9:21,22
When we do think we are dealing with demonic stuff we tend to think we have to be all dramatic, and this can lead to abusive situations, and gives “exorcism” a bad name. Jesus took a different approach, a much calmer one. He asks the father how long the boy has been suffering this sort of stuff. The father tells Jesus that this has been going on since childhood, ie most of the boy’s life, and that the spirit tries to kill the boy. And then says “if you can do anything ...”
9:23
“If you can!” Jesus is shocked by this part of what the man says. Or perhaps it is better to say that He is severely reproving the man for thinking this, not in order to do him down, but to lift him up to a place of faith. But we should notice Jesus’ shock. If we look in the gospels we see that Jesus is pleased when people have faith in Him, faith in Him to do something, usually to heal someone. And we see that Jesus is disappointed when people do not have faith for Him to do something. Now I know that some charismatics (and others) get things wrong and have wrong, even hurtful, attitudes towards healing, but the clear message of the gospels is that God is pleased when we trust Him to heal. As Jesus said, “All things are possible for him who believes.”
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