Sunday School Lesson
January 23
Lesson 8 (KJV)
JUSTICE, JUDGES, AND PRIESTS
DEVOTIONAL READING: Deuteronomy 16:18–21; 17:8–13
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 16:18–20; 17:8–13; 19:15–21
DEUTERONOMY 16:18–20
18. Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
19. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
20. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
DEUTERONOMY 17:8–13
8. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;
9. And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment:
10. And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the LORD shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:
11. According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
12. And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
13. And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
KEY TEXT
Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.—Deuteronomy 16:18
LESSON AIMS
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Identify the type or types of justice at hand.
2. Contrast characteristics of just judges and their rulings with those of unjust judges.
3. Create a list of go-to advisers for challenging situations.
HOW TO SAY IT
Absalom Ab-suh-lum.
Ahab Ay-hab.
Jehoshaphat Jeh-hosh-uh-fat.
Jezebel Jez-uh-bel.
Levitical Leh-vit-ih-kul.
Naboth Nay-bawth.
Introduction
A. The Journey to Judgeship
Becoming a judge is a rigorous and demanding (not to mention expensive!) process. The process includes specialized, post-graduate education at a law school to earn a JD (juris doctor) degree, passing the bar exam, completing a judicial clerkship, and practicing law by prosecuting and/or defending cases in court. Only at that point does one stand a chance of being elected or appointed to the bench. The entire process often takes decades. The education, training, and experience a potential judge receives during years of preparation provide the necessary foundation needed to render right judgments based in law.
Becoming a judge in Old Testament Israel was radically different from the process required nowadays. But a necessary element for continuing as a judge remains the same as it did some 34 centuries ago—a key issue in this week’s lesson.
B. Lesson Context
Moses himself appointed the first judges (Exodus 18:24–26), but no formalized program existed for training to become a judge in the Israel of Moses’ day (about 1447 BC). There was a certain kind of “bar exam” that an individual had to pass before being appointed to judge. The first stated criteria for passing were four in number: (1) ability, (2) fear of God, (3) reliably truthful, and (4) hatred of covetousness (18:21). Moses received these criteria from his father-in-law, Jethro, shortly after leading the Israelites out of Egypt but before reaching Mount Sinai (19:1, 20). The individuals who met these criteria assisted Moses as judges, providing rulings on the legal cases of the people brought before them (18:26). During Israel’s sojourn to the promised land, they received many more instructions that distinguished just from unjust behavior. Some are recorded in Exodus 23:1–12, the text of last week’s lesson.
The focus of the book of Exodus is on the first generation of the new nation of Israel. But as the book of Deuteronomy opens, 40 years had passed, and a new generation of Israelites needed to hear the law expounded (Deuteronomy 1:1–5). This included reiterating the characteristics of a proper judicial system in general and the requirements of judges in particular (1:16–18).
The exact steps of appointment processes for judges isn’t clear. Hundreds of years after Moses, Absalom used subversion to get himself appointed as judge by popular acclamation (2 Samuel 15:1–6). Later, King Jehoshaphat (reigned 872–848 BC) appointed judges personally (2 Chronicles 19:4–7). In 458 BC, Ezra was charged with appointing judges in his capacity as a priest and an expert in the law (Ezra 7:25). Stricter, more specific requirements for serving as a judge are found in Ezekiel 44:15–27.
This lesson considers how the leaders of Israel, namely judges and priests, were to advocate for and implement justice among the people of Israel. This week’s lesson comes from the portion of Deuteronomy where Moses spoke on various leadership positions and how they were to function. Judges (Deuteronomy 16:18–17:13), kings (17:14–20), priests (18:1–8), and prophets (18:14–22) are among those groups described by Moses. Today’s lesson will illustrate how the Lord demands just judgment and desires His covenant people to be led by individuals who exhibit the ability to practice just judgment among them.
