"The Cry for Faith"

9.30am Trinity Sunday 14 June 2009

Readings: Mark 9:14-29; Hebrews 11:1-6 TNIV

One could hardly get a starker contrast than that between the vision that Peter, James and John had of Jesus as the light of God's glory shone through his earthly form on the mountain, and that of the demon possessed boy writhing on the ground, foaming at the mouth, grinding his teeth on their descent. One radiates light, the other darkness; one liberty as Jesus freely undertakes to tread the path to the cross, the other bondage as the spirit seizes the boy and does with him what he will; the one takes place in an atmosphere of peace and orderliness, the other in anguish and turmoil. Jesus and his disciples return from the mountaintop to the harsh realities of life, a life in which the powers of darkness wreck havoc in the lives of humankind. Jesus came to rid us from such tyranny, "to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and ... to release the oppressed."[1] He came to bring God's order back into his creation, that groans under its bondage to decay, as the ravages of sin take its toll in the affairs of men. To be set free from that, is to experience the grace of God in Jesus Christ. The only way to describe such liberation is to call it a new creation, a new state of being, as this upside down world is turned right side up. Just as at the very beginning of time when "the earth was formless and empty," and "darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters,"[2] so in Christ God came amongst us to bring order to our chaos, to give a future filled with hope. The is the essence of the Gospel. It is Good News! It certainly was for that despairing father who brought his tormented son for Jesus' disciples to heal. The same power that set this son free is still active in the world today.

When Moses described the Promised Land to the people of Israel he said it "is a land of mountains and valleys."[3] What Jesus and his disciples experienced at that time is a picture of what life is like. Life is full of "mountains and valleys," ups and downs. Often it can be little things that make the difference. You and I need to cultivate faith-filled and thankful hearts to cope with the highs and the lows of life, hearts that in faith can "give thanks in all circumstances," recognising that God screens all that comes our way, and that what he permits "is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."[4] It is being able to say with Job whatever happens, "...may the name of the Lord be praised."[5]

The father of the boy in the passage from Mark may have had difficulty thanking God in his situation. Those of you who are parents can imagine a little of how he and the boy's mother must have felt. It is significant that it is the boy's father who brings him to Jesus, just as it was with Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, who came to Jesus about his sick girl. It is important for both mothers and fathers to seek Jesus on behalf of their children. One could image these parents being beside themselves with concern. They dare not leave their child for a moment in case the spirit sought to harm him. Note again the father's description of what happened when the spirit seized his son. He said, "...my son ...is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. ... it has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him."[6] The word translated here "throws him to the ground" means 'to tear,' and is the same word used when Jesus was talking about what happens when one puts new wine into old wineskins.[7] They burst open. There is a conflict going on inside this child that is literally tearing him apart. When the spirit took hold of the child, as it did when the child is brought to Jesus, it threw him to the ground and the child rolls around foaming at the mouth, grinding his teeth and "becomes rigid." This latter description is more correctly translated "wastes (or pines) away." It is clear that a destructive power is at work in the child, and as Beryl Burgess says in her book, Dear Mark and Simon: Letters on Counselling Children and Other Issues, "When one sees destruction, it is natural to look for a destroyer."[8] The "Ruler of the world," as John describes him in his Gospel, is known by his fruit, what he does in people's lives. Jesus said he is like the thief who attacks the sheep, and "comes only to steal and kill and destroy."[9]

Let me share with you a more recent story of parents who were similarly concerned for their little boy. This is from Beryl Burgess's book which I referred to some weeks back when we were looking at the healing of the Syro-Phoenician's woman's daughter in Mark 7.

"Paul, by all appearances, was the picture of health. He had lovely eyes and a flawless skin, sturdy limbs and a mop of curls. He was a beautiful boy.

