Father of the demon possessed boy—”Help!”

(Mt.17:14-23; Mk.9:14-32; Lk.9:37-45)

The arrival of a child into the world brings joy, love and hope into a family. The arrival of a demon brought sickness, misery, confusion, and strained faith to this particular family. The reality of a suffering child is painful all the time. A sense of helplessness must have coursed through this father’s veins day and night.The arrival of the disciples brought a sense of possibility. They had been given power to heal in the past, maybe they could heal again. But alas!The arrival of the teachers of the Law brought argument. If anything was going to be done in the name of God, it was going to be done at their behest alone. They claimed the right to lay guilt at the feet of those to whom they assigned sin. The arrival of Jesus brought excitement. Power, authority and wisdom spread out in his wake. The arrival of Truth brought clarity to the situation. The teachers of the Law were hopeless spiritual guides, the disciples were hindrances to the power of prayer, and the father was again helpless before man and demon.The arrival of rebuke brought critique. “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”The arrival of the boy brought the demon. The display of violence against the child was an assault on the faith of the onlookers. Demons knew that convulsions and foaming at the mouth had no effect on Jesus’ power over them.The arrival of despair brought a cry for pity and help from the father. Jesus heard him. “’If you can?’” said Jesus, “Everything is possible for him who believes.”The arrival of hope brought a godly conviction with an acknowledgment of his limitations: “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!”The arrival of a miracle brought healing to a boy and faith to those who saw what they were meant to see—The Son of God in their midst.The arrival of Satan into our lives day by day causes us to cry to the Lord, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!” O victory in Jesus.(johnstaiger1@gmail.com)