An Expanded Look at a Familiar Passage

Mark 9:21-24 (CEV)
²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” The man answered, “Ever since he was a child. ²² The demon has often tried to kill him by throwing him into a fire or into water. Please have pity and help us if you can!” ²³ Jesus replied, “Why do you say ‘if you can’? Anything is possible for someone  who has faith!”²⁴ Right away the boy’s father shouted, “I do have faith! Please help me to have even more.”

The above passage is a favorite among believers. Perhaps it is because it deals with the issue that we all face at one time or another in our walk with God; that being, the issue of having faith, but needing more. It brings us great comfort that this man’s story is related in the Bible, because, it truly is our story. But could this story be more than about our faith or lack of it? Could the focal point of this story be about the faith of Jesus Himself?

A well-known minister of the gospel taught on this passage but shifted the focus away from the father’s request for more faith. Instead, he focused on Jesus’s reply to the man when he asked Him to help his son. Jesus’s reply to the father was, “Why do you say ‘if you can’? Anything is possible for someone who has faith.” This minister suggested that when Jesus made that comment He was not speaking of the father’s faith, but of His own. Reread that portion from the above scripture, this time seeing Jesus answering the father with excitement in His voice: “Why do you say ‘if you can’? Anything is possible for someone who has faith.” Could it be that Jesus was not focusing on the man’s faith, but His own – which is always more than enough to get the job done? Could it be that Jesus was reassuring the father that He had all the faith needed to help his son?

We know that the Bible is not a “this or that” book. The nature of scripture is so multi-dimensional that there is probably no end to the revelation that can be revealed by Holy Spirit. Like a diamond that looks differently when viewed from different angles, so the Word of God is. To consider that Jesus might have been referring to His own faith in this passage, in no way discredits or negates the traditional view of this passage. It just gives us an expanded perspective that can actually help increase our faith.

What is the biggest drawback to increasing our faith? If we are honest, it is probably our focus on ourselves and our seemingly lack of ability to increase our faith. This is why this expanded perspective of this passage is so valuable. If Jesus were indeed talking about His faith and not ours, what would that do to our faith level? It would sky-rocket, because anytime we focus on who Jesus is and what He does, our occupation with self dwindles. When that happens, faith increases!

We may need to “chew” on this expanded perspective before we fully embrace it. But when we think about the Gospel of GRACE – it is always about what Jesus has done and not about what we do. Perhaps when we find ourselves needing more faith, we would do well to quit trying to get more faith and turn to the ONE whose faith is always more than enough and simply trust in His faith for our situation.

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