 

When he was about two and a half his parents noticed that he had a tendency to kill things - bugs, beetles - insects of all kinds. As he grew he killed anything he could knock down or catch, and he became precociously skilful and adept at annihilating lizards and similar-sized creatures. He even appeared with the odd bird. How he caught them nobody knew. His parents tried ... ignoring his behavior hoping it would pass, diversionary tactics to distract him, reasoning and talking with him, and lastly, punishing him. Nothing worked. Unlike most children who lost interest in a 'corpse' when life and movement have gone, he seemed to gloat over the bodies. The family goldfish vanished from the bowl and were found, carefully wrapped in silver paper, concealed under his bed. He had received both medical and psychiatric help but his condition continued to deteriorate. His mother was on edge all day and every day and watched him closely but he became increasingly evasive. His father was on the verge of an ulcer. Both parents had the horrors thinking about the future. What would become of him?

 

They tried to conceal his activities from his grandparents and those who loved him but that was not always possible. So two more families suffered and worried. He killed the guinea pigs belonging to the neighbour's children. He loved to hold creatures under water until they drowned. He deeply resented it when the bodies were taken away from him and he resisted with a strength that was frightening. If he were punished he would cry at first, but then he would laugh hysterically. As a last resort his parents bought him a kitten, hoping he would learn to care for it and so come to enjoy living things. While his mother was occupied with a visitor at the door, he vanished. She found him later crouched under the hedge, stroking the dead kitten's fur and crooning to it. He was glassy eyed and in a semi-trance of ecstasy. He had strangled it.

 

The parents were becoming frantic. I knew nothing of this until later. The sister-in-law was the only one of the family that I knew, although I had seen the child and his mother, in passing. The climax came when the mother discovered him at the next door house, standing on an upturned bucket. In his hand was the largest stone that he could grasp and this hand was poised over the head of the neighbour's baby, who was asleep outside in his pram. With admirable control, the mother whisked him, screaming and yelling inside, locked the doors and waited until her husband came home.

 

This was when her control snapped and she poured out all the horror of the past, present and contemplated future, and her grief and despair at raising what she called a 'monster'. Their son was by this time approaching five years of age. She then collapsed into a sobbing, incoherent heap.

The doctor arrived to sedate her. Next came the sister-in-law to hold the fort until the morning when some vital decisions would have to be made. Nobody could take any more."[10]

 

We will return to that story later. In the story from Mark 9 note that Jesus does not immediately heal the boy, but asks the father how long he has been like this. He seeks to get some background information. This can be very helpful in dealing with cases like this, and is something that Beryl Burgess seeks to do whenever possible as that can be helpful when praying for a child. In Mark's story the man says to Jesus, "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.?"[11] With his faith weakened, having been unsuccessful in obtaining help for his boy from Jesus' disciples, he doubts that anything can be done for the child. Again notice what Jesus does. A healing cannot take place unless there is the faith to believe for it, and this is what Jesus addresses before rebuking the spirit. He repeats the man's question, "'If you can?'" Then follows it by saying, "Everything is possible for one who believes."[12] If you want to see miracles, if you want your prayers answered, then you must believe that it is within God's capabilities to do so. As we read in Hebrews, "...without faith it is impossible to please God...,"[13] and that the essence of "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."[14] This distressed father immediately makes a faith-filled response and seeks Jesus' help where his faith is lacking.

The manifestation of the spirit in the boy created a commotion that draws the attention of the crowd, and like any crowd that want to see what is going on. Jesus then acts quickly to heal the boy. Again note how he does this. He addresses the spirit in the child and rebukes him saying, "'You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.' The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out."[15] Jesus discerns that not only has the spirit "robbed the boy of his speech," he has also caused him to lose his hearing. Then comes the loving touch of Jesus that we have seen time and time again throughout Mark's Gospel, "Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up."[16] You can almost feel the peace that descends at that moment. The battle is over. Liberation has come. The boy has been set wonderfully free of the torment he has suffered. He has been made well. This is always God's purpose. Jesus came to make us whole, to free us from the powers that enslave us and prevent us from being all God created us to be. How thankful those parents must have been. What rejoicing would have been in their home that night? "God be praised," would be their heartfelt prayer. Their son was healed. Their prayers had been answered.

What about the boy in Beryl Burgess's story? Listen to what transpired.

"It was the sister-in-law who telephoned me and related most of what I have told you. I promised that I would intercede and left the telephone with very mixed emotions. The stories about his behaviour would leave any mother gasping and nauseated. They were so dreadful and unbelievable and yet they were true. I found that anger swept over me as I knew that the boy was in the grip of something evil and that it was wrecking the lives of his entire family. Then I remembered the Old Testament story of Daniel, when he was asked to interpret the king's dream, 'Be it known unto you, O king, that there is a God in heaven who revealeth secrets - even our God.'

