The Frailty of Faith
Read Mark 9:14–29
I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!Mark 9:24
The expression, “There’s nowhere to go but up” applies when you’ve hit rock bottom. But the opposite may equally be true. Once you’ve reached the top, “there’s nowhere to go but down.”
After the glorious mountaintop experience of the Transfiguration, Jesus and His disciples descended immediately into a scene of chaos, conflict, and challenge. Scripture vividly presents the depth of the problem, a boy possessed by a violent, seemingly incurable, spirit.
Note the detailed description of the situation. Three separate times we read of the power of the demon to convulse and torment the boy. We hear of his extended anguish (“from childhood,” v. 21) and the extreme danger of the situation (near-death by fire and water). So far, no one had been able to help, and we feel the despair of the father in his words, “If you can do anything...” (v. 22).
It’s a moving scene in which the unrelenting grip of dark forces is made clear. Yet Jesus highlighted the underlying root of the problem: a frailty of faith. When He learned of His disciples’ inability to cast out the spirit, Jesus replied: “You unbelieving generation . . . how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (v. 19). And after the father’s expression of incredulity about Jesus healing his boy, Jesus responded: “If you can? . . . Everything is possible for one who believes” (v. 23). Frailty of faith stands as a central theme in our text.
It’s important to note that faith is not an all-or-nothing matter. Look at the father’s response in verse 24: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” And Jesus quickly and decisively cast out the demon. Faith may be frail, but it does not constrain the power of Jesus. A frail faith is faith that can grow!
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