Short Thoughts

“And straightway the father of the child cried out,
and said with tears, Lord, I believe;
help thou mine unbelief.”
~ Mark 9:24

While Christ was away with Peter, James, and John, a man had come to his disciples with a great problem. His child was possessed with a devil from the time of his early childhood. It was a most sad case to the father who was powerless to help his son. He testified of his son’s condition saying, “And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him.” He watched helplessly as the evil spirit tormented and tortured his son, not knowing what would become of him. Finally, having heard the fame of Jesus of Nazareth, he brought his child seeking help.

He petitioned the Lord’s disciples to help him. Moreover, try as they might, they could not rid the boy of the spirit. The disciples had at one time rejoiced saying, “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name” (Luke 10:17). Now they were rendered impotent and could not prevail over this spirit. This must have plunged the poor man into despair. Of course, the scribes found perfect opportunity in this man’s misfortunes. They took interest in the disciple’s failure and sought occasion to win some points. They created quite a stir among the people. This man’s condition was worse now than before.

Jesus came on the scene seeing the clamor and desiring to know what the situation was. Notice that the disciples were not quick to confess their trouble. Having lost sight of Jesus for a short time, their fervor had cooled. Their own lack of faith became apparent. Christ told them, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”

The boy’s father spread the matter before the Lord. Expressing his own hopelessness he said, “I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.” Whatever reasons others had for being in the crowd, his agenda was clear. He was not hesitant to speak up when he thought that he might find mercy and grace to help in his time of need. Jesus sought the boy saying, “Bring him unto me.” “And they brought him unto him.” Years of grief, worry, and dismay had all led up to this moment.

It is hard to say what the man expected at this point. Whatever his expectation, I believe he was surprised by the Lord’s words to him. “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). The words of Christ were a sharp sword that pierced him to his heart. He felt them a stinging rebuke, as is apparent in our text, for he “cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Had he ever considered his unbelief as a contributor to his misery? Had he ever realized that his lack of faith had bound him in a prison of despair? Had he ever seen his own handicap by weak faith? He was driven to tearful repentance confessing his unbelief to Christ. Let us now briefly consider some possible points of unbelief with this man.

He may have thought his situation was too hard and beyond help. No one had suffered on the order of his sufferings. Long years he had battled to no avail and his son only grew worse. I imagine he had pursued many avenues of assistance. Perhaps he had brought the child to the Synagogue many times seeking help of the rulers. Perhaps he had even enlisted the expertise of physicians. Perhaps he had prayed and come to no improvement. He had exhausted family and friends looking for aid. He could have thought the sum of these things pronounced hopelessness upon his case. Now the fame of miracles and triumph in similar cases had introduced a small hope.

On the other hand, his despair may have passed to presumption. He had sought help at the hands of the disciples. He may have become over-confident thinking that there was no need to bother Jesus with his problems. His fellow man could supply the help he desired. The disciples could try another approach that had escaped him to this point. He was distressed when this last hope failed.

In all these things, we see a consistency of unbelief. All of his thoughts turn inward. His focus is on his own insufficiency and inability. He cries up his awful circumstance and laments his uselessness. All of his statements involve “if.” If only he were stronger. If only he were wiser.

However, for all this, he had never come so honestly before the Lord and aired his complaint. He labored. He was heavy-laden. Why had he not come to the Lord? Yet in an act of divine mercy, “When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose” (Mark 9:25-27). His burden was lifted.

We too must pray this prayer of repentance, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Whether we face physical afflictions, temptations and trials, or a call to a greater field of service, we must confess our unbelief to the Lord and seek His help in overcoming. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).

Unbelief is debilitating. When we focus on our own weakness, we are trapped and are the same as the man with one talent that buried it in the napkin. If we believe the promises of God, then we will focus upon the Lord Jesus Christ. “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:4-5). Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Let us look to the Lord and resolve to do as Asa of old who prayed, “LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee” (2 Chronicles 2:14). Let us seek to exalt and glorify Jesus Christ with our lives and lean wholly upon Him. I believe then we will accomplish much in the cause of His kingdom.

Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary gives a simple definition of wisdom.

the right use or exercise of knowledge

This agrees with the scriptural use of wisdom as discernment and application. Knowledge is necessary to wisdom. There cannot be much wisdom without knowledge, but there can be much knowledge without wisdom.

The Bible often pits wisdom in contrast to folly. The self-professed wise men in Romans 1 are in reality great fools. You will note that they have a tremendous amount of knowledge, but they do not make the right use of it. Consequently, they deny God the Creator, worship the creation, and practice all forms of abominable ungodliness. Despite their high IQ’s and mental stockpiles of information, they are fools.

