MARKAN MEDITATIONS

Meditations in the Gospel of St.Mark

St. Mark 9:14-32 (Part 1)

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I FEEL there is too much for consideration in this passage for it all to be dealt with in one meditation. For this reason I have decided to deal with it in two parts.

I am constantly amazed and ashamed how I have read Scripture over and over again and have failed to really notice what is there. This I have to confess with verse 15 in these verses in Mark's Gospel. We read that the people were overwhelmed with wonder when they saw Jesus. The word overwhelmed is a very strong word. No doubt most of the people had seen Jesus before, so why should they be overwhelmed with wonder when seeing him on this occasion. It seems to me that there is only one reason, and it is that something of the glory of the transfiguration Jesus had just experienced, still hung on him. The three disciples that were with him on the mount, no doubt did not notice it. Their vision had been dazzled by the full glory of Jesus revealed in his divine and heavenly glory. The crowd, not having seen the real thing, plainly saw the small remnants of the glory remaining upon his face and person.

There is a lesson here for us all. Jesus had been in the heavenly glory. Because of this some of that glory still clung to him and was seen by the people who met him. We have a similar example in the case of Moses. When he came down from the mountain after God had shown him his glory, his face shone, and the people found the glory too much, so that Moses had to cover his face. The thought that comes to me is this. It is this that to spend time in the presence of God, and in the Bible and through the illumination of the Spirit, we behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The more time we really spend in the presence of the Lord in this way, seeking to know and hear God, the more we shall reflect the glory of God in our lives. It is true to say, that it has been the experience of many Christians when they have had dealings with great people of God, that they have seen something heavenly in their speech and living. Surely we all covet from the heart that we may evermore reflect the glory of God. The more we seek the Lord and commune with him, the more we shall, and the greater blessing we shall become to others.

Then there is a general observation concerning the condition of the devil possessed boy and the general impotence of the people and the disciples in the face of it, which needs to be noted and learnt from. What we have here is an example of the discord and disorder, the pain and the suffering caused thereby, which comes from the fact of Satan being the god of this world, with authority and power. There is no suggestion that the condition of this boy was because of any evil thought or action either in the boy himself or in his parents. In fact there could be no sinful cause in the boy because he had been possessed from birth (v21), or at least from a very early age. The narrative makes no suggestion that there was any sin in the father which had brought such pain as judgement. What we have is an example of the mayhem and trouble Satan sows in our world. In another place Jesus describes another such disorder as being bound by Satan. The reason is not sin in anyone, but the malice and evil of the devil, who seeks to cause pain and suffering and distortion in God's creation.

Jesus came to resist and overthrow the works of the devil. We see him doing that here in the healing of the boy. We have in the Gospels various examples of this harmful work of Satan, and the undeserved misery it brings on innocent people. Often also we see the rejecting and condemning attitude of the religious people of the day to such suffering and the people who suffered. Some they cast out of society. Others they despised and rejected. Others they imagined evil against and accused them of some sin or evil without any grounds for such claims. This attitude still persists today within the church.

Do we see the healing and victory of Jesus over these disorders today. Yes, we still do in the many advances in understanding of human ills, and the advance of medical science which has found means to relieve these disorders. There is still much still to discover, but what mankind has discovered is from God, even when it is dispensed by those who have little, if any, love for God. It is proper to acknowledge this medical help and healing as from God and to use it for the easing of disorder of one kind or another. Yet we still find the attitude of the religious leaders of Jesus day repeated by those who call themselves Christian today. How sad and how painful this is.

The unbelief of the disciples is another example of Satan's destructive activity. It is Satan that seeks to keep God's people back from advancing spiritually, and increasing in faith and confidence in God. How often have we been reluctant to pray or been kept from prayer. This is Satan working on our sinful flesh to keep us from prayer.

The words of Jesus in answer to the disciples question why they could not cast out the demon needs to be carefully interpreted. We must not interpret Jesus' words "This kind can come out only by prayer" to suggest that the more prayer we engage in, the more we gain in spiritual power. This is to suggest that healing power can be won by our effort, albeit the effort of praying. This is just to return to our own works as a means of gaining blessing and power.

The truth which Jesus is expressing is that confidence and faith in God is nurtured and built up by much communion with God. By such communion, God reveals himself more deeply to us, and teaches us more deeply the truths of his redeeming power and love. I am sure that the meaning of prayer here in the words of Jesus means all that goes into communing with God, and not just the action of talking to God in intercession. This thought ties up with the first thought in this meditation concerning spending much time with God and so reflecting his glory.

The more time we can genuinely spend in communion with God, the more confidence and faith we shall have in God, and the more of his glory we shall reflect. However we must not suppose that time spent in prayer, for times sake, is of any value. This descends to the error of the rosary or the Tibetan prayer wheel. We are not heard for our much speaking. What we must engage in, is true communion with God and listening to him.