THE DISCIPLES’ FAST

REASONS FOR FASTING

Introduction
Although this passage records an incident which occurred in the first century, and has to do with
circumstances that are strange to us, it teaches some powerful, timeless lessons--some of which are disturbing
and convicting, and some of which are comforting, but all of which are important for every one of us. We read
in this passage about a remarkable miracle of deliverance; it involved getting rid of a demon.

I. PATHOS
Notice first the extreme pathos of the situation. In verses 14-18 we read:
“And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with
them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him
saluted him. And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 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....”

The Bible certainly does not teach that every case of physical affliction is the result of demon possession, but
sometimes it is--and such was the case here in Mark 9. Satan constantly strives to destroy people’s lives,
including yours and mine. Sometimes he works through his demons and sometimes in other ways. He delights
to inflict physical hurt and sometimes does, as in the case recorded here.

However, his main goal is to cause moral and spiritual ruin. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” His first objective is
to distract lost people from from seeking salvation, and to make their lives as wretched and wasted as he
possibly can.

His second objective, then, is to afflict Christians and to make them sorrowful and unproductive. In Luke 22:31
Jesus said to Simon Peter, “...behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.”

Multitudes of people today are miserable and defeated because Satan, by one means or another, has ruined
their lives. Don’t make any mistake as to who is behind all that is evil and hurtful; it’s the devil--Satan. He’s
behind the liquor and drug traffic; he’s behind the sexual immorality that runs so rampant today; he’s behind
the filthy movies and TV programs, the so-called music that contains unholy, degrading lyrics, the lewd printed
materials, and the internet pornography; he’s the author of all that is God-dishonoring and unclean and
putrid.
The pathos of the wrecked lives all around us ought to weigh upon our hearts and move us to action.
II. POWERLESSNESS
Look also at the powerlessness of the disciples. According to verse 18 the man said to Jesus, “...I spake to thy
disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.”

Why couldn’t they? When Jesus sent forth the twelve (Mark 6:7, 13) and later the seventy (Luke 10:1), one of
the commands he gave them was to cast out evil spirits, and apparently they experienced a notable measure
of success. Luke 10:17 says, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject
unto us through thy name.” But now the disciples that were with Jesus couldn’t, because they hadn’t met
God’s conditions for that kind of power.

How sad that all too often we twenty-first century Christians also find ourselves powerless in the face of the
God-given assignments that are ours--such as soul-winning, leading believers into experiences of service and
growth, and combatting the social evils that threaten to destroy our homes and our nation.

How their powerlessness and lack of faith saddened the Savior’s great heart, and our spiritual weaknesses
today must surely have the same effect. In verses 19-21 we read:

“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.”

III. PLEA
We see in verse 22 the plea of the heartbroken father: “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.”

Notice that the father so identified with his son’s need that he said, “Have compassion on us...help us.” If you
and I are to be effective in pointing others to the Savior we must have that same kind of concern--the kind that
causes us to hurt with those who are hurting. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and
weep with them that weep.”

It’s good that this man came to the right source for help, because the kind of help he needed simply could not
have come from anywhere else. In John 6 we read that many were turning away from Jesus as they were
confronted with the stiff challenges of real discipleship, and in verse 67 Jesus said to the twelve, “Will ye also
go away?” According to verse 68 Simon Peter said, “...Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of
eternal life.” Abraham Lincoln once said, “Many times I’ve gone to my knees because there was nowhere else
to go.”
There may be all sorts of resources that look promising; but for the miracle of deliverance from Satanic or
demonic affliction the only valid source of help is Jesus Christ. Wisely, therefore, did this heartbroken father
direct his plea to the Savior.

IV. PROMISE
Then, in verse 23 we see the Lord’s promise: “Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible
to him that believeth.” Jesus was saying, in effect, “Friend, you’ve got the ‘if’ in the wrong place. If you can
believe, all things are possible.”

The obvious meaning of “all things” is all things that are within the scope of God’s will. Sometimes, for reasons
that are beyond us, it isn’t God’s will to deliver from physical handicaps or illnesses. In 2 Corinthians we read
of how the apostle Paul pled for God to remove his painful “thorn in the flesh,” but God said “No.” However,
God went on to say, in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “...My grace is sufficient for thee...,” and he poured such strength
into Paul’s life that Paul was delivered from the defeat that his “thorn in the flesh” had threatened to cause.

But moral and spiritual deliverance is always God’s will--it is always his will to deliver people from the clutches
of Satan or his demons, and that most certainly includes delivering the lost from the condemnation of sin. 2
Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-
suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

It is also his will to deliver believers from attacks by Satan or his demons.

2 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.” The author of Psalm 18:2
testified, “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer....” In Psalm 50:15 our Lord gives this great
invitation: “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Moral and
spiritual deliverance are always available to those who will believe. So, don’t lose hope in regard to that loved
one or relative or neighbor or fellow worker, regardless of how steeped in sin he might be, or regardless of
how obstinate and disinterested he might be, for “all things are possible to him that believeth.”

V. PRICE
Then Jesus explained the price that has to be paid for that kind of power. Verse 29: “And he said unto them,
This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”