The Comedown

Jesus said to [the father], “If you are able! All things can be done for the one who believes.” – Mark 9:23 (NRSVUE) 

Just down from the mountain, carrying the glow of being called God’s beloved, Jesus comes upon the disciples struggling to heal a young boy. I picture him at his shiniest, supported by his three closest disciples, all soaring from the spiritual elevation of meeting Moses and Elijah. 

Surely there is plenty of power to go around! Who could question it? 

Well, a worried father did. He trusted the other nine to make things right for his beloved child, and now he is asking Jesus to do what the second-tier disciples could not. “If you are able to do anything,” he says, and Jesus snaps back, “If you are able!” The tone is “How dare you?” 

I understand why Jesus expresses frustration. What a disappointing moment in which to be doubted. He’s on a high! Who wouldn’t want to coast back to friends, hanging onto that supernatural buzz? This story is one of the most potent in Mark’s Gospel for reminding us Jesus was not only fully divine but fully human. 

It’s a genuine struggle. Life offers a peak experience, full of joy, marvel, and connection. Then we return to the ordinary – or worse, the difficult, the rude, the desperate. This encounter is a reminder that Jesus’s work was not to dwell in the transcendent moments but to be renewed and empowered by them to keep answering the world’s never-ending cries for healing, for change, for justice.  

The comedown can be hard to bear.  

Even so, Jesus draws from the deep, deep well sourced by divine connection. He heals the child.  

Prayer
Fill our wells! O God, fill our wells, that we may be ready to serve you. Amen.

About the Author
Martha Spong is a UCC pastor, a clergy coach, and editor of The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, from The Pilgrim Press.