Gospel of Mark Bible Part 52: The Unlcean Spirit [Bible Study]
- Rev. Bruce A. Shields
- Feb 13
- 5 min read
Bible Study Title: The Unclean Spirit
SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Mark 9:14–29
INTRODUCTION
Peter, James, and John descend the mountain with Jesus after witnessing the Transfiguration. Glory gives way to conflict. They find the remaining disciples surrounded by scribes, locked in dispute. At the center stands a desperate father and his tormented son.
The disciples had failed. They could not cast out the unclean spirit. Their inability became fuel for public controversy.
This account is one of the most detailed miracle narratives in the Gospels. It exposes the anatomy of unbelief, the necessity of renewed thinking, and the indispensable role of prayer.
It is also important to note that Mark 9:29 in the earliest manuscripts reads “prayer,” not “prayer and fasting.” The Greek noun προσευχή refers to earnest prayer. The addition of “fasting” appears in later manuscript traditions.
The doctrine is unaffected, yet precision matters.
BIBLE READING
Read Mark 9:14–29 slowly. Observe the desperation, the rebuke, the correction, and the restoration.
I. The Failure of the Disciples
Mark 9:18–19 “I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”“O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”
The disciples had previously cast out demons successfully. Yet here they failed. Jesus identifies the root: unbelief.
When the boy is brought forward, the spirit violently convulses him. The father recounts years of suffering. Then he says,
Mark 9:22 “But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”
“If You can.” The hesitation reveals doubt.
Personal Reflection
• Do I subtly question Christ’s ability while claiming to believe?
• Have previous spiritual victories made me self-reliant?
• Is my faith active dependence, or borrowed confidence from past experiences?
II. The Correction of the Father’s Thinking
Mark 9:23 “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”
Jesus does not rebuke harshly. He corrects. The issue is not Christ’s power. The issue is human unbelief.
Immediately the father responds:
Mark 9:24 “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
This is one of the most honest prayers in Scripture. Faith mixed with weakness. Trust mingled with fear.
Scripture consistently warns us about the corruption of our inner life:
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all elseAnd is desperately sick;Who can know it?”
Proverbs 28:26 “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,But he who walks wisely will escape.”
Jesus Himself said:
Mark 7:21–23 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
The solution is renewal:
Romans 12:2“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Personal Reflection
• Where has worldly thinking shaped my expectations of God?
• Do I pray with surrendered faith, or with veiled skepticism?
• Am I actively renewing my mind through Scripture?
Faith is not positive thinking. It is confidence anchored in revealed truth.
III. The Deliverance of the Boy
Mark 9:25 “You mute and deaf spirit, I Myself command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.”
Christ speaks with sovereign authority. The spirit convulses the boy one final time and departs.
For a moment, the child appears dead. Then:
Mark 9:27 “But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he stood up.”
Deliverance may look violent before it looks victorious. Yet Christ does not abandon those He rescues. He raises them.
Personal Reflection
• Do I trust Christ’s authority over spiritual bondage?
• Have I experienced painful deliverance that led to lasting freedom?
• Do I praise Him for past rescues?
IV. Why the Disciples Failed
In private, the disciples ask the necessary question.
Mark 9:29“This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”
Their failure was not due to technique. It was dependence.
Prayer expresses reliance upon God. Without it, ministry becomes mechanical.
James describes effective prayer:
James 5:16 “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
Earnest prayer flows from righteousness, humility, and submission.
Personal Reflection
• Has my prayer life become casual or infrequent?
• Do I attempt spiritual work without spiritual dependence?
• Am I cultivating a life of earnest prayer?
V. Discernment and the Spirit’s Work
This passage also clarifies the distinction between demonic manifestation and the work of the Holy Spirit. Convulsions, loss of control, and chaotic behavior are associated here with an unclean spirit.
Scripture describes the fruit of the Spirit differently:
Galatians 5:22–23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Self-control, not frenzy. Bold proclamation, not confusion.
In Acts, Spirit-filling resulted in courageous preaching:
Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”
The environment shook. The apostles did not lose control.
Personal Reflection
• Do I measure spiritual claims by Scripture?
• Have I elevated experience above the Word?
• Does my life reflect the fruit of the Spirit?
VI. “All Things Are Possible” in Context
“All things are possible” does not mean all desires are granted.
Jesus Himself prayed:
Mark 14:36 “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”
Paul pleaded for deliverance from his thorn:
2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’”
Prayer must align with God’s will. Scripture lists hindrances:
James 4:3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Psalm 66:18 “If I see wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear.”
1 Peter 3:7 “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way… so that your prayers will not be hindered.”
Faith must be obedient faith.
Personal Reflection
• Are my requests shaped by Scripture or by self-interest?
• Is there unrepentant sin hindering my prayers?
• Am I pursuing obedience alongside belief?
CLOSING SUMMARY
From this account we learn:
Spiritual authority without dependence leads to failure.
Unbelief often hides beneath religious language.
Christ corrects our thinking before He answers our requests.
Earnest prayer expresses total reliance upon God.
True Spirit-filled living produces self-control and bold proclamation, not disorder.
Faith must operate within the revealed will of God.
The father’s cry should become ours: “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
Faith grows where minds are renewed, prayers are earnest, and obedience is consistent.
ENDNOTES
Scripture quotations from the Legacy Standard Bible.
Greek lexical reference for προσευχή, standard New Testament usage for prayer.
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