“‘You will certainly not die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘God knows that when you eat the fruit from that tree, you will know things you have never known before. Like God, you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil.’” Genesis 3:4-5
From the very first conversation with the enemy, Satan has tempted us with being “like God.” Man took the bait. He ate the fruit in an attempt to be like God. You might be thinking, “This seems a little far fetched,” or, “I’m humble enough to know I’m not God.”
We’re quick to judge the lack of faith from the guy with the demon possessed son in Mark 9 when he asked Jesus for “help. If you can,” in verse 22. But let’s break down what’s actually going on and see if you’ve been in this situation:
The man comes to Jesus with his burden: his son’s health.
This burden has been going on for a while (vs. 21) insinuating that the man has tried other options of healing up to this point of desperation.
The man knows how he wants Jesus to handle this situation.
The man does not have the faith to know how Jesus will handle this situation.
This man has weak faith, not solely because he is in a weak state, but because he has control issues. He has come to a dead end because of his attempt to be “like God.” When our faith is in God, we are able to be content with the idea of, “not thy will but Thine.”
We often get caught up in these ideas that we need things to go a specific way in order to make us happy. When we ponder the idea that Jesus’s idea of how things need to go might not match ours, we grasp at any form of control to alter the plan. We look a lot like this man where we finally lay them at Jesus’s feet, but we keep one finger on it just in case we decide to take that burden back instead of surrendering control.
We pointed out that the man knew this was an issue for a while. With a demon, more than likely, they couldn’t bring him out in public. Did his friends know his issue? Did his neighbors know? What about strangers that passed him on the way to the temple? When you’re burdened so much that it breaks you, do you let people know? Does it show on your news feed? Chances are, it doesn’t.
What God allowed to happen after Adam and Eve ate of the fruit was they discovered something they never discovered before: shame. Shame is a response for taking control of something in a manner other than the way God suggested. Genesis associates shame with nakedness. When our sin is “naked” we reach for clothes to put on (or fig leaves?). That’s taking control: clothes become the idol. What if God intended for our burdens to be naked? What if we were more vulnerable instead of taking on the persona of being “like God”?
The man with the demon possessed son was able to have his son healed when he laid his burden out in front of Jesus and the crowd. He didn’t let his fear of the whispers and gossip or damage of his reputation stop him from seeking help publicly from the Savior. Verse 25 tells us that a crowd ran to see Jesus because of this man’s transparency. He produced fruit by appearing helpless.
Paul explains this in detail in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “This problem caused pain in my body. It is a messenger from Satan to make me suffer. Three times I begged the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.’ So I am very happy to brag about how weak I am. Then Christ’s power can rest on me. Because of how I suffered for Christ, I’m glad that I’m weak. I am glad in hard times. I am glad when people say mean things about me. I am glad when things are difficult. And I am glad when people make me suffer. When I am weak, I am strong.”
What if we shared that video of our disappointment when our dream school rejected us, or asked for a support system to bust an addiction we have, or confess out loud specific struggles we have that make us weak? If we were that transparent, the same result would happen as it did when the man was transparent about his son: “A crowd runs over to see Jesus.”
We were created to be helpless: not perfect, like God. Our strength comes from God. People won’t see God save us if we appear to be “like God”; practically perfect in every way. Thank you, God, for my weaknesses. For when I am weak, YOU are strong.
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