UNBELIEF IN BELIEVERS

  The subject is casting out demons from a child. The “multitude” was arguing about why the disciples were not effective. We find out later that someone, other than the disciples, was casting out demons elsewhere. Why could some cast them out and others unable? It was a matter of faith. Now examine two passages about exorcism.

And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning (disputing) with them. (Mark 9:14)

And Jesus said unto him (John), “Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.” (Luke 9:50)

  In the first instance, the scribes were arguing with the disciples. In the second instance, John had seen some unidentified person, who was not one of them, successfully casting out demons. Using the argument from the synoptic gospels that those of little faith could not, that would imply that the one who was not among them had more faith. What was the biggest difference? Multitudes were watching the disciples, but it seems that John alone saw one not of their sect casting out demons.
  We don’t know what the multitude was arguing about in the first case, but certainly how THEY would do the exorcism of casting out demons. Perhaps the disciples were doing it for show, and the other for the benefit of the person with the demons. In order to cast out some demons, Jesus’s prescription was prayer and fasting. It can be assumed that His disciples had not done that, but the other one not of their sect either had, or had enough faith that he could do what only Jesus did theretofore.
  There are several lessons in those events; lets list some of them:

·         Works cannot be used to impress the crowd.

·         Works are not of ourselves, but of God.

·         Faith changes things; people do not.

·         Faith is not subject to ritual. 

·         Our faith is riddle with doubts.

·         Jesus taught faith; not works.

·         Jesus indicated that faith provides effective works.

·         Jesus is not a respecter of persons.

·         Arguing is not productive to works.

·         Proximity to the “Church” does not make closeness to Jesus. 

·         And the list goes on!

  The thing that struck me is that the scribes seemed to have perplexed the disciples from their faith. They knew that Jesus could work wonders, that they followed Jesus, but yet they could not do so themselves. Perhaps we should look for the reason for that.

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

  Let me reword that from another perspective: Lord, I believe, but diminish my doubt. The sincere (crying) father had the faith that would “move mountains” — faith the size of mustard seed. Jesus defined “unbelief” as is written:

Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, ‘Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove;’ and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (John 17:20)

  Perhaps the father could have said, I have faith but need more! While the disciples were arguing about ritual, the father was more trusting. And the “non-sectarian” elsewhere was just doing what was God’s will without regard to the masses who argued, You aren’t doing this right! Performing the exorcism right would be having the faith that God (Jesus) could heal although He was not there in their presence. Jesus is not confined by proximity; He can work wonders from afar. Disciples are those who are close to Him and they believe even when He seems afar. The greater the belief the closer the proximity to His Spirit. With His disciples, Jesus was nearby, but they were ineffective. The other exorcist was further away, but yet he was spiritually closer than Jesus’ own sect.
  We know from the Book of Acts that the Holy Ghost revealed Himself when the Jews were of one accord (Acts 2:1). The Holy Ghost is the Spirit that experienced death in Jesus. The “Comforter” is Jesus. The disciples were not close to Jesus because there was discordance. The other man exorcising was alone with the person but close to Jesus spiritually.
  Another point to be made is the father’s cry: “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.” Jesus has perfect belief. He healed without prayer and fasting! Everyone else has less belief, or to put it another way, much doubt. Prayer and fasting would have required the disciples, like the lone man, to be closer to Jesus and to commune alone with Him. Prayer and fasting would not be a ritual for show, but an attitude of humility. The lone man was not elevating Himself, but magnifying God. Casting out demons to the multitude would have diminished Jesus and elevated the disciples.
  Now for the subject of doubt: One of my worst disagreements is the popular saying, “I know that I know that I know that I am saved” which Joyce Meyers introduced. Not to be technical, Meyers has the assurance that she “shall be saved” and that she will “endure to the end” (Mat 10:22), but that is faith in what God promises. She strongly believes in public, but when she is alone and looks at how undeserving she is, perhaps doubts arise. They will because as disciples, we are not Jesus, and our faith is sub-standard. We have little faith… or as well said, much doubt. 
  The disciples could not even cast out demons, let alone move mighty mountains. Their faith was deficient, and when they could not cast out demons, even in Jesus’s Name, and demonstrated that even those with the person of Jesus had doubts. We who are only close to Jesus’s “Ghost” would have even more doubts. Neither Meyers, you, nor I have enough faith to cast out demons or move mountains. Admit it, we have unbelief, and we also need to ask Jesus to help my/your/our unbelief.
  Jesus healed, not because of the little faith of His own disciples because they were arguing how to do it, but because of the simple “mustard-size” faith of the parent who believed that Jesus could heal when the others could not! What if the father had said, “I know that I know that I know that you can cast out demons.” Would that be honesty? Would Jesus have honored that embellishment? The father knew of his doubts. He had just doubted because he saw Jesus’s own disciples fail. However, he had not given up hope. He looked at Jesus, and saw something there that the he had not seen in the disciples. He didn’t see a bunch of people like Simon the Magician later saw them, but a humble Son of a tradesman who could fix broken things.
  I myself know that I know that I know that I have unbelief that Jesus can fix. I wish I had perfect faith, but I do not. I have tried to cast out demons and I failed because Jesus’s Holy Ghost, although in me, was far from me. I had ears to hear but failed to understand. I wanted to cast out demons with a certain man, but for my own glory. I wanted to go to church and say, “I cast out a demon… good for me.” The man of anther sect, with his own way of following Jesus, wanted no glory, no attention, and for Jesus who was not even on the area, to do the healing. That is great faith!
  I am not big on public faith-healing but I am on prayer and fasting. Even with that, it should be in secret so as not to magnify ourselves. I recently tried that, but after studying today’s scripture, I came to realize that I wanted MY prayers and fasting to change things. It is not MY works which can, but faith that Jesus will!

(Photo credit of Jesus casting out demons: Pinterest Vanessa Bates Sanscouci)