So then, what is a wise Christian? James addressed those who lack wisdom. Does that mean that they do not know about God or His Word? That is not the case; rather, they are not able to make right use of what they know, or they are not able to make practical application of the knowledge they have.

The lack of wisdom is addressed in Hebrews 5:11-6:2. It is interesting that the knowledge of doctrine—“the first principles of the oracles of God” and “the principles of the doctrine of Christ”—is there termed “milk.” Also, those that have progressed no further are called babes. For many the knowledge of doctrine is the pinnacle of Christianity. To have knowledge of some deep doctrine means that one has arrived and to wax eloquent about abstract doctrine from some obscure passage is nearly idolized among some.

However, the passage in Hebrews makes it plain that knowledge is not the summit, but a necessary climb on the ascension to the peak of wisdom. That wisdom is called “strong meat” and is the practical application of Scripture knowledge: “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). This wisdom is considered adorning the “doctrine of God our Saviour in all things” (Titus 2:10-14).

The babes with all their coveted knowledge are either unwilling or unable to discern “both good and evil.” In other words, they do not make practical application of what they know. Their lives are not impacted and shaped by the application of doctrine. They may speak a long while on the doctrine of Christ’s Lordship, but they know nothing of personal submission to Christ’s reign (Luke 6:46) and forsaking all for the sake of His kingdom. Consequently, they live lives of antinomianism (though they may deny the doctrine), worldliness, and ungodliness, bringing a reproach on the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:27).

The ascension to wisdom is on this wise. The beginning of knowledge is to know the stories and facts of the Bible. We progress from there to gain knowledge of doctrine. We begin to understand the big picture of the Bible and the flow or progression of the stories. We begin to understand the spiritual significance of the Scripture. Climbing yet higher, we begin to make use of this knowledge and discern good and evil. So, we ascend to wisdom and we cannot skip the steps on the way up. If wisdom is like a tall ladder, we cannot get from the bottom rungs to the top rungs if we are missing the rungs in the middle.

“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me,
be with me where I am;
that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me:
for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”
~ John 17:24

Our devotional verse is found in the high priestly prayer of Jesus Christ. He exercised His intercessory office praying to the Father for His people. He declared, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine” (John 17:9). Now Job said of God, “For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment” (Job 9:32). Job realized there was a difference between himself and God, “for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth.” He also realized that he could not stand in the breach. Eli saw the same predicament when he said, “If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him?” (1 Samuel 2:25). Job further observed that not only could he not stand in the breach but also no other man could stand there for him. “Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both” (Job 9:33). Who could lay his hand upon God?

In John chapter 17 we see Christ standing in the breach, laying His hand upon man and laying His hand upon God. He is the fulfillment of the type we have in Moses with Israel. “Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them” (Psalm 106:23). Jesus “thought it not robbery to be equal with God” and He “lifted up his eyes to heaven” and prayed to the Father as the Son. He had power to lay hold on God and man, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). He stood in the breach and turned away the wrath that His people deserved by giving Himself as a ransom. What a blessing to know there is an advocate, a days-man! What a blessing for His people to know “he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Let us turn now to the particular request made in our text. Firstly we notice that Jesus said, “Father, I will.” Now during His earthly ministry, Christ declared, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). He also said, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30). Jesus is the perfect servant. He was totally submerged in the will of the Father. It must then be of great significance when He expresses His will as in our text: “Father, I will.” Read John 6:39-40 and you will find this expression of Christ’s will to be in harmony with that of the Father, revealing the unity of the purpose of the trinity in the salvation of men.

It is noteworthy to observe that Jesus expressed His will. It is also worthwhile to note the substance of His petition. Secondly we see His request was “that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me.” Christ here reveals His desire for His purchased people to be with Him and behold His glory. He longs for the consummation of His work when He presents His people spotless before the throne saying, “Behold I and the children which God hath given me” (Hebrews 2:13). He will stand victorious; having accomplished the purpose where unto He was sent.

Christ does not only joy in His accomplishment. He also has joy in His people. “For the LORD’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance” (Deuteronomy 32:9). He manifested His great love by laying down His life. He “loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Revelation 1:5). And He desires us to be with Him. It is no wonder that we love Him, “Who gave himself for us.” But it is a great mystery that He should love us. Surely the love of Christ “passeth knowledge.” We are constrained to sing the old song,

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me, A sinner, condemned, unclean.
How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful is my Savior’s love for me!

It is a great comfort to know these truths when our saved loved ones have departed. We see that Jesus is fetching them home to be with Him. The shepherd says in Solomon’s Song, “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away” (Song of Solomon 2:13). We have a picture of the Good Shepherd beckoning His beloved sheep home. We cannot weep for the departed righteous. They are in the presence of the loving Shepherd beholding His great glory.