In Mark 9:21-24, Jesus had a conversation with the father of a boy who was possessed by an impure spirit (one that was harming the son). Rather than immediately healing the boy, Jesus – likely knowing what would happen next – had paused to listen, and offered some important teaching. Even “teachable moments”, though, aren’t meant to take the place of providing practical help to those who are hurting.
When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
Mark 9:25-27 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.9.25-27.NIV
It seems to me that this evil spirit was making a scene, and that this wasn’t the attention that Jesus wanted to give the evil spirit, so Jesus cast it out. While the departure was accompanied by one last burst of violence, Jesus helped the boy stand and he was OK.
If this is how demons hurt people they inhabit (and even pigs, per an earlier account from this book – see Mark 5:1-20), perhaps we should be even more aggressive in explaining this truth to people who like to get into evil things and want to obtain power for themselves through Satanic forces. Those evil forces only want to destroy human beings, even those who ally themselves with evil.
That’s not quite the end of this account, though.
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
Mark 9:28-29 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.9.28-29.NIV
This seems like a logical question: Why was Jesus able to cast out this evil spirit, but the disciples couldn’t (see Mark 9:17-18)? Certainly Jesus is more powerful than the disciples were. Jesus is God, while the disciples were only the means through which miracles were accomplished. Perhaps the apostles had forgotten that it is God who holds ultimate authority over all of His creation (including evil spirits), and not the apostles themselves.
However, comparing Matthew 17:20, the disciples’ lack of faith was at least part of the problem. Maybe the specific manifestations (like convulsions) of this evil spirit caused the apostles to be afraid, or to think that it was too powerful for them to cast out. Maybe they doubted that the authority Jesus had given them [see Mark 6:7] was enough for this situation.
How about you? Are there problems in your life that you secretly wonder might be too big for God to fix? Don’t squander the power that is available to those who follow Jesus: power over problems, power over evil, power accessed through prayer, but also power that must flow from God according to His will. We may not always understand when and where God chooses to act in a certain way, but we can trust Him to always know the best times and places for Him to intervene.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for November 2, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Mark, by Allen Black. © 1995 College Press Publishing Co.
- Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete). Matthew Henry. 1706, via BibleGateway.com.
Those Who Sin Differently 