Mark 9:14-29
When they came to the disciples, they saw a great
crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw
him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet
him. He asked them, ‘What are you arguing about with them?’ Someone from the
crowd answered him, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes
him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he
foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to
cast it out, but they could not do so.’ He answered them, ‘You faithless
generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up
with you? Bring him to me.’ And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit
saw him, immediately it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell on the
ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, ‘How
long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. It has
often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are
able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you
are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.’ Immediately the
father of the child cried out, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ When Jesus saw
that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to
it, ‘You spirit that keep this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you,
come out of him, and never enter him again!’ After crying out and convulsing
him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them
said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he
was able to stand. When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him
privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ He said to them, ‘This kind can come
out only through prayer.’
I'm still not warming to Mark's portrayal of Jesus. This Jesus sounds like a kinda creepy person. Powerful, self-confident, unconventional, unpredictable, sneering at those who don't understand his cryptic parables, and constantly and loudly disappointed with the people he hand-picked to be his inner circle. (Let's hope Mark is just leaving out all the parts that would make Jesus sound like someone worth following.)
ReplyDeleteThis version of Jesus reminds me way too much of my mother's style of child-raising: Don't tell the child ( -> disciple) what is expected, just constantly remind them what a disappointment they are.