April 12, 2012 Can't You Do it?

Can’t You Do It?

Mark 9:17-19 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” 19 “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.”

JESUS approaches his disciples arguing with the teachers. What’s the argument? It seems to be over the disciples’ inability to heal the demon-possessed boy. The teachers are likely discrediting the disciples and Jesus, too, because they have no ability to heal in Jesus’ name. With their Lord gone to the mountaintop, they seem to lose faith in their Lord.
A similar faith lesson is found in Moses’ ascent to the mountain to get the Ten Commandments. When he returned, he found that his people, led by his brother Aaron, had made a golden calf idol to worship. When the prophet was gone, the people lost their faith in God.
That’s why Jesus is upset. He’s upset at the teachers of the law who knew of Moses and the many other times the Jews had lost their faith in God. And he’s upset his disciples have too little faith to do the work he has taught them to do. Their work is a faith work. They must be faith-filled to do the work.
Once again, the Lord comes to do what no one else can do. He is dismayed knowing someday he will be gone. His desire is to leave the world in faithful hands.


Pause and consider: are you Jesus’ faithful hands today?