"Lord, I Believe; Help My Unbelief!"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

What makes one worthy to be healed by Christ? Is this child, brought by his father before the disciples, who failed to heal him, truly worthy to have his evil spirit removed? Are you worthy to come before Christ our Lord and beg Him to remove the evil spirits which plague you daily and much? Only those who are truly worthy and well-prepared may approach God and hope to receive His blessings and favor.

However, we believe, teach, and confess that “worthiness does not depend upon great or small weakness or strength of faith, but upon the merit of Christ, which the distressed father of little faith enjoyed as well as Abraham, Paul, and others who have a joyful and strong faith.” (FC SD VII 71 Triglot). For, you see, the merits of Christ, His glorious omnipotence, and His all-availing sacrifice on the cross are sufficient to make worthy by faith to receive the mercy and the gifts of God.

The thing is, the healing which Jesus brings to body and soul is only for those who have put to death any hope of finding help elsewhere. And this is precisely the problem.

It is very difficult, impossible even, for the sinful heart of man to be relieved of the notion that one can always do something – anything – besides surrender to the will of God and depend on His gracious providence.

Of course, we have a name for this problem. It is called idolatry. Violation of the First Commandment. Failing to “fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”

For a god is not simply a deity or an idol or something you choose to worship with ritual and so forth. A god is that to which you look for help in times of trouble, and that which you praise in times of joy. What is it to which you look for help? By this definition, there are as many false gods as there are people alive – maybe even more.

For many people, the government has become the god from whom their help comes, or should come. People of all classes have come to expect that the government will provide for their needs of body and soul. Public schools will educate children in the way they should go. Food stamps and welfare programs will ensure that no one goes hungry or homeless. The police will protect you from any sort of infringement. The courts will keep someone else from interfering with your perceived constitutional right to do whatever it is you want at this time. It is the president's job to make sure that everyone has an house, a job, and a nice retirement plan.

In this election cycle, a great deal of rhetoric is flying around, trying to make it sound as though it might spell the end of the world as you know it if this person or that is elected. While those campaigning for office might have radically different views of how our land should be governed and the role of government in the lives of the American people, the world will not come to an end just because this party or that one comes to power. It is nothing short of idolatry to get so wrapped up in the political hot air that you despair of hope for the future if things do not turn out the way you want. After all, the Lord God who made the heavens and the earth is still the Lord God, and He is still directing the affairs of men in the way He would have us go. Keep on praying “Thy will be done” and believe that it will be, the actions of men notwithstanding.

If you look at the ailment of the boy in this lesson, you might be tempted to refer his case to the medical profession. After all, there seems to be some sort of treatment for anything that ails you, and if there is not anything ailing, well they can fix that, too.

It is often very, very easy to be coaxed into trusting in medicine above all things. Doctors, generally, do not want to be God, but they are often placed into that sort of position. Prayer and faith are relegated to the back row as pills and potions and apothecaries are touted as the way to health and wellness. This is not to say that the practice of medicine is evil or idolatrous in itself. Not at all. In fact, God has blessed us with the gift of reason and scientific discovery, so that we can be good stewards of the bodies He has given us. Rather, the caution is not to trust in medicine above the God who made it, or to despair of hope for your future if medicine cannot seem to help you.

In these realms, and in many others, a great deal of disappointment comes when things do not turn out as imagined. You become disillusioned when the government cannot or does not fix all their ills of body and soul. You become despondent when medicine runs its course without changing the fact that all men die. You despair when it appears as though God does not want to answer your prayers.

Today's Gospel lesson “exhibits the disaster which occurs when men from whom the power of faith may be expected are proven to be void of power when it is needed.”¹ The disciples have been vested with some of the power which Jesus displays, and they have had some success in the past in casting out evil spirits. But they have become cocksure, confident in their ability to wield the power of God by their own devices. And that will not work, in any case.

Again, we see another form of idolatry at work here. This time it is in thinking that what God has given to you can be used as you like, to do what you will, without heed for the command and promise of God, or His expressed will. Simply pick up the things of God and used them as tools to accomplish your own purposes. God has given them to you, so do as you will.

The Word of God is given to all men to be proclaimed. It has the command of God, that the Word go forth into all nations, tribes, and languages. The preachers of the Word are commanded to preach the Word in season and out of season, in every place. The people of God are commanded to hear the preaching of the Word, hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn the Word. It is a treasured possession, by which men may come to the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.

