Deaf And Dumb Spirits - Part 1

"And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, 'You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.' " - Mark 9:25 ESV

To the modern mind in a technological society passages like this are glossed over. The idea of a 'dumb spirit' is thought to be primitive. Psychology (or Pseudo-psychology) has become the everyday person's hobby. People diagnose instead of discern.

On vacation we walked into a casino to get cash out of a cash machine and you could sense the spirit in there. Dry. Stale. Maniac. Self-deception and escapism hung in the air like a cloud. Unclean. Deaf. Dumb. Lambs shambling in to be fleeced with a dull blade.

I find this passage interesting because Jesus saw the confusion and discerned something. Here is the context of the passage.

"And someone from the crowd answered him, 'Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.' And he answered them, 'O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.' And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, 'How long has this been happening to him?' And he said, 'From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.' And Jesus said to him, ''If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 'I believe; help my unbelief!' And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, 'You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.' " - Mark 9:17-25 ESV

I read a wonderful post recently by a mother with a special needs child. She was adamant about challenging her child with creative communication. She hasn't sat idly by let her child be withdrawn. She lovingly rebukes the barriers that block communication. If her child can't 'hear' a concept she creatively communicates in a dozen other ways to bring the idea patiently across. That child is blossoming under her patient gracious care.

Jesus stepped into the confusion with faith and gracious truth.

And Jesus said to him, ''If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes.'

Yes! That is the voice of reason. That is what a hopeless and faithless person needs to hear but they may be deaf and dumb from atmosphere they have lived in all their lives. People may need gentle creative repetition for the truth to cut through the gloom. They may need time for the sun to burn off the stale mist that has covered their lives.

A good Bible college is a place where that can happen. A living church that meets more than once a week on Sundays. A wholesome group that does things together and talks about God over coffee.

That father said, 'I believe; help my unbelief!'. He was tired and confused. He tried everything he could think of but was barely able to keep his child alive. It's that us sometimes?

Don't settle for a stale psychology! There are forces that seek to block redemptive communication. The mob needs confusion to exist. A meek spiritual person who has been with Jesus can discern and speak and walls come down. They are riding a wave of objective power. The are sent and have the authority of the One who sends them infused in words that reflect Biblical truth.

So, confusion may be the mindset of the day but let us be ones that rest in truth and have our feet planted on the rock. As ministers of reconciliation we can reach out our hand and other can join us in the oasis of calm. It is a big rock. No one can say there is no room there.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." - John 3:16-17 KJV

Yes, God. Make us intelligent discerners. Give us redemptive meditations today. Make us individuals that reflect your Son. You are the King. Give us words that affect the atmosphere of any room we enter. Disarm confusion. We bring You into our largest problems and You rebuke the spirits that block hearing and speaking. You are the light in our darkness. You are the hope of our generation. Praise You Lord. Thank you Jesus.

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