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Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church serves communities throughout Wisconsin, including Sturgeon Bay.
Text: Mark 9:14–29
Liturgical Date: Pentecost 15 Proper 17 B
Calendar Date: 2024-09-16
Location: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County, Forestville, WI
Preacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Jackson
TRANSCRIPT
The following transcript was generated via artificial intelligence from the audio file. Text does not 1:1 match audio. Text may contain errors.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Before we dive into the sermon proper, I’d like to share a personal note that’s been weighing on my mind today. Having just renewed my commitment to the calling you extended to me—to preach the Gospel to you, to teach you God’s Word—I am mindful of the warnings we hear in Scripture. In James, it says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” As I reflect on these words, I ask for your prayers—frequent prayers—that I might be found faithful to this calling. I pray that I would preach and teach God’s Word faithfully, without mixing in human-made doctrines or ideas, but always remaining true to the faith that was once delivered to us by the prophets and apostles.
Now, onto the sermon proper.
It might be an apocryphal story, but it’s one that makes for a good preacher’s illustration. The story goes that, after the Titanic hit the iceberg, it didn’t immediately start to list heavily. For a time, things seemed normal, so much so that some people on board continued going about their business as usual. There’s even a story that some of them were polishing the brass on the ship, focusing on removing the tarnish from the brass fixtures while completely unaware of the much bigger problem—the fact that the hull of the ship had been breached.
We see something similar in our Gospel lesson today. There are obvious problems all around, but Jesus wants us to recognize the bigger issue—the one that may not be immediately visible. That issue is faithlessness. And He is the solution to that problem.
Let’s take a look at some of the problems we see in today’s Gospel reading.
First, we encounter the scene where Jesus returns to the rest of His disciples. He had gone up the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John, where He showed them His glory—revealing that He is not just a man, but the very Son of God. When they come back down to the crowd, what do they see? The scribes are arguing with the remaining disciples.
Immediately, we recognize a problem. The scribes, rather than seeking the truth, are more interested in scoring points against Jesus and His disciples in front of the crowd. They’re sowing conflict and leading others astray. That’s the first problem.
But there’s more. Why were the scribes arguing with the disciples in the first place? The scribes had seized on an opportunity to attack Jesus, taking advantage of a failure by the disciples. A man had brought his son, who was afflicted by a demon, to Jesus’ disciples, but they were unable to cast it out. The scribes saw this failure as a chance to undermine Jesus and His ministry.
When the crowd saw Jesus returning, they were amazed and ran to greet Him. Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about with them?” And a man from the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
This brings us to the third problem: the disciples were powerless in this moment. What they thought was within their reach—what they believed they could do—they couldn’t. They failed to heal the boy.
But Jesus sees a deeper issue, a root problem. That problem is faithlessness. He says, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring the boy to me.”
Faithlessness runs through the entire situation.
There’s the faithlessness of the scribes. Consider the cruelty of their response—here is a boy suffering greatly, and a father who is heartbroken over his son’s affliction. As parents, we know that when our children hurt, we hurt. Yet instead of being moved by compassion, the scribes see this as an opportunity to score points, to advance their agenda. They are faithless in their response to this man and his son’s pain.
There’s also the faithlessness of the man himself. He brought his son to Jesus’ disciples, hoping they could heal him, but they were unable to do so. He begins to doubt, not only in the disciples but perhaps even in God’s power. He placed his hope in the wrong place—his faith rested in the disciples rather than in Jesus Himself.
And then there’s the faithlessness of the disciples. Later in the passage, they ask Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out the demon?” They too had placed their faith in their own abilities rather than relying on God’s power.
Faithlessness is present everywhere in this story. And this, Jesus shows us, is the deeper, more fundamental issue. Yes, the demonic affliction of the boy is a serious problem. But the greater issue—the root of all the problems here—is the faithlessness of the generation. Everyone involved in this situation has been afflicted by a lack of faith.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, this faithlessness we see is precisely what the devil aims for. It’s his work, and it reveals the true nature of demonic affliction.
In today’s world, many people dismiss stories like this from the Bible. They argue that these accounts were written in a time when people didn’t have a modern understanding of medical and psychological issues. So, they explain away demonic possession by attributing it to conditions like epilepsy or other physical ailments. Maybe this boy wasn’t really possessed by a demon, they say—perhaps he had a medical condition that caused his symptoms.
But here’s the problem with that line of thinking: it creates a false divide between the material and the spiritual. The modern mind likes to draw a sharp line between the two, separating what can be scientifically observed from what is of the soul. People think that issues of faith and spiritual warfare are completely distinct from the material challenges we face in life—whether it be sickness, poverty, or conflict.
Scripture, however, allows for no such division. Let me encourage you to look up Martin Luther’s Large Catechism, where he explains the petition from the Lord’s Prayer, “Deliver us from evil.” What you find there may surprise you. Luther writes that all kinds of evil—whether they are natural disasters, social unrest, or personal afflictions—have their root in the work of the evil one.
