The Demoniac Boy, Part 1

Introduction and Reading of Mark 9:14-27

0:02 This sermon was preached on Sunday morning, August 24th, 1986, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:13 Now will you turn with me, please, in your own Bibles to the 9th chapter of the Gospel according to Mark, Mark's Gospel, the 9th chapter, and follow as I begin reading at verse 14 and conclude the reading at verse 27. If you have a Bible that marks out paragraphs, some of you will note that a new paragraph is begun at verse 28, albeit a brief one, the old 1901 American Standard Version, which many of you have and from which I am preaching and reading, does not. It includes verses 27 and 8 as part of the larger paragraph, but I will conclude the reading at verse 27. And when they came to the disciples. They saw a great multitude about them, and scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the multitude, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and running to him, saluted or warmly greeted him.

1:21 And he asked them, What are you questioning with them? And one of the multitude answered him, Teacher, I brought unto you my son who has a dumb spirit, and wherever he is. And it takes him, it dashes him down, and he foams, and grinds his teeth, and pines away or shrivels up. And I spoke to your disciples that they should cast it out, and they were not able.

1:51 And he answered them and said, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him.

2:09 And when he saw him, straightway the spirit tore him grievously, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming. And he asked his father, How long time is it since this is come unto him? And he said, From a little child. And oft times it is cast him both into the fire and into the waters to destroy him.

2:36 But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said unto him, If you can, all things are possible to him that believes. Straightway the father of the child cried out and said, I believe, help my unbelief. And when Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit.

3:07 And the unclean spirit said unto him, You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And having cried out and torn him much, he came out. And the boy became as one dead, insomuch that the more part said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him up, and he arose.

3:37 And there is a beautiful, final stroke in Luke's parallel account. And he gave him unto his father. Let us pray. Our Father, we come again to your holy word.

3:59 And as we come to this amazing display of the compassion and the power of Jesus, how we earnestly plead with you that the Holy Spirit may come down upon this gathering of men and women, boys and girls, and let us pray. Amen. Amen. Amen.

The Frankness of Scripture and Mark's Detailed Account

4:16 Amen. That He will come down upon the Preacher and Teacher of your word, and that together we may all be conscious that the Spirit is among us doing that work which He was sent from heaven to do even testifying to Jesus, taking the things of Jesus and making them real to us. O Spirit come in might and power, and speak to us through the written word for jesus sake amen now there are many characteristics of the gospel records which place tremendous pressure upon the mind of any thoughtful reader to believe that these records are nothing less than accurate unembellished accounts of the life and ministry of jesus inspired by the holy spirit and one of these characteristics which underscores the factual nature of the records is the frankness and the frequency with which they record the failures of some of the leading figures in the narrative itself we recently considered that passage toward

5:41 the end of chapter eight in which peter this great leader in the gospel records is actually called Satan by the Lord Jesus because he dared to oppose our Lord's determination to take the way of suffering, the way of the cross, in pursuing the salvation of his people. The narrative read in your hearing just a few moments ago is another example of the frank and honest recording of human failure, even the failure of nine apostles to meet the need of a wretched, demon-possessed boy and the need of a grieved and a deeply distressed father. The incident of the demon-possessed boy read in your hearing is also found in Matthew 17 and in Luke chapter 9. However, if you were to take the time to compare the accounts, you would find that the incident of the demon-possessed boy and the need of a grieved and a deeply distressed that the Holy Spirit through Matthew takes only five verses to give us this account. If you read the Holy Spirit's account through Luke, you would find seven verses. But here in Mark, fourteen

6:55 verses, if we stop the reading where I stopped it, if we consider the remaining two verses as sort of an appendix, sixteen verses to cover the same basic incident. So it's accurate to say that God the Holy Spirit has preserved for us in the Gospel of Mark an unusually detailed account of one of the most amazing miracles recorded in the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus. And in the time allotted this morning, all I can hope to do is to expound the miracle itself and then take the spotlight and focus on only one divine miracle. And that is to expound the miracle itself and then take the dimension of its application. And God willing, next Lord's Day morning, we will consider about six or seven other very vital lines of practical application. As we come to the passage this morning, I want you to consider it with me under two major divisions. First of all, the sad prelude

The Sad Prelude: Audience, Issues, and Jesus's Response (Mark 9:14-19)

