They Didn’t Seem to Get It

KATHY GABLER—Jesus said,  “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” (Mark 9:19).  His frustration was obviously because He had been training the twelve to be sons who understood Kingdom Power, but they didn’t seem to “get it.”  Jesus then looked to the father and asked, “How long has this been happening to your son?”  The father answered, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”  Jesus did not always ask a question like this.  His question caused the man to lay everything on the table, 1) his grief from the past, 2) his helplessness in the present and 3) his plea for the future.  Evidently, Jesus wanted the father to say it, so he could see his thinking because anticipation, or the realization of what can happen is only the beginning.  The father’s follow-through-thinking would be crucial to their future.