If Goes Out the Window
And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. Mark 9:17-25 (KJV)
This passage has caused much confusion for people. The phrase “help thou mine unbelief,” has given birth to many erroneous doctrines and beliefs. Many have used this passage to say unbelief is okay and acceptable by God. It is not. It takes faith to please God, not unbelief.
The word help is the Greek word boetheo, which means to aid, relieve, help, and assist. This man pleaded with Jesus to help them IF He could. That word if caused a dramatic response from Jesus. It is as if Jesus was saying. “If! What do you mean if?” He was pointing out that when faith is involved, if goes out the window. He told the man that all things are possible when we believe. The man received what Jesus was saying, and he believed that Jesus could do it. He did not hesitate in his reply to Jesus, which shows he did believe what Jesus said. He did not stand there wavering. However, it appears he did not have much faith in his own ability to believe. Therefore, he went to Jesus, the One who had the ability to add His faith where his own might fall short. In essence, he said, “I believe, but if my belief is not enough, assist me by giving me some of yours. Help me overcome where I may be weak.”
Read a portion of it here in the New International Version and you’ll see what I mean.
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “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.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 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.” Mark 9:21-25 (NIV)
Faith doesn’t mean having confidence in our ability to believe. It means having confidence in God. And God is the source of our faith. We can go to Him and ask Him to help us overcome in areas where we our faith needs built up. He can provide that extra faith boost we need. When He does, if goes out the window.