I. General Goals
(DEUTERONOMY 16:18–20)
A. Responsible People (v. 18)
18. Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
Moses prescribed two groups of leaders for the community. The judges were those leaders tasked with exacting decisions of justice for the people. These individuals were considered leaders of the community and, as such, were often mentioned alongside the priests (Deuteronomy 19:17) and the elders (21:2).
Officers served the people of Israel in a different fashion than judges. These individuals assisted the judges in providing leadership and just decision making for the people of God as they presented themselves before God (Deuteronomy 31:28; Joshua 8:33; 24:1).
The Hebrew word rendered just can also mean “righteous,” or the idea of pursuing a right relationship with God as well as right and fair relationships with other humans (see lesson 9 commentary on Deuteronomy 24:12–13; see also Leviticus 19:15, 36; Deuteronomy 1:16; 25:15; Job 8:3; Isaiah 51:5). For Israel, righteous action was not a hypothetical to be wished for but tangible acts of following the just laws that God had set forth.
A town’s gates served as the center of the town’s public life and constituted the location where significant administrative and legal decisions were made (see Genesis 19:1; Deuteronomy 22:15; Ruth 4:1, 11; 1 Kings 22:10). In essence, the gates were a public forum in which accountability to God’s law was acknowledged by all.
THE FAIR JUDGE
My brother and I are as different as brothers could be. He has a gentle demeanor and a laid-back attitude. I, on the other hand, have a tightly wound disposition and intense inclination. When we were younger, he always reminded me that he was bigger and older. These reminders spurred me to prove myself, often leading to backyard brawls between us. During one such brawl he hung me by my shirt collar on a coat rack.
Our fights rarely resolved anything, leading us to seek an authority figure to adjudicate who was in the right and who was in the wrong. In most cases, this authority figure was our father. We agreed to his decisions because he was a good and trustworthy judge, bound to impartiality by his love for both his sons.
For the nation of Israel, in matters too difficult to settle, the involved parties appeared before the priests and the judge. These leaders provided fair and just rulings. They gave voice to God’s people of God’s desire for just and fair treatment. Undoubtedly you have experienced conflicts too difficult or too heated for fair judgment. When these conflicts arise, how do you resolve them? Do you appeal to wise and loving individuals to provide insight?
—W. L.
B. Reliable Principles (vv. 19–20)
19a. Thou shalt not wrest judgment.
To wrest refers to the act of twisting, skewing, perverting, or distorting. In this case, it affects one’s ability to make a right and just judgment. Later texts describe individuals who pervert justice as being “cursed” (Deuteronomy 27:19).
The act of perverting justice was quite concerning for the needy individuals in the land, especially the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow (Deuteronomy 24:17; see lesson 9).
19b. Thou shalt not respect persons.
Administrators of justice were not to show undue partiality, or respect, for persons, based on the social standing of those individuals. Scripture declares that all people are equal before God and, therefore, He does not show partiality, or favoritism (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). Therefore, the people of God are to demonstrate a life committed to showing impartial justice (Leviticus 19:15; 2 Chronicles 19:7).
19c. Neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
Finally, administrators of justice must be wary of accepting a gift, or a bribe, lest their judgment become clouded. This is not the only instance where the people of God are called to avoid bribes. Moses warned Israel that a gift “blindeth the wise” and “perverteth the words of the righteous” (Exodus 23:8). Bribes and influencing gifts distorted the leader’s ability to judge rightly in the manner God required. When this occurred, justice became a commodity that could be bought and sold. Such individuals were called “wicked” as they “pervert the ways of judgment” (Proverbs 17:23).
Years later, the sons of Samuel would be appointed as Israel’s leaders (1 Samuel 8:1). However, the sons were more interested in receiving personal gain from the position they were in than the process of exacting justice among the people (8:3).
20. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
The Hebrew words behind the phrase that which is altogether just read as the repetition of the Hebrew word for “just” (see commentary on Deuteronomy 16:18, above). Repetition of a single word in this manner signifies the word’s magnitude and its importance for the reader or hearer. As a result, complete and absolute justice with no compromise must be the passion for all God’s people.
