Monday after Reminiscere Sunday
Posted on February 26, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. Mark 9:17-29 (NKJV)
9:17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Devotion
The man had a son who was “possessed by a spirit.” But two people received healing that day. Being possessed by a demon was a most terrible thing for this child to endure. This child needed help, but much to the dismay of this father the disciples were unable to do anything for his son. However, the father of the possessed child does not stop seeking out help for his son. But was it really the father “seeking”, or actually a matter of Jesus drawing this man closer to Himself? Jesus, true God, knows all. Jesus knows that the possessed child needs help, as does the child’s father. What the child’s father does not realize is what he needs. It wasn’t until Jesus confronted the man’s unbelief that the man began to realize he, too, needed Jesus’ help. “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
We may have faith, we may believe, yet, sometimes we don’t. We are both saints and sinners. The saint in us believes, yet the sinner within wishes to draw us away from Christ. The sinner wants nothing to do with Christ. Jesus uses the troubles of life to draw Christians closer to Himself so we can truly say, “I believe; Lord have mercy!” Out of His mercy, Jesus healed the child. But He also mercifully healed the man. Jesus helped the man overcome his unbelief, as He does with all His people.
Collect: O God, who seest that of ourselves we have no strength: Keep us both outwardly and inwardly; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Season of Lent
Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hatest nothing that Thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