God, after all, is the author of peace. Christ is called the Prince of Peace. So wherever there is discord, we know it is the work of sin. God is the giver of all good gifts, and wherever there is deprivation, poverty, or want, it is the work of the devil. God is a God of wisdom and order, and where we see disorder, chaos, or confusion, we are witnessing the influence of the devil.
What I am trying to say is this: there isn’t a neat dividing line between the physical and the spiritual. The material and the spiritual are deeply intertwined. When we face difficulties in this world—whether it’s sickness, relational strife, or poverty—these are not just isolated, worldly problems. Behind these visible issues, we often find spiritual forces at work.
Saint Paul speaks to this very issue in Ephesians chapter 6, where he tells us, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Paul acknowledges that people tend to look at the surface of things, but he encourages us to see the deeper reality—the spiritual battle that is always present behind the material struggles we face.
Paul also tells us how we can defend ourselves in this battle. One of the most important defenses he mentions is the shield of faith, with which we can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. This is where our discussion ties back to the problems in the Gospel lesson—faithlessness is at the core of every issue we see.
The problems we face in this world often feel like physical or material issues. Maybe you’re dealing with a medical condition, some form of pain or illness. Or perhaps you are struggling with strained relationships—discord in your home, alienation from a loved one, or tension at work. Or maybe you are facing financial difficulties, feeling like you can never get ahead.
Whatever the visible issue, know this: the devil will use these challenges to try to undermine your faith. He will whisper lies into your heart, making you doubt that you are truly a child of God. He’ll try to convince you that if God really loved you, He wouldn’t allow you to suffer in these ways. He’ll sow seeds of doubt, making you question God’s goodness and His promises.
In times of relational discord, the devil will tempt you to believe that God is not truly the God of peace He claims to be. In moments of financial strain, he will try to make you question whether God will really provide for your needs, even though God has promised to give you your daily bread. And when you are overwhelmed by physical afflictions, Satan wants nothing more than for you to lose heart, to believe that God has abandoned you.
But let me remind you, dear friends: these are the fiery darts of the evil one. His goal is to undermine your faith at every turn. The problems we face may seem material on the surface, but at their root, they are spiritual. Our ultimate problem is a problem of faith.
Why is faith the root problem? Because the root of all sin is unbelief. When we sin, it’s because we are failing to trust in God’s promises. Think about the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Luther explains that this means we are to fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
When we allow the cares and concerns of this world to overwhelm us, when we lose sight of God’s promises, we are breaking this First Commandment. Every other sin flows from this one.
Take, for example, the commandment not to bear false witness against our neighbor. God commands us to speak well of our neighbor, to defend them, and to uphold their reputation. But how often do we fall into the trap of gossip and backbiting? When we speak ill of our neighbor, what we’re really saying to God is, “I don’t trust You. I think things will go better for me if I tear this person down.” That’s unbelief, plain and simple. And unbelief is the root of every sin.
And this is precisely what Jesus wants us to understand in today’s Gospel lesson: our fundamental problem is unbelief, or faithlessness. But even as He confronts this problem, He also reveals that He is the solution.
When the father in the story sees Jesus, he cries out, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” To this, Jesus responds, “If you can? All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately, the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
What a profound and honest statement. The man acknowledges that, while he has some faith, it is mixed with doubt, and he pleads with Jesus to strengthen his faith. Let that be our cry as well. “I believe; help my unbelief!” We, too, must recognize that our faith is often weak, and we need Christ to help us trust in Him more fully.
Christ confronts the unbelief of all those around Him with a powerful demonstration of His authority over evil. He casts out the demon, showing His power over the forces of darkness. But this miracle is about more than just freeing one boy from demonic affliction—it’s about confronting the deeper, spiritual problem that plagues all of humanity: faithlessness.
And isn’t this what Christ ultimately accomplished through His death and resurrection? The devil sought to lead Jesus astray, tempting Him to abandon the Father’s plan, to doubt His calling to lay down His life for the sake of the world. But Christ remained faithful—faithful even to the point of death on a cross.
Through His death, Christ conquered sin, death, and the devil. And through His resurrection, He demonstrated His victory over these powers once and for all. As we look to the cross, we see the depth of God’s love for us, and we see the solution to our faithlessness. In the cross and the empty tomb, we find forgiveness for our unbelief, for our doubts, for our sins.
This is why Christ calls us to faith. He is not only calling us to believe in His power but to believe in His victory—His victory over the forces of evil, over the powers of sin and death. And He invites us to trust that His victory is for us, that through Him, we are set free from the fear of death and the power of the devil.
Brothers and sisters, as you go through the trials and challenges of this life, whatever they may be, do not lose faith. When you are confronted with your own sinfulness, when the devil seeks to make you doubt, remember the shield of faith that God has given you. That faith, which is a gift from God, is what enables you to stand firm in the face of all the devil’s attacks.
Look to Christ. He is your shield. He is the one who extinguishes the fiery darts of the evil one. He is the one who has already won the victory on your behalf.
And so, in those moments when your faith feels weak, when you are struggling with doubts, turn to Him. Pray, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” And know that He is faithful to answer that prayer. He is faithful to strengthen your faith through His Word, through His sacraments, and through the fellowship of His people.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.