8:04 to the manifestation of the grace and power of Jesus. That will take us from verse fourteen through verse nineteen. The sad prelude to the manifestation of the grace and power of Jesus. And then having considered that sad prelude to his manifestation of grace and power, then we will look in verses twenty to twenty-seven at the specific details of the manifestation of the grace and power of Jesus. And then we will look in verses twenty to twenty-seven at the specific details of the manifestation of the grace and power of Jesus. Coming then to the prelude to that manifestation of his grace and power, we note that there is first of all an aspect of the prelude that focuses upon the audience in whose presence this miracle occurred. Then we will note the issues which precipitated that miracle and then the response of Jesus to those issues. So the prelude then directs our attention to the prelude to the manifestation of the grace and power of Jesus. And

9:10 we will look in verses fifteen to sixty at the specific details of the rendition of the grace and power of Jesus. Then we will first of all to the audience verses fourteen and fifty, and when they came to the disciples, they saw a great multitude about them and scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the multitude when they saw him were greatly amazed, and, running to him, warmly greeted him. Now, you will remember the situation, those of you who have been with us in our consecutive expositions. jesus is speaking through the Now, you will remember the situation, those of you who have been with us in our consecutive expositions. jesus is speaking through the by quote, 함께 parlé , that the grace and power of his grace is这是TV fpeople av repairing, y'all look carefully vp. Number two of three, and you will see the gap between in which he says olha Jesus, in company with Peter, James, and John, left the multitudes, left the other nine apostles, or as they're frequently called, the disciples, and he had gone up into a special mountain retreat where he was wonderfully and mysteriously transfigured before them.

10:02 After that transfiguration, as they make their trip down from the mountain, they have the discussion that we examined last Lord's Day, recorded in verses 9 through 13. Now the narrative picks up today in opening up this prelude to the manifestation of the power and grace of Jesus in conjunction with this desperately needy boy, by directing our attention to an audience. It is comprised of a great multitude, all of the disciples, and also some scribes. As they, that is our Lord, with Peter, James, and John, were rejoining the nine disciples, they found something more than what they had left. When they left, all they had left behind was the nine disciples. Now when they return, they find the disciples. Verse?

11:02 And a multitude about them, the indication being that the disciples were in the midst, and another group, the scribes questioning or disputing or arguing with them. So there was that great multitude, that mass of people from all classes there in Palestine who constantly followed our Lord, particularly in that northern generation. In the midst of that multitude are the nine disciples, or apostles, and some scribes. We are not told how many, but some scribes, that is, the official teachers of the Old Testament, who were in the midst of a discussion, or who were in the midst of arguing with the nine disciples. These scribes who were the cynical, bitter, and the most critical of the disciples, were the inveterate enemies of our Lord, who constantly hounded His steps, sought to pounce upon His words, and even blasphemed Him, and disputed with Him to His face. Now when the multitude, in whose midst are the nine, and with them scribes disputing, verse 15,

12:26 immediately when the multitude saw the Lord Jesus approaching with Peter, James, in John, the text says, they were amazed. They were greatly amazed. And that Greek word is one we found several times in Mark's Gospel. They were blown out of their minds in common contemporary jargon.

12:49 They were utterly, greatly amazed. Now what amazed them? Some say, well, probably Jesus, even as Moses when He came down from the mount, still had the glow of the glory of God upon His face. There was something about His countenance.

13:05 Well, I think that can be dismissed, because if Jesus said to the three, tell no man what you have seen, what you have witnessed, then certainly He would not contradict His command to them by having His own presence a living demonstration of what they had seen. No, their amazement will be seen as the story unfolds. Mark doesn't give us the clue at this part of the prelude. But it will come as we make our way through.

13:33 So that's the audience. The disciples, the multitude, and then the scribes, and they come running to Jesus and warmly greet Him and receive Him.

The Issues: A Distraught Father, Desperate Boy, and Defeated Disciples

13:45 Now then, in the second place in the prelude, our attention is taken from the audience to a description of the issues presently engaging their minds and their discussion or disputation. Verse 16.

14:03 And He... That is, Jesus asked them.

14:06 And though the them is indefinite, it is probably meant to direct our attention to the scribes. And He asked them, what are you questioning with them? In other words, the moment Jesus sizes up the situation that the scribes are disputing with the nine disciples in the presence of the multitude, He takes on the scribes and says, what are you disputing with them? What are you disputing?