But the Word of God is used by many as a sort of magical incantation, by which you can effect whatever result you like. Even going back to the Middle Ages, the Word was seen as powerful in and of itself, by the mere recitation of the sounds. Today, prayer is seen as something which need have no basis in the revealed will of God for His people. Simply say whatever you want, put words to the desires of your heart. If you ask it while tacking on the words “In Jesus' Name”, then God must give it to you, of course.

In other cases, many think that so-called holy things can effect spiritual blessings. Holy water, crucifixes, rosaries, even making the sign of the Holy Cross can become another sort of magical tool you use to wield the power of God without the Spirit of God. But the sign of the cross is no magic talisman. It is a gift given, a sign etched into your heart and mind by the waters of the font. You make the sign of the cross to remind yourself that you are a baptized child of God, and therefore no evil may befall your soul.

Idolatry even creeps into your regard for the Holy Supper. Rather than being the Bread of Life come down from heaven, the Gift of God for the people of God, your sinful heart prefers to think of the Sacrament as something you take and do with as you see fit. It is not the daily bread for which your soul yearns in the wilderness of this sin-filled life. Rather, it is some sort of neat add-on to the Sunday service, one which exists to make you feel neat on occasion.

In this sense, the Supper becomes not the treasured food of immortality but a good idea and something you ought to do because Jesus said so. It is yours as the child of God, and so you may use it as you see fit, or you may choose to ignore it and set it aside for the sake of convenience as you wish.

We see in Mark's account is that the disciples, who had been given the power to cast out demons in Jesus' name, could not wield Christ's power without surrendering to His will through prayer. When doing what He sent them to do according to His command and promise, they were able to heal, cast out demons, and do other signs and wonders. However, when they attempted to wield the Master's power in the absence of Him or His command, they fell short and were unable to accomplish the task. The Gifts of God cannot be handled except according to His command and promise. All other attempts will fail.

But, finally, Jesus comes upon the scene, and the father of the possessed boy comes and begs Jesus to drive the demon from his son. Jesus, amazed at the unbelief of the crowd, including the disciples, laments for them. Again, the father – who is at his wits' end – pleads, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” He still doubts, especially after the disciples' failure, but he is willing to risk it all on the hope of a savior for his son.

At this entreaty, Jesus responds indignantly, “'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes.” “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” is the father's desperate cry. And at this, Jesus rebukes the spirit, and with a final convulsion, it leaves the boy, finally in peace.

Likewise, Jesus drives the evil spirits from within you, even despite your lack of faith. For even though evil surround you and seek to possess you, the battle against the forces of Satan has been won. It was won by the Lord of Hosts, who laid down His life and was sacrificed upon the cross for you, for the forgiveness of your sins.

The spirits which seek to convulse you with every twist and turn of false doctrine, deceit, and temptation are no match for the Spirit of God who flows from Christ Jesus our Lord. That Spirit has called you by the Gospel and enlightened you with the Word of God, so that you may be at peace and healed. He has filled you with the grace of God, so that even when your faith is lacking, even when you are doubting almost to despair, you may be certain and know that God is with you to heal you, to forgive you, to drive away your demons.

And God has not driven away the demons and then left you for dead, just as He did not abandon the boy. Just as Jesus took the hand of the boy and lifted him up, so also has He taken hold of you and lifted you up from death to life. You now stand in the light of the Gospel, rooted and strengthened in the Word of God which delivers the forgiveness of your sins and equips you for every good work which God has predestined you to do.

Wield the Word of God as He has commanded you to do and has promised to bless. Handle the Holy Things of God in fear and reverence for the presence of God among you, but also with joy that He is present to give you the forgiveness of your sins and life everlasting. Be diligent in prayer, that you may be fortified against every attack of the enemy.

Let us praise the Word Incarnate,

Christ, who suffered in our place.

Jesus died and rose victorious

That we may know God by grace.

Let us sing for joy and gladness,

Seeing what our God has done;

Let us praise the true Redeemer,

Praise the One who makes us one (LSB 849.3).

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

1Lane, William L., The Gospel of Mark. NICNT, v.2. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. © 1974. p. 329