Jesus, can you help?

SCRIPTURE: Mark 9:14-29 (ESV)

DATE: 8-22-21

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too. And — mom — if you’re watching — Happy Birthday!

SERIES INTRODUCTION

Last week, we returned to the gospel of Mark. This is one of the books in the Bible we’ve been exploring over the past few years. Instead of staying in one book — from beginning to end — we spend a few weeks or months in a book and then move on to another book in the Bible. And — if you’ve been here at Gateway — you know that we’re going through Mark, Romans, and the book of Acts — in addition to our Finding Jesus series in the Old Testament.

Now — if you haven’t been with us for very long — I’d encourage you to go to our website — gatewayepc.org — and find the series we’ve done in Mark’s gospel. That way you can get caught up as we’re already halfway through the book.

And — with that brief introduction — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Mark chapter 9. We’ll be looking at verses 14-29. We’ll be in Mark chapter 9 today.

Last week I mentioned that we’re going to find people asking Jesus different questions. And these questions are going to be what we focus on — because — we’ve all got questions, don’t we? Questions about life, about spiritual things, about relationships, and so on. And some of the questions that Jesus gets asked are questions we’re still asking today.

For example — we’ll see Jesus get asked questions about divorce, about salvation, and if he’ll do what we want him to do. And — even better than the questions — we’ll hear Jesus’ answers to our questions.

So let’s turn to our passage for today and here’s the question Jesus will be asked: “Jesus, can you help?” Jesus, can you help? What a relevant question for all of us.

So here are the words found in Mark chapter 9. Beginning in verse 14.

21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”” (Mark 9:14-29 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

Part of our DNA — as Americans — is a spirit of independence. This is part of who we’ve been — as a nation — since our beginning. As you know — one of our founding documents is the Declaration of Independence. Now — something we should all be able to recognize — is that there are many blessings of living in our nation. And though we’ve got our flaws and imperfections — there’s a reason why many seek to leave their home country to come to America. There’s much for us to be thankful for.

For example, it’s fairly easy to live life here in the US. We don’t wake up wondering if a neighboring nation is going to invade us. Our freedoms — even during the pandemic — weren’t violated by a strong hand from our government when you compare what we experienced with people around the world who live without the freedom we have. There’s much that we get to experience — in regards to being creatives, thinkers, and learners, being able to work to support ourselves — even bettering ourselves — that are blessings of freedom and independence not found all around the world. Again — much for us to be thankful for.

Yet — a caution for all of us — is how our value of independence has led many people to reject the idea of being dependent on others. Just a quick example — time for some participation. How many of us love when we can’t do something or can’t figure something out and have to ask others for help? Anyone just love being the person who needs help? Most of us hate needing help, don’t we? We don’t like the idea of being needy or helpless or dependent on others.

Yet — this aversion to asking for help — has led many to make terrible decisions. Money decisions. Relational decisions. Educational decisions — if you only had asked your professor that clarifying question about the exam — your grades would have turned out so differently, right? Or you wouldn’t have a boatload of credit card debt. Or — if you’d only asked for help — you might still be married.

There are all kinds of examples of where — not asking for help — where our independence — actually backfired on us.

And — for many — especially in our country that’s moving further away from God — we try to live independently from God until our lives come crashing down on us. Those moments in life that wake us up to realizing that we’re not in control — that we’re not independent — that we do need help — and desperately so.

And — even for Christians — our faith and dependence on God can ebb and flow — it can increase and decrease depending on our circumstances, our emotions, and even how well we think we’re doing at being a Christian. If you’re a Christian — I’m sure you can relate to having times in your life where your faith in God was great — it was rock solid — and — then — during other seasons of life — your faith in God almost seemed non-existent — it was fragile — even at a breaking point.

And — in those seasons — when life is hard — and we know we need faith — often we try to muster it up on our own and nothing seems to happen — which can make us feel even more hopeless. Yet these moments are an opportunity to recognize how dependent we are on God.

And — what the Christian faith helps us to see — is that it’s not just in these moments of crisis that we’re in need of God’s help. What the Christian faith shows us is that we’re always in need of God’s help — for all of us are dependent upon him. Dependent upon him for life. Dependent upon him in our death. And dependent upon him for the life that comes after death.

And the Christian faith also gives us great hope — as we’ll see in this story from Mark — for in Jesus we find someone who we can go to — just as we are — and find help. We don’t have to muster up anything. We can come to him admitting our self-reliance, admitting that we’ve acted independently, admitting that we’ve ignored him — and do so — knowing that he never condemns those who come to him in need of help. When we approach Jesus and ask, “Jesus, can you help?” — know that his answer to you will always be, “Yes. And I’m so glad you’ve asked me for my help. Yes, I can help you.”