As Israel and its leaders made efforts to follow the just living that God required, a positive consequence would be their continued residence in the land given to them by God. Their ability to live in and inherit the promised land had nothing to do with their own virtue; it was a matter of making the Lord’s priorities their priorities. As Israel made justice a priority, God’s priorities for justice became Israel’s top priority.
What Do You Think?
How do you show respect for your congregational leaders when you find yourselves in a disagreement of consequence?
Digging Deeper
How do you show respect for leaders outside of your congregation with whom you rarely (if ever) agree?
II. Specific Challenges
(DEUTERONOMY 17:8–13)
A. Difficult Instances (vv. 8–11)
8. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose.
In especially challenging instances, Moses prescribed the steps and actions for those making judgment in a legal matter. The use of thee refers to local judges or courts who were unable to resolve a particularly controversial or challenging legal case. Such cases often involved an intent to kill (between blood and blood), legal claims (between plea and plea), or physical injury (between stroke and stroke).
In these situations, the involved parties were to arise and go to the location chosen by God. The exact identity of the involved parties is unclear and could include either the tribunal of judges or the parties of the dispute. Previous precedent suggests that it was the duty of the local judges to take this step and confer at the indicated location (compare Exodus 18:13–20).
This place was mentioned previously in more detail as a place of sacredness—a place where the Lord would “put his name” (Deuteronomy 12:5, 21). In that place, in what became a central sanctuary, the Israelites offered their sacrifices, tithes, offerings, and vows (12:11). This location served Israel not only for its legal needs but also for its sacred and ceremonial needs.
What Do You Think?
What current familial or other conflicts could benefit from the wise counsel of spiritual leaders?
Digging Deeper
What obstacles do you need to overcome in order to benefit from that counsel?
9. And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment.
For these challenging cases, the Levitical priests and the judge provided the final ruling (see Deuteronomy 19:17). The exact identity of the judge is unknown. The person’s position likely came from a precedent made by Moses years before (see Lesson Context; Exodus 18:13–20).
Priests were Levites, members of the tribe of Levi. These individuals guided the religious practice of Israel by officiating times of worship (Numbers 18:5–7), teaching the stipulations of the Law of Moses (Leviticus 10:8–11), and guiding the proper actions of life—even as related to health—within the community of God’s people (Deuteronomy 24:8). Unlike other tribes of Israel, Levites owned no land, but lived on properties donated by the Israelites (Numbers 18:20; Joshua 21:1–42).
The involvement of religious leaders with seemingly “nonreligious” judicial cases might seem inappropriate from a modern perspective. However, Old Testament Israel had the singular responsibility to follow God’s laws in every realm of life. Because of the all-encompassing nature of their covenant relationship with God (Deuteronomy 5:1b–3), there was no distinction between sacred and secular. The priests and the judge made their sentence of judgment based on their understanding of civil and criminal law, thereby acting as leaders of God’s covenant people.
King Jehoshaphat of Judah (reigned 872–848 BC) served as an example of this text’s prescriptions. Jehoshaphat appointed judges and priests in Jerusalem for the administration of justice (2 Chronicles 19:5, 8). In following the words of Moses, the king warned the counsel not to practice “respect of persons, nor taking of gifts” (19:7; see commentary on Deuteronomy 16:19, above).
10. And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the LORD shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee.
Whatever sentence the judges and Levites render, the involved parties must abide by that decision. Their decision was final! The reminder that their verdict occurred in that place which the Lord shall choose reinforces the sacredness of that location and, therefore, the decisions made there.
11. According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
Moses emphasized strict obedience to the sentence of the law and the judgment provided by the judges and Levites. All parties involved were not to deviate from the decision rendered.
Elsewhere, Moses described obedience to God’s law in similar terms, exhorting Israel to “observe to do … as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). The pointed counsel prepared hearers for a solemn warning if they failed to adhere to Moses’ guidelines.