14:34 What are you discussing with my disciples? And as so often happens, the scribes apparently are silent in their cowardice. They were very bold to take on these disciples, whose spiritual vision at this stage, as we've seen again and again, was very dim. And at times they looked at spiritual realities like a man looking at a landscape with wavy glasses.

15:00 Things were out of proportion. Things were not symmetrical. And they apparently were quite bold in discussing and disputing and arguing with these nine disciples. But when Jesus comes and takes them on first hand and says, what are you questioning with them about?

15:18 What's all the discussion? There was apparently silence. And out of that silence, the real issues engaging them in discussion that form the prelude to the miracle now surface, and they surface in terms of of a distraught father, a desperate boy, and nine defeated disciples. First of all, a distraught father.

15:44 Verse 17. And one of the multitude answered him, Teacher, Matthew tells us, he fell at his feet, taking the posture of humility and entreaty and addresses him, Teacher, I brought unto you my son, who has a dumb spirit. Then he goes on to, Describe what happens when the spirit takes hold of that son. The end of verse 18.

16:10 And I spoke to your disciples that they should cast it out. And they were not able. Here is a distraught father. A father who somewhere, somehow had heard about Jesus of Nazareth.

16:27 Who had heard that he had gone about doing good, casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead. And he said, And in the light of the desperate need of his own son, this distraught father had heard that Jesus was somewhere in that upper Galilean region, out on the very borderlands of Gentile country. And as he says, he brought his son, hoping that he would bring him into the very presence of Jesus. I brought unto you, verse 17, my son.

17:00 However, having brought him to Jesus, Jesus was not there. He was off in the mountains. He was off in the mountains with Peter, James, and John. But he had also heard, and rightly so, for the scripture says that the news of this had spread through the whole area, that power had been given to Jesus' immediate followers, the twelve.

17:19 Power had been conferred upon them, and that they had cast out demons. And so he makes a request of them, that they are unable to help his son. So in his state of tremendous trauma, in the face of the unmet need of his son, he takes upon himself to answer the question directed to the scribes, what are you questioning with them, my disciples? This distraught father takes the lead and answers out of the crowd.

17:49 And then the attention focuses upon a desperate boy. He tells the Lord Jesus about his son. Mark 9.38 tells us it was not only his only son, but his only child.

18:04 And can you imagine, how the father must have spoken, as he begins to describe the condition of his son. A condition that is both frightening and pathetic. And putting together the many verbs and descriptions from verse 18 and verse 22, this was his condition, unembellished by any human rhetoric, and here I will stick carefully to the text and to my notes, because I confess, as I have said, I have simply studied these verbs and these descriptions. I found my spirit more than once at my desk, almost paralyzed, with a sense of horror, at the wretched state of this poor child. The first thing that we know about him, according to verse 25 in this chapter, is that he was possessed of an unclean spirit. And when Jesus saw, that a multitude, came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit. Here was a boy of undesignated age, whose body and human personality, or soul or spirit, was actually invaded by a personality, a demonic spirit, an unclean spirit of the devil.

19:32 The second thing we learn, from verse 17b and 25b, is that this spirit caused the boy, to be both deaf, sounds could not enter his ears, and dumb, no sounds could be emitted, from his throat, from his larynx, from his mouth. 17b, his first words are, Teacher, I brought unto you my son, who has a dumb spirit. And then when Jesus addresses the spirit, in verse 25, he addresses him as a dumb, and a deaf spirit. So the second thing we learn, he was not only possessed, by a spirit, it was a spirit that caused the boy, to be shut up, in a world of frightening, soundness existence. So that communications, could not come into his ear, nor be emitted, from his mouth. Thirdly we learn, and this is the most cruel thing of all, at its will, this spirit caused the horrible combination, of physical and emotional torture, described in verse 8. Look at it.

20:49 In verse 28, I'm sorry. In verse 18, I'm sorry, my own note here was not clear, it's verse 18. Notice he begins by saying, and wheresoever it takes him. There is the picture of a child's whole being, body and soul, under such control of this evil spirit, that wherever it wills to take him, or seize him, perhaps would be a better rendering of that verb.

21:23 What does it do? Wheresoever it takes him, it dashes him down. And you can see, if you have marginal readings, that the translators found it difficult to find an English equivalent, for this is the very verb that Mark uses when he says, when you put new wine into old wineskins, the wineskins are torn asunder. That's the verb that's used.