ASKING FOR HELP

So let’s begin by seeing an example of someone asking Jesus for help and how Jesus responds. Let’s go back to verse 14.

“And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.” (Mark 9:14-27 ESV)

Before we get to the example of someone asking Jesus for help — I want to bring to our attention this argument going on between the scribes — the experts in the Old Testament law — and the disciples of Jesus. Jesus — along with Peter, James, and John — return from the mountain that we found them on last week. And they find a large crowd gathered around the remaining disciples who are in an argument with the scribes.

Now — most likely — the argument is over why the disciples can’t rid the boy of the demon. The scribes see them trying to help — and failing — and so they begin to maybe mock, or make fun of, or taunt the disciples — which results in an argument. And — again — this argument has gathered quite the crowd.

But then the crowd catches sight of Jesus and they run to him. And — notice — that the crowd is greatly amazed when they see him. So why are they amazed? Jesus hasn’t done anything to amaze them? He hasn’t healed the boy yet or done anything else that would amaze them. So why are they amazed?

Though we can’t say for certain — what might have amazed the crowd is a lingering effect of Jesus’ transfiguration. Remember — from last week — the disciples saw the glory of Christ revealed in a way where he became bright — and his clothes became whiter than any white we can imagine — and — like Moses coming down from the mountain — in Exodus — when his face glowed with the glory of God — so much — that he had to put a veil over his face in order to not freak the Israelites out — well it might be that Jesus is still glowing with the glory that was revealed on the mountain. And the people noticed and were greatly amazed by what they saw.

But think of the change of scenarios from last week to now. One person has described the change of situations this way.

“A short while before, they [Jesus, Peter, James, and John] had been up above, partaking of the heavenly vision, witnesses of the glory of Christ, looking in awe at visitors from the past and listening to the voice that spoke out of the cloud. Now they had come down from the mount to a waiting world, a world in Satan’s iron grip, a world that challenged and mocked and warred below. And there the other disciples were locked in futile wrangling with the scribes while a skeptical, rootless multitude milled around.”

So the disciples and the scribes are arguing — but let’s not forget — there’s a young boy — in their midst — who’s suffering. But — before we judge them too quickly — how often do we find ourselves arguing, and debating, or sharing opinions on social media all while we ignore those suffering in our presence? If it happened to the disciples — it can happen to us.

And — when Jesus arrives — I’m sure the scribes thought they’d get to argue with him too. But before they could — the boy’s father raises his voice above the crowd to respond to Jesus’ question, “What are you all arguing about?”

“My boy needs help, Jesus. An evil spirit has done something to him — it’s hurting him — it’s causing him pain. So I brought my boy to you — but your disciples couldn’t help him.”

Two things. First — for this father — what’s happening to his son isn’t a theological argument. It’s not a reason for two sides to debate with one another. What’s happening to his son is a desperate situation for him. He just wants his son to be healed — to be made well.

The second thing I want you to notice is how the father says, “Jesus, I brought my son to you” — when — what he did — was bring his son to Jesus’ disciples — remember — Jesus was up on the mountain. My point is this: This father associated bringing his boy to Jesus’ disciples with bringing his boy to Jesus. And the disciples couldn’t help. Thus the man is wondering if Jesus can even help his son.

And — I know you’ve been hearing this for years now — if not decades — but it’s common to hear of people rejecting Jesus because of our — Jesus’ disciples’ — behavior. Where they think, “If this is what Jesus’ followers are like — well — I don’t think I want anything to do with him then.” And — often — we Christians don’t like this kind of responsibility — this kind of weight on our shoulders. But look at what’s happening in our story. This father is doing the same thing with the disciples.

So — though it is an incredibly high responsibility and expectation — followers of Jesus — we need to know that the world is looking to us to see what Jesus is like. In us — they either see or don’t see Jesus’ love. In us — they either see or don’t see Jesus’ patience. In us — they either see or don’t see Jesus’ grace and mercy. In us — they either see or don’t see Jesus’ joy and hope and gladness in his creation. What do people see of Jesus when they see you?

And Jesus responds to the father’s statement. He says, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” (Mark 9:19b ESV)

Not exactly tender words, right? But — here — Jesus expresses his amazement. The crowd was greatly amazed when they saw Jesus — but what amazes Jesus is the faithlessness of all who are present — the scribes, the crowd, the boy’s father, even his own disciples — his statement is directed at everyone.

