Tylenol Prayers (Mark 9:14-29)
Verse 29 After the Disciples failed to get the demon out, they ask Jesus why they couldn’t get the demon out.
- Jesus gives an answer about prayer.
- Some translation includes the word fasting.
- But the word fasting is not in the most original Greek texts.
- It is simply the Greek word for prayer. προσευχῇ
- The concept of fasting is also not tied up in this word.
- Rather the idea of faith and believe are tied up in this word.
- So better way to render this might be, “This kind can only come out through believing prayer.”
- The earliest and best Greek copies don’t have fasting.
- So, what is Jesus getting at here?
- Many scholars today believe that the disciples couldn’t get that demon out because they had resorted to a formula.
- They had seen Jesus cast out demons before and they were just trying to repeat what they had heard Jesus say before.
- Thinking it worked like a formula or prescription.
- But using a formula doesn’t really require faith.
- Hence Jesus’ comment about believing
- But the essence of what Jesus is getting at here is to pray something different than what they were doing.
- Obviously, what they were doing wasn’t working.
- Sometimes we need to change the way we are praying.
- I think this is what Jesus was telling His disciple here in this verse.
- Stop praying the same simple prayer over and over again even though it is not working.
Verse 25 When Jesus does pray for this boy, He does not pray paracetamol prayers
- Jesus doesn’t pray a nice simple prayer.
- “Oh demon please come out.”
- He uses command prayers rooted in believing faith.
- You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
- Jesus calls the demon by name and then commands it to do it what He wants.
- Something that is probably a little different and stronger than what the Disciples had tried.
- Another clue as to why they couldn’t get the demon out is probably in the next section where they argue about who is the greatest.
- Staring in Mark 9:33 the disciples start to argue about who is the greatest. So, pride was also an issue.
- This kind of pride hinders our prayers.