But Can You Heal My Boy?
What to do about all the people around us who are in too much pain to care about the issues we're all arguing about.
Here’s the scene:
Some Jesus followers were standing around arguing with some Jewish leaders about who knows what. Sabbath rules. Fasting. Hand-washing. Etc.
Maybe they got into discussions about whether living under Roman imperial rule was a good thing for the average citizen or not. The Sadducees seemed to think so. The Pharisees didn’t.
Even among the disciples of Jesus, there were likely disagreements. We’re told Simon was a Zealot. They hated and sought to violently overthrow the Roman occupiers. Levi (Matthew), on the other hand, was a tax collector. For Rome. His paychecks were signed (proverbially speaking) by Simon’s worst enemies.
There were plenty of issues to argue about. Systemic oppression, slavery, poverty, taxation without representation, etc.
Meanwhile:
Off to the side, a man approaches Jesus with a deeply personal request.
Can you heal my boy?
And I paraphrase… He’s really sick. We think he’s possessed. It’s bad.
I asked your disciples to help. But in spite of their keen ability to articulate their stances on religious doctrine and argue wittily about partisan politics, they couldn’t do anything.
Jesus expresses frustration.
Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here.” They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth.
~ Mark 9:19-20, The Message
Whatever your beliefs might be about demons and demon possession, this boy’s sickness consumed the heart of his father. He was desperate for healing - probably far too desperate to join in any of the arguments taking place.
The boy’s Dad issues two different, seemingly conflicting professions of his faith.
Profession #1: “I believe!”
And in the very same breath…
Profession #2: “Help me with my doubts!”
In response, Jesus healed the boy.
Later, the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t heal the boy themselves.
Jesus’ answer connected back to his previously expressed frustration about the times in which he was living when people had strong opinions about all kinds of religious and social topics, but little actual connection with the living and ever-present God.
“This particular kind of healing only happens through prayer.”
There Is a Time for Arguing
We’re living through some hard moments in our culture. In my own context as an American, we’re in the middle of a tug-of-war between forces most people fail to fully understand.
We tend to immerse ourselves in opinions and arguments about immigration, reproductive rights, racial justice, poverty, taxes, and the role of government in our daily lives.
Thank God prophetic voices, capable researchers, organizers, and activists are working on all of these issues and more.
We need advocates and allies to speak up on behalf of those who experience systemic discrimination and oppression.
We need scholars who devote hours to researching the history and origins of movements that are clashing before our eyes.
We need politicians (bear with me) who will write and implement policies that give everyone freedom and upward mobility.
We need prophets who will boldly call out injustice and inequality and point us to a better way.
But people who are suffering each day, trying to survive, are asking a very different question.
Can you heal my boy?
It’s Always Time for Prayer
Whatever headlines might have our attention today, someone in your office is secretly drinking way too much to cope with the pain of a failing relationship.
Someone in your neighborhood is facing bankruptcy because of mounting medical bills that exacerbate the problem of their chronic illness.
A teenager on the bus riding past your window is struggling with depression and anxiety to the point they’ve considered the worst of all possible ways to end the pain.
You can fix some problems with policies and protests, but the deepest kinds of pain need a God-sized solution.
The church - the vast, diverse collection of people attempting to follow Jesus - has the spiritual resources to address human suffering on a level that invites the supernatural Creator of the universe to intervene.
We don’t always have an awareness of those spiritual resources or a sensitivity to how God wants to partner with us to bring healing.
A Mister Rogers quote that has pulled me back from the abyss of fatalistic thinking time and again (my wife reminded me of it just last night) is this:
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’
~ Fred Rogers
It’s inspiring, isn’t it, to notice humans loving and caring for other humans in tangible ways? We need more of that.
I want the world to see the Christian church as the solution rather than the problem, as a body of helpers who show up with healing in various forms rather than a source of pain and judgment.
And unless we’re cultivating a relationship with God through prayer, we’ll miss the bigger story that enables us to show up for people who are suffering.
I don’t mean prayer as repeating words at certain times of the day to keep God happy, though regular prayer is definitely a worthy discipline. Jesus modeled it and encouraged us to continue with it.
What I mean by prayer is that we need to recapture a sense of awe and wonder at the invisible, divine power at work in the world. We need to spend time listening, observing, and connecting with the ways in which God is already at work in the world around us.
And then, in our prayer, we should commit to joining God in that work.
It is in this kind of prayer that we discover the solutions people need. (And I believe the solutions people need are many and multi-faceted.)
It is in these secret places in which we meet with the Almighty that we regain the strength to keep marching.
It is in prayer that we commune with our High Priest about all that burdens our heavy hearts.
It is in prayer that we hear the gentle whisper of the Spirit reminding us of the ways in which God’s heart is even more broken than ours.
Well-formed arguments can help shape a better, brighter future for the next generation. But well-formed theology, refined by time spent in communion with God, will open the eyes of the blind to the deeper realities of life.
I want to be ready when someone asks me why I care so much about the issues that break my heart.
But I want to be even more prepared when someone hits me with the only question they care about in their deepest moments of pain.
But can you heal my boy?
Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash.
Bravo Brandon. Well said. This resonates very deeply with my spirit and answers the question I didn't realize I have. I pray often. I praise and give Thanksgiving to God regularly. I talk to God outloud (I can do this because I live alone.) My entire apartment is my prayer closet. I pray for others, all the things that are happening in our world. But, I believe your point about "but can you heal my boy?" clouded my deep consistent longing to be healed and find the God connections, He created me for. My health limits my participation in church, group activities at times, and isolated me. I have so much love to give and a strong desire to find my church community. I believe I've been complacent in praying for myself. I pray but not believing He not only can, but will heal me so I can get back to the purpose He created me for. If you think of me, please ask God to give me the wisdom to pray effectively and believe He will heal me, use me again, and connect me with like minded believers.
Your posts always are spot on for me. I thank God for using you to remind me of what I know, but in my pain, forget to spend more Quality time with God.
Thank you so much! I hope to attend Bread and Wine Church soon.
Blessings to you and your sweet family !