“How long do I have to be with all of you? How long do I have to be patient with all of you — you faithless people?” I appreciate how one author expresses what’s going on. “The rhetorical questions, ‘how long shall I be with you? how long shall I bear with you?’ express the loneliness and the anguish of the one authentic believer in a world which expresses only unbelief.” Jesus is the only true believer present in the world!

And the father says, “Jesus, if you can do anything…” Not exactly a stellar example of faith, right? To which Jesus responds, “If?! If I can do anything?” It’s like Jesus is saying, “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” And — of course — the father’s answer would be “No.” The demon’s answer would’ve been “yes” — by the way.

But the father quickly replies with, “I believe, but help me in my unbelief.” “Jesus, I believe you can help. But honestly, I don’t know if you can.” There’s no, “Jesus, you’re the Christ. The Messiah. The Savior of the world.” kind of confession. No great, big, bold faith. Just desperation — a need for Jesus to help.

Now we don’t tend to focus on whether Jesus can or can’t help. We tend to focus on whether or not the father believes that Jesus can help. But notice how kind Jesus is to this father. He doesn’t demand greater faith — he doesn’t ask him to come back when he can say, “I believe” without any of the “help me in my unbelief” stuff. Notice Jesus’ kindness.

And what’s the result of this father asking Jesus for help? Jesus heals his son. And what this reveals — is the character of Jesus. As it’s been said, “Jesus answers, not according to the poverty of the man’s faith, but according to the riches of his grace.” Never forget how kind and gracious Jesus is to all who ask him for help.

NOT ASKING FOR HELP

So that’s an example of asking Jesus for help. But there is an example of people not asking Jesus for help — some folks — who try to do things on their own. And who acts this way may surprise you. Let’s go back to verse 14.

So — the surprise — is that it’s Jesus’ disciples who don’t ask him for help.

Now — earlier in Mark — we read something interesting that sheds some light on our story. Back in chapter 3 we read, “Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. 14 Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, 15 giving them authority to cast out demons. 16 These are the twelve he chose…” Followed by a list of the twelve disciples’ names.

So — earlier in Mark — Jesus gave his disciples authority to cast out demons. But — here — nine of them fail to cast a demon out of the boy. So — obviously — they can’t just cast out demons any old time they want to, right? And — we’ll see why they couldn’t cast out this demon in a moment but — what they definitely fail to do — is ask Jesus for help. The father cries out for help, but not the disciples. When Jesus arrives — they’re still arguing with the scribes. So Jesus asks what’s going on. And not one of the disciples ask Jesus for help — the father speaks up.

Now — fast forward — they’ve gotten away from the crowd — and now the disciples ask Jesus, “Why couldn’t we cast the demon out? What went wrong?” They’re confused. Maybe they’re ashamed. One would hope they’ve realized how ridiculous it was to be arguing with the scribes while a boy was suffering in their midst.

But their question shows us that it’s not just the father who’s struggling with belief — the disciples are struggling as well — struggling to believe — struggling to understand what happened. I’m sure doubt was creeping in for them.

A survey — by Barna Research Group — found that 67% of Christians say they’ve experienced a time of spiritual doubt. If I’m honest — 67% seems awfully low to me. The same survey asked, “What happened when you wrestled with your doubts” — specifically — “What did you stop doing because of your doubts?”

45% stopped attending church.
29% stopped reading their Bible.
And the same percent — 29% — stopped praying.

Barna also asked, “Where did you go for help with your doubts?”

40% mentioned friends or family — a great reason to make sure you know where your friends and family members stand spiritually.
29% turned to the Bible — the same percentage that stopped turning to the Bible — by the way.
22% turned to the church.
19% talked to their spouse.
And — finally — 18% went to a pastor.

So — here’s what I want you to know about doubt — because most of us will experience it. First — as someone has said, “Doubt isn’t the opposite of faith. Unbelief is the opposite of faith.”

So dear Christian, know that doubting isn’t the same as not believing. And — second — know that we’re here to walk with you through your doubts. Your pastors and elders are here for you. We have Life Groups — small groups — where our congregation members are here for one another. We offer counseling resources, and equip classes that can help you wrestle with your doubts — all sorts of resources and people available to help you with your doubts. Please take us up on our offer to help you.

But — more importantly — isn’t the help we offer — it’s the help Jesus offers.

WHERE OUR HELP COMES FROM

“Jesus, can you help?” That’s our question. And it’s also our answer. For — in asking Jesus for help — we’re actually asking the One in whom our help is found. Let me show you. Verse 29.

