Mark 9:23 (DRB)

Passage

And immediately the father of the boy crying out, with tears said: I do believe, Lord. Help my unbelief.

Nearby Context

Mark 9:21 And oftentimes hath he cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him. But if thou canst do any thing, help us, having compassion on us.

Mark 9:22 And Jesus saith to him: If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Mark 9:23 And immediately the father of the boy crying out, with tears said: I do believe, Lord. Help my unbelief.

Mark 9:24 And when Jesus saw the multitude running together, he threatened the unclean spirit, saying to him: Deaf and dumb spirit, I command thee, go out of him and enter not any more into him.

Mark 9:25 And crying out and greatly tearing him, he went our of him. And he became as dead, so that many said: He is dead.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "immediately", "father", "crying", "tears", "said", "believe", "lord", and "help". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "immediately" and "father", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "And Jesus saith to him If thou..." into verse 24's "And when Jesus saw the multitude running...", so "immediately" and "father" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "immediately" and "father" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.