He
asked his father, “How long has it been since this has come to him?” He said, “From childhood. Often it has cast him both into the fire and into the water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.”
Mark 9:21-22
Mark 9 [20.] They brought him to him, and when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground, wallowing and foaming at the mouth.
Mark 9 [21.] He asked his father, “How long has it been since this has come to him?”
He said, “From childhood. Often it has cast him both into the fire and into the water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.”
Mark 9 [23.] Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Meaning:
While the boy lies convulsing on the ground (Mark 9:20), Jesus does something unexpected: he starts a conversation with the father. His question draws out the long history of the family’s suffering, and the father’s answer ends with a plea that reveals both his desperation and his weak faith.
- “How long has it been since this has come to him?”
Jesus’ question is that of a caring physician who wants to know the whole story. It also shows his interest in the person, not only in the problem. He gives the father the chance to pour out his heart. Mark has already shown how long and costly such suffering could be, in the woman who had “suffered many things by many physicians” for twelve years (Mark 5:24-29).
- “From childhood”
The father’s reply is heartbreaking. This was not a recent illness. The boy had suffered for most of his life, and the family had lived for years with fear and grief. Time had not brought relief, only exhaustion.
- “Into the fire and into the water, to destroy him”
The spirit was not merely causing sickness; it was trying to kill the boy. Fire and water were everywhere in village life, in cooking fires, wells, lakes and rivers, so the danger was constant. Here we see the true aim of evil: to destroy what God has made. The father had probably pulled his son out of flames and water many times.
- “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us”
After the disciples’ failure, the father’s hope has been shaken. He no longer assumes Jesus can help, so he says “if you can.” Compare the leper who said, “If you want to, you can make me clean” (Mark 1:40): the leper was sure of Jesus’ power and only unsure of his will. The father is unsure of his power. Jesus will answer that doubt directly in the next verse (Mark 9:23).
Yet the father asks for the right thing. “Have compassion on us” appeals to the heart of Jesus, who “had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). Notice also the word “us.” The father identifies completely with his son; the suffering of the child is the suffering of the whole family.
The Significance of Mark 9:21-22
- Jesus cares about our whole story
Jesus is not in a hurry with people in pain. He listens to their history and their grief. Believers can bring him not only their requests but the long story behind them. “Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13).
- Prayer with weak faith is still prayer
The father’s faith was shaken, but he still asked. God does not require perfect confidence before we come to him. Even a hesitant cry for compassion is heard by the One whose compassion “doesn’t fail” (Lamentations 3:22).
Cross-References:
Mark 1:40: "A leper came to him, begging him, kneeling down to him, and saying to him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.”" The leper doubted Jesus’ willingness; the father doubted his ability.
Mark 6:34: "Jesus came out, saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd," The father appeals to the compassion of Jesus.
Psalm 103:13: "Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him." God’s compassion is like a father’s love for his child.
Lamentations 3:22: "It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail." God’s mercy never runs out.
Conclusion: Before healing the boy, Jesus asked how long he had suffered. The father described years of torment since childhood, with a spirit that tried to destroy his son in fire and water, and he begged, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” Jesus listened to the whole story and was about to answer the father’s doubt. The passage shows the compassion of Jesus and encourages believers to bring their long struggles and even their weak faith to him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible