Belief... and Unbelief

I recently read the gospel of Mark.

It came to my attention that Mark, among other things, is a book about faith. It records many events in Jesus life and ministry that teach us lessons about what this thing called faith is all about. The healing of the paralytic that was lowered through the ceiling, the calming of the storm, and the story of the rich young ruler (just to name a few) all present profound truths about what it means to live by faith. They teach us that faith is humble, urgent, sometimes desperate, and that it trusts at all times. Faith is grounded in knowledge of God and of his purposes. It bridges the gaps between knowledge, belief, and action, driving us beyond our unbelief to live a life characterized by the unshakable trust in the God that so loved the world.


There are two faith stories in Mark that stood out to me more than the all the others and spoke to me in a powerful way. Read them carefully.


The Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit

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.

"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 an evil 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."

"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."

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.

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. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil 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.


...


A Man With Leprosy

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

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"If you are willing..."

Such humility. Such faith. The leper approached the Son of God assuming, knowing, trusting that he could be healed.

"If you can do anything..."

The boy's father, on the other hand, approached Jesus with doubt and unbelief. I don't want to be too hard on the guy, his son had been sick for a long time. Yet in reading through the book, I couldn't help but compare and contrast his lack of faith to the childlike trust and humility of the leper.

In spite of his shortcomings, I think the boy's father got it in the end. He cried out in desperation saying:

"I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!"

The man recognized his lack of faith in Jesus, and realized his need to move beyond it. But I think it's even more telling that he recognized his human frailty and weakness; he realized he was incapable of changing on his own. So he cried out for help. Only then did Jesus respond by granting his request.

"Everything is possible for him who believes."

Maybe like the leper you have this thing called faith figured out. You approach the Father with the childlike humility and faith that withers fig trees, throws mountains, shuts the mouths of lions, and quenches the fury of the flames. But if you're at all like me, your faith, like that of the boy's father, is mixed with unbelief. You know that God is all powerful and all knowing. You know he has your best interest in mind. Yet there is that part of you that thinks your situation is too dire, too difficult for even Jesus to handle.

If your belief is mixed with unbelief, I encourage you to echo the man's desperate cry for help: admit your inability to move beyond unbelief and ask Jesus to help you overcome it.

He is able...

He is willing!

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
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