Scripture: Mark 9: 14 – 27
A boy, afflicted by a demonic spirit, had been brought before the disciples of Jesus to be healed, but after an encounter with the disciples, he still suffered from the ravages of his affliction!
The disciples who had believed in Jesus and had been sent out by Jesus and were about doing the work of Jesus, suddenly found themselves surrounded by an arguing, unruly crowd of instigating, complaining Pharisees, Sadducees, non-believers and scribes!
Crowds – you do know crowds, don’t you? Those who feel they “got you” and put their foot on you and bring up your past, not to remind you to do better, but to “dog you” from where you’ve already been!
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“Where’s your Jesus now?” somebody asked. “Your mortgage modification is not coming through. Your child is going to prison. Furlough days, sick days, behind in your bill payment days! Where’s your Jesus now that your loved one is on their death bed?” Aah, the crowds! You do know crowds!
But here comes Jesus with Peter, James and John down from the Mountain of Transfiguration! The mountain where He was in His own glory! The mountain where God said, “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.” Jesus came down from that same mountain, in His own glory and headed straight toward the problem facing His disciples!
Lesson #1: Jesus is never too busy or preoccupied in His own glory or from sitting at the right hand of the Father to not come down and see about His sheep! He may not come when you want Him, but He’s always on time.
Lesson #2: When you get close to Jesus, close to your breakthrough, close to your answer, close to your healing, close to your blessing, it can seem like “all hell is breaking loose.”
But, hold on! We can “call things that are not as though they were.” Hold on! You’re “too close to turn back now!” Hold on! “Weeping only endures for a night. Joy comes in the morning!”
Jesus asked, “How long has he been like this?” The man said, “From childhood. But if, you can do anything take pity and help us.” Jesus said, “If?” If I can do something? Ha! “All things are possible to him who believes.”
The father said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And he and the crowd pushed closer: The gossipers wanted a front row seat, and the storytellers, talebearers and skeptics wanted a peek!
Jesus then spoke to the spirit; named the spirit and commanded the spirit to “come out and never enter” the boy again! And the spirit wracked the boy even harder!
The body convulsed and shook; kicked and screamed; foamed and rolled in the dirt, and eventually even collapsed! Most thought the boy had just died! But Jesus reached down, took the boy by the hand and the boy stood up! Ha!
Lesson #3: After all your convulsing and shaking, kicking and screaming, foaming, and writhing Jesus can still reach down, in the dirt, muck and mire, take you by the hand and stand you up! Because “All things are possible to him who believe!”
We’ve got unlimited power from an awesome unlimited God who said He’d never leave us nor forsake us, from an awesome unlimited begotten Son who said, “All things are possible to him that believe!”
Doesn’t mean we can do anything we want – it means “God can do anything but fail.”
It’s all possible to him or her that believes!
Don’t you believe, today? All things are possible to him or her that believes!
The Rev. Dr. Michael Eagle, Sr. is the pastor of Grant AME Church in Long Beach.
