Help My Unbelief

Today's Matins Gospel comes from Mark 9:14-24.  Yeah, that's right, I'm just gonna get right into it.  Catchy hook?  Witty intro? Not today, my friend(s).  If you know me pretty well, you know this story is dear to my heart (and my rib).  So when I saw that it was today's reading, I put on my "let's focus" glasses and reread that thing a few times.  My "let's focus" glasses don't make many appearances lately.  They're difficult to find sometimes.

And as I'm rereading this passage, I notice that Jesus has a sense of humor.  Now, whenever I paraphrase stories from the Gospel, I automatically assume Jesus has a sense of humor, and so I like to add sarcastic or clever comments that I'm sure Jesus made and the apostles just forgot to include.  When you're a funny guy, people take your comedic value for granted (trust me).  I'm pretty sure this happened to Jesus.

So the father in this story, hopeless, defeated, literally desperate for help and has found none in the form of Jesus' disciples…says to Jesus: "But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  The key here is "can."  He boldly says to Jesus, "listen, Your boys have failed, and to be honest, I don't have that much faith in You, either.  But, since I'm desperate, if You CAN help us, please help us."  I wonder if Jesus smirked.  I wonder if Jesus was like, "this guy has no idea who he's talking to."  So what does Jesus do? He says: "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Oh Jesus.  Look at You and Your wordplay.  You took that "can" and turned it right back on this guy.  In the NIV version, Jesus actually repeats "if You can?" (I imagine it with a "psshh" afterwards).  

And then it hit me.  We ask Jesus for a lot of stuff.  Believe me, I have the longest wish-list in the world.  For one, I'd like to have a smaller nose.  And I realized, Jesus CAN help me…but do I believe it?  Do I live like I believe it?  Do I talk about Him to others like I believe it?  Or have I found my home in hopelessness?  

Honestly, that's why this story is beautiful.  That guy, he's just like me.  We need help; we know we do.  We haven't found that help anywhere else.  Then we meet Jesus.  We think He can help us, we hope He can help us, but we're just not totally sure if He actually CAN help us.  Jesus says, "do your part, and I'll do mine."  And blam-o, demon-spirit leaves the kid.  

Jesus didn't need profound faith from the father in this story before He acted.  He just needed some faith…an attempt at faith; and an honest confession that the father struggles with his own faith.

Let's try having faith; and then watch the impossible happen.