21:52 It's the picture of the spirit that seizes the boy, drives him to whatever geographical location he chooses, and there throws him down with such vehemence, that it's as though the boy is being rent asunder, joint, turned, torn from joint, and limb from limb. That's the force of the verb. That's what the demon does. He takes, he causes him to be cast down and rent.

22:24 And when under that spirit's power, then three things that the boy does are described in the next verbs. And he, that is the boy then, foams. Foams at the mouth. Furthermore, he grinds his teeth.

22:44 And thirdly, he pines away. The verb used to describe what happens to the stony ground hearer is like the plant that grows up, but when the burning sun strikes it, it withers away. That when one of these seizures and these activities of this demon are stirred up within him, the activity is so utterly violent that when he's done foaming, when he is done grinding his teeth, he shrivels up. He's left as it were like a dead twig.

23:17 Then in verse 22, he adds something that he didn't say in the first instance. Oft times, oft times it has cast him, again a very vigorous verb, both into the fire and into the waters. On many occasions, as this boy's father and perhaps others who had compassion on him watched him day and night, the spirit would seize him and take him by an open fire and thrust him into the fire. And only the loving deliverance of concerned parents or friends would keep him from being consumed by the flames.

23:58 How many times had this father smelled the smell, the sickening smell of burnt flesh as I have smelled it in burn wards? How many times had the little boy found a little pond? Had he found by the shore of a lake where others were perhaps laughing and playing and fishing with their dads? But this one, no, the demon would seize him and attempt to drown him.

24:22 That's what the text says. Oft times, this was not an occasional experience, but oft times cast him into the fire and into the waters with a view to destroying him. And what makes it sad is that when Jesus says, How long has he been in this condition? His answer was from a child.

24:45 Verse 21. From a child. That he was still in the category of a youngster seems clearly to be implied from verse 24 straightway the father of the child cried out. So we don't know precisely how long but this is what is significant.

25:04 This condition did not come upon him at the end of a life when he had deliberately, willfully rejected light and privilege and by degrees abandoned himself to one sin after another after another until God gave him up and he became the very resting place of a foul spirit of hell. From a little child. From an infant. He had been shut up.

25:31 In this world of no sounds. Many times cast upon the ground. Jerking and wrenching physically. Foaming at the mouth.

25:46 Often plucked from the fire and from the water. A desperate boy forms part of the prelude and the issues that are in focus but then you have the third element in the factors that form this prelude and that's the defeated disciples. Look at the description of them. This man says I spoke to your disciples verse 18 that they should cast it out and they were not able.

26:27 All of his hopes are raised when he sees the crowd in the distance. His hopes are raised even higher when he sees in the midst of the crowd. Those that are the constant attendants of Jesus. No doubt his heart sank when they told him Jesus is gone off and we don't know where he is gone.

26:46 We don't know for how long he'll be gone and he's taken three of our leaders with him. Peter, James and John. And one can only try to reconstruct how after that somewhat dampening of his hopes and expectations perhaps through the crowd the whisper went Ah, but my friend there are nine among us. Who have been given special power by their Lord.

27:10 Who have cast out demons. I have a relative who was demon possessed until that one right there spoke the word of exorcism and the demon left him. And another spoke up and said Yes, I have a cousin. I have an uncle.

27:24 His hopes are raised again. And he brings this son places him before the disciples. The assumption is that he pleaded that they would cast out this demon. And what measures they took we do not know.

27:43 How much they tried we do not know. All we know is they were not able. They were not able. They were not able.

27:56 Now do you see what the disputing and the discussion was probably about? These scribes who were constantly mingling with the crowds hawking every move and every word of the Lord Jesus. What a field day they were having now. Here comes a man with a desperate son or a son in a desperate condition.

28:22 And that child is placed before the disciples who claim to have received power delegated from their Lord to cast out demons and they are utterly powerless to do so. One can only imagine how the scribes were having a field day. How they were seeking to discredit the entire mission of the twelve and in discrediting their mission discrediting the mission of their master. No wonder when they saw him they were amazed and ran to meet him.

28:50 I believe it was the amazement that comes when we say so and so came just in the nick of time. The amazement your kids might feel when the big bully on the block is picking on two or three little kids in the same family and right at the point where he is about to get them on their back and pound their faces in around the corner comes the big brother. And they are amazed and they run to meet him. Here is our deliverance.

