Many people read this passage, and they think that Jesus is somehow impatient, that He is warning people that He will not tolerate their struggle to believe.
That is not what Jesus is saying here.
Let's look at the context for this passage:
"14And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not." (Mark 9: 14-18)
Notice that Jesus has come down from the Mount of Transfiguration. There were three disciples with Him there on the Mountain: Peter, James, and John.
The other disciples waited at the bottom of the mountain, and then the father brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus.
Before this time, though, the father asked the disciples for help, and they could not. Then notice that the scribes, the lawyers, the experts in the law arrived, most likely telling the disciples that they could not cast out these demons from the boy. Furthermore, they were probably telling them why the boy was possessed, what laws had been broken.
What?
God the Father issued a stern, new command to the three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration:
"7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him." (Mark 4:7)
We need to come to Jesus, for He will bear with us long!
Even when the disciples did not believe in Him during the storm on the sea (Mark 4), Jesus still stilled the storm, then asked them--"where is your faith?"
Jesus doesn't go away when we struggle with believing in Him.
In fact, He offers us His faith!
"23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." (Mark 9:23)
The verse actually reads more like this:
"If you can?" All things are possible to Him who is believing."
That is Jesus! Let's rest in Jesus' faith for any trouble, hardship, or challenge we face in our lives.
All of this brings us back to his statement: "O faithless generation! How long will I suffer you?"
The essence of this rebuke is "I am not going anywhere. I will continue with you as long as I can. Why want you believe me?"
So, let this exhortation rest in all of our hearts. Let's stop being faithless. Jesus is right here, watching out for us. We have no reason to fear or to force ourselves to get some kind of outcome through our flesh.
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