And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
Jesus asked the father how long his son had been tormented by the unclean spirit, and the father answered that the affliction had lasted since childhood, a lifelong ordeal of many years. This took place the morning after the night on the mountain, when Jesus descended from being glorified before His companions and proclaimed the Son of God to meet the opposite extreme of grief in a demon-possessed child in Satan's power whom the disciples had failed to deliver. By the question He brought the father's mind to the long years of watching his son's suffering in hope and fear, deepening his anguish, yet He used that remembrance to encourage him to believe and prepare him to seek help in faith. He then freed and healed the boy forever with a command that the dumb spirit leave and torment him no more, stooping from the Father's glory to restore him to soundness of mind and body and return him to his father as an object lesson of redemption.
Setting and Suffering
The scene belongs to the morning after the night on the mountain, when Jesus and His three companions came down to the plain. On the way He charged them to tell the vision to no one until the Son of man was risen from the dead, a charge to be pondered and not published. Even the nine and the three did not understand it until after the resurrection, for the three were slow to comprehend and questioned among themselves what rising from the dead should mean. They asked Him no explanation because His words about the future filled them with sorrow. Only a few short hours after He had stood glorified before the favored disciples by the glory of God, talked with the messengers of Heaven, and been proclaimed the Son of God by the Father's voice from the radiant glory, He descended to meet the opposite extreme of grief. There lay a lunatic child, a victim of Satan, with distorted countenance and gnashing teeth in spasms of agony that no mortal could relieve, wallowing on the ground.
The episode concerns a son tormented by an unclean spirit, also described as a dumb spirit, evil spirit, and demon, whom the disciples had failed to deliver. His affliction had lasted since childhood, a lifelong ordeal persisting for many years before Jesus healed him. That long duration highlights the severity and continuance of his suffering. The father's answer that it had been so since childhood records years of watching in hope and fear.
The dumb spirit repeatedly tried to destroy the youth by casting him into fire and water. The case stands as an example of the suffering caused by demonic possession. Jesus' question about how long the affliction had lasted brought the father's mind to those long years of his son's suffering as he had watched in hope and fear. The recall deepened his anguish and his fear that even Jesus might not be able to help or overcome the demon.
Deliverance and Faith
Jesus permitted the evil spirit to show its strength for a short time, so that those watching would grasp more fully the deliverance that was about to take place. By asking how long the affliction had lasted, He turned the father's thoughts to the long years of watching his son suffer in hope and fear, deepening his anguish and his fear that even Jesus might be unable to help. That same recalling of years of suffering was used to urge the father to believe and to ready him to seek help in faith, since the long duration had made him fear the demon could not be overcome.
The boy was tormented by a dumb spirit that again and again cast him into fire and into water in an effort to destroy him. Jesus healed him and ordered the spirit to come out and torment him no more, freeing the youth from the demon's power and from Satan's power forever. The Mighty Redeemer stooped down to lift the sufferer up, restoring him to soundness of mind and body and giving him back to his father and to his home. After the deliverance both father and son rejoiced in their freedom and praised their Deliverer.
The rescue is an object lesson of redemption, revealing the Divine One stooping from the Father's glory to save the lost. In that scene the boy stands enslaved by Satan, and only faith and prayer can set such captives free. That need for faith and prayer pictures the work of the disciples among people waiting to be freed through faith and prayer. By contrast, Martha's situation does not call for her to pass through the severe conflicts and trials endured by this demon-afflicted child since childhood.
Jesus asked the father how long his son had been tormented by the unclean spirit, and the father answered that the affliction had lasted since childhood, a lifelong ordeal of many years. This took place the morning after the night on the mountain, when Jesus descended from being glorified before His companions and proclaimed the Son of God to meet the opposite extreme of grief in a demon-possessed child in Satan's power whom the disciples had failed to deliver. By the question He brought the father's mind to the long years of watching his son's suffering in hope and fear, deepening his anguish, yet He used that remembrance to encourage him to believe and prepare him to seek help in faith. He then freed and healed the boy forever with a command that the dumb spirit leave and torment him no more, stooping from the Father's glory to restore him to soundness of mind and body and return him to his father as an object lesson of redemption.
Setting and Suffering
The scene belongs to the morning after the night on the mountain, when Jesus and His three companions came down to the plain. On the way He charged them to tell the vision to no one until the Son of man was risen from the dead, a charge to be pondered and not published. Even the nine and the three did not understand it until after the resurrection, for the three were slow to comprehend and questioned among themselves what rising from the dead should mean. They asked Him no explanation because His words about the future filled them with sorrow. Only a few short hours after He had stood glorified before the favored disciples by the glory of God, talked with the messengers of Heaven, and been proclaimed the Son of God by the Father's voice from the radiant glory, He descended to meet the opposite extreme of grief. There lay a lunatic child, a victim of Satan, with distorted countenance and gnashing teeth in spasms of agony that no mortal could relieve, wallowing on the ground.
The episode concerns a son tormented by an unclean spirit, also described as a dumb spirit, evil spirit, and demon, whom the disciples had failed to deliver. His affliction had lasted since childhood, a lifelong ordeal persisting for many years before Jesus healed him. That long duration highlights the severity and continuance of his suffering. The father's answer that it had been so since childhood records years of watching in hope and fear.
The dumb spirit repeatedly tried to destroy the youth by casting him into fire and water. The case stands as an example of the suffering caused by demonic possession. Jesus' question about how long the affliction had lasted brought the father's mind to those long years of his son's suffering as he had watched in hope and fear. The recall deepened his anguish and his fear that even Jesus might not be able to help or overcome the demon.
Deliverance and Faith
Jesus permitted the evil spirit to show its strength for a short time, so that those watching would grasp more fully the deliverance that was about to take place. By asking how long the affliction had lasted, He turned the father's thoughts to the long years of watching his son suffer in hope and fear, deepening his anguish and his fear that even Jesus might be unable to help. That same recalling of years of suffering was used to urge the father to believe and to ready him to seek help in faith, since the long duration had made him fear the demon could not be overcome.
The boy was tormented by a dumb spirit that again and again cast him into fire and into water in an effort to destroy him. Jesus healed him and ordered the spirit to come out and torment him no more, freeing the youth from the demon's power and from Satan's power forever. The Mighty Redeemer stooped down to lift the sufferer up, restoring him to soundness of mind and body and giving him back to his father and to his home. After the deliverance both father and son rejoiced in their freedom and praised their Deliverer.
The rescue is an object lesson of redemption, revealing the Divine One stooping from the Father's glory to save the lost. In that scene the boy stands enslaved by Satan, and only faith and prayer can set such captives free. That need for faith and prayer pictures the work of the disciples among people waiting to be freed through faith and prayer. By contrast, Martha's situation does not call for her to pass through the severe conflicts and trials endured by this demon-afflicted child since childhood.