Faith and Doubt (Mark 9: 14-29)

One of the most fascinating statements in all of the bible for me is found in this passage where someone is seen to say.

“ I believe, [yet] help my unbelief”.

(Mark 9: 24)

It’s an interesting thought, is it possible for faith and unbelief to exist in the same person at the same time. It reminds me of the story of a couple walking together through a graveyard reading the headstones and they came upon a tombstone that said, “Here lies an honest man – a politician”. The man turned to the woman and said, “will you look at that, two bodies buried in the same grave”.

So, my question is, is it possible for belief and unbelief to exist at the same time in the same person? I believe the answer to that question is found in the passage that was read for us this morning. The passage we are going to look at today continues just after the transfiguration of Jesus that we looked at yesterday. This story opens with Jesus talking as he is re-joins the disciples after coming down from the mountain where this event has just taken place in front of Peter James and John.

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

(Mark 9: 14-15)

So, Jesus and these three now re-join the other group of nine disciples, who are surrounded by a crowd arguing with them. And an argument is led by the scribes and the teachers of the law against Jesus’ disciples. So, what were they arguing about? Let’s see.

‘What are you arguing with them about?’ he asked. A man in the crowd answered, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 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.’

(Mark 9: 16-18)

So, the argument is about this man who has brought his sick son, to the disciples and the disciples could not heal him. Some commentators suggest the argument is because the scribes, and the teachers of the law are goading the disciples about their lack of success. You may recall if you have been following us along through this life of Christ series, that previously Jesus had given the disciples the authority to do the very thing they had been trying to do here. Let  me remind you and emphasise what Jesus said to them, back in chapter 6. 

Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

(Mark 6:7)

So, they had failed to heal this boy even though they had been given the authority to do so. Their inability to do that which they had been given authority to do, is the main issue in this passage. The father says here that he has brought his son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech’. It seems to me the father’s intention was to bring the sick son to the Lord, but the Lord was up on the mountain of transfiguration. Then he says, I brought my son to you, but you weren’t here, so I asked your disciples to do this thing instead, but they could not. In verse 19 we see Jesus’ answer.

‘You unbelieving generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.’

(Mark 9: 19)

Notice closely what Jesus says, “You are unbelieving generation”.

Jesus says, this lack of faith is not just characteristic of you lot, my disciples but you are little different from the society and the culture they you live in. The disciples believed at some point they could do these things, but they didn’t seem to believe at this point they could do this thing. The question is, why not? Many bible teachers believe the disciples had probably decided, we have been given the authority, and therefore we can do this. We have been given this authority by name, we can just name it and claim it as our own and then do it. By approaching it this way, they had quit relying on the Lord and they started relying on themselves. At any rate they had been unable to see this young man healed. So, Jesus says, “bring the boy to me”, and when they did this is what happened.

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: 20)

Jesus then asked a question.

Jesus asked the boy’s father, ‘How long has he been like this?’ ‘From childhood,’ he answered. ‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. us.’ But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’

(Mark 9: 21-22)

So, the severity of this problem is not only does it damages the boys dignity as a person but has led to a point of nearly destroying his life. This suggests to me that this young man was been driven to the point of suicide by his terrible affliction. Notice the father then says, if you can do anything, take pity on us and help. There my friend is the heart of the matter here, doubt, clearly underlined by his use of the phrase, “if you can”. Remember the man with Leprosy in Ch 1:40 “If you want to, you can cleanse me.””. Remember the ruler of the Synagogue in Chapter 5 came to Jesus and said, “Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.’ A few days back in Chapter seven we heard of the faith of Greek- Syrian woman who believed Jesus could heal her daughter without him even actually even being there. See the difference this time, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help”. The Father didn’t say “I believe you can”, he had doubts about whether Jesus could do this at all. And he therefore he said “if you can Jesus, then help.

Now we can see this whole story is about faith, or rather lack of faith.

The disciples didn’t have enough faith to heal this boy and the father had picked up on their doubt. Jesus’ reply turns the table on the father somewhat.

‘“If you can”?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’

(Mark 9: 23-24)

So, when Jesus tells the father the problem is his unbelief, the father immediately says, well help me with that then. The father then cries out, ‘I do believe; {but} help me overcome any unbelief!’ Her is a man who has doubts, serious doubts, but he also had some degree of faith.

As I said at the beginning the fascinating part of this story is the fact that the father had faith yet was plagued with doubts at the same time.