So I asked the Lord to tell me the name of this spirit in order that I might dismiss it in His Name, and that the boy might be set free. Then I slept. I awakened at just before 3 o'clock in the morning with a strange, strong urge to look in the dictionary. Still half-asleep, I tip-toed past my sleeping husband to the book-case. I flicked the pages while mentally saying, 'What do you want to show me, Lord?' when my eye and my finger simultaneously landed on a spot. Prefix - 'necro' - corpse, from Greek, nekros. On went my eye - necrobiosis, necrogenic, necrology, necromancy, necrophilia, necropolis - I back tracked - necrophilia, the love of corpses!

 

I knew the word. In my vocabulary, it concerned the performance of erotic acts upon the dead. I'd never heard of such a thing in a child. Never. Still, I had been shown, and that was that. I went through the ministry and dismissal at three in the morning, in whispers, alone in the lounge, addressing necrophilia in Paul's life and telling it in the Name of Jesus to leave the child. I always dismiss spirits into the hands of Jesus, as He is the only one with power over everything in heaven and on earth...

 

I ordered it never to return to him and forbade it to trouble anyone else in his family. Then I prayed that the love of our Creator for all living things would grow in him. Then I slept again. I later learned from the sister in law what transpired. The father, after a deeply disturbed night was alerted before 7 o'clock, by noises which sounded like Paul was rummaging around the house. In deep weariness and utter sadness he left his still sleeping wife and went to investigate. The child was gathering up all his corpses from their hiding places and tipping them into a box. He looked at his father and said, "Get matches, come.' Father and son made tracks to the garden incinerator and in silence they crumpled up paper, tipped in the contents of Paul's box, and Father lit the fire. A small hand felt for his. 'Paul better now, Daddy,' piped the child. "Paul not collect dead things any more never." Daddy cried. So did I when I heard. The mother slowly recovered, watching the change in her son with almost disbelieving joy.

 

The boy became a delightful youngster who has never, from that day to this, knowingly killed anything. Over three years have passed and he has all but forgotten those former days and it is better so. The parents have since had another child which, for them, was an act of faith. I have never known how this entity gained access to the child's mind and life. All I know is that Jesus is Lord. The entity was dismissed and has never returned and the child is now free to grow into the kind of person that he was meant to be. Paul, even though he was physically healthy, had been a desperately sick child. It is as though the Lord is saying to us, "My world has become a damaged world and my people are wounded people. I've been teaching you how so that you can begin to fix it for Me...' With Paul, it was straight deliverance in absentia, (as with the daughter of the Syro Pheonician woman), with healing prayers to follow. After all, it is reasonable to infer that if a spirit had gained access, then there must have been some shock, upheaval or hereditary loop-hole which allowed it in. We don't know what, but God does and we can always ask Him to mend any damaged place. In this instance there was only one spirit present and it was powerful. When it left him, his whole life was changed. Amazing, isn't it."

We close with what happened after Jesus had gone indoors. His disciples asked him, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" To which Jesus replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."[17] We do not know exactly why Jesus' disciples were unable to cure this boy, because they had done so when Jesus had sent them out on an earlier mission that we looked at in Mark 6. We know Jesus laments their lack of faith when he said, "You unbelieving generation." His answer to their question brings home the important truth that we are totally dependent upon God in these situations. There is nothing we can do to effect the total and complete healing of those in need, but God can do that if we will but persistently believe. Jesus said, "Everything is possible for one who believes."[18] Beryl Burgess acknowledges this fact when she writes: "It seems that the word 'faith,' as I understand it, carries with it a certain connotation of patient persistence. If we pray and there appears to be little or no improvement, then we don't give up. Perhaps we make certain adjustments and try again."[19] It should go without saying that at all times we must keep our relationship with God strong and vibrant. Faith is cultivated through spiritual discipline and devotion. Our faith needs to always be directed to the source of healing and wholeness, summed up in Jesus' words, "Bring him (her) to me."[20]