What Do You Think?
How does Deuteronomy 17:11 help you practically follow Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 7:13–14, if at all?
Digging Deeper
Are you in a position to judge wisely and help others remain on the straight path? Why or why not?
B. Defiant Individuals (vv. 12–13)
12. And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
The individual who defied the ruling of the judge or the priest was described as acting presumptuously. The Hebrew word behind this term describes an individual acting out of pride or haughtiness of heart (compare Deuteronomy 17:12; Proverbs 11:2; Jeremiah 49:16). These defiant individuals acted pridefully as they disregarded the given judgment of the ordained leadership who minister there before the Lord.
Such defiance also brought harm to the community of Israel. Upon an initial inspection, that the defiant individual shall die seems harsh or disproportionate to the initial act that brought them to this place. However, the following line indicates the measures the community was required to take to protect Israel from evil.
Israel’s law described other instances that necessitated capital punishment, such as a rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 13:5), a false prophet (18:20–22), or an insubordinate family member (21:18–21). In these instances, the primary concern was that the people of God maintained holiness in their covenant relationship and that evil no longer polluted the covenanted people.
What Do You Think?
What about your witness of God’s holiness might cause others to act with greater respect toward Him?
Digging Deeper
How will greater obedience strengthen your witness?
DISCIPLINE AND TRUE FREEDOM
My college football team was poised to play for a national championship. As we prepared for the occasion, three teammates violated team rules and skipped team workouts. Because of their contempt for the team rules, these teammates were kicked off the team, purged from our locker room.
Such a harsh act was necessary. As a team, we were committed to one another, united in our goals, and dedicated to the values of the football program. We could not tolerate individuals showing disregard for these values. Only when we adhered, in love, to our values were we free to become the best version of our team.
God’s people of all ages are called to live disciplined lives, following God’s expectations and mandates. In what aspects of your life do you need discipline in order to follow God’s expectations? What distractions do you need to purge from your life so that you might become a more disciplined follower of God?
—W. L.
13. And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
The harsh actions of the previous verse were revealed to have another, more communal function: as a deterrent to any further presumptuous behavior.
Fear of such punishment served as a powerful motivation for avoiding the conduct resulting in that degree of disciplinary action (see Deuteronomy 13:11; 17:13; 19:20). God required that His people live justly. He had strong consequences for those who refused to live in that manner or who distracted others from that same quest for justice.
The Old Testament does record numerous examples of how justice became disregarded by those in power, a problem that the Lord’s prophets called attention to when they saw it happening. The prophet Amos indicted the people in his day as those who “turn judgment to wormwood [an extremely bitter plant], and leave off righteousness in the earth” (Amos 5:7). At times the innocent were punished and the guilty went free, as in the case of Naboth’s vineyard (see 1 Kings 21). When such conditions as these exist within a society, it is not long before people become accustomed to calling “evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). Justice according to God’s standard becomes harder and harder to find in such a morally corrupt environment.
Conclusion
A. Operation Greylord Revisited
The 14-year period 1980–1994 was bittersweet for the American judicial system as Operation Greylord began and ended. Greylord was the name of an undercover FBI investigation into alleged corruption in the judicial system in Cook County, Illinois. The “bitter” part was that the allegations proved to be true. In the end, 15 judges were convicted on various counts of bribery, mail fraud, racketeering, income-tax violations, etc. The depth of the systemic corruption was underlined as dozens of others—including lawyers, deputy sheriffs, policemen, and court officials—were also convicted.
The “sweet” part was that an accountability system existed to expose and correct such corruption. Despite that, we will never know how far and to whom the ripple effects of the corruption extended.
