Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been with him?” “From childhood,” he said.He asked his father, “How long has it been since this has been happening to him?” He said, “From childhood.And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.And he asked his father, How long time is it since this hath come unto him? And he said, From a child.
3 sermons cite this verse
… right there in front of everybody. And the text says that Jesus asked the boy's father, how long has this been happening to him? And he said, from childhood. And then the father goes on to describe to Jesus, Jesus, this evil spirit has tried to kill my son over and over. my son's life. We can't leave him alone. He can never be alone. It's constant. It's all the time. We're at the end of ourselves. And he pleads with Jesus. He says, but if you can, if you can, if you can do anything, please take pity on us and help us. And Jesus said to him, if I can, if I can. And then he says, all things, all things are possible to him who believes. And immediately the boy's father, if he wasn't already on his knees, the boy's father cries out, I do believe, I do believe, Jesus, I do believe. But then he looks at his son on the ground. and there's been years of this. …
… And Jesus asked his father, How long has this been happening to him? And his father said, From childhood. And it's often cast him into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, Have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said to him, if you can, all things are possible for one who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe, help my unbelief. And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, you mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again. and after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out and the boy was like a corpse so that most of them said he is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose and when he had entered his house, the disciples asked him privately, why could we not cast it out? …
… We got to get chicken and waffles after this. Okay, Mark 9, verses 21 through 24, tell an incredible story of a man who was at the end of his rope. He says, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. This is the response of a man who's had an encounter with Jesus, but Jesus has challenged him to have faith in an area where he has experienced defeat. Jesus challenges him to have faith. All you need in this moment is to have more faith. If you can have more faith, then anything can happen. But this man says to him, it's not that I don't have faith. I have some, but mixed in with my faith is some unbelief. And to be fair, this man has reason to have some unbelief. His son since birth has been inflicted with a mute spirit. and in addition to having this mute spirit, this spirit, it seizes him. It throws him down. He foams at the mouth. It causes him to gnash his teeth and he becomes rigid and this has been happening since the boy was born. We can assume that he's gone from doctor to physician and nobody knows what's happening with this boy and he finally brings his son to these disciples, these disciples that have been anointed these disciples who have been dispatched by this man named Jesus and they are creating healing in other people and they're casting out devils in other people but when he brings his son to them he all 12 of them lined up and can't nobody do anything …