• Unsung Heroes: They Helped A Desperate Father

  Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 14, 2023 (message contributor)

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  Scripture:  Mark 9:17-20

  Tags:  Jesus, Evil Spirits, Unsung Heroes

  Denomination: Baptist

Introduction: True friends are those willing to help. These unsung heroes helped a desperate father bring his son to Jesus.

Text, Mark 9:17-20a, KJV: 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto (Jesus)

Demon possession and evil spirits, as well, have existed for many years. Lucifer rebelled against God and became cursed forever (Isaiah 14). Many other angels followed his lead and became evil spirits, cursed forever too (Matthew 25:41-46). These beings are still alive and well on this earth and sometimes possess humans. This man’s son was suffering because of these demons.

In the story, Jesus had just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration along with Peter, James and John. Now they’ve come down from the mountain, only to walk into a real storm: scribes were arguing with the other disciples, a multitude was there doing whatever multitudes do, and here was a desperate father with a son, who was possessed with an evil spirit.

Jesus asked what was going on (being God, He already knew!) and heard from the father what had happened to his son. Jesus, probably feeling any number of emotions, exclaimed, “Bring him here to Me!”

Now, I’m thinking, what happened next? Was there a moment, or as some say, a pregnant pause when nobody moved? The father, I guess, stayed right where he was; the boy may not have been able to move; but how was the boy going to get to Jesus?

That’s where these unsung heroes come into play. We don’t know anything about these men, such as their names, what city they lived in, or how many of them helped out. We do know they decided to become involved in a very difficult situation. As a result, the boy was delivered from demon possession and was restored to his father.

Thanks to these unsung heroes for doing what needed to be done at the right time!

Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV)