Hope for Those Who Belong to God
Mari Ikeda
A. Two competing powers
1. The power of the devil (37-40)
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
2. The power of God (41-42)
41 "You unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father.
B. The promise of hope and victory (43-45)
43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
Summary
In this world, we find the devil (= one who opposes God) at work and it is the work of the devil to ensnare us in sin (= to act in opposition to God). The devil brings despair by corroding the mind, body and spirit. Jesus has won a victory over the devil and has given us the freedom that comes from belonging to God. If we belong to God, we can have hope in any situation in our lives.
For Discussion
1) How are evil spirits, the devil, diseases, and sin related?
2) What does it mean to belong to God?