The Miracles of Jesus Part 27: Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
The Miracles of Jesus Part 27: Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
Matthew 17:14-20, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43 - I do believe; help my unbelief!
“When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. [But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”]”
Matthew 17:14-21 NASB1995
“When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?” And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” And He *answered them and *said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.””
Mark 9:14-29 NASB1995
“On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. And a man from the crowd shouted, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only boy, and a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth; and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves. I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” While he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.
Luke 9:37-43 NASB1995
This next miracle, documented in Matthew, Mark and Luke, takes place right after the Transfiguration in all three of the Gospels that record it. Luke notes that it is the next day that Jesus and His invited disciples (the “inner circle”?) came down from the mountain and joined the other disciples, where a crowd is forming, including some scribes. Peter, James and John have just seen something beyond extraordinary that should have been like hitting their thick skulls with the “clue stick”, but real life intervenes very quickly again. Jesus definitely shows His growing frustration with the disciples and their lack of faith in performing this miracle.
The most detailed passages of the circumstances of this casting out of an unclean spirit are in the Gospel of Mark; Gospel of Matthew also has the story of the faith of the mustard seed (my picture at the top shows the size of mustard seeds). A man approaches Jesus with his son and tells Jesus that his son has a spirit that makes the boy mute and it seizes him and slams him to the ground, stiffening him and making him foam at the mouth.
The man says that the disciples that were there tried to cure him but were unable. The boy appears to have some of the symptoms of epilepsy, but Jesus recognizes this as a demonic possession. According to some of my research, demons can use an existing physical ailment to enhance their torture of a human; our scientific society poo-poos the idea of demonic possession, which means the enemy is succeeding in hiding his influence.
In all three versions, Jesus laments the unbelieving generation that stands before Him (probably not just addressing the disciples, but also those who are anticipating His actions and perhaps the father and his son) and, in the Mark version, asks that the boy be brought to Him. Immediately, the poor boy suffers a horrible convulsion right in front of the Lord. Again, referencing Mark, father tells Jesus that this has been going on since childhood, throwing the child into the fire and into water, and then says “But if you can do anything, please take pity on us and help us!”. Jesus responds: “If you can? All things are possible to him who believes”. The father replies “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit and casts it out; the demon responds with violent convulsions before leaving, making the boy appear dead. But he recovers and Jesus takes him by the hand. The disciples are perplexed, wondering what they did wrong and why they couldn’t cast out the demon. Jesus tells them that this strong type of demon requires extensive prayer [and fasting]. The disciples were relying on their own strength, not on God’s power, which can make ALL things possible.
From this miracle, I am focusing on words from the father that could be my mantra in life: I do believe; help my unbelief! As I have written about in a couple of personal devotionals, I have been “gifted” with a brain that latches quite readily onto logic, reason and skepticism and tends to reject “soft” things like overt emotionalism and the concepts of faith and trust. Even returning to a belief that grows daily (usually), I find myself inadvertently looking left or right while I walk on that narrow path of my redemption, staring into the abysses of materialism, naturalism, “science”, and skepticism, which dominate our modern society. I can read a science article (I still like science, especially astronomy and cosmology) and am distracted by the complexity and vastness of the universe. Then that little evil voice starts up again in my brain about the absurdity of believing in this fantastic story of God and His Son, when there are trillions of galaxies in the universe. Why would He bother with us on this insignificant planet, if He exists?
That evil voice, from the enemy, is thankfully silenced now by looking straight to Jesus, the Word, who created all that we see. He is there to help me with these spiritual battles and to bring me true wisdom and understanding and to replenish me with all of the things that are insufficient (faith, trust, love, hope, joy). He is standing at the end of the narrow path with His arms outstretched and is the light that I need to see, because seeing His light overwhelms the distractions on either side of my path. Turning to Psalm 36:5, 9:
“Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”
“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”
Psalms 36:5; 9 NASB1995
Here is a great excerpt from the really useful Gotquestions biblical resource on their answer as to why people lack faith:
The apostle Paul exhorts Christians to “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). What we see here is a contrast between truth and perception—what we know and believe to be true and what we perceive to be true. This is where the Christian struggle with a lack of faith finds its basis. The main reason why so many Christians struggle with a lack of faith is that we follow our perceptions of what is true rather than what we know to be true by faith.
Perhaps before going any further it may be helpful to come up with a working definition of faith. Faith, contrary to popular opinion, is not “belief without proof.” This is the definition that many skeptics give for faith. This definition reduces faith to mere fideism—i.e., “I believe despite what the evidence tells me.” Skeptics are right to reject this concept of faith, and Christians should reject it, too. Faith is not belief without proof or belief despite the evidence; rather, faith is a complete trust or confidence in someone or something. That trust or confidence we have in someone is built up over time as he proves himself faithful time and time again.…
The world, the flesh, and the devil often distract us. By “the world” is meant the accepted “wisdom” of the unbelieving world and the culture in which we find ourselves. For those of us living in Europe and North America, that dominant worldview is naturalism, materialism, skepticism, and atheism. “The flesh,” refers to our sinful nature that still clings to Christians and with which we struggle on a daily basis. “The devil” refers to Satan and his horde of evil spirits who excite and entice us through the world and our senses. These things all afflict us and cause us to struggle with faith.
That is why Christians need to be constantly reminded of what Christ has done for us and what our response should be. The apostle Paul says, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Our faith is built up as we have the gospel continually preached to us. Our churches need to be built on the solid preaching of the Word and the regular observance of the ordinances. Instead, too many churches spend their time, energy, and resources on the creation of “programs” that neither feed the sheep nor draw a clear distinction between godliness and ungodliness.
So what did we learn from this miracle?
Jesus heals a boy with an unclean spirit: Jesus returns with Peter, James and John from the Transfiguration and is greeted almost immediately with a worldly issue: A boy has a vicious unclean spirit that throws him into regular convulsions and keeps him from speaking and his father is asking for help. The disciples have been unable to cast out the unclean spirit. Jesus sighs at their unbelief. The father believes but also asks for help for his unbelief. The powerful demon is cast out and the boy is now spared. This type of demon requires effective prayer and the faith of a mustard seed, which the disciples still lack.
My next devotional will examine the miracle of the temple tax found in the mouth of a fish, as documented in the Gospel of Matthew.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord: I believe; help my unbelief! Please keep me walking forward on my path to you and your Light, not looking left or right at the distractions and evils that beckon. Faith comes through hearing, so may I hear your Word every day to refocus my beliefs and thoughts. Thank you for your salvation and your infinite power to overcome evil. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
GotQuestions is an on-line resource for believers to find good answers to questions about their Christian faith and it is run by Got Questions Ministries.
The Miracle List:
Water to wine: Jesus can overcome time, He creates beauty and abundance, and