This sermon is somewhat experimental, in that I point to Jesus' active, rather
than passive, obedience for our salvation.
I will not be offended by critique or protest.
The Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
JESUS IS THE ONE WHO BELIEVES
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!
Amen! When Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “All things are possible to the one
who believes,” He is not talking about you and (thankfully) He is not talking
about me. When Jesus says, “All things are possible for the one who believes,”
He is talking about Himself. By calling Himself “the one who believes” in this
Gospel, Jesus is giving the greatest possible benefits both to you and to me.
Dear Christian friends,
Today’s Gospel is like a museum or an art gallery. If you hurry through a
museum or an art gallery, you will also miss seeing many important and
beautiful things as you hasten by. Today’s Gospel is like a museum or an art
gallery because, if we hurry, we will miss this Gospel’s beauty and grace.
Today’s Gospel is like a man or a woman at a sewing machine. Sometimes when you
sew, you might lay down stitches where you think they should be, only to
discover that you have sewed into the wrong direction. What to do? You must
tear out the stitches and begin again. Today’s Gospel is like a man or a woman
at a sewing machine because it would be easy to stich in the wrong direction,
so to speak, when dealing with this Gospel.
The father or a demon-possessed child came to Jesus, desperate for help:
“Teacher,” the man said, “I brought my son to You, for he has a spirit that
makes him mute. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy
him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Jesus sounds surprised. “If you can!” He says. Then Jesus speaks life to this
man—and to you and to me. Jesus says, “All things are possible for one who
believes.”
PEOPLE OFTEN RUSH TO CONCLUSIONS!
Many times, when people hear Jesus say, “All things are possible for the one
who believes,” they quickly conclude that Jesus is telling this poor, desperate
father to have more faith. That would be like hurrying through a museum! When
Jesus says, “All things are possible for the one who believes,” people often
assume that our Lord is essentially saying, “Of course it is possible for Me to
do heal your son, sir, if you will only believe that it is possible!” If we
assume that Jesus is telling this man in today’s Gospel to have more faith, we
would be sewing in the wrong direction. Stiches would need to be removed!
Make no mistake about it: in many places throughout His Bible, God requires and
demands that we believe. God wants us to believe! For example,
• Jesus said to Thomas in John chapter 21—and He equally says also to
us—“Do not disbelieve, but believe” (John 21:27). But that is John chapter 21.
It is not Mark chapter 9, the Gospel for today.
• In addition to Jesus’ Words to Thomas, you probably can think of many
other verses where God speaks the same way, such as “By grace you have been
saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:9) and “[you are] justified by faith” (Romans
3:28).
There are many places throughout His Bible where God clearly requires and
demands you and me and all people to believe! None of those places are not Mark
chapter 9, the Gospel for today, where Jesus says, “All things are possible for
the one who believes.”
GOD DISPLAYS JESUS’ PERFECT FAITH IN THIS GOSPEL
When Jesus says, “All things are possible for the one who believes,” He is NOT
telling this desperate father in today’s Gospel to believe more. When Jesus
says, “All things are possible for the one who believes,” He is talking about
Himself.
• First, this desperate father says to Jesus, “If You can do anything,
have compassion on us.” With these words, the man is clearly is placing all his
hopes on Jesus’ abilities: If You can do anything, Jesus; if You are able,
Jesus; if it is possible for You, Jesus. Again, this man is talking about
Jesus’ abilities.
• Then Jesus repeats word-for-word what the man already said to Jesus.
“If You can?” By repeating the words this man spoke to Him, Jesus is also
talking about Jesus’ own abilities, in the same way that the man was. When
Jesus repeats the man’s words, “If you can,” Jesus is essentially saying “Of
course I can! Of course I am able! Of course it is possible for Me to have
compassion upon you and your son!”
• Here is the beautiful thing: How is it that Jesus can do this thing for
the man and his son? How is Jesus able to do this? How is it possible for
Jesus? It is possible for Jesus to drive the demon away from this man’s son
because—as Jesus Himself magnificently explains—“all things are possible for
the one who believes.” That is to say, all things are possible for Jesus
because Jesus believes. Again, Jesus is able to do all things because Jesus
believes.
Jesus is not requiring faith from you when He says to you today, “All things
are possible for the one who believes.” With these Words, Jesus is saying to
you that you receive wonderful gifts and benefits from the greatness of Jesus’
faith!
Like a marvelous painting on an art gallery wall, today’s Gospel also displays
for you the greatest and most glorious gift Jesus gives to you through the
greatness of His faith. Look at what Jesus’ powerful Words have done for that
desperate father!
• First the man comes to Jesus, praying only for his son’s healing. “If
You can do anything, have compassion on us.”
• Then this man hears Jesus declare concerning Himself, “All things are
possible for the one who believes.” After hearing this Good News about Jesus,
the man suddenly changes his prayer: “Lord I believe! Help my unbelief!” With
these words, this man is essentially saying, “My faith is not nearly strong
enough Lord! I need you to do all things for me—including and especially
believing!! You, Lord, rightly fear, love, and trust in God above all things. I
do not but You do! I must trust You to do my believing for me, just as I must
trust you in all other things!”
JESUS’ PEFRECT FAITH IS FOR YOUR BENEFIT AND BLESSING!
None of us here is so tormented by a demon that it throws us into fire or water
in order to destroy us, as happened to the poor boy in today’s Gospel. None of
us suffers that particular form of torment, but each of us suffers our torments
nonetheless!
• For some of us, the torment is within—either in tortured thoughts or in
aching bodies, as it was for this demon-possessed child. Illness, guilt, grief,
pain, selfishness, restlessness, dissatisfaction, addiction and more: these are
all inner torments that continue to assail faith and erode confidence in God
our Savior.
• For others of us, the torment is outward. To torment comes from family,
from neighbor, or from the events of our lives, as it did for this heartbroken
and weary father in today’s Gospel. For example, your loved one’s disease has
almost as much impact upon you as it does him. Disappointment, resentment,
loss, demand, competition: outward torments such as these continually dent the
armor, so to speak, and hope to weaken faith.
None of us has been identified as having a demon in our bodies or in our homes,
but there is a very good chance that each of us has reached a point where we
can honestly pray with the father in this Gospel, “Lord… help my unbelief!” The
only way any of us can survive some of the things we experience is by faith in
Jesus. But faith rises and falls like a rollercoaster. Faith flows in and out
like the passing tides. Faith is easily here today, while the weather is sunny
and warm, and faith is just as easily gone in tomorrow’s thunderstorm.
Suppose today’s Gospel is like an art gallery or museum: Look at the beautiful
painting of Jesus this Gospel contains for us! “All things are possible for the
one who believes.” With these Words,
• Your Lord is assuring you that He remains constant and true, even when
your faith wavers.
• Your Lord is telling you that He has kept ALL the Commandments
perfectly for you. In His obedience, Jesus kept even the First Commandment for
you. Stated another way, Jesus has feared, loved, and trusted in God above all
things; He has done so without fail; and He has done so with you.
• Your Lord wants you to know that, when your faith wavers, you can hide
under His faith. Where your faith runs thin, His faith covers you with a thick,
baptismal blanket. Where your faith grows tired, Jesus’ faith on your behalf
NEVER blinks or yawns.
This sounds ironic, but this desperate father in today’s Gospel was expressing
the greatest heights of faith when he confessed to Jesus on his knees, “Help my
unbelief.” May God grant to each of you equal confidence in Jesus, that you may
join with this father in complete trust that Jesus will truly supply you with
all things—including the faith you need to trust in Him.
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