Work toward a just system begins by acknowledging the need for four distinct kinds of justice: (1) distributive justice to ensure economic fairness (see Deuteronomy 24:14–15; 2 Thessalonians 3:10; James 5:4), (2) restorative justice to require restitution by an offender (see Exodus 22:1–15; Luke 12:58–59; 18:3–5; 19:8), (3) retributive justice to punish offenders because they deserve it (Deuteronomy 25:2; Romans 13:4–5), and (4) procedural justice for ensuring fairness in application of rules by due process (see Exodus 23:3 [lesson 7]; James 2:1–9).
The fourth of these is the starting point, the one the other three depend on as a prerequisite. Humans have a duty to work for all four, but our work begins with the fourth. This obligation has been unchanged since today’s lesson text was penned. Our efforts here form part of the salt and light that Jesus commanded us to be (see Matthew 5:13–16). We do so as citizens of the kingdom that is “not of this world” (John 18:36), as we honor the ruler of that heavenly kingdom.
Whereas previous lessons on justice have examined justice alongside various qualities such as kindness and righteousness, today’s lesson considers justice alongside some of those officials who were supposed to administer it in Old Testament Israel, namely, judges and priests.
What Do You Think?
What action have you been putting off that this lesson has given new urgency to?
Digging Deeper
What first steps will you take toward that task?
B. Prayer
God of justice, our world often voices its desire for justice; yet how we need to return to Your Word for a true understanding of this principle! Show us Your justice in the world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
No one is exempt from practicing justice!
KID’S CORNER
Jesus Can Increase Our Faith
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Mark 9:14-29
Mark 9:14-29
(Mark 9:14) When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.
Peter, James, and John came down from the mountain with Jesus where they had seen Jesus transfigured and speaking with Moses and Elijah. When they reached the other disciples, they saw them arguing with some scribes (teachers of the law). They were arguing about something related to a father whose son needed to have a demon cast out in order to be healed. It seems the disciples repeatedly failed to cast out the demon. The arguing might have concerned Jesus casting out demons, whether Jesus was the Messiah, and the failure of the disciples to cast out demons if Jesus was the Messiah. It does seem the source of the argument related to the failures of Jesus’ disciples.
(Mark 9:15) Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him.
Throughout the Gospels we learn of people rushing to see Jesus that they might be healed or have a loved one healed or see a miracle. The stories about Jesus were so amazing that when the crowd saw Jesus they ran to greet Him. If the disciples had been arguing with the scribes about Jesus’ ability to heal and the source of Jesus’ power, then the enthusiasm of the crowds would have been heightened, and they would have run to Jesus with great expectations, perhaps to see Him settle the argument or see Him perform miracle or see if Jesus could heal the boy that the disciples had failed to heal.
(Mark 9:16) And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?”
Of course, Jesus knew what they had been arguing about, but Jesus had no intention of creating a spectacle through His ability to read hearts and minds – that was not His purpose. When Jesus did read the hearts and minds of the scribes and Pharisees, He demonstrated to them that they could not hide anything from God or Him. Jesus wanted to build up the faith of a father and heal his son, who had been afflicted with a demon for many years. Jesus would also lead some in the crowd to believe that He was the promised Messiah. By His words and actions, Jesus would demonstrate that He was from God and give the scribes good and sufficient reasons for believing in Him; therefore, they (and any in the observing crowd) would be guilty of the sin of unbelief if they did not repent of their sins and believe in Him.
(Mark 9:17) And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute;
Immediately, the father indicated that the real problem was not an argument between Jesus’ disciples and the scribes. He told Jesus that he had brought his son for healing, but had only found Jesus’ disciples, who had tried and failed to heal his son. The father recognized the signs of demon possession and began to describe what the demon was doing to his son.
(Mark 9:18) and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”
The first problem the father told Jesus about was his son’s inability to communicate by speech: the evil spirit had made him mute. Second, the evil spirit would seize him and control his body in order to bring him physical harm. Finally, the spirit would immobilize his son and do frightening things through his son’s mouth. The disciples had tried and failed to cast out the evil spirit or heal his son.
