It is I

What exactly are belief possibilities? Is this something we work up in ourselves or is its enabling in who the LORD is and the way we see Him? Just how near do we need to be to believe?

Mark 6 begins with Jesus’s rejection in His hometown, the calling of the Twelve who would be apostles, mentions of the death of John the Baptist but then comes the feeding of the five thousand ‘and they were all satisfied.’ ¹

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded…²

Yes, this is the Peter walking on water incident recorded in Matthew 14:28-33³ but that isn’t our focus today; everyone is agitated, afraid. Jesus calls the disciples to focus, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” That changes everything: into the boat with them, wind ceases, they astounded. The core change is in the “It is I” —apart from Him they were ‘in fear’ but with Him ‘no fear’.

Not too long after this, Mark 9, and shortly after the Transfiguration, Jesus comes upon the Twelve having another difficulty.

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” ⁴

Really? Not long before this the twelve and the seventy-two had been sent out and had been successful in fulfilling the tasks Jesus gave them authority over but now, not so much. Look at the players: the scribes are their arguing, the father who claimed Jesus was his Teacher is looking to someone else to take authority over the spirit and the disciples are caught up in the distractions.

And [Jesus] answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him.
But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 
And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” ⁵

“Bring him to Me.” ‘But if you can” ‘All things are possible for one who believes.”

The scribes were simply present to oppose any work of God not theirs. The father had followed the Teacher but still did not believe hence Jesus’s challenge of the father’s “If I can” and the disciples were caught up in the turmoil. Again, Jesus does one of those, “It is I” declarations that the LORD in Him is sufficient. Jesus then addresses the gathered,

Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.⁶

Notice that the demon resisted Jesus, didn’t immediately depart but gave the appearance of not submitting, the ‘after crying out and convulsing him terribly,’ then he came out. Until Jesus the demon was able to deceive about his power to do what he wanted but confronted by the authority of Jesus, submission was inevitable. The nay-saying scribes, the unsure father, the distracted disciples and the disobedient demon all give way to the presence of the LORD.

Can you make the connections between the “It is I” and “If I can” and “Bring to Me”? Each is to get the focus on the LORD’s will worked out in Jesus AND the authority given to those who knew His ability delegated to them. It’s not about walking on water.