Just read the passage about the demon possessed boy who throws himself in fire and water (Mark 9:17+). The father was desperate to have him healed. Frankly it reminds me a bit about Ethan. I can relate to the desperation of the father to have him healed so much so that when Jesus says he must believe, the man both claims some level of belief and then entreats the Lord to help him with any unbelief. A statement that says he desperately wants to come up to a level of effective belief and is immediately sorry for any lack thereof at this critical time. What a powerful passage it is when read in that light. How would this relate to parents of disabled kids? How often have we made that same plea?
The father said ‘if you can help us, have pity on us.’ No doubt their case was quite pitiful. Yet Jesus does not go for that. He does not address them as a pity case but surprisingly treats him as an adult and actually attacks his statement. ‘If you can’ he quotes the men. ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’ The man ‘immediately’ answered with his statement. A kind of repentance for his doubt, and with that the boy is healed.
