“Then one of the crowd answered and said, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.’ He answered him and said, ‘O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me‘” (Mark 9:17-19, emphasis mine).
Four of the most comforting words ever heard are those spoken by Jesus in the above Scripture passage: “Bring him to Me.”
Here is a father at his wit’s end at finding help for his son who had “a mute spirit.” I’m sure he had already tried everything he could think of to bring relief to his afflicted child, but nothing worked. He had even taken him to Jesus’ disciples, but they were also helpless in healing the child and thereby providing a sense of relief to the parents.
Reading on past verse nineteen, we see that the son, in this case, was indwelt by a demon that prohibited him from speaking and would throw him in fire or water in an attempt to kill him. Obviously, his parents had to carefully watch over him 24/7 and no doubt were exhausted both physically, mentally and emotionally.
The child’s father asked Jesus, “but if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Notice that he asked for help not just for the son but also for himself and his wife. However, notice again what he says at the very beginning of this statement, “but if you can do anything.”
Jesus replied, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” The NIV actually provides greater clarity to Jesus’ reply. It says, “If you can? Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Can’t you just hear Jesus? “If I can! What do you mean, if I can? Of course, I can, and anything is possible if you will believe in Me.” At this point, the father tearfully cried out and said, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”
When Jesus removed the demon spirit, the child appeared as dead, but Jesus took him by the hand and raised him up.
My point in this article is not about physical healing or removing demon spirits. The point is Satan wants our children. He knows those children will eventually grow out of their age of innocence and become responsible for their sins. Satan wants to steer everyone away from Jesus and follow him instead, but Jesus says, “Bring him to Me.” In other words, Jesus is saying, “All who will, come to Me.”
Satan and his demons are very intelligent and very strong. They want our souls. Only Jesus could remove the demon from this child we have read about, and only Jesus can save any of us from Satan’s clutches. Satan will use any means necessary to keep us from Jesus.
In these days we live in, the young and old alike face so many more temptations than my age group did. Today, homosexuality, transgenderism, satanic cults, water-downed sermons from spineless so-called pastors, pornography in every venue, fatherless homes, crime on every street corner, dishonesty, greed, and the list goes on, are consuming the hearts and minds of those who do not know God. Did these things exist before? Of course, they did, but nothing even close to the scale we are seeing today.
Jesus is on the threshold of coming for His bride, the Church, then pummeling this world with a judgment that comes from Heaven itself, commonly called the Tribulation. Jesus says in His Word, the Bible, that He will not turn anyone away who comes to Him to be saved.
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).
Many of you are alarmed at the wickedness in the world today and are very concerned about your loved ones, friends, co-workers, et al. Take them to Jesus in prayer. Prayer is a force between our Lord and His own that cannot be touched by Satan. Pray that they will see they are sinners in need of a Savior, and their only hope is in Jesus.
We all must come to Jesus on our own, but none will until they realize they are lost and bound for hell. They must repent (change their minds) and recognize they are a sinner in need of salvation, and that salvation can only come from Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They must believe He died for them, was buried and rose again that through Him, they can be saved. However, if they think they are “okay,” they will die in their sins.
- If one has cancer but refuses to believe it, he will die.
- If one wins the lottery but refuses to believe it, he will never see a dime.
- If one looks in the mirror and sees that he is a man but believes he is a woman, he will still die a man.
Until the lost see their need, and they need Jesus, they will die without Him and join Satan and all his followers in hell.
Again, Jesus said, “Bring him to Me.” We can and should do this by personal witness and also through prayer. Never underestimate God’s Word and the power of prayer. They still must decide on their own, but they will receive every opportunity to be saved.
Grant Phillips
Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html