29:20 I am convinced and that conviction is shared by not a few responsible commentators that that sets the picture for us in terms of the second element of the prelude. We have the audience then we have the specific issues that are before that audience. They focus upon this father in his desperation upon this poor child in his condition and these defeated disciples. And then notice the immediate response of Jesus that completes the prelude.

Jesus's Immediate Response: Indictment, Complaint, and Command

29:55 The immediate response of Jesus verse 19 it begins with an indicting description of that generation. And he answered them and said notice it does not say he answered him that is the father. The father has spoken. When Jesus said what are you disputing about one of the multitude answered him.

30:21 But when Jesus responds he is not responding to that father but he is responding to the entire crowd that is gathered and he answered them and said and his first word is an indicting description filled with passion. Rarely do you find this form of address recorded on the lips of Jesus. O faithless generation. It is the O of the distressed spirit.

30:54 And he gives this indicting description O unbelieving generation. And he is speaking to the full spectrum of that generation. O unbelief in its most horrible manifestation in the persons of these scribes who have seen miracles have witnessed the mighty power of Jesus and say our minds are made up don't confuse us with the facts he is an imposter he cannot be Messiah. Surely they were part of that unbelieving generation and many of that multitude who were constantly seeking a sign you remember how they said show us a sign give us a sign give us a sign and even in that area when he had multiplied the loaves and the fishes they followed him not because they understood the significance of what he did and had their hearts drawn to his person but they wanted to see something else happen so that they could have their physical needs met. They were part of that unbelieving generation and surely even the disciples as we shall see in the sequel to this story they are indicted for it for their lack of faith according to Matthew for their lack of prayer according to Mark and surely the integration of the two is simply this that had they received that man and his son in all of his need in a disposition of faith

32:22 that gave birth to believing prayer they would have seen the deliverance so they were part of that unbelieving generation he gives an indicting description oh unbelieving generation and then a heart-wrenching complaint it has two prongs how long will I be among you how long must I bear with you it's one of the most pathetic statements in the gospel records as he looks into that sea of unbelief all the way from the hardened unbelief of the scribes to the partial unbelief of his own disciples for whom he was on his way to Jerusalem in order to die in their room instead out from that holy soul of Jesus comes this heart-wrenching complaint how long will I be among you your unbelief in the face of all you've seen and all you've heard it's brought me to a place where I long to be in other company how long shall I be among you and then he says how long must I bear you literally how long must I bear you as a burden he looks upon that generation as a burden to be among them is a burden to be born the dullness

33:51 the insensitivity the unbelief the spiritual myopia and he says how long shall I bear with it an indicting description a heart-wrenching complaint but then notice a hopeful commandment a hopeful command bring him unto me what a beautiful transition bring him unto me my soul is vexed as I must stand in this sea of unbelief how long must I yet bear it how long will I be in the midst of it but because the father had not yet purposed to take him from it he yet had a mission a mission of mercy bring him to me bring him to me a hopeful command because in the midst of this sea of unbelief Jesus is indicating that he will manifest his own power and his grace in meeting the needs of that land so that concludes the prelude to this manifestation of the power and grace of Jesus now look at the specific details of that manifestation in verses 20 to 27 the specific details and they come to us

Specific Details of the Manifestation: Demonic Agitation and Jesus's Question

35:17 in very simply very simple six simple categories we'll go through them very quickly there is first of all the indication that they brought the child unto Jesus and when he saw him that is when the child saw Jesus and of course the demon in the child intelligent and active straightway the spirit tore him grievously and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming the first thing in the unfolding of the details is the demonic agitation of the boy no sooner do some out of the crowd carry or assist the boy in the direction of Jesus that we read seeing Jesus immediately straightway these horrible conditions come upon him in a fury of intense activity the demon tears him he falls upon the ground the word wallow is the one used by Peter to speak of a sow that wallows in its mud it's the picture of the child turning over and over again in this horrible convulsive fit foaming at the mouth and then a strange thing happens you have then the question of Jesus and its response now you imagine what you'd be like if there was a child, a boy, a lad a preteen lying at your feet wallowing and foaming

