“The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.” 41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.” Luke 9.37-43
Do you ever wonder if Jesus gets tired of people asking him to do things? Every time they ask, he fulfills their needs. They come to him and “beg him” to heal their son, daughter, servant, friend. Think about that — every time he’s asked he grants the healing.
But I am sure Jesus got tired. Maybe he was physically exhausted or mentally tired. Maybe he was indignant with their lack of faith. A lack of acknowledgement of who he was and what he was sent to do.
When we look at the life of Jesus we can’t be complacent. We have to view him as everything he did was from God, or, they were made up stories that were handed down from century to century until they were believed as truth. I choose to believe in the miracles of Jesus and know that what he did back then he can do in the present.
The miracle today is that of a demon-possessed boy who is controlled by a spirit who “seizes him and throws him into convulsions so that he foams at his mouth.” How terrifying to watch for a father. The father comes to Jesus saying, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.” Notice the father asks Jesus to “look at his son” not “heal my son.”
The disciples apparently already had a go at the boy but to no avail. The father says as much which seems to spurn Jesus’ good mood. I imagine him looking at his disciples, who were unable to drive out the demon and saying — “You unbelieving and perverse generation. How long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
Ouch. That’s a rebuke by Jesus and I think it’s targeted at the disciples for having a lack of faith. Maybe Jesus didn’t get his coffee that morning or was just making a point — have faith and believe!
Our Lord requests the same from us. Stop being perverse (steeped in sin) and lacking faith. Believe. Trust God. Allow the Lord to do a mighty work in your life and have faith that he will do it.
The rest of the story has Jesus rebuking the evil spirit, healing the boy and returning him to his father. And the people “were amazed at the greatness of God.”
Are we trusting the Lord today with our lives? Have faith. Just believe.
“O Lord God, I know I am a sinner. I know you must get impatient with me because I get impatient with myself! Help me Lord to obey. Strengthen me and fill me with your love and power. Help me die to self and realize my existence is meant to be an offering to you. Come now, Holy Spirit, send your grace upon me. Help me be all that you have called and created me to be by your grace and for your glory.” Amen