Bible Study – Mk. 9:14-29 The Healing of a Boy with a Mute Spirit

Mark 9:14-29 : 

Mark 9:14-29 The Healing of a Boy with a Mute Spirit

Slide 2: 

(Jesus was returning from the mountain and the Transfiguration with Peter, James and John) 14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd about 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 discussing with them?” 17 And one of the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a mute spirit; 18 and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and 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.” The Holy Bible : Revised Standard Version Second Catholic edition (2006), with the ecclesiastical approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Thomas Nelson Publishing for Ignatius Press.

Slide 3: 

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 he had this?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible to him 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.” The Holy Bible : Revised Standard Version Second Catholic edition (2006), with the ecclesiastical approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Thomas Nelson Publishing for Ignatius Press.

Slide 4: 

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 and fasting.” The Holy Bible : Revised Standard Version Second Catholic edition (2006), with the ecclesiastical approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Thomas Nelson Publishing for Ignatius Press.

Slide 5: 

Both the scribes and the boy’s father had come to see Jesus but since he wasn’t there they asked, what they considered to be second best, the disciples, to cure the boy. The disciples tried but failed. In Verse 29 the reason for their failure is “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting. The implication here is that the disciples don’t pray and fast enough to make a difference in this boy’s life. After reviewing Mark 6:13 we recall that the disciples did have the authority to case out demons then but clearly they didn’t have it now. Was it that this special authority was given to them only for their missionary trip or was it that their faith was faltering and they needed to pray more? Notice that the father says, “if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.”

Slide 6: 

Isn’t that the same statement we would make in a doctor’s office on behalf of our son? The father is only seeking Jesus’ miraculous powers but Jesus calls the father not to have faith in His miraculous powers but to put his faith in God. The father then says, “I believe; help my unbelief!” The meaning of the statement is “I already have some faith but I also have doubts, so please help me get rid of my doubting.” The father and the disciples share the need to increase their faith and Jesus tells them how, pray and fast. Hebrews 11:1 and 6 describes faith as, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him (God). Faith is a daily process of renewing our trust in God by living out the Christian message.

Asking for Miracles : 

Asking for Miracles Maya Angelo Copyrighted material that appears in this article is included under the provisions of the Fair Use Clause of the National Copyright Act, which allows limited reproduction of copyrighted materials for educational and religious use when no financial charge is made for viewing.

Asking for Miracles : 

Asking for Miracles A number of year ago, author and poet Maya Angelou learned that her only child, Guy, was scheduled for emergency surgery. He had broken his neck in an accident several years earlier, and now complications were arising. So Maya asked for a miracle. Here’s how she tells the story.

Mom’s on the way : 

Mom’s on the way I went directly to San Francisco to be with Guy. As soon as surgery got under way the next morning, I drove out to Mission Dolores and I prayed. I had gone there before in a time of trouble – when I was pregnant with Guy and needed help to be allowed to enroll late in a summer school program so I could finish my high school education. I had prayed before the statue of Mary then, and my prayers were answered. Now I was praying for the life of my son.

When I Returned To The Hospital : 

When I Returned To The Hospital Guy’s doctor told me the operation was a success. Guy woke up late in the afternoon and everything seemed fine. Exhausted Maya returned to her hotel. At midnight the doctor called to say “We’re losing him.” Maya returned to the hospital. As she paced back and forth she felt if she was standing on wet sand that was sifting out from under her feet. Then she would say out loud: GRAB YOUR LIFE. HOLD ON TO IT. HOLD ON.

The Doctor : 

The Doctor The doctors came to her and said: “Ms. Angelou, he’s alive but he’s paralyzed from his neck down.” She went to the intensive care unit and waited for him to wake up. He had tubes coming out of him everywhere. “Mother,” he said, “the thing I feared most has happened. I’m paralyzed.” “I’m your only child,” he continued, “ and I know you love me, but I refuse to live as a talking head. If there’s no chance for recovery, I want to ask you something that no one should ever have to ask a mother.”

Tears : 

Tears The tears were just rolling down his face. “If there’s no chance for me to recover, please pull the plug and let me go.” “In that case,” she said, “TOTAL RECOVERY, I SEE TOTAL RECOVERY. I SEE YOU WALKING, STANDING, PLAYING BASKETBALL AND SWIMMING. NOW QUIT IT RIGHT NOW. I MEAN IT.” The doctors talked with her and said, Guy has had a blood clot sitting on his spinal cord for eight hours. The cord is so delicate that we don’t dare breathe on it. He will never be able to move.”

You Want to Bet? : 

You Want to Bet? She said, “My son will walk out of this hospital and I thank God for it –now!” She continued, “You can’t tell me. I’m going somewhere so far, so beyond you, you’re not even in it!” And every hour after that she’d say. “TOTAL RECOVERY. I THANK YOU FOR IT. I’M CLAIMING IT FOR THIS BOY. THANK YOU. TOTAL RECOVERY. Maya spent the next two days calling friends and relatives. She called Dolly McPherson, her chosen sister, and she got the whole prayer group at her church together. They also had a Jewish sister-friend, and she called the people from her synagogue.

Pray, Pray, Pray : 

Pray, Pray, Pray Maya called Catholic friend and she called all the people she knew in her parish. “Go get everybody, go.” I said. “Do what you can do.” The second night, Maya was lying on a couch in the ICU when a nurse came in. She said, “Ms. Angelou, Guy’s moved his toes.” They returned to Guy’s room, she took the blanket off his feet and Guy moved his toes. Maya said, “THANK YOU, GOD. DIDN’T I ASK YOU FOR IT AND DIDN’T YOU GIVE IT TO ME? THANK YOU FOR IT. THANK YOU, GOD.

The Next Morning : 

The Next Morning The next morning, when Maya went in to see Guy, he said, “Mama, thank you for your faith. I’ll walk out of the hospital.” And that is exactly what he did, a few months later. I know that prayer changes things. I know. I don’t question. I know.