Series: Short Stories with Jesus
Message: Faithless 
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Reflection: Karl Haffner
Live Wonder: Zan Long
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Purpose: Jessyka Albert
Editor: Becky De Oliveira

Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.

Read: Mark 9:17-27 in The Message (MSG). Note 1–3 insights or questions.

Reflect: Benjamin was born a deaf mute. He was also an epileptic. But even worse, Benjamin was demon-possessed. You understand this cast a lot of scorn on me, his father. People all over town murmured, wondering what sin I had committed to cause this curse upon my son. Other dads took their boys to ball games. They bragged about how big and strong and fast their boys were. Benjamin was developmentally challenged. He was the brunt of all the jokes. One time we tried to take Benjamin camping. That proved to be a disaster. I turned my back for just a moment and saw my boy sitting in the fire. I dragged him out and doused him with dirt. The next morning he nearly drowned in the lake near our campsite. There really was no reason to pretend that we were a normal family that took camping trips. It was a bleak situation. I was on alert 24 hours a day, seven days a week—desperate, hopeless, and exhausted. Then I heard about this healer named Jesus. The stories sparked an ember of hope. Jesus had just been in the vicinity of the De- capolis where some people brought a deaf man who could hardly speak and Jesus healed him. Then He fed 4,000 people with seven loaves and a few small fishes. Then He healed a blind man at Bethsaida. Hope surged within my soul. My heart raced, giddy with anticipation. “Depart from him!” the disciples demanded of the demon. They slapped Ben- jamin’s forehead. My heart stopped. But nothing happened. My boy was still locked in his prison of insanity. I should have known better. We all know the cliché, right? “If it sounds too good to be true . . . it is.” I felt like an idiot for hoping.

Just then Jesus arrived on the scene. I threw myself at His feet and cried out (Mark 9:17-18). Jesus didn’t attempt to hide His disgust (Mark 9:19). I dragged Benjamin to Jesus. He graveled in the dirt and spit on Him. He cursed and kicked. Jesus wanted to know how long he’d been like this. I said, “All his life.” Then I begged Jesus, “If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!” (Mark 9:22). Jesus was incredulous. “If?” He barked. “There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen” (Mark 9:23). I cried out, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!” Immediately Benjamin stopped his convulsions. At first I feared that he had died. But then he sat up. And for the first time in his life he looked me in the eye and he said, “Dad?” I threw my arms around him and repeated, “I love you, Son. I love you, Son.” `

Recalibrate: With whom do you identify the most in this story? Why?

Respond: Talk to God in a manner that reflects the raw honesty of the father’s prayer.

Research: Do an Internet search on the topic of attitudes toward demon possession in the ancient world.

Remember: “Everything is possible for one who believes.” —Mark 9:23 (NIV)

Karl Haffner gets to hang out with some fabulous folk at the Kettering Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ohio where he serves as pastor. He's blessed with his wife, Cherié, and their two daughters, Lindsey (a senior at Walla Walla University) and Claire (a junior at Spring Valley Academy). They also have a mutt named Skip.

Sing “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know” with your little one. Tell them about the boy and his dad who met Jesus, and how their lives were changed forever.

Jesus knows us inside and out. He knows what is going on in our lives just like He knew about the boy in this week’s story in Mark 9:17-27. Jesus asks us questions to help us to believe in Him. What questions do you think Jesus would ask you?

Describe a time or situation when you felt com- pletely helpless. Being completely helpless is one of the worst feelings in the world. Is there anything that has ever made you feel better in a situation in which you felt helpless?