(Mark 9:19) And He *answered them and *said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”
Jesus’ immediate response may seem harsh or uncaring to us; however, Jesus dealt daily with myriads of unbelieving people. The problem in this situation was related to unbelieving people, not to His disciples’ failure. The “unbelieving generation” Jesus spoke to had strayed so far from God, and had been so subjected to the false teachings of the scribes who disregarded the Scriptures, that they did not recognize the power of God or a person sent from God. Jesus came to help, teach, and save some in this “unbelieving generation” from their sins, and also help, teach, and save some in future “unbelieving generations” through His disciples and the Scriptures the Holy Spirit would inspire them to write. When the scribes and others persistently argued about and with Jesus, and refused to believe in Him and continued to mislead others in spite of His many miracles, Jesus expressed the fact that at some point the divine patience will cease to be a virtue. God’s anger and judgment because of this faithless unbelief will be appropriate after God has given so much evidence of His existence and virtues through His Son. Jesus’ time on earth in bodily form would soon end with His crucifixion by unbelievers. After all Jesus had said and done, His annoyance at persistent unbelief is appropriate and to be expected, especially when one knows the outcome of unbelief. Later, after Jesus cast out the demon, Jesus would tell the disciples why they had failed.
(Mark 9:20) They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.
When they brought the boy to Jesus, the demon did through him exactly what the father had said. The “unbelieving generation” heard the truth about his demon possessed son and they saw and heard what the demon would do. They had no reason to doubt that the boy was afflicted by a demon, and they would soon see Jesus cast the demon out and heal the boy. However, the question remained, “Would any persist in unbelieving?”
(Mark 9:21) And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
Jesus also wanted the crowd to know that the boy’s demon possession was not something recent or just a passing phase. His possession by the demon had been permanent from the time the boy was a child; therefore, the boy’s situation was extremely desperate and put him in danger of losing his life. The demon could do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted – even in front of Jesus and a large crowd.
(Mark 9:22) “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”
The father had brought his son to Jesus, but in His absence Jesus’ disciples saw his son first and failed to help him; therefore, his son’s situation began to seem more and more hopeless. Since the disciples could not do anything, he asked Jesus if He could do anything to help his son. The father appealed to Jesus’ compassion and he challenged Jesus to help them, for the son’s affliction afflicted his father too as he saw him suffer time after time and almost die at the demon’s whim.
(Mark 9:23) And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”
Jesus indicated that the father could do something to help his son. The father could believe in Him. Jesus replied that the problem was not beyond His ability, power, and compassion to solve. The problem was in part the father’s lack of faith in Jesus. The father doubted Jesus’ ability and perhaps Jesus’ compassion. Jesus did not teach that “faith” or “believing” in and of themselves were the solution. Jesus taught that God the Father and He should be the true objects of faith and the true Persons to believe in, for everything was possible through the Father and the Son when believers trusted them.
(Mark 9:24) Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
Jesus knew the source of the father’s lack of faith and Jesus knew the father had some faith: the father even said “I do believe.” He had faith the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20). Jesus and the father both knew there were still some areas of unbelief in the father’s heart and mind. In some fashion, the father did believe Jesus could heal his son, and that is why he brought him to Jesus. Perhaps the failures of Jesus’ disciples had shaken his faith in Jesus; for surely they had not strengthened his belief in Jesus. The father expressed faith the size of a mustard seed and Jesus would help him overcome what he still lacked in belief by working a miracle of healing and compassion.
(Mark 9:25) When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.”
Jesus determined to heal the boy before an even larger crowd had gathered: His primary concern was expressing compassion and helping the father and son, not creating a big scene or impressing a crowd. Those who did not see the miracle would hear of it from others and believe in Jesus or refuse to believe in Him as part of the “unbelieving generation.” Jesus called the impure spirit by what it did to the boy and commanded it to come out of the boy and never enter him again: the father and son would know that he was permanently freed from the demon and healed. When the demon failed to return, the father’s faith would be further strengthened, as well as the faith of his son (who would be told how he was freed from the demon and healed by Jesus). Jesus said in a parable that a demon could return with additional demons and make a person’s life worse than before, but in this case it could not return and harm the boy (Luke 11:26).
