The Lord Jesus was coming down from the top of the mountain where He had been transfigured. With Him were Peter, James, and John who had witnessed all that had happened up there. Can you imagine the exhilarating experience that the transfiguration scene must have been for these disciples? They had been on the top of the world, so to speak. They had been far removed from the cares and concerns of this life, seeing their Lord, Moses, and Elijah in the glory that illuminated the mountain top on this day, and hearing the voice of God! I can’t imagine anything on this earth that could compare! But this was all past now, and they must return to the world below—a world very like our own, with the concerns and problems of life at every turn. Perhaps you’ve had the experience of having been with the Lord’s people or in His Word, and you were lifted up greatly, only to awaken the next morning to find the real world and all its cares before you. That is always a very difficult descent.
As the Lord Jesus came down from the mountain with His three disciples, He was greeted by a vigorous discussion going on between His other disciples and a great multitude. In verse 14 we read, “And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.” There was a lot of excitement in the crowd on this day, and when they saw Jesus, we read that they ran to Him. I’m sure that when the crowd got to Jesus, they were all out of breath, and all talking at once so that it was hard to tell what was happening. When Jesus asked the scribes what they had been questioning the disciples about, they didn’t get much of a chance to answer. One in the crowd was very concerned about his son on this day, and he spoke up to tell what this was all about. He was the father of a boy who had an evil spirit, and this spirit would grip the boy in periodic attacks and cause him to fall to the ground losing all control of his body. At times, the boy was near water or fire when the foul spirit attacked him, and his health and even his life was clearly in danger. This man had brought his son to Jesus for healing, but Jesus had been away on that mountain. So, the father had tried to get the disciples to cast out the demon, but they had failed. As hope was fading in this heartsick father, the Lord Jesus Himself had come on the scene. Hence the father’s excitement as he spilled out his tragic story (verses 17-22).
Can you identify with this father? If you’ve ever had a critically sick child, I’m sure that you can relate to his desperate tones. When a loved one was hurting or in danger, did you ever feel that the Lord seemed far away? You prayed with all your heart, but nothing seemed to happen, and you asked yourself, “why does the Lord not act? Does He not hear me? Does He not realize?” To this distraught father, the love and power of the Savior must have seemed very far away. The father’s heart is revealed as he blurts out (verse 22), “…but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.” If Thou canst do anything? Did this father realize who he was talking to? Like the entire crowd, I think this man sensed that Jesus could help, and this is why he and the entire throng had run to Jesus with such excitement when they saw Him coming. But Jesus had seemed so far away when the father had first sought His help, and even now, things were not happening quickly; perhaps the man was beginning to feel that the Lord was not willing to help. the desperation in his heart was growing as the emergency of the moment seemed to climax. The Lord Jesus responded, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (verse 23). At this point, the man cried out with tears of desperation in words that touch our souls, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
These seem to be desperate words, but they are honest. This is where the rubber meets the road for many of us, isn’t it? We know that the just shall live by faith, and we truly desire that; but the realities of the world sometimes seem very threatening to our senses. And yet it is at just these times when faith would have us call upon the name of the Lord (Psalm 50:15, “and call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”) Once when the disciples were on a stormy sea, shortly after the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:22-33), the Lord Jesus was again on a high hill far away from them. He was praying for them while others slept. But it must have seemed to the disciples that He, being so far away, didn’t know their peril—yet He came to them in their hour of need in the fourth watch of the night and calmed the sea.
Another time (Luke 24:13-35), there were two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and they were troubled deeply about all that had happened in Jerusalem concerning the trial and crucifixion of the Lord. Perhaps they felt alone, and that the heaviness of their hearts was only known between them as they walked along. Yet it was the Lord Jesus Himself who knew their thoughts and came to them and walked with them at just such a time, opening the scriptures and comforting their hearts. Our Lord Jesus may be above in the glory with the Father right now, but He is the same Lord Jesus who comforted and cared for His disciples when walking in this scene. Though He is in glory, He knows the cares and needs of His own, and He hears our cries and sees every tear.
Well, the heart of this despairing father was rejoiced in the healing of his son, and faith was strengthened this day (verses 25-27). But what about the disciples? They had tried to heal this boy on their own but had failed. Now they wondered, asking the Lord why they couldn’t cast out the foul spirit. Have you ever experienced that kind of let down? Perhaps in faith, you set out to do great things for the Lord, only to see nothing come of your efforts. The words of the Lord in verse 29 might remind us where our power really is, “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. Let us be constantly before the Lord in prayer, seeking His power and not trusting in ourselves. Prayer is the sign of dependence on the Lord, and it should be the constant and evident characteristic of the people of God. “Pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Phil. 4: 6,7: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.