Thesis: In Mark’s Gospel Jesus requires faith prior to healing someone. However, he does not heal any child of a sickness or a demon without first requiring one of the children’s parents to persevere in faith. Therefore, the faith of a parent stands in the place of the child’s faith since the child is not capable of personal faith while the child’s intellect and will are not yet sufficiently formed.
This article will examine the following:
1. The prerequisite of faith for healing and exorcism in Mark’s Gospel.
2. The division of healings into two categories based on whether the faith exists in the person to be healed or in those interceding for that person.
3. A further division of those whose healing is initiated by the faith of others into two sub-categories according to whether the beneficiary is a dependent.
4. A review of the three healings whereby children are healed or delivered.
5. Conclusions regarding the role of parental faith.
1. Faith before Healing.
The role of faith is a recurring theme in the healings in Mark’s Gospel. Mark alludes to this connection between healings and faith in 6:1-6 where he describes a visit by Jesus to his “own country”, presumably Nazareth (cf. Luke 4:16-30). There Jesus is met by almost universal rejection. Consequently Mark explains, “And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief” (6:5-6).
This incident reveals to us that in Mark’s Gospel we should expect to see that there is an intimate connection with faith and healings. Faith in Mark is first an understanding, by degrees, that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God, and his mission is to establish the kingdom of God. Second, faith is a comprehensive commitment to Jesus (cf. 1:1, 15).
In almost every recounting of a healing there is some relation of faith by the one receiving the saving action. The only exceptions are the summary statements such as in 1:34, 3:10-11, and 6:13, which do not retell specific incidents.
2. Two Categories of Healings.
The healings in Mark fall into two categories. The first is that the person who is to be healed exhibits faith beforehand. Examples of this include the healing of the leper in 1:40-45, the healing of the woman with a flow of blood in 5:25-34, and the healing of blind Bartimaeus in 10:46-52. Each of them exhibited belief in the saving power of Jesus and demonstrated perseverance in the face of adversity.
The leper knelt before Jesus and implored him, “If you will, you can make me clean” (1:40). He further demonstrated this by overcoming an obstacle. Specifically, he approached Jesus directly, an action restricted by the Mosaic Law (Numbers 5:2).
The woman with the flow of blood had heard about Jesus from others and demonstrated faith saying, “If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well” (5:28). Thus she resolved to touch his garments, struggling her way through the crowd. Like the leper, she demonstrated perseverance and overcame the Law’s restriction (Leviticus 15:25-30) to seek her healing.
Bartimaeus’ obstacle was not the Mosaic Law, but rather by the crowd who attempted to silence him and block him from Jesus. Notwithstanding the opposition, he exhibited persevering faith by crying out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (10:47-48).
The second category involves those who are brought to Jesus for healing, but do not exhibit personal faith. Instead the faith that prompts the healing resides in others. These healings can be further divided into two sub-categories.
3. Two Sub-Categories of Those Healed by the Faith of Others.
A significant theme in many of the healings is the great value of intercession. Frequently people beseech Jesus to heal others (1:29-31; 2:1-12; 5:21-24, 35-43; 7:24-30, 31-37; 8:22-26; 9:14-29). In these passages when Jesus heals adults, there are references to the development of faith or the response in faith of those being healed. However, when he heals children, there are no details describing any level of faith in the children. Instead the drama always surrounds the faith of the mother or father.
Two examples of Jesus healing adults after hearing the requests of others include the healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law (1:29-31) and the healing of a blind man (8:22-26).
The healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law is short, but the elements are there. The woman is apparently unable to request to be healed due to her suffering from a fever. The four disciples intercede on her behalf, leading to Jesus’ healing action. The woman responds by serving them, a sign of her gratitude and hospitality.
In the healing the blind man of 8:22-26 Jesus takes a special interest in the blind man’s faith. The blind man does not come of his own accord, but rather the crowd brings him forward and asks Jesus to heal him (8:22). However, Jesus takes him away from the crowd to perform the healing alone. This action is indicative of Jesus’ concern to build up the man’s faith and his intention to not merely please any curiosity-seekers in the crowd.
Jesus cures the man’s blindness in steps. Most commentators see in this two stage healing a symbolic event for the gradual enlightenment of the disciples in recognizing Jesus’ true identity as the Christ (8:29) and the Son of God (15:39). I fully agree with this interpretation. I simply find that the manner of curing is unlikely to be done purely for its symbolic value in interpreting other events, but rather that it also has an identifiable meaning for the person being cured.
The blind man did not come of his own accord, which suggests that he came to Jesus without personal faith. By working a partial healing initially, Jesus gives the man a reason to believe in Jesus. His partial sight is inspiring even as it is not complete. The half-blind man desires completion, but now has evidence from experience that enables him to trust Jesus, to have faith. And so Jesus completes the healing.
The second sub-category involves the healing of children. In each instance, there is no indication that it is possible for the child to have faith on his own. Yet in each instance, Jesus always focuses on the faith of the parent. The next section will go through the three passages where this is seen.
4. Review of the Healings of Children.
The three passages where children are healed are the raising of Jairus’ daughter (5:21-43), the healing of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter (7:24-30), and the casting out of an unclean spirit from a boy (9:14-29).[1]
In 5:21-43 Jairus begins his plea for Jesus to save his daughter by falling at Jesus’ feet (5:22). This act of prostration is indicative of faith (cf. 5:33; 7:25; 14:35). After an interruption that delays Jesus and Jairus on their journey to his daughter (5:25-34), they receive a report that the daughter has died. Jesus specifically exhorts Jairus to persevering faith by saying, “Do not fear, only believe” (5:36). What follows indicates Jairus obeyed Jesus’ command. When Jesus went to raise the daughter from death, he brought the child’s parents with him to her room, so that they would witness her resuscitation and believe in Jesus all the more.
In 7:24-30 the Syrophoenician woman sought out Jesus, falling prostrate to him and begged his help to free her daughter from an unclean spirit. The dialogue that followed tested her to prove her faith, which was found to be steadfast (7:27-28). In consequence Jesus healed her daughter, casting out the demon.
The last of three healings (9:14-29) involves a father whose son is tormented by a demon that causes him to be deaf, dumb, and prone to overwhelming, life-threatening seizures. When the father presents the boy to Jesus, he exclaims, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you?” (9:19), underlying the critical role of faith in this event.
The father then expresses a weak faith by saying, “if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us” (9:22). Asking in this way revealed his uncertainty about what Jesus may truly be able to accomplish. Jesus responds hotly, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.” Jesus’ angry response was a grace that found a response in the man who acknowledged both his desire for and his lack of faith by saying, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Having increased the father’s faith Jesus then drove the demon out.
The disciples had been unsuccessful in trying to cast out the demon. When they asked about it, Jesus responded “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting” (9:29). When did the prayer and fasting take place? It is possible Jesus was referring to his prayer on the mountain of Transfiguration (9:2-13) and his own practice of fasting, but there is no reference to Jesus or anyone else fasting in the passage or in the immediately preceding one. It is likely that by fasting Jesus also includes repentance and self-denial. In that case, the father would be the one who exhibited repentance as he rejected his previous lack of faith when he prayed “I believe; help my unbelief!”
5. Conclusion.
From the passages discussed above it is seen that Jesus’ healings of children always involve the faith of their parents. Since the intellect and the will in children develops gradually, until they can make their own acts of faith the Lord’s search for faith turns to the children’s parents. The parents’ faith covers their children. Conversely, their lack of faith is a deficiency in their children.
This serves to emphasize the important duty parents have to first have faith in the Lord, then secondly communicate the faith to their children.
Furthermore, this adds another dimension to the theology of infant baptism, a practice rejected by some Protestant groups. Those groups rightly insist that faith is a prerequisite to Baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church likewise teaches that “Baptism is the sacrament of faith” (CCC 1253). They also are correct in saying that children cannot make their own act of faith. What they miss is the family. What they miss is the fact that the spiritual life is not purely a matter for individuals. What they miss is the biblical evidence that the faith of the parents covers their children’s inability to have faith. Just like children are dependent on their parents for bodily goods so are they dependent on their parents for spiritual goods.
This article will examine the following:
1. The prerequisite of faith for healing and exorcism in Mark’s Gospel.
2. The division of healings into two categories based on whether the faith exists in the person to be healed or in those interceding for that person.
3. A further division of those whose healing is initiated by the faith of others into two sub-categories according to whether the beneficiary is a dependent.
4. A review of the three healings whereby children are healed or delivered.
5. Conclusions regarding the role of parental faith.
1. Faith before Healing.
The role of faith is a recurring theme in the healings in Mark’s Gospel. Mark alludes to this connection between healings and faith in 6:1-6 where he describes a visit by Jesus to his “own country”, presumably Nazareth (cf. Luke 4:16-30). There Jesus is met by almost universal rejection. Consequently Mark explains, “And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief” (6:5-6).
This incident reveals to us that in Mark’s Gospel we should expect to see that there is an intimate connection with faith and healings. Faith in Mark is first an understanding, by degrees, that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God, and his mission is to establish the kingdom of God. Second, faith is a comprehensive commitment to Jesus (cf. 1:1, 15).
In almost every recounting of a healing there is some relation of faith by the one receiving the saving action. The only exceptions are the summary statements such as in 1:34, 3:10-11, and 6:13, which do not retell specific incidents.
2. Two Categories of Healings.
The healings in Mark fall into two categories. The first is that the person who is to be healed exhibits faith beforehand. Examples of this include the healing of the leper in 1:40-45, the healing of the woman with a flow of blood in 5:25-34, and the healing of blind Bartimaeus in 10:46-52. Each of them exhibited belief in the saving power of Jesus and demonstrated perseverance in the face of adversity.
The leper knelt before Jesus and implored him, “If you will, you can make me clean” (1:40). He further demonstrated this by overcoming an obstacle. Specifically, he approached Jesus directly, an action restricted by the Mosaic Law (Numbers 5:2).
The woman with the flow of blood had heard about Jesus from others and demonstrated faith saying, “If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well” (5:28). Thus she resolved to touch his garments, struggling her way through the crowd. Like the leper, she demonstrated perseverance and overcame the Law’s restriction (Leviticus 15:25-30) to seek her healing.
Bartimaeus’ obstacle was not the Mosaic Law, but rather by the crowd who attempted to silence him and block him from Jesus. Notwithstanding the opposition, he exhibited persevering faith by crying out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (10:47-48).
The second category involves those who are brought to Jesus for healing, but do not exhibit personal faith. Instead the faith that prompts the healing resides in others. These healings can be further divided into two sub-categories.
3. Two Sub-Categories of Those Healed by the Faith of Others.
A significant theme in many of the healings is the great value of intercession. Frequently people beseech Jesus to heal others (1:29-31; 2:1-12; 5:21-24, 35-43; 7:24-30, 31-37; 8:22-26; 9:14-29). In these passages when Jesus heals adults, there are references to the development of faith or the response in faith of those being healed. However, when he heals children, there are no details describing any level of faith in the children. Instead the drama always surrounds the faith of the mother or father.
Two examples of Jesus healing adults after hearing the requests of others include the healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law (1:29-31) and the healing of a blind man (8:22-26).
The healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law is short, but the elements are there. The woman is apparently unable to request to be healed due to her suffering from a fever. The four disciples intercede on her behalf, leading to Jesus’ healing action. The woman responds by serving them, a sign of her gratitude and hospitality.
In the healing the blind man of 8:22-26 Jesus takes a special interest in the blind man’s faith. The blind man does not come of his own accord, but rather the crowd brings him forward and asks Jesus to heal him (8:22). However, Jesus takes him away from the crowd to perform the healing alone. This action is indicative of Jesus’ concern to build up the man’s faith and his intention to not merely please any curiosity-seekers in the crowd.
Jesus cures the man’s blindness in steps. Most commentators see in this two stage healing a symbolic event for the gradual enlightenment of the disciples in recognizing Jesus’ true identity as the Christ (8:29) and the Son of God (15:39). I fully agree with this interpretation. I simply find that the manner of curing is unlikely to be done purely for its symbolic value in interpreting other events, but rather that it also has an identifiable meaning for the person being cured.
The blind man did not come of his own accord, which suggests that he came to Jesus without personal faith. By working a partial healing initially, Jesus gives the man a reason to believe in Jesus. His partial sight is inspiring even as it is not complete. The half-blind man desires completion, but now has evidence from experience that enables him to trust Jesus, to have faith. And so Jesus completes the healing.
The second sub-category involves the healing of children. In each instance, there is no indication that it is possible for the child to have faith on his own. Yet in each instance, Jesus always focuses on the faith of the parent. The next section will go through the three passages where this is seen.
4. Review of the Healings of Children.
The three passages where children are healed are the raising of Jairus’ daughter (5:21-43), the healing of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter (7:24-30), and the casting out of an unclean spirit from a boy (9:14-29).[1]
In 5:21-43 Jairus begins his plea for Jesus to save his daughter by falling at Jesus’ feet (5:22). This act of prostration is indicative of faith (cf. 5:33; 7:25; 14:35). After an interruption that delays Jesus and Jairus on their journey to his daughter (5:25-34), they receive a report that the daughter has died. Jesus specifically exhorts Jairus to persevering faith by saying, “Do not fear, only believe” (5:36). What follows indicates Jairus obeyed Jesus’ command. When Jesus went to raise the daughter from death, he brought the child’s parents with him to her room, so that they would witness her resuscitation and believe in Jesus all the more.
In 7:24-30 the Syrophoenician woman sought out Jesus, falling prostrate to him and begged his help to free her daughter from an unclean spirit. The dialogue that followed tested her to prove her faith, which was found to be steadfast (7:27-28). In consequence Jesus healed her daughter, casting out the demon.
The last of three healings (9:14-29) involves a father whose son is tormented by a demon that causes him to be deaf, dumb, and prone to overwhelming, life-threatening seizures. When the father presents the boy to Jesus, he exclaims, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you?” (9:19), underlying the critical role of faith in this event.
The father then expresses a weak faith by saying, “if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us” (9:22). Asking in this way revealed his uncertainty about what Jesus may truly be able to accomplish. Jesus responds hotly, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.” Jesus’ angry response was a grace that found a response in the man who acknowledged both his desire for and his lack of faith by saying, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Having increased the father’s faith Jesus then drove the demon out.
The disciples had been unsuccessful in trying to cast out the demon. When they asked about it, Jesus responded “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting” (9:29). When did the prayer and fasting take place? It is possible Jesus was referring to his prayer on the mountain of Transfiguration (9:2-13) and his own practice of fasting, but there is no reference to Jesus or anyone else fasting in the passage or in the immediately preceding one. It is likely that by fasting Jesus also includes repentance and self-denial. In that case, the father would be the one who exhibited repentance as he rejected his previous lack of faith when he prayed “I believe; help my unbelief!”
5. Conclusion.
From the passages discussed above it is seen that Jesus’ healings of children always involve the faith of their parents. Since the intellect and the will in children develops gradually, until they can make their own acts of faith the Lord’s search for faith turns to the children’s parents. The parents’ faith covers their children. Conversely, their lack of faith is a deficiency in their children.
This serves to emphasize the important duty parents have to first have faith in the Lord, then secondly communicate the faith to their children.
Furthermore, this adds another dimension to the theology of infant baptism, a practice rejected by some Protestant groups. Those groups rightly insist that faith is a prerequisite to Baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church likewise teaches that “Baptism is the sacrament of faith” (CCC 1253). They also are correct in saying that children cannot make their own act of faith. What they miss is the family. What they miss is the fact that the spiritual life is not purely a matter for individuals. What they miss is the biblical evidence that the faith of the parents covers their children’s inability to have faith. Just like children are dependent on their parents for bodily goods so are they dependent on their parents for spiritual goods.
Notes.
[1] The one other possibility is the healing of the paralytic in 2:1-12. The paralytic is certainly healed by the faith of those who brought him (2:5). But the age of the paralytic is uncertain. There is no reference to any parents, but he is addressed by Jesus as “(m)y son” (2:5). Because Jesus considers it necessary to forgive him his sins, we are likely dealing with at least an adolescent. Consequently this healing probably belongs to the first sub-category rather than the second.
[1] The one other possibility is the healing of the paralytic in 2:1-12. The paralytic is certainly healed by the faith of those who brought him (2:5). But the age of the paralytic is uncertain. There is no reference to any parents, but he is addressed by Jesus as “(m)y son” (2:5). Because Jesus considers it necessary to forgive him his sins, we are likely dealing with at least an adolescent. Consequently this healing probably belongs to the first sub-category rather than the second.
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