Mark 9:20
And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
As soon as the boy is brought to Jesus, the dumb, unclean, tormenting spirit sees Him and reacts with an immediate violent seizure that tears and convulses him, throws him to the ground, and leaves him wallowing and rolling there, writhing in agony, foaming at the mouth, with distorted face, gnashing teeth and unearthly shrieks. A father had brought his afflicted son to the disciples at the foot of the mountain for deliverance, but though they had before seen evil spirits obey them, they could not cast out this spirit, to their humiliation and to the scorn of the scribes and people. This happens just after the transfiguration, when Christ descends from the mount where He was glorified and proclaimed the Son of God to meet suffering people on the plain and a child victimized by Satan beyond all mortal relief. Jesus permits the evil spirit to display its power for a moment so the beholders can better recognize the severity and destructive power of the affliction and be more deeply impressed by the deliverance about to be wrought, and the moment is a battlefield meeting between Christ as the Prince of life come to set the bruised free and Satan as prince of darkness seeking to hold his victim, watched by angels of light and hosts of evil angels. Then Christ commands the demon to leave and torment no more, lifts the boy, frees him permanently from the demon's power, restores him in mind and body and gives him back to his father, showing redemption as the Divine One descending from glory to save the lost and calling His servants to carry their work from the mount of illumination to those on the plain enslaved by Satan through faith and prayer.
Context and Violent Seizure
This moment belongs to the connected account told in Matthew 17:9-21, Mark 9:9-29, and Luke 9:37-45.
A father brought his son, possessed by a dumb and tormenting spirit, to the disciples at the foot of the mountain for deliverance.
The disciples had received authority over unclean spirits when sent to preach through Galilee and had seen evil spirits obey their word when they went forth strong in faith, but when they commanded this torturing spirit in the name of Christ to leave his victim, the demon only mocked them by a fresh display of his power.
Their failure left them troubled and unable to explain their defeat, and brought bitter disappointment and humiliation and dishonor upon themselves and their Master.
It gave the scribes opportunity to press them with questions and triumphantly declare that neither the disciples nor Christ Himself could conquer this spirit, and inclined the people toward contempt and scorn.
The seizure happens just after the transfiguration, setting the extremes of glory and of grief together.
Christ descends from the mount where He had been transfigured by the glory of God, talked with heavenly messengers, and been proclaimed the Son of God by the Father's voice out of the radiant glory, to meet suffering people on the plain.
There He meets a pitiable, revolting spectacle in a lunatic child who is a victim of Satan, in spasms of agony that no mortal power could relieve.
As soon as the boy is brought to Jesus and sees Him, the spirit reacts with an immediate, violent attack.
It tears and convulses him and throws and casts him down, so that he falls to the ground and lies there wallowing and rolling.
There he writhes in convulsions of agony and foams at the mouth, with distorted countenance and gnashing of teeth and unearthly shrieks.
The spirit is an intelligent, evil, unclean, dumb and tormenting entity.
Its seizure inflicts severe suffering and displays Satan's power to torment its victim.
The youth's writhing and foaming under its grasp is an example of the suffering caused by demonic torment and of those tormented by demons whom Christ healed by commanding the demons to leave.
Purpose, Victory, and Application
Jesus allows the evil spirit to show its power for a moment as the boy is brought forward, and lets the attack be seen so that the crowd and onlookers may better recognize the nature, severity and destructive power of the affliction. By witnessing the fall, the writhing in agony and the foaming, they are more deeply impressed by divine power and enabled to comprehend the deliverance about to be accomplished. The permitted violence thus reveals how grievous the bondage is and makes the coming rescue a more striking display of what is wrought.
That moment is a battlefield meeting between Christ as the Prince of life and Satan as the prince of the powers of darkness. Christ is at work to preach deliverance to captives and to set at liberty the bruised, while Satan strives to hold his victim under his control. Unseen angels of light and hosts of evil angels press near to behold the conflict.
What follows is complete deliverance that no mortal or human strength could effect. Christ commands the intelligent, evil, unclean spirit to leave the youth and to torment him no more, healing those tormented by demons as in this example. He stoops to lift the boy from the ground where he lies wallowing, frees him permanently and forever from the demon's power, restores him to health of mind and body, and gives him back to his father. The wallowing sufferer is thus a spectacle of Satan's power and human misery, and his rescue displays redemption as the Divine One descending from glory to save the lost.
The scene teaches Christ's servants to carry their work beyond moments of spiritual illumination on the mount to suffering people on the plain who are enslaved by Satan and need deliverance through the word of faith and prayer. The child's severe affliction stands as an example of the conflicts and trials that some endure. It does not mean that everyone must pass through such struggles before coming to Jesus.