mark 9:25-29 :: Jesus heals a boy possessed by an evil spirit (pt 3)

there must have been some debate still going on off to the side that had the bulk of the crowd still engaged. because Jesus hasn’t pulled everyone over (quite yet) just by showing up, but when they start to gather, Jesus dispatches the spirit quickly. there was already something magnetic about Him, but yet again, Jesus doesn’t want to create any false converts, or give the people a reason to revolt. so he quickly and queitly takes care of everything. in speaking to the spirit here, there are no exclamation marks, no yelling or loud voices.  He simply tells the spirit what to do, and to never come back. it shreiks, convulses and obeys. and apparently, in talking with the disciples afterwards, this was a particularly nasty spirit. it wasn’t a horde, like with legion, but more in line with what the seven sons of sceva were faced with…something nasty and bad of its own account. something that didn’t need to surround itself with 999 buddies to be formidable.

we forget many times about the unseen things lurking around us. some things may be near harmless, only capable of annoyances, and pestering. other times, there are bigger forces at work around us that, like Jesus says here, can only be bested through prayer. in our culture we’re not tuned into the spiritual world on a day to day walking around basis. if we cannot see it, then it’s not a concern. and that attitude stretches through so many areas. if a man with a huge white beard tries to get us to sponsor a child through a tv commercial, we simply change the station and the problem goes away. we can remove ourselves by simply changing our viewpoint. we live our lives like an ostrich burying our heads in the sand to make things go away.

we tend to flock to things that distract us from the reality of the unseen. things to make us feel beter about being disconnected to the real struggles of others, or from potential problems of our own. whatever we can use to blind our eyes, no matter the cost sometimes, and we’re happy to dwell in self-imposed ignorance.

but if we, as Christians, try to live the lifestyle of denial, then we are just as guilty of imposing harm on those we ignore. turning our head does not create a valid excuse for inaction in the life of another human being. thinking that someone else will take care of the situation does not grant us a reprieve from living the life Christ set out for us.

so, we then imitate Christ in this way as well. when we see someone in need of help, no matter how dire, we do our best to act in a driect way to help as best we can. the disciples were not wrong in what they were doing, they just were not practiced enough, they didn’t know what they were up against. we may not be able to tackle everything that comes our way the first time we encounter it, but we must at least try. we cannot change the channel if we walk past a homeless woman in need of food. we cannot close our eyes and make our neighbor’s painful divorce go away. we cannot choose to ignore the suffering child on tv, assuming someone else will take care of them.

it is our responsibility to care for those around us, and those distant, as God gives us the resources to do so. we can give of our time, as Jesus did here, we can give from our wealth, even if it is just 75 cents a day…the cost of a cup of coffee…that will ensure a child has food, clean water and a chance at education.

try www.compassion.com, www.invisiblechildren.com or www.samaritanspurse.org for a good start at helping those who may be unseen.