(Mark 9:26) After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!”
Mark’s report makes it obvious that the boy was indeed possessed by an impure spirit and his problems were greater than a physical or mental disease. The spirit did not give up its possession of the boy easily, but demonstrated its power as it left him at the command of Jesus. It became obvious to the crowd that Jesus was more powerful than the demon; and yet, there was some fear that the demon had killed the boy as it left him.
(Mark 9:27) But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.
Jesus showed His compassion and the fact that He had no fear that the demon would return and attack Him when He took the boy by the hand and lifted him up and he stood up freed from the demonic possession. No one could doubt the fact that Jesus had freed the boy from a demon and Jesus could do everything for the person who trusted in Him. Still, the question remained, “Would any of the ‘unbelieving generation’ come to believe in Jesus as the Person Jesus revealed himself to be?”
(Mark 9:28) When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?”
The disciples waited until they were alone with Jesus to learn why they had failed to cast out the impure spirit. After Jesus called His disciples, He had given them the authority to cast out demons: “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons” (Mark 3:14, 15). Later, Jesus had sent them out to cast out demons by themselves: “Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits” (Mark 6:7). The disciples knew from experience that they had the authority under the Lordship of Jesus Christ to cast out demons, and they may have been arguing with the scribes about their authority from Jesus, their failures, the reason for their failures, and the impact their failures had on belief in Jesus as the Messiah.
(Mark 9:29) And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”
Jesus did not condemn His disciples for a lack of faith. Lack of faith was not their problem. Their problem was a lack of prayer. They would need to take some situations to their Father and to Jesus directly through prayer in order to succeed in helping others with some of their problems. We may not know the cause of an illness or something that might appear as a demonic possession or persecution, but with Jesus everything is possible, and we can go to our heavenly Father and to Jesus with believing prayer – even asking Jesus to help us overcome any areas of unbelief in our lives.
Jesus Can Increase Our Faith
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Mark 9:14-29
“‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him.
But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’ ‘If you
can’? said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes’”
(Mark 9:22b-23).
A father brought his son to Jesus because an evil spirit
possessed his son and often tried to kill him. Jesus’ disciples
had the authority to cast out spirits, but they had failed;
therefore, the father rushed to Jesus as soon as he saw Him.
The father had believed Jesus or His disciples could help him,
but after Jesus’ disciples failed, Jesus was his last hope. He said
to Jesus, “If you can do anything, help us” and Jesus replied,
“Everything is possible for one who believes.” The father
needed to believe in Jesus, and if he did his son would be
helped. The father and Jesus knew that he had some belief in
Jesus or he would never have brought his son to Him. The
father and Jesus also knew that he needed to believe more in
Jesus. Perhaps his belief was almost the size of a mustard seed,
for the father said to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my
unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Jesus answered his prayer of faith and
cast the demon out of his son. When Jesus answered his prayer,
He helped the father increase his belief in Him. Later, the
disciples learned that some demons can only be cast out by
prayer (Mark 9:29). If we have a little belief in Jesus and are
also aware that we still have a measure of unbelief, we can still
pray to Jesus and ask Him to help us overcome our unbelief, for
“Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Thinking Further
Jesus Can Increase Our Faith
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Mark 9:14-29
Name _____________________________________
1.Discuss what you might be thinking if you were in the crowd listening to the disciples and the teachers of the law arguing. Whose side would sound most convincing to you?
2. Discuss the effect it would have on your faith if you had been the father and the disciples had failed to help you and your son.
3. Discuss how you would feel if you looked up and saw Jesus walking toward the crowd.
4. What do you think Jesus did that helped the father overcome his unbelief in Jesus?
5. Do you think Jesus criticized His disciples for failing to cast out the demon? What did Jesus say to them in private after they failed?
