A Fathers’ Cry
Luke 9:37-42
Bro. Ammar Saheli, Evangelist
One of the most passionate stories in the Bible is recorded in Luke 9:37-47 and is amplified in Mark 9:24. It shows the collaboration between earthly love and the divine power of God. The elements within are critical and vitally important. They speak to the love of a real father and the allegorical problems and dangers within the tempestuous life of a son. Within the Christly encounter a father loved his son and was driven to tears because of his cantankerous condition.
Notice the apparent environmental stage the Bible presents:
Why was this father forced to cry out to Jesus? The Bible illustrates that this boy was taken by a spirit. Because of his evil possession he was out of control. He was beyond himself. He was injuring himself and foaming at the mouth. This very condition is where some of our young boys are today. He was on a road of self destruction. He gnashed his teeth, was drying out, and withering away (Mark 9:18). A simple request or plea to the boy, “please, please do right,” resolved nothing. Some boys have moved beyond dialogue, beyond counseling, beyond love, beyond discipline, and beyond incarceration. Divine intervention is needed in the form of a fathers’ cry.
This young boy had been in the water and in the fire, a representation of the world and all of its danger (Mark 9:22). His father could no longer bear the site of watching his son dissolve and self mutilate. The father said, “…Have compassion on us, and help us” (Mark 9:22). The story thickened when Jesus asked the man if he could believe it all was possible. With the man knowing that the healing of his son was partially predicated upon his faith, in tears he said, “Lord I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Of course Jesus healed the boy and there is another level to this story that is truly monumental, but of a different direction.
To bring this son back to spiritual normalcy it took the love of a father and the power of God. The apostles were unprepared to deal with such a vicious demonic grip, but the determination within a fathers’ cry helped bring a son to spiritual safety. For the wayward, keep crying out for deliverance.