And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
A desperate father brings his demon-possessed son, who cannot speak, to Jesus to be set free. The boy is under Satan's cruel control, suffering torment beyond any human power to relieve, torn and thrown down, wallowing with spasms, a distorted face and gnashing teeth, and often cast toward fire and water to destroy him. This meeting comes within hours after the transfiguration, as Jesus descends from glory and the Father's voice to meet this grief, while the disciples who were given authority to cast out unclean spirits have just failed and been mocked by the demon despite commanding in Christ's name. Jesus compassionately commands the intelligent evil spirit to come out and torment him no more, then stoops to lift the boy and restores him in mind and body to return him to his father. The deliverance proves Christ's complete power to save the lost, received through persevering pleading faith, and sets the pattern for His followers to free those enslaved by Satan by the word of faith and prayer.
The Boy Brought to Jesus
A father brings his son, who is afflicted by a dumb spirit, to Jesus for deliverance. The boy is tormented severely by the spirit, and his condition is one of demonic possession. This meeting takes place within hours after the transfiguration, joining the extremes of glory and grief. Jesus comes down from the mount where He was transfigured by the glory of God, talked with the messengers of heaven, and was proclaimed the Son of God by the Father's voice from radiant glory before His wondering disciples, to meet the boy brought to Him.
The afflicted father makes his way through the crowd to Jesus, falls at His feet, and pours out the story of his trouble and disappointment. He reports that wheresoever the spirit takes the boy it tears him, and that he had asked the disciples to cast it out. Jesus listens to the father's account and calls for the boy to be brought to Him. As the child is being brought he is violently thrown down and torn.
The boy's suffering is under Satan's evil power and control, and is beyond human power to relieve. No mortal could relieve his agonizing spasms, and no human could relieve his distorted face and suffering. The spirit shows its torment in distorted countenance, gnashing of teeth, agonizing spasms, wallowing on the ground, and tearing of the boy. It had tormented him for years and often threw him into fire and water to destroy him.
The disciples had been given authority to cast out unclean spirits, but they were unable to cast out this spirit. When they commanded it to leave in Christ's name, it mocked them and continued to torment the boy, leaving them humiliated and perplexed. Their failure gave the scribes occasion to dispute their power and to claim that neither the disciples nor Jesus could overcome the demon.
Christ's Deliverance and Lessons
Jesus allowed the evil power holding the boy briefly to display itself, then in compassion freed him by speaking to the demon as an intelligent being and ordering it to come out and torment him no more. The dumb spirit that had possessed the youth and repeatedly thrown him into fire and water to destroy him obeyed that command and left him. The mighty Redeemer stooped to lift the child from the ground where he lay wallowing in agonizing spasms with distorted countenance that no mortal power could relieve. In that stooping He freed him forever from Satan's power, restoring both mind and body and returning him to his father.
The father and son rejoiced together and praised their Deliverer for freedom after years of torment. The watching people were astonished at what had been done, and the scribes who had disputed were defeated. The healing showed Christ's power to deliver, and that the father's faith, proved in long suffering and earnest pleading, was essential to receiving that help.
The deliverance reveals redemption itself, the Divine One stooping to save the lost. It stands as the pattern of the disciples' mission to those enslaved by Satan, who need the word of faith and prayer to be set free. The violent tearing and throwing down of the child as he was being brought illustrates a severe conflict and trial, yet such a struggle is not to be expected by everyone. Martha, for example, need not look for such a trial, but is to trust that she belongs to Christ and is held in His care.
A desperate father brings his demon-possessed son, who cannot speak, to Jesus to be set free. The boy is under Satan's cruel control, suffering torment beyond any human power to relieve, torn and thrown down, wallowing with spasms, a distorted face and gnashing teeth, and often cast toward fire and water to destroy him. This meeting comes within hours after the transfiguration, as Jesus descends from glory and the Father's voice to meet this grief, while the disciples who were given authority to cast out unclean spirits have just failed and been mocked by the demon despite commanding in Christ's name. Jesus compassionately commands the intelligent evil spirit to come out and torment him no more, then stoops to lift the boy and restores him in mind and body to return him to his father. The deliverance proves Christ's complete power to save the lost, received through persevering pleading faith, and sets the pattern for His followers to free those enslaved by Satan by the word of faith and prayer.
The Boy Brought to Jesus
A father brings his son, who is afflicted by a dumb spirit, to Jesus for deliverance. The boy is tormented severely by the spirit, and his condition is one of demonic possession. This meeting takes place within hours after the transfiguration, joining the extremes of glory and grief. Jesus comes down from the mount where He was transfigured by the glory of God, talked with the messengers of heaven, and was proclaimed the Son of God by the Father's voice from radiant glory before His wondering disciples, to meet the boy brought to Him.
The afflicted father makes his way through the crowd to Jesus, falls at His feet, and pours out the story of his trouble and disappointment. He reports that wheresoever the spirit takes the boy it tears him, and that he had asked the disciples to cast it out. Jesus listens to the father's account and calls for the boy to be brought to Him. As the child is being brought he is violently thrown down and torn.
The boy's suffering is under Satan's evil power and control, and is beyond human power to relieve. No mortal could relieve his agonizing spasms, and no human could relieve his distorted face and suffering. The spirit shows its torment in distorted countenance, gnashing of teeth, agonizing spasms, wallowing on the ground, and tearing of the boy. It had tormented him for years and often threw him into fire and water to destroy him.
The disciples had been given authority to cast out unclean spirits, but they were unable to cast out this spirit. When they commanded it to leave in Christ's name, it mocked them and continued to torment the boy, leaving them humiliated and perplexed. Their failure gave the scribes occasion to dispute their power and to claim that neither the disciples nor Jesus could overcome the demon.
Christ's Deliverance and Lessons
Jesus allowed the evil power holding the boy briefly to display itself, then in compassion freed him by speaking to the demon as an intelligent being and ordering it to come out and torment him no more. The dumb spirit that had possessed the youth and repeatedly thrown him into fire and water to destroy him obeyed that command and left him. The mighty Redeemer stooped to lift the child from the ground where he lay wallowing in agonizing spasms with distorted countenance that no mortal power could relieve. In that stooping He freed him forever from Satan's power, restoring both mind and body and returning him to his father.
The father and son rejoiced together and praised their Deliverer for freedom after years of torment. The watching people were astonished at what had been done, and the scribes who had disputed were defeated. The healing showed Christ's power to deliver, and that the father's faith, proved in long suffering and earnest pleading, was essential to receiving that help.
The deliverance reveals redemption itself, the Divine One stooping to save the lost. It stands as the pattern of the disciples' mission to those enslaved by Satan, who need the word of faith and prayer to be set free. The violent tearing and throwing down of the child as he was being brought illustrates a severe conflict and trial, yet such a struggle is not to be expected by everyone. Martha, for example, need not look for such a trial, but is to trust that she belongs to Christ and is held in His care.