Let’s think for a moment, he had seen the disciples try and heal his son, but they had been unable to. In other words, he had just witnessed their failure. Based on that past experience he also doubts the Lord ability to heal but he still had enough faith left to ask because, just maybe he could.

So, is it possible for us to have faith yet experience unbelief at the same time? The answer is ……………………. Yes.

Let me just tell you some of the greatest figures in all of church history have expressed doubts. Augustine of Hippo was a North African Christian and one of the greatest minds in the early history of the church. He towers above most others in the first 500 years of church history. He wrote a book called confessions and he said this,

“I wish I could be made as certain of things I cannot see as I am that 7 + 3 makes 10”.[i]

(Augustine Confessions Book One)

Augustine never found that certainty, and he confessed he was plagued by doubts throughout his whole faith life. Martin Luther, one of the greatest names in Church history battled constantly with doubt and depression, he once wrote, I quote.

“For more than a week Christ was wholly lost to me, I was shaken by depression and blasphemed against God”.[ii].

(M Luther Introduction Commentary on Galatians)

Did you know that a church in Boston refused to allow D L Moody to join their fellowship when he was a young man, because they said his belief at times seemed uncertain? D L Moody was the Billy Graham of the 19th Century.

What about Billy Graham himself. In 1956 he wrote this about something that happened to him in 1949.

“In August of that year, I had been invited to Forest Home, a Presbyterian conference centre high in the mountains outside Los Angeles. I remember walking down a trail, tramping into the woods, and almost wrestling with God. I duelled with my doubts, and my soul seemed caught in the crossfire”.[iii]

(Just as I am – Billy Graham)

If you have doubts, you’re in good company, a lot of very Godly people have had their doubts. The father in this story is the classic example of a believer with doubts but here is what I want you to note. The Lord did not say to the father, sorry you don’t have enough faith. He also didn’t say go off and when you have more faith come back later. Rather Jesus recognised that even though this man  had doubts he still had some faith.

He had enough faith to take those doubts to the Lord. Maybe that’s the difference, it’s one thing to have doubts, but it’s another thing to have doubts and not deal with them. The problem is not about having doubts the problem is when we don’t deal with our doubts. He said yes, I have a lack of faith, but I believe you can help me have more faith. Let’s see what happened next.

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. ‘You deaf and mute spirit,’ he said, ‘I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’ The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, ‘He’s dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

(Mark 9: 25-27)

So, Jesus heals the son in spite of the doubting faith of the father. But the story doesn’t end there, because there is a further lesson Mark clearly wanted to teach us, because the text then tells us.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it out?’

(Mark 9: 28)

Do you remember back in chapter 3 and again in chapter 6 the disciples were given the authority to do this exact thing, and they had failed. They had not been able to do what they had been given authority to do, why not? Because they, the disciple themselves didn’t have faith. They probably were thinking, we have done this sort of thing before, and we have the authority, we can do this. They tried and failed and now they come to Jesus and say, “Why couldn’t we do this”, and Jesus’ reply is

He replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer. [and fasting]

(Mark 9: 29)

You want God to do something, then you’ve got to ask him to do it.

You’ve got to pray! And sometime pray earnestly maybe even with fasting. In other words, you have got to acknowledge your total dependence on God in order to see the most difficult situations overcome. I think Jesus is saying you weren’t trusting in God; you were getting too big for your spiritual boots. You need to acknowledge your total reliance on God, and you need to pray. You need to hand these things totally over to God because he is the one who does these things anyway…. NOT YOU. 

Looking back again at the father, I believe the point this passage is trying to make is you may have doubts, but if you have enough faith to ask the Lord for help, then he will give you enough faith to experience what he has promised he can do for you. But if you’re like the disciples, and don’t trust him and turn things over to him then you won’t see God do what he has promised to do. It about believing and having doubts but believing and still having enough faith to hand it over to the Lord. Do you have doubts, that’s ok, OK as long as you have enough faith to hand those doubts over to Him? The world says, I will believe something if I can see it. The bible teaches, you have got to believe and then you will see.

Have you ever seen a wildlife program, have you ever seen an animal called an impala? It looks a lot like a small dear and is about 3 ½ feet high. Do you know they have been photographed in the wild jumping over 3  meters high (that’s 9 ½ feet, in old money)? and not just when being chased by a predator?

