MARK 9:11-29

 The story under present consideration can be diagrammed as follows:

Structure of Mark 9:11-29

Introduction: Disciples question Jesus (9:11-13)

    A. The crowd runs (14-15)

        B. Jesus speaks (16)

            C. Apostles could not cure the boy (17-18)

                        D. Rebuke on lack of faith (19)

                            E. Spirit convulses boy (20)

                                F. Jesus' question (21a)

                            E'. Spirit convulses boy (21b-22)

                        D'. Rebuke on lack of faith and reply (23-24)

    A'. The crowd runs (25a)

        B'. Jesus speaks (25b)

            C'. The boy is cured (26)

Conclusion: Disciples question Jesus (9:28-29)

There are three natural points of emphasis in this organization (shown in bold print): C and C' are the respective conclusions of the two ABC series, and F is in the dead center of the whole structure. The importance of C and C' is easy to understand since they point to the great contrast between Jesus' ability to cure the epileptic and the apostles' failure. But verse 21a in the center of the story makes little sense as a point of emphasis since it is just a simple question by Jesus asking how long the son had been showing symptoms. We will revisit this verse later.

Faith and Healing Miracles. The overall theme of this story is faith or the lack of it. “Faith healing” is still a hot topic today, but what does it really mean? “The Healing Power of Faith” was the cover story of the December 2016 issue of National Geographic Magazine. However, in that article the term mainly referred to those people in many religions who supposedly have the power to heal others, or it referred to the natural healing power of one's own mind.

Even in the NT, the relationship between faith and healing is not a clear one. Here are some rough statistics regarding Jesus' healing miracles:

Those Having Faith

person afflicted (3x)

friends and neighbors (5x)

parent (3x)

one performing miracle (3x)

faith after the fact (2x)

No reference to faith (8x)

It is obvious that the role of faith in healing miracles can't be reduced to a simple formula.

The setting of this story is very important because it directly followed the Transfiguration. Verse 9 has Jesus and three of the disciples coming down from the mountain; this will be a spiritual descent as well as a physical one. R. T. France labels the healing story: Back to the Present. Raphael's last picture and his masterpiece was The Transfiguration, said to be the most admired painting from the 1500's when it was painted down to the start of the 20^th century, not the Mona Lisa or The Last Supper. The picture shows the obvious contrast between the glory of the transfiguration at the start of the chapter and the failure of the apostles. These two events duplicate the OT story of Moses coming down from his mountaintop experience only to see the people worshiping a golden calf in his absence. This contrast “shows the reality of living in the world in the absence of Jesus.” (Bible Knowledge Commentary)

It has been said that Mark 9 is narrated from the obvious point of view of someone who was with Jesus at the Transfiguration. This would fit the tradition that most of Mark's material actually came directly from Peter.

Mark 9:14 “When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.”

Mark usually refers to them as “His (meaning Jesus') disciples.” Thus, he may be purposely distancing these nine apostles from Jesus at this point.

The dispute may have involved the disciples' authorization to perform exorcisms in the first place or the scribes may have been mocking them for failing to do it. If so, it shows that Jesus and his disciples are damned if they do a healing (as in 3:22) and damned if they don't.

Mark 9:15 “When the whole crowd saw them, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him.”

It is not clear why the crowd was astounded. One possibility is that Jesus still had some sort of aura about him from the Transfiguration the previous night. Remember that when Moses came down from the mountain his face had a divine radiance. Others deny this possibility and say that the people were just surprised at Jesus' sudden and unexpected appearance at such a key time.

Mark 16-17a “He asked them, 'What are you arguing about with them?' Someone from the crowd answered him, 'Teacher, I brought you my son.'”

“Brought to you” indicates the father had been originally looking for Jesus, not his disciples.

Luke's version makes it clear that the boy is the father's only son. William Hendricksen points out that God first confirms the love for his only Son at the Transfiguration, and now that Son will demonstrate His love to another only son. 

Mark 9:17b-18a “He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and when ever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid;”

In this case, the spirit causes epilepsy and a loss of hearing and speaking. There are said to be spirits associated with various infirmities so that Luke 13:11. for . refers to a crippling spirit.

