Mark 9:14-29 February 21, 2010
First Sunday of Lent –
The Prayers of Jesus, Part 1
“Fill ‘er up!”
Rev. Meagan Boozer
Over the next six Sundays, this church family will be intentionally focusing on prayer. Let me begin with several questions:
• How many are satisfied with the way we pray, or the amount of time we spend in prayer, or how well we’re hearing from God in prayer?
My guess is that if I asked each person that question privately, the answers would be similar:
• “I’m not a very good pray-er.”
• “I know I should pray more, but…”
• “I pray – but I sometimes I just feel like I’m only talking to myself.”
Does this sound familiar?
I want to begin this series on prayer with a news alert. Are you ready? It’s important you hear this.
• Your pastor doesn’t think she’s a very good pray-er.
• Your pastor knows she doesn’t pray as much as she should.
• Your pastor prays a lot – but sometimes she feels like she’s just talking to herself.
There. I said it.
So here’s the reality: we are in this together. We all know, at some level, that we need to grow in our lives of prayer. And what I’ve observed over the years is that the more a person is a person of prayer, the more aware that person is of how much more they need to be praying! And so, no one ever has a sense of “ahhh…I finally am where I want to be in prayer.”
It’s sort of like this: when you’re little, you get one of those little hang-over-the-door basketball hoops with a nerf ball. You play, and get pretty good after a time of getting the ball in the hoop. Then, you get one of those adjustable height hoops out in the driveway. You practice, and as you get better with your skills, the height goes up. You’re thinking, “hey, I might just be NBA material one day.” Then, you go to school and get your first opportunity to dribble around in the gym. Man, those hoops look high. You can’t make a basket for anything – it just doesn’t seem the same as it was at home, or in the neighbor’s driveway. But then, after time and practice, you don’t hit the bottom of the net as much – you start getting the ball in the hoop pretty regularly – whether putting it in as a lay up, foul shot, or swishing from the three point line. Practice paid off. And the thought arrives, “Maybe, I might get a scholarship to play this in college.” And then one day, the opportunity comes to shoot around on the college court. It’s almost like that first day in elementary school. Everything feels so different. What were you thinking, “I can play college ball?” But after some time, the ball and you start finding a rhythm, just as you have so many times before.
I think the life of prayer is supposed to be like that. We start small (a little nerf ball type prayer, some call it a popcorn prayer), and with practice we move on from there as we mature in our relationship with our Lord. It’s like when you just meet someone, you might say only a few words. But once you get to know that person, the conversation begins to expand comfortably and fairly naturally. That’s what God wants with you. God wants your relationship with Him to be maturing, and your conversation with Him to be expanding in a natural way.
Oscar Cullmann said, “The essence of all prayer is that it is a conversation with God as the partner.”
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, here we are. We have come to learn from you, to read your word, to pray together in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love for us and your patience with us as we learn and grow in our relationship with you. Teach us, O God, so that we can get into a rhythm of prayer with you that changes how we live. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Let’s do a little quiz: The one we should look to, to teach us about prayer is:
a. Sister of Mercy, Mother Teresa
b. Evangelist & Author, Billy Graham
c. Songwriter & Worship Leader, Chris Tomlin
d. Psychologist & TV host, Dr. Phil
e. None of the above
The correct answer is: ‘e.’ None of the above! The one we should look to, to teach us about prayer is JESUS! We need to look at how Jesus prayed in order to grow into our lives of prayer. So, that’s our focus for the next 6 weeks of Lent.
Let’s take a look at the Gospel of Mark, chapter 9:14-29.
14When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. 16He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; 18and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” 19He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” 23Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” 24Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” 26After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. 28When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29He said to them, “This kind can come out only through prayer.”
Interesting, huh? Now, I’m going to read this whole story again, from the New Living Translation – and this time, I want you to listen for the words Jesus uses in prayer in this passage: Really listen to the words he prays.
At the foot of the mountain they found a great crowd surrounding the other disciples, as some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15The crowd watched Jesus in awe as he came toward them, and then they ran to greet him. 16“What is all this arguing about?” he asked.
17One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son for you to heal him. He can’t speak because he is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18And whenever this evil spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grind his teeth and become rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
19Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you until you believe? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was very small. 22The evil spirit often makes him fall into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us. Do something if you can.”
23“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24The father instantly replied, “I do believe, but help me not to doubt!”
25When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Spirit of deafness and muteness,” he said, “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!” 26Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy lay there motionless, and he appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd, “He’s dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”
29Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”
Friends, Jesus did not pray in words spoken for others to hear in this story. And yet, a life was changed, a soul was freed from oppression, and a whole crowd of people, amazed.
The key to this whole passage is found in verse 29: “This kind can come out only through prayer.” The boy was possessed by a demon. Jesus cast it out. He didn’t say a “Dear Father in Heaven,” prayer. Then he said, “This kind only comes out through prayer.” But he didn’t actually pray a little prayer, a big prayer, or any type of prayer according to the story.
Take a look with me at verse 20: When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. When the spirit saw Jesus, the exorcism began. Why? Because Jesus was a walking prayer. Jesus was in such communion with his heavenly Father, his very presence brought forth the beginning of a release for the young boy.
Look at verse 21. 21Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” Do you get a sense of chaos here? Does it seem that Jesus is on edge? Doesn’t seem that way to me! Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” Calm. Collected. Filled with knowledge of his spiritual authority and power. Prepared.
Jesus then spoke directly to the unclean spirit, naming it, and taking authority over it. Calm. Collected. Filled with knowledge of his spiritual authority and power. Prepared.
This is obviously what was missing in the lives of the disciples. I mean, let’s face it, they had only been along the way with Jesus for a short time. They were still in the driveway shooting at less than a regulation height hoop. They needed practice. They were learning how to pray spoken prayers, they were learning the very important truth about their own spiritual authority and power, and they were learning a life of communion with their Lord.
We have to learn it, too. And we can learn this, if we commit to practice. You have a very short Bible study to help you practice this coming week. You’ll find it in your bulletin on the gray insert.
Think how wonderful it would be in tense times to be calm. Collected. Prepared in your soul for whatever comes. This is the model Jesus gave to us. He said, “This kind can only come out through prayer.” In other words: “This kind can only come out by being in contact with someone who is saturated with the Spirit of the living God.”
The call to us as we begin Lent, is a call to communion with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. May we open ourselves up to his fullness as we gather at the Table of the Lord. Amen.
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus
When I am alone
When I am alone
When I am alone, give me Jesus
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus
When I come to die
When I come to die
When I come to die, give me Jesus
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus.
