⚡WEB · Mark 9:19
What does Mark 9:19 mean?
"He answered him, “Unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me.”"
— Mark 9:19 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
He asked the scribes, “What are you asking them?”
One of the multitude answered, “Teacher, I brought to you my son, who has a mute spirit;
and wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and wastes away. I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they weren’t able.”
He answered him, “Unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me.”
They brought him to him, and when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground, wallowing and foaming at the mouth.
He asked his father, “How long has it been since this has come to him?” He said, “From childhood.
Often it has cast him both into the fire and into the water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.”
Explanation
This verse comes from the account of the boy with an unclean spirit, immediately following the Transfiguration. Jesus, Peter, James, and John come down from the mountain to find the remaining disciples surrounded by a crowd, unable to cast a spirit out of a boy his father brought to them. The father explains the situation, and the disciples' failure becomes evident. In response, Jesus utters this exclamation of exasperation: "Unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me." In plain language, Jesus is expressing frustration—not primarily at the boy or the father, but at the pervasive lack of faith surrounding him, likely including his own disciples' inability to trust God's power working through them. He then simply commands that the boy be brought to him, moving from lament straight into action.
The Gospel of Mark, traditionally attributed to Mark writing for a Roman/Gentile Christian audience during a time of persecution, often emphasizes the disciples' repeated misunderstanding and weak faith, contrasted with Jesus' authority and compassion. This scene fits that pattern: even after witnessing miracles and receiving authority to cast out demons (as given
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