Did you also know impalas when kept in domestic zoos can be contained behind a wall just 4 feet high? Why is that so? Why don’t they just hop over a fence and make good their escape. Zoologists discovered that impala well never jump anywhere when they can’t see their landing place. As long as the fence is above their eyeline, and they can’t see through it they won’t try and jump it.

Faith for us sometimes means jumping where we cannot see. Seeing is not necessary believing when it come to the Christian life. Sometimes you just have to trust Him first, then you can see his promises come to pass. Let me wrap this up for us by trying to put this in focus. You see the important thing when it come to our faith life, is not the total amount of our faith. It is the object of our faith, what matters in who we are putting our faith in. You might one day arrive at a rope bridge across a canyon. You are told the bridge was secure for up to 20 stones and was good to cross. Suppose you had doubts, and decided not to step on that bridge, would you get across to the other side. Suppose there was another rope bride beside it and it said it was tested and the maximum load it could carry was 5 stone. Suppose you decided to have faith in that bridge and step out across it, would it get you safe to the other side, would it hold your weight just because you believed it would.

Suppose you went back to that first bridge, and you still had your doubts, but you still decided to put your faith in it and step onto it perhaps with fear and trembling would you make it to the other side. Did you get across because you had faith, or did you get across because the object of your faith was good to do what is was supposed to do. The issue was not the amount of faith you had, the issue was the object of your faith, was it something worth investing your faith in it.

Jesus Christ’s friends is definitely worth investing your faith in, he will not let you down. I want to conclude by asking a final question. If you have doubts, then how can you deal with them. Is there anybody out there this morning who would like to have more faith? OK, good two things you can do to increase your faith. Where does faith come from? There is a verse that tells us. 

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God”. (Romans 10:17)

Now this does not just mean reading you bible or coming here on a Sunday morning and trying your best not to fall asleep through one of my sermons. It means allowing yourself to be exposed and impacted by the word. The more you open yourself up to the Word of God the more likely you are to recognize, what he is doing in your life. Your faith will increase simply because you are seeing what God says, coming to pass all around you. As the bible says we can be “transformed by the renewing of our minds”. Not just listening to a sermon on a Sunday morning but picking up the bible and studying it for yourself. There is no substitute.

My goal in this podcast project is to make you spiritually independent so that you can be fed directly from the Lord. In other words, you learn and discern for yourself. 

Do you read your Bible every day? To increase your faith, increase your exposure to the Word of God. What’s the 2nd thing you need to do to increase your faith.

No 2, Pray. When you pray, you get prayers answered, you might even think, WOW, this actually works. Anybody listening to this prayed in the last year and got an answer………….. prayer works.

Let me conclude by telling you what I believe is one of the great overlooked little points of this passage. The man brought one of his sick sons to the disciples and didn’t get an answer, but that didn’t stop him. Let me ask you almost the same question I asked you a minute ago. Have any of you prayed out there and not got an answer, you’re not alone.

Sometimes we get discouraged when God doesn’t seem to answer our prayers. But the man in this passage didn’t do that, he brought his son to Jesus’ disciples, and they couldn’t do anything for him, but he then brought him to Jesus and said, but I think just maybe you can. Following my recent experiences, I have some doubts, he said, but I still believe you can do this Lord. I am full of doubt and unbelief, but Lord helps me with my unbelief and the Lord healed his son.

Prayer honours God, so, God honours prayer.

One Final quote.

Remember what Billy Graham said.

In August of that year, I had been invited to Forest Home, a Presbyterian conference centre high in the mountains outside Los Angeles. I remember walking down a trail, tramping into the woods, and almost wrestling with God. I duelled with my doubts, and my soul seemed to be caught in the crossfire. (He continues) Finally, in desperation, I surrendered my will to the living God revealed in Scripture. I knelt before the open Bible and said: “Lord, many things in this Book I do not understand. But you have said, ‘The just shall live by faith.’ All I have received from you; I have taken by faith. Here and now, by faith, I accept the Bible as your Word. I take it all. I take it without reservations. Where there are things I cannot understand, I will reserve judgment until I receive more light. If this pleases you, give me authority as I proclaim your Word. ”

[i] Augustine – Confession Book I (Modern Translation by J R McCandless (2024 Life Publishing)
[ii] Martin Luther – Introduction to the Commentary on Galatians – Modern Translations by J R McCandless (2023 – LIFE publishing)
[iii] Just as I am – Biography of Billy Graham (1995 Zondervan)