36:43 you and I would no doubt become utterly distressed and distraught but with the calmness of heaven notice what Jesus does and he asked his father it's as though he doesn't even see the wallowing foaming child at his feet he asked his father how long time is it since this came upon him and he said from a child and oft times it is cast him both into the fire and the waters to destroy him but if you can do anything have compassion on us and help us the question of Jesus how long is this condition been upon him the father answers from a child that word used with great flexibility could well mean from the time he was a toddler and then he gives those descriptions that we've already examined then you have thirdly the earnest plea of the father but if you can do anything have compassion on us and help us better translated if you can do anything help us having compassion upon us the emphasis falls upon the verb help us the imperative of entreaty if you can do anything I brought him to your disciples my hopes were raised my expectations were raised but they could not

Jesus's Response to the Plea, Father's Confession, and Jesus's Action

38:10 and I wonder Lord since I was told they had in the past since I heard the witnesses that they were able to cast out demons but they could not maybe what I've heard about you will not hold true but Lord if you can help us having compassion upon us that was the earnest plea of the father now fourthly what was Jesus response to the plea verse 23 and Jesus said unto him if thou canst all things are possible to him that believes bypassing all the problems and questions about precisely how to translate and punctuate this verse for it gives exegetes fits and if you don't believe me just check a few critical serious commentators on Mark and you'll see you can rarely find two that agree but the gist of what Jesus said the gist of what Jesus response was seems to be beautifully captured by Lane in his commentary on Mark Jesus seized on the father's word at the point where they were most tempered with doubt if you can help us having compassion upon us verse 23 can be paraphrased as follows Jesus responds by saying as regards your remarks about my ability to help your son

39:37 I tell you everything depends upon your ability to believe not on mine to act if you can help us having compassion upon us and Jesus response is if you can the issue is not what I am able to do but whether or not you can extricate yourself from this prevailing generation upon belief and believe that I am able and he says all things are possible to him that believeth and let me simply pause to say in the context what does that mean if the man believes that he can go home and find a gold-plated chariot in his garage it'll be there if he believes hard enough what nonsense in the context he's saying all things are possible to him that believes that is the demon that seems so powerful so powerfully and permanently to possess your son that demon I can cast out I am able no word if I am able yes I am well able but are you prepared to break through the unbelief that even paralyzed my disciples the unbelief of the scribes if you can believe all things are possible

41:05 then you have in the fifth place the confession of the father therefore straightway the father of the child cried out and apparently very early either based upon an unwritten apostolic tradition or because scribes were sensitive enough when they translated and when they copied this passage they just couldn't imagine the man doing this in any other posture but that of weeping there are some manuscripts that read straightway the father of the child cried out with tears now the best manuscript evidence is that the tears those words don't belong there but you can sense something of the rising tide of earnestness straightway as soon as the man hears the words of Jesus that the issue is not the power of Jesus but whether he will believe that Jesus is able immediately he got the message and the father of the child cried out and said I do believe help the unbelief and there is a beautiful play the very thing he before said help us having compassion upon us looking only upon his son under the power of a demon now he knows that he has been tainted with the prevailing climate of unbelief so now his prayer is Lord I do believe

42:31 but I feel the remnants of an unbelieving spirit clinging to me help not only my demon possessed son but help my horrible remnants of unbelief Lord I believe help same word as he used previously my unbelief and then you have the action of Jesus verses 25 to 27 and when Jesus saw that a multitude came running together apparently as this scene began to unfold people that were out on the fringes gathered even closer for now the very thing that was under discussion are the disciples of Jesus true ambassadors of Messiah do they and does he have power to cast out demons we've come to a showdown again with the scribes is Jesus what he claims to be and when the multitude came running together he rebuked the unclean spirit saying unto him thou dumb and deaf spirit I command you come out at him and enter no more into him no lengthy incantations no taking out of incense no waving of censers no nonsense of the so called exorcism of the Roman Catholic Church and other cults none of that's foolishness he simply speaks a word of authority rebuking that spirit saying come out and enter no more

43:59 his being is permanently barred to you you foul spirit of hell and what happens out of spite as the demon is about to exit you see what he does he loses his hold upon the boy's vocal cords and larynx and having cried out he was a dumb spirit made the boy so that he could speak no sounds and now he takes the boy's vocal cords in one last spiteful act and uses them as the vehicle to cry out and tears him up and he came out and the boy became as one dead in so much as the more part said he is dead after this final paroxysm after this final convulsion and this horrible shriek the boy relaxes like one who's been in the death throes and death twitches relaxes when he breathes his last and a murmur went through the crowd he's dead he's dead until Jesus takes a step or two takes the boy isn't this beautiful by the hand raised him up and then Luke says gave him to his father isn't that beautiful oh the emotions that must have overflowed the soul of that father thy disciples could not