Discussion and Thinking Further
1. Discuss what you might be thinking if you were in the crowd listening to the disciples and the teachers of the law arguing. Whose side would sound most convincing to you?
I might be thinking the scribes were right because they were lawyers and professional debaters and the disciples were Galilean fishermen and unlearned followers of a person the scribes said was a blasphemer. The scribes would sound most convincing, especially after the disciples failed to cast out the demon after many of them tried.
2. Discuss the effect it would have on your faith if you had been the father and the disciples had failed to help you and your son.
My faith would have almost been shattered, because with each effort they made my hopes would have gone up, and with each time they failed my hope would have been cast down. I would have felt hopeless, with a little hope that if Jesus were here then He might be able to help where His disciples could not.
3. Discuss how you would feel if you looked up and saw Jesus walking toward the crowd.
I would be excited and wonder what Jesus would say and do. Would Jesus be able to help? What would Jesus say to the scribes and His disciples if He joined the argument?
4. What do you think Jesus did that helped the father overcome his unbelief in Jesus?
Unbelief in God and Jesus is worthy of reproving after all they have done for us and after all we have heard about Jesus and the compassion and power of God the Father. I think Jesus also spoke to the father with a tone of authority and confidence, as well as a tone of compassion and encouragement because the father did have faith the size of a mustard seed and the father wanted and asked Jesus to help him with his unbelief (see Matthew 17:20). Finally, Jesus helped him overcome his unbelief in Him when He cast the demon out of his son and healed him.
5. Do you think Jesus criticized His disciples for failing to cast out the demon?
What did Jesus say to them in private after they failed? No. Jesus took them aside privately and told them they needed prayer to cast out that type of impure spirit. He used their failure as a teaching opportunity and not as an opportunity to condemn them.
Word Search
Jesus Can Increase Our Faith
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Mark 9:14-29
Name _____________________________________
D E S S E S S O P S V H F P I
D H R W G V P Z R Z I A O S C
E W V X A J R E M A T H P B V
B T O L H L E J O H Y E Z T C
E J I R T B T P E P E J A X S
L R D S C Q A R J C L R Z E A
I H Q I N Y W Y H Q G E B U M
E C Z P S T V F T U D I T V Z
V N T F X C E P I M R C E S P
E Z I O E I I N R C V W A D T
S R N Q L F G P S A O S C F S
E Z J E S U S O L N Y W H U L
Y X B T K W R F D E O E E Q B
B N G D H I S E C W S D R M N
U K I M P U R E Q T C O S P O
Disciples
Teachers
Law
Scribes
Arguing
People
Crowd
Jesus
Wonder
Father
Possessed
Speech
Fire
Water
Believes
Unbelief
Impure
Prayer
True and False Test
Jesus Can Increase Our Faith
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Mark 9:14-29
Name _____________________________________
Circle the true or false answers. Correct the false statements by restating them.
1. The disciples did not know why they could not cast the impure spirit out of the boy. True or False
2. When the crowd saw Jesus they ran to greet Him. True or False
3. In His confusion about what was going on, Jesus asked, “What are you arguing with them about?” True or False
4. The father knew that his son was possessed by a spirit. True or False
5. The father told Jesus that the disciples had cast out the spirit but the spirit had come back and made his son worse than before. True or False
6. Jesus said, “How long shall I put up with you?” True or False
7. The demon showed its power over the boy by throwing him into
convulsions. True or False
8. The boy had been possessed by the spirit from childhood.
True or False
9. The father told Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” True or False
10. Jesus told His disciples that if they had only had more confidence in Him that they could have easily cast out the demon by themselves and not have been an embarrassment to Him and themselves.
True or False
Answers to the True and False Test
- True
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- True
- True
- False
Prayer
“Lord Jesus, help my unbelief! Increase my faith and trust in your saving power. Give me confidence and perseverance, especially in prayer. And help me to bring your healing love and truth to those I meet”. AMEN
