Dwayne Green has done it again with this excellent video.
I thought of it while going through Mark 9 in my Bible time this morning.
The question is this: In Mark 9:29, did Jesus refer to prayer and fasting, or just prayer? The answer should be obvious at once. Even the most cursory examination of the textual apparatus will reveal that both the external and the internal evidence overwhelmingly support the inclusion of the words "and fasting." And yet some scholars insist that indecision is the best solution to the problem. (The ECM of Mark lists this variant as "splitlined." Unbelievable.) My friend Keith Elliott once referred to the "hypnotic effect of Aleph and B." Nowhere is this more clearly seen than here. And note: Once again, the Byzantine text gets it right.
As I read Jesus' words, I recalled Bill Bright's famous dictum about fasting:
"I believe the power of fasting as it is related to prayer is the spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord Jesus has given us to destroy the stronghold of evil and usher in a great revival and spiritual harvest around the world."
Powerful indeed. I hope to practice it more.