Mar 9:19 | KingComments | STEP | At the foot of the mountain the Lord and His three disciples are again in direct contact with the power of satan, who reveals himself in the reality of earthly circumstances. At the foot of the mountain they see the disciples left behind surrounded by a large crowd. There are also scribes present who are discussing with the disciples. When the entire crowd sees Him, His appearance impresses them. It is possible that the shine of the glory on the mountain can still be seen on Him. They turn away from the arguing company and walk toward Him and greet Him. They feel that He is Lord of the situation. The Lord asks about the content of the discussion. The answer comes from the crowd, from someone who brought his son to Him because this son has a mute spirit. In his need the man has come to Him, that He might heal him (cf. ). This man and his son are the clear proof of how much the coming of Elijah is necessary to restore a disturbed father-son relationship, so that it may resemble the relationship of the Son to His Father, as shown in the previous scene on the mountain. There is complete fellowship between that Father and that Son, and here it is just as completely lacking. The relationship between father and son is one of the most beautiful earthly relationships. All earthly relations are torn apart by the power of satan. Only the Lord Jesus can restore them. For this He wants to use people like Elijah, servants who can speak God’s Word in power. The father describes to the Lord the seriousness of the boy’s situation. Now he had come to His disciples and had told them to cast out the mute spirit. In the man said that he had brought his son to the Lord and now he says that he had told the disciples to cast out the spirit. For the man the disciples, as followers and pupils of Him, were able to do the same as He did. However, they were incapable, even though He had given them that power earlier ( ) and they had already cast out many demons. They cannot do it here, for they lack faith. If there is no faith, there is no power. The Lord blames them for not having healed the boy. He even calls them an “unbelieving generation” because in this case they have the same characteristics as the whole generation of Israel. Then He asks two questions to which He does not expect an answer. They are as it were sighs of His heart concerning their unbelief. We know the answer to both questions: He stayed with them until His ascension, and He endured them until the year 70, the year in which the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. But He does not leave the begging father without an answer to his supplication. He commands him to bring his son to Him. That is always the great consolation for anyone who walks around with a need. The Lord says: “Bring him to Me.” We may do that when we pray. His order to bring the boy to Him is carried out. The demon knows, when he sees Him, that he will be cast out immediately. That is why the evil spirit does its utmost to harm the boy as much as possible before he will have to leave him.

‏ Mark 9:19

The Powerlessness of the Disciples

At the foot of the mountain the Lord and His three disciples are again in direct contact with the power of satan, who reveals himself in the reality of earthly circumstances. At the foot of the mountain they see the disciples left behind surrounded by a large crowd. There are also scribes present who are discussing with the disciples.

When the entire crowd sees Him, His appearance impresses them. It is possible that the shine of the glory on the mountain can still be seen on Him. They turn away from the arguing company and walk toward Him and greet Him. They feel that He is Lord of the situation.

The Lord asks about the content of the discussion. The answer comes from the crowd, from someone who brought his son to Him because this son has a mute spirit. In his need the man has come to Him, that He might heal him (cf. Mal 4:5-6). This man and his son are the clear proof of how much the coming of Elijah is necessary to restore a disturbed father-son relationship, so that it may resemble the relationship of the Son to His Father, as shown in the previous scene on the mountain. There is complete fellowship between that Father and that Son, and here it is just as completely lacking.

The relationship between father and son is one of the most beautiful earthly relationships. All earthly relations are torn apart by the power of satan. Only the Lord Jesus can restore them. For this He wants to use people like Elijah, servants who can speak God’s Word in power.

The father describes to the Lord the seriousness of the boy’s situation. Now he had come to His disciples and had told them to cast out the mute spirit. In Mk 9:17 the man said that he had brought his son to the Lord and now he says that he had told the disciples to cast out the spirit. For the man the disciples, as followers and pupils of Him, were able to do the same as He did. However, they were incapable, even though He had given them that power earlier (Mk 6:7) and they had already cast out many demons. They cannot do it here, for they lack faith. If there is no faith, there is no power.

The Lord blames them for not having healed the boy. He even calls them an “unbelieving generation” because in this case they have the same characteristics as the whole generation of Israel. Then He asks two questions to which He does not expect an answer. They are as it were sighs of His heart concerning their unbelief. We know the answer to both questions: He stayed with them until His ascension, and He endured them until the year 70, the year in which the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.

But He does not leave the begging father without an answer to his supplication. He commands him to bring his son to Him. That is always the great consolation for anyone who walks around with a need. The Lord says: “Bring him to Me.” We may do that when we pray. His order to bring the boy to Him is carried out. The demon knows, when he sees Him, that he will be cast out immediately. That is why the evil spirit does its utmost to harm the boy as much as possible before he will have to leave him.