This kind

First:	James 3:13-18
Resp:	Psalm 19:8-10,15
Gospel:	Mark 9:14-29

Mark 9:29  He said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayer."

This is kind of a haunting statement. The first thing that strikes me is that this "spirit" the boy has seems to be a lot like epilepsy.  At first I wonder if this is even a spirit at all.  But then I wonder about illness in the first place.  We look at the physical symptoms of illness, but is there a spiritual component?  I don't know.  But when Jesus says that this kind only comes out through prayer, all kinds of questions cone up.  But they all seem to lead to the same place.  That is that we need to fear God.  We need to understand that we really don't know much about who and what we are.  We really need to recognize our dependence on God because we just don't understand it all.

I realize that it is quite possible that referring to the illness as a spirit may simply be the way people of that time and culture understood it.  They may not have had the medical knowledge we have.  But Jesus could correctly identify a difference between this kind and other kinds.  That make me wonder if in fact there is more that he can see that we can't.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to realize that we really don't know much at all.  Help me to realize that I depend on you for even the breath I take.  I give you thank for that.

Amen