In general, Mark carefully distinguishes between healings and exorcisms (1:34; 6:13). But the other Synoptic Gospels blur the distinctions a little more, and there are no exorcisms at all in John's Gospel. This story is generally called The Healing of the Epileptic, but the notes in the NRSV Study Bible warn that “any diagnosis is speculative.” Although the symptoms may refer to epilepsy, the usual Greek word for epilepsy isn't used here. Matthew's version simply says that he has seizures, and in Luke's account he is called a seleniazomai, named after the Greek moon goddess Selene. The Roman equivalent was the goddess Luna. This is why some translations say that the boy was moon-struck, and the KJV calls him a lunatic.  Fitzmyer notes: “Lacking the ability to diagnose the 'seizure,' the cause was attributed to the moon or a demon (spirit).” But just giving a condition a modern medical label doesn't eliminate any possible supernatural cause behind it. Why do demons in the NT possess people in the first place? “The purpose of demonic possession is to distort and destroy the image of God in man.” (William) In other words, it is not due to their hatred of mankind, but their hatred of God.  

Mark 9:18b “I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they couldn't not do so.” Going back to the Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah, we have already shown Jesus as a sort of new Moses, and there will be more evidence for that in a minute. But remember that after Elijah disappeared into heaven the first time, Elisha succeeded him. Earlier in this chapter, Jesus explains that the new Elijah, John the Baptist, has prepared the way for Him. So in a way, Jesus is a new Elisha.

And there is a close parallel here to an event in Elisha's life. He commissioned his servant Gehazi to cure the Shunammite woman's son, but the servant wasn't able to do it without Elisha's actual presence (II Kings 4). We can deduce by subsequent events in Gehazi's life that his failure was not due to Elisha's instructions being unclear, but it was due to Gehazi's flawed spiritual life (see II Kings 5:19-27).  Mark literally says that the apostles “were not powerful enough to (dynasthai) to cure the boy.” This root word, from which we get “dynamite” appears five times in this story.“Apart from him (Jesus) they are still fishermen.” (Craddock)Even though they had been commissioned to cast out demons in chapter 6, “God's power is not automatic or to be taken for granted.” (France)

Mark 9:19a He answered them, “You faithless (and wicked – added by Matthew) generation, how long must I be among you? How long must I put up with you?”Everyone is being condemned by Jesus' words: the scribes for their out-and-out opposition, the apostles for their lack of faith, the father for his little faith, and the crowd as a whole as mere curiosity seekers. It is clear that Jesus is distancing himself from mere humanity, and we see the growing realization that he won't be with them much longer, And we now have a final comparison with Moses, who complained about the Jews in the wilderness,“You faithless and perverse generation.” (Deuteronomy 32:5,20)  But there is an even closer comparison found in Numbers 14:26: “How long shall this wicked congregation complain against me?” But this time it is actually God who is talking. So by Jesus using His words, he is actually putting himself in God's place. 

Mark 9:19b-20a “Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. The command is in the plural and probably refers to the apostles. They are still allowed to aid in the miracle; Jesus hasn't totally rejected them. (Marcus)   

Mark 9:20b When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Three possibilities have been proposed for this increased activity on the spirit's part: a. The spirit's “activity is a challenge to Jesus by the self-confident demon that has defeated all previous attempts to oust it.” (Marcus) b. The spirit is writhing in torment in Jesus' presence. c. The spirit is trying to do as much damage as he can in his limited time left. Revelation 12:12 says that “the devil has come down to you (on the earth) with great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” You can actually trace an increasing of demonic resistance to Jesus going from Mark 1 to ch. 5 to this present chapter. 

Mark 9:21a Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” If you recall what I said earlier, this question actually forms the exact center of this story. This is meant to remind us of Jesus' earlier “how long?” questions in v. 19 hinting at His coming death. Joel Marcus says that thus this question links the overthrowing of demonic forces on earth with Christ's coming death and resurrection. And that would explain the central importance of this question in the overall literary structure of the story.  

Mark 9:21b-22a The father says that his son has suffered from childhood and then further elaborates on the son's symptoms.

Mark 9:22b-23 “But if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us” Jesus said to him, “If you are able!” – All things can be done for the one who believes.”                                         

If you are able” shows the father's lack of faith in Jesus in contrast to the leper in 1:40: “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Who is “the one who believes?” I have shown this verse the way most modern translations punctuate it. Jesus is reacting against the father's doubts as to whether Jesus can do this miracle, and Jesus then characterizes himself as “the one who believes, who can do all things.” However, the KJV punctuates this as one sentence and adds a word that isn't in the original: “If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.” That translation has Jesus turning the tables on the father and saying that of course He can do the miracle, but only if the father believes. In either case, we will see in the next verse that the father obviously feels that Jesus' words refer to his lack of faith rather than Jesus' ability. One commentator has said, “faith is the assertion of a possibility against all probabilities.” (Grundmann)                                                                                                                   

Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”               One commentator (Kelsey) thinks that the father is really saying is “Help the little faith I have by healing my boy, and then I really will believe.” But I feel that Joel Marcus is closer to the truth when he writes: “The one who believes is always concurrently involved in a battle against disbelief.” Even the great Christian apologist C. S. Lewis admitted that he never felt closer to losing his faith than when he was engaged in defending it, because he started to feel as if his faith depended on the strength of his own arguments.

Mark 9:25-26 Apparently Jesus had withdrawn to the father's house, because at this point the crowd starts to come toward them and Jesus quickly casts out the demon before they arrive (secrecy motive). The spirit's departure leaves the boy like a corpse so that everyone thinks he is dead. 

Mark 9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up. 

Some commentators treat this as a double miracle: casting out the cause of the problem and then restoring to him to full health. There are probably several application lessons here. One might be a good reminder that neither answering an atheist's objections to Christianity, curing a person of some psychological ailment, or treating him for an addictive behavior is not enough in itself to bring that person to faith in God – but it may remove barriers to faith that exist in order to then be able to minister to that person.

At this point in the story, Luke inserts “And all were astounded at the greatness of God.” Literally, they were “struck out of their senses.” Notice that God gets the glory, unlike with some modern faith healers 

Mark 9:28 When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, 'Why couldn't we cast it out?'” 

This is the question we all want to know the answer to. Fred Craddock asks, “Have they grown arrogant with success and lost their relationship to the source of power? Had they failed to sustain that power through prayer? Has Jesus' announcement of suffering and death robbed them of faith and firm commitment?” William Lane suggests that the disciples had been tempted to believe that the gift they had received was now theirs to control.Matthew's account says that the apostles' inability was due to their little faith. 

Mark 9:29 Jesus' answer in verse 29 is either “This kind can only be driven out by prayer” or “This kind can only be driven out by prayer and fasting,” depending on your translation. In fact, the vast majority of early handwritten copies of the Bible add “and fasting.” But the earliest manuscripts don't. That is one reason why most modern translations omit that phrase. “In light of the increasing stress in the early church on the necessity of fasting, it is understandable that 'and fasting' is a gloss which found its way into most witnesses.” (Bruce Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek NT) There are other instances of later manuscripts adding “fasting” (in Matthew 17:21; Acts 10:30, and I Corinthians 7:5).

In addition, keep in mind that Jesus had earlier told the disciples not to fast while he was with them (2:18-22). So he could have hardly been criticizing them for not fasting on this occasion. Two things are obvious from Jesus' statement:  

(1) Jesus had the supernatural knowledge that the others didn't possess; he knew something about the spirit in question that the others didn't know. 

(2) Jesus doesn't address a particular technique or procedure, but “the attitude of moment-by-moment dependence on God which is the source and basis of prayer.” (Stephen S. Short) Most commentators are in agreement on this second point.

Note that Jesus himself is not mentioned as saying any particular prayer on this occasion, giving support to the explanation that Jesus is referring more to a consistent life of prayer. William Hendricksen concludes therefore that Mark's version is not a contradiction to Matthew's account which says the apostles failed because of their little faith. Because those of faith will “maintain prayer's uninterrupted and vital connection with God...knowing that God at his own time and in his own way will bestow the blessing."