February 26th, 2012
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Casting out Evil Spirits Mark 9:14-29
A. We have been given authority to cast out evil spirits
1) How do evil spirits work today? (14-18a)
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 a 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. (14-18a)
2) We live in a time of unbelief (18b-27)
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. (18b-27)
B. Why couldn't the disciples cast out the spirit? (28,29)
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." (28,29)
Summary
The Bible teaches that the devil, or Satan, is a spiritual being that is bent on keeping human beings in a state of slavery to itself. Satan is not just a fragment of someone's imagination that belongs in the world of horror movies, but is a very real being. And contrary to what the movies might indicate, Satan works in very subtle ways, not merely frightening human beings, but separating them from God. In our passage for today, Jesus knew that the boy was suffering from an evil spirit and not just from physical illness, and commanded these spirit to leave. At Jesus' command, the spirit had no choice but to leave. While our encounters with evil spirits may be very different from this scenario, we have been give the power and authority to cast out evil spirits. If we find that despite the authority we've been given, we can't cast out evil spirits, then that indicates that we are disconnected from our source of power: a close relationship with God. The solution to this, Jesus suggested, is prayer.
For Discussion
1) What did Jesus mean by "unbelieving"?
2) Why weren't the disciples able to cast out the evil spirit?