And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
What does Mark 9:24 mean?
The father of the suffering youth reflected on the want of power in the disciples; but Christ will have him reckon the disappointment to the want of faith. Very much is promised to our believing.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Mark 9:23-24 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Mark 9:24
Said with tears - The man felt the implied rebuke in the Saviour's language; and feeling grieved that he should be thought to be destitute of faith, and feeling deeply for the welfare of his afflicted son, he wept. Nothing can be more touching or natural than this. An anxious father, distressed at the condition of his son, having applied to the disciples in vain, now coming to the Saviour; and not having full confidence that he had the proper qualification to be aided, he wept. Any man would have wept in his condition, nor would the Saviour turn the weeping suppliant away. I believe - I have faith.
Key words
- straightway
-
And straightway the father of the child cried out,.
- father
-
And straightway the father of the child cried out,.
- child
-
And straightway the father of the child cried out,.
Context in Mark 9
Show chapter context
Mark 9 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as the way of the cross. Mark is the swiftest and starkest Gospel, presenting Jesus as the mighty Son of God whose mission reaches its center in suffering, abandonment, and resurrection. Read this chapter with the wider themes of discipleship, the cross, and secrecy in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
Explore by topic
Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.
Bible verses about suffering and trials
Key passages on grief, endurance, lament, divine mystery, and the Christian claim that suffering is neither final nor meaningless.