Deliverance

Today’s Gospel:  And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd about them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, "What are you discussing with them?" 17 And one of the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; 18 and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." 19 And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." 20 And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?" And he said, "From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us." 23 And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes." 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again." 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, "He is dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" 29 And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer." Mark 9:14-29

Reflection:  “And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd about them, and scribes arguing with them.” (vs. 14) Who are the “they” that came to the disciples and that saw a great crowd about them?  They were Peter, James and John who had just about been witnesses to the transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor.

If the Lord would have stuck to Peter’s plan of being up there permanently then who would train the disciples and or instruct them on how to handle things. Jesus had a task to train them, the future church and part of the training was to be God’s instrument in the world to heal and set free those who are captive to the devil and his scheming.

In our generation it is much easier to believe in the power of modern medicine and psychiatry to handle such issues. The power of the Gospel was rendered meaningless and presented empty of its power by these disciples of Jesus.  The only way to revive this grace is by allowing that reprimand of Jesus, which was addressed to these disciples, to speak to us: "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?”

If we still lack that motivation and faith to have that confident faith then we need to be humble enough to take him to Christ who not only rebukes them but also invites them: “Bring him to me.”

But woe to that man who boasts and falsifies the Gospel and thinks that it is prudent not to handle it in a spiritual way but rather refers them to a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist or  a counselor or puts obstacles in the working of God’s grace in such deliverance activity.

Prayer:  “Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.”  Ps 91:14

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