45:26 Lord if you can help have compassion oh dear father the issue's not what I can do but can you believe I do believe I do believe Lord help my unbelief and then he watches as Jesus with the calmness and regal authority that is his inherently as God and that was conferred upon him as the anointed Messiah rebukes the spirit commands him to leave never to enter and the demon leaves the child is left as one dead Jesus takes him by the hand and presents him to his father

The Primary Message: Jesus's Nature, Power, Compassion, Humanity, and Patience

46:06 and says well dear people that's the story as I've sought to study the text and lay it out and make it live before you without embellishing it beyond scripture and I said I would have time only to focus on one aspect of its message and that's what I propose to do now in the remaining minutes this morning what is the primary message of this amazing manifestation of the grace and power of Jesus oh my friends whatever its message is its primary message must be about Jesus for that's what Mark's writing about he never gets away from his introductory words the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God he's forever coming back to that theme amplifying expanding underscoring turning it over one way and another and oh what wonderful gospel what wonderful good news for sinners is found in this incident let's look at just several of them as they focus upon Jesus first of all this incident sets in bold relief the true nature of the predicted suffering and death of Jesus never forget the context of this miracle it is sandwiched between those sobering words at the end of chapter 8 when for the first time Jesus told his disciples I must suffer I must be rejected

47:36 I must be killed verse 31 of chapter 8 now he goes up into the mountain he comes down with his disciples this miracle occurs and what's the very next thing he does in his teaching look at verse 31 for he taught his disciples and said unto them the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men they shall kill him when he's killed three days he shall rise again they understood not the same and he said to them this miracle in all of its unusual marking details is sandwiched in this emphasis upon Jesus suffering and death and what does it tell us then well you see it sets in bold relief the true nature of that predicted suffering he will suffer and die not because he is overpowered by the scribes and the Pharisees and the chief priests and pilots and Herod and the Roman soldiers anyone who can say to a powerful demonic spirit get out and enter again he can handle himself in any circumstance of personal danger he doesn't need any six foot eight two hundred and ninety pound body guards all he needs to do is speak a word and he can bring his feet

49:05 and though the disciples didn't understand it then they understood later and imagine what this must have been like the first time the gospel of Mark was read probably at Rome to strengthen suffering Christians feeling the pressure of a heathen pagan government that is opposing them and opposing the gospel oh what consolation it would have brought to know that their Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily went the way of suffering and death to redeem a people and therefore as believing in him they now suffer for his name's sake in the appointed time of their Lord he will say to the devil and all his demons and all his followers into the everlasting pit to come out and he'll banish evil and evil powers by the word of his mouth and his saints shall inherit the new heavens and the new earth oh how this incident sets in bold relief the true nature of the predicted sufferings and death of Jesus but further the incident sets in bold relief the almighty power of Jesus as the savior of sinners while the devils control the lad

50:31 through a demon the devastation was evident and dramatic when he would seize him cast him down cause him to go into convulsions and make him foam and wallow how powerful was that demon totally to control the personality and body of that lad but with a word just a word Jesus conquers him and though none of us here thank God has known this kind of demon possession listen to me everyone in this building who is not united to Jesus Christ in living faith and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit you are under the control of the devil according to the Bible Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 to 3 describes every unconverted unsaved man or woman in these terms walking according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit who is actively at work among the sons of disobedience my friend you are the devil's dupe oh no he's wise he does not do to you what he did to this lad because then it would be very evident to you and to others that you were indeed his slave so he cuts more subtle channels but your heart is full of ignorance

51:59 of your true state full of self-righteousness and pride and lust and ambition it all may be polite and acceptable to society but in the eyes of God it's a stench in his nostrils and what can overcome that power nothing but the power that overcame the demon in that boy but thank God that power that was manifested then is at work now in and through the gospel and this incident sets in bold relief the almighty power of Jesus as the savior of sinners here the demon the evil spirit is the destroyer of the lad Christ exercises his power not for destruction but for salvation and then further this incident sets in bold relief the tender compassion of Jesus for sinners the cry of the father was help us having compassion upon us the heart of Jesus was large and tender enough to feel something of the horrible wretchedness of the state of that boy and to take the situation in hand he didn't turn away in shocked horror he didn't turn away in disgust but he says bring him to me bring him to me

