14When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
16"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.
17A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."
19"O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."
20So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"
"From childhood," he answered. 22"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."
23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
25When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."
26The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
28After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
29He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."
30They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were...
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"Miracle healing". This thought has been on my mind for quite a while and resurfaced when one of my friends asked me to visit a church's miracle healing seminar. As someone who is privileged to study the art of medicine, it is indeed hard for me to understand how these miracle healing/healers work. Yet, the Lord I worship and believe has shown great healing and mercy. I once reasoned that we don't see such acts of miracle healing cos this generation (of the new testament) no longer needs such miracles to reveal God's presence for He has been revealed through Christ. My pastor offered another perspective that miracles in our understanding today is a quick and swift fix to our problems (cos it defies time), so is the healing a stage 4 CA over 10yrs considered a miracle? It definitely is! But just that these "miracles" are not so visible.
Was talking with Sam over lunch about this and he shared another friend's view that we don't see such acts of miracles cos we are a generation without such faith. Miracles happen all around us, but we have not the faith to see them and believe that it is a miracle. Hmm...i do find this opinion hard to dispute. Even Christ called us an "unbelieving generation".
Yet, I still struggle with the act of miracles and our attitudes towards them. When miracles happen after we pray, people often attribute the power of healing to the person who prayed "Oh, you are a man of greater faith thus God has heard your prayer". But is that so? Does God only hear the prayers of a "man with greater faith"? Does he not hear all our prayers, as he promised he would in the Bible? I get a sense of self-centeredness thru all these healing seminars/acts of healing instead of a God-centered worship.
But on the other hand, Jesus has rebuked the heart of the faithless. Like in the above passage, the father said "But if you can do anything" (v22) and Jesus immediately pointed out his faithlessness "If you can?...everything is possible for him who believes." (v23). Have I too been too faithless in believing that God can perform miracles? Have I been too faithless and timid to ask God for miracles? Did Jesus not say "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt...it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Mat 21:21-22). On reflecting, I do realise that my prayers have often been full of doubts and "what ifs". Ha, such an unbelieving heart...
I remember somewhere in the book of Proverbs, King Solomen commented that the prayer of a unbelieving heart is like an insult to God (or something to that extend, but I can't find that verse). Ah, Father, I do believe you are a God of miracles; give me greater faith and help me overcome my unbelief! Amen.
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