The Jesus I Glossed Over
The Jesus I Glossed Over
What would you say to a Christian leader who told the parent of a hurting kid that they needed more faith for the healing? How do we handle when Jesus does this to the dad of a demon-possessed boy (Mark 9.21-23, cf. the commentaries beneath)? This is one of those passages that I glossed over until I began studying emotions. Now it makes a lot more sense and gives me a better picture of Christ. In the spirit of the method for emotional exegesis that I described last week, let's start diving into the immediate and broader context of this shocking scene by looking at our experiences.
As a high-school student, God graciously gave me many tastes of heaven, many “mountain top experiences” through prayer and meditation in the quiet of my bedroom. Coming out of my sanctuary, glowing with the joy and peace of a meaningful time with God, I often faced the cognitive dissonance caused by the sound of arguments on a news station or the weight of projects due before the end of the semester. Perhaps you’ve had similar experiences.
Reflecting on my own times like this gives me a little appreciation for the frame of mind Jesus may have had as He descended the Mount of Transfiguration with three of His disciples. He had tasted, once again, the heavenly glory that had always been His. Moses and Elijah had talked with him, face-to-face, about His coming departure from this world. Perhaps they disclosed to Him everything that He would endure, as He discloses these details just after this experience (Mark 9:9-13, 30-32; 10:32-34). Between Jesus and the full experience of the joy set before Him lay the painfully weighty road to the cross, filled with betrayal and abandonment. Thereafter, He would pour out His Holy Spirit upon the disciples so they could continue the work He started on earth. They would receive a measure of His authority to lead His chosen people.
Coming from a direct encounter with such weighty and lofty prospects, the reminder of His disciple's current immaturity may have been a splash of cold water on His face. First, Peter, James, and John began arguing about what Jesus meant when He commanded them not to tell anyone what they saw until He came back to life (Mark 9:9-13). After discussing the matter with them, Jesus comes back to His other disciples only to find them arguing with some scribes in front of a large crowd (Mark 9:14). The crowd, perhaps seeing the afterglow of Christ’s experience on the mountain, greets Him with “great amazement” (Mark 9:15). Then, when Jesus asks everyone what the argument is about, a father pipes up: “Teacher, I brought you my son. He is possessed by a spirit… I asked your disciples to force the spirit out, but they didn’t have the power to do it“ (Mark 9:16-18, GWT).
Jesus, upon hearing the father’s words, erupts with a complaint reminiscent of the prophets, “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'” (Mark 9:19, ESV). Then,
“Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21b-24, ESV, emphasis mine)
Do you know Jesus well enough to expect this answer from Him?
I never knew what to do with this passage. Jesus' anger with the Pharisees made sense. Jesus crying over Lazarus made sense. The lament in verse 19, tinged with what seems to be frustration or anger, never made sense to me. His response to the father made even less sense. In fact, a lot of his emotions didn’t make as much sense until I started studying them with the help of Scott Spencer’s book Passions of the Christ.
After using the method I described last week on several passages, I realized this potent scene contains all the ingredients for a strong response to well up within Jesus. When you look at other times that Jesus responds with implicit corrections or explicit rebukes, you see a pattern emerge. Spencer, in his excellent treatment of Jesus’ anger in the Gospel accounts, notes that Jesus only becomes angry when His purpose of giving life on the earth is questioned (Spencer 2021, ch. 3). There are other times that Jesus deals strongly with issues: (a) when His disciples argued with each other (Mark 9:33-37); (b) when religious leaders challenged His work (Mark 2:15-22); and (c) when trusting Him was on the line. He commanded trust even in the face of death by sickness (Mark 5:36) and, after His disciples questioned His care for them in the midst of a storm, He chided them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still not have trust?" (Mark 4:35-41).
When considered within the broader context of Jesus’ other responses to arguing and wavering faith, this scene makes much more sense. Jesus walked straight out of an intense, weighty mountain-top experience into an array of situations that had elsewhere also triggered deep responses in Him. The father's question "if you can do anything" betrayed his hopelessness and wavering faith. To this, Jesus responds with both frustration and compassion. I had never imagined that before.
Jesus really was frustrated with His disciples and He really was compassionately correcting the father. Perhaps my image of Jesus was too whitewashed to see Him as He is: fully human with passionate feelings about what matters most to Him.
My Challenge for You
When you come across a scene with strong emotions, try looking for other times the character has exhibited similar emotions. You may discover a core value you had never before known!
Sources
- Edwards, James R. The Gospel according to Mark. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002. Mark 9:21-24
- France, R. T. The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2002. Mark 9:23-24
- GOD’S WORD Translation. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 1995.
- Spencer, F. Scott. 2021. Passions of the Christ: The Emotional Life of Jesus in the Gospels. Baker Academic.
- Strauss, Mark L. Mark. Edited by Clinton E. Arnold. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014. Mark 9:23-24
- The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.
- Photo by Eren Li from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-man-covering-his-eyes-using-hands-7188939/