53:26 and with tender compassion he enters in sympathetically to the state of that boy gathers information from the father how long has he been there how long has he been in this condition and his large heart is moved with compassion and it's his compassion that cuts as it were a swath for his delivering power and thank God he is the same yesterday today and forever and this is the gospel to know that whatever your condition may be you too may be held under the grip of lust and pride and ambition you may be held under a horrible vice like grip of guilt for past sins that haunts you that is as it were like a ghost strapped to your back haunting you day and night week in and week out you say if I go to Jesus what will I find in him you'll find him to be a tender and a compassionate savior of sinners the same Jesus who looks upon this poor wreck of humanity this little boy and he doesn't turn away in disgust he doesn't turn away in shocked horror he reaches out to meet him at the point of his need oh my sinner friend go to him go to him that you say Mr. Martin you don't know what I've been and what I've done no I don't but he who does says come unto me

54:56 and I will give you rest him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out and then this incident sets in bold release the true humanity of Jesus that he assumed for us sinners we were reminded of that in the adult class that Jesus the second person of the Godhead the eternal word took upon himself a true humanity assumed that humanity for sinners and oh how his humanity is seen in this passage he manifests and expresses the emotions and I labored at how to describe it and I believe it's accurate to say holy irritation and disappointment and weariness oh unbelieving generation my spirit is vexed how long shall I be among you how long must I bear with you holy irritation holy disappointment holy weariness holy vexation that's holy sanctified humanity manifesting itself in those human emotions and why is this recorded that we might know that our savior is touched with the feeling of our infirmities tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin we do not have a savior who is distant from us with indifference

56:24 he is near in his compassion but it is intelligent empathetic compassion because he assumed the true humanity that in that humanity he might enter in to our condition sin accepted in that humanity lived the life we should have lived even in all the full spectrum of human emotions he could experience holy irritation holy weariness and not have it tinged in the slightest with sin so that in all of the complexity of our mixed up in sinful emotions we could go to a savior who is touched with the feeling of our sins and our infirmities and then last of all this sets in bold relief his amazing patience towards sinners although he is stirred as he comes down from the mountain seeing this mass of unbelief oh unbelieving generation how long must I be with you how long shall I bear with you he didn't turn heel he bore with them a little longer and even when the man says I do believe but there is within me the remnants of unbelief Jesus did not castigate him Jesus did not turn and show up the disciples in front of everyone as we'll see in the subsequent study

57:53 it wasn't until he was alone that he explained why they couldn't cast out the demon oh the infinite amazing patience of Jesus right in that crowd were these skeptical unbelieving these horrible enemies called the scribes and what does he do in loving kindness and patience he gives them yet another manifestation of his power validating his identity and out of every miracle of Jesus is a voice of mercy to the hardest of sinners come, come, come, come oh how the patience of Jesus is seen in this passage and that's its great message dear people it sets before us the power of Jesus to meet the need of sinners it sets before us the nature of his suffering for sinners they had to be voluntary it sets before us his compassion for sinners his patience towards sinners how can God make it any plainer my sinner friend Jesus is suited to your needs as a sinner run to him flee to him throw yourself upon his mercy let no other trust intrude and dear people of God should not this be the great concern of our hearts that the knowledge of this Jesus

59:20 will be heralded will be disseminated by every legitimate means so that this generation in which we live held in the grip of powers no less demonic than those that held that little boy that we shall see Jesus saying bring him to me when they've gone to the psychiatrist and they've given up when they've gone to the psychologist and they've given up and no one has the answers look at the present fury of attempts to find an answer to the problem of crack we've brought our young people to the experts and they haven't helped them we've brought our young people to entertainment and self indulgence and they could not cast it out my friends here's the gospel bring him to me bring him to me Jesus says bring him to me and that's our great privilege by our prayers and by our labors to see sinners brought to Jesus only Jesus can do helpless sinners good let us pray our Father how we thank you

60:50 for leaving the record of the mighty word of the mighty works of your beloved son and we confess we do love him as he's revealed to us in the scriptures and yet with that man in his desperate state we must confess we do love you Lord help the weakness of that love the fickleness of that love may it become deeper purer more fixed and steady may we more and more grow to love him as we gaze upon him make your word effectual to the calling in of some even this day who know nothing of the saving power of Jesus and may your people be built up and strengthened as they feed upon their Lord who comes to them in his word seal them the word to this end for your glory and for our good Amen