“And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”” (Mark 9:29 ESV)

Remember the argument the disciples found themselves in with the scribes? And — how I said that — most likely — the argument was about the disciples inability to rid the boy of the demon. The disciples had gotten themselves into some trouble as they were attempting to do ministry — rid the boy of the demon — without the help of Jesus. They were acting independently — they forgot that their being with Jesus is what empowers their doing for Jesus because — who we are affects what we do. So the scribes start to argue with them about their inability to help the boy and his father.

And so — after the boy is healed — they ask Jesus what was up. “Why couldn’t we drive out the demon — we’ve been able to drive out other demons?” And Jesus tells them that prayer is key — other gospels include fasting with prayer. But what Jesus is revealing to them is that the power needed to cast out this demon is found in their intimacy with God. And this puts the focus on their being with God — because their being with God shapes who they are and empower them for ministry — their being with God comes before their doing for God — like helping this boy in need.

And the same is true for us. Our being with Jesus — the time we spend with him — not doing for him — not even checking boxes like Bible reading, going through our prayer lists, and church attendance — being with him. Listening to him. Delighting in him. And so on — our being with Jesus — changes who we are — it changes our priorities — it changes our hopes and outlook on all things. And our being with Jesus results in us doing things we never dreamed possible because we only imagined doing things on our own — independently — without the power of Christ aiding us.

But we all have the opportunity to ask Jesus to help us — even to help us be with him. Something like, “Jesus, can you help me? And I know that your help begins not with something I need to do — your help begins with me being with you. So Jesus, in asking you for help, what I’m really asking is for you to help me see your presence, to experience your goodness and faithfulness to me, to be encouraged by your love for me. Give me hope in your promises and help me to find joy simply in you being you — which is amazing — by the way. I probably haven’t told you that recently. Jesus, you are amazing.”

CONCLUSION

So — no matter who you are — Christian or not — if you’re in a season of suffering and affliction — if life has knocked you down — know that Jesus can help. And even if a difficult circumstance in life has driven you away from God — maybe your doubts have driven you away from relationships, away from the Bible, away from prayer — know that you’ve not outrun the One who gave his life for you. Right now — wherever you are — know that Jesus can help.

And — church — fellow Christians — can we confess that we’ve often made it difficult for people to share their doubts? We’ve — intentionally or not — made independence the sign of spiritual maturity — leaving those who need help to feel hopeless or like they’re second class Christians when — in reality — knowing you’re dependent on God and in need of help is first class Christianity.

May the Spirit of God help us all to humble ourselves and cry out to Jesus, “Jesus, can you help? Jesus, I need your help. Jesus, we need your help.” Because all of us do — we all need you — Jesus — to help. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

As we pray, if you’re in a season of suffering and affliction — if life has knocked you down — would you raise your hand right now? If you’re at North Main or online — go ahead and raise your hand where you are. Raising your hand is simply a way to confess that this is where you’re at — life has knocked me down. If this is you, here’s my prayer for you. Jesus, help them. They need to experience your tender mercy, your healing touch, your unending compassion, your great grace. Help them — Jesus — to know that you are with them and that you love them — even in this moment of their life. Jesus, help them. You can put your hands down.

Maybe you’re the person who recognizes that you’ve been running from God. Maybe because of circumstances in your life — or some doubts you have — or for some other reason — you’ve just been running and running and running from God. And you’re exhausted and you’re wanting to know that you haven’t outrun Jesus.

If this is you — could you be courageous and raise your hand so I can pray for you? Again — if you’re at North Main or online — raise your hand as a way to confess to God that this is where you’re at. If this is you — may this prayer be your prayer. “Jesus, I’ve been running and I’m tired. I have no more hope and no less doubts and haven’t found the answers I’ve been looking for. But I know that I need help — I need your help. And — I believe you can help — but I need you to help me in my unbelief. Thank you for being faithful to me. Thank you for helping me.” You can put your hands down.

And — Father, Son, and Spirit, please forgive us — the church — your people — for making it difficult for people to share their doubts. Forgive us for acting like we’ve got it all together — when we don’t. Forgive us for making independence the sign of spiritual maturity when living dependent upon you is actual spiritual maturity. Help us to be more honest about our struggles, more kind to those who are struggling, and to be thankful for your patience with us and your mercy towards us. Your patience and mercy are something none of us deserve — but by your grace — and the love you have for us — patience and mercy are your gifts to us. Thank you for these gifts.

And we pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go knowing that Jesus can help you. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.