Mark 9:19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “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.”
23 “‘If you can’” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out.
What does the boy's father believe, and what does he NOT believe? We don't know, but I think we can look for clues.
The gospel of Mark seems to present a two-step process to follow Jesus.
Step 1: Trust that Jesus is the messiah.
Step 2: Trust that Messiah's mission is to suffer and die.
I enjoy hearing what bible scholars have to say about the gospel of Mark. Many have pointed out there there are two "halves" to the story structure. In the first half, Jesus calls his followers, he casts out demons, demonstrates his authority, heals the sick, raises the dead, cures the deaf, miraculously feeds the hungry, and he gives sight to the blind. The middle of the gospel culminates with Jesus asking his disciples, (8:29) "who do you say I am?" Thus far, Jesus has referred to himself solely (though ambiguously) as the Son of Man. He hasn't declared himself the Son of God, nor has he announced that he is the Messiah. We the readers know he is all of these things because the narrator has told us so. The demons have recognized him, but Jesus won't allow them to speak of it. At the climax of the first half, Peter is able to answer the big question, identifying Jesus as the messiah. Jesus proceeds "to teach them" that he will suffer at the hands of his enemies, be killed, and rise again. Peter rebukes Jesus. Jesus rebukes Peter in return, “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Not so good, Peter. Is this Peter's great confession? Peter only got it half right - he believes Jesus is the Messiah, but doesn't believe Messiah's mission is to suffer and die.
Let's back up a bit in the story. We will see something significant. Just before Jesus asked the disciples about his identity, there was a story of Jesus healing a blind man, in a two step process:
Mark 8:22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”
It took two touches from Jesus for the man to see clearly.
The first half of Mark's gospel began with Jesus calling his disciples and saying, "follow me." The second half begins with Jesus teaching them, "take up your cross and follow me." Is Jesus now giving his disciples the "second touch" to teach them who he is - the suffering Messiah? This would have been something completely new to a group of first century Jewish men, who were expecting their Messiah to destroy his enemies, not be destroyed by them! Jesus is going to turn expectations upside down!
The second half of the gospel kicks into gear with the transfiguration scene where we hear again (as in the first scene of chapter one) the voice of God declaring Jesus as "my Son, whom I love." The story proceeds to the healing (text above) of a boy possessed by a deaf and mute spirit, the spirit being cast out "with a shriek" (there is a similar exorcism in the first half - 1:21-26).
As Jesus continues toward the cross, the disciples keep failing to understand. Jesus announces three times that his mission is to suffer and die (8:31, 9:30, 10:32). Peter denies him three times. Peter follows Jesus, but doesn't follow him to the cross. There are two halves to Mark's gospel, with two "touches" to show the reader who Jesus is and what he came to do:
1. Follow me. (1:18)
2. Take up your cross and follow me. (8:34)
There were two calls to follow.
Symbolically, the rooster crowed twice, but Peter failed. Everyone failed. They all denied him. Jesus died, alone and forsaken.
But...
In chapter fourteen we find someone who did get it right:
Mark 14:3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
What did this unnamed woman do that was so great? She did what Peter (and everyone else) did NOT do. She recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah (she anoints his head with oil) whose mission is the cross (she prepares him for burial). The juxtaposition of these two contrasting ideas about Jesus are the bedrock of Mark's gospel.
Church tradition credits Peter with having made "the great confession" (thanks to Matthew's version of the story).
But the actions of the unnamed woman are, in my opinion:
The Greatest Confession.
Thanks for reading!
-matt
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