And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.
The larger setting of the father's plea is Luke 9:26-62, which must be studied to grasp its meaning in order to be prepared for coming trials and persecutions everywhere. In that setting the verse records the father's statement to Jesus that he had asked the disciples to expel the demon from his son, his boy, his child, but they could not. That inability was a failure because the disciples had previously received authority over unclean spirits and had driven them out in faith.
Their failure brought them humiliation and gave the scribes an opportunity to accuse them and Jesus. Their inability stands in contrast with Jesus' power, for after descending from the mount of transfiguration He freed the child from the demon and restored him to his father. That restoration of the boy illustrates redemption, in that the Divine One stoops from glory to save the lost.
The incident shows the work and need of Christ's servants to bring Christ's liberating help to people enslaved by Satan below the mount, who are waiting for faith and prayer to set them free. It calls for hearts in full harmony with Christ and intelligent knowledge of His work and what He will do for those who follow on to know the Lord. Following on brings continual increase of light, as Christ reflected light upon the people when the time was nearly come for Him to be taken from them and desired them to remember all that He had said to them.
The larger setting of the father's plea is Luke 9:26-62, which must be studied to grasp its meaning in order to be prepared for coming trials and persecutions everywhere. In that setting the verse records the father's statement to Jesus that he had asked the disciples to expel the demon from his son, his boy, his child, but they could not. That inability was a failure because the disciples had previously received authority over unclean spirits and had driven them out in faith.
Their failure brought them humiliation and gave the scribes an opportunity to accuse them and Jesus. Their inability stands in contrast with Jesus' power, for after descending from the mount of transfiguration He freed the child from the demon and restored him to his father. That restoration of the boy illustrates redemption, in that the Divine One stoops from glory to save the lost.
The incident shows the work and need of Christ's servants to bring Christ's liberating help to people enslaved by Satan below the mount, who are waiting for faith and prayer to set them free. It calls for hearts in full harmony with Christ and intelligent knowledge of His work and what He will do for those who follow on to know the Lord. Following on brings continual increase of light, as Christ reflected light upon the people when the time was nearly come for Him to be taken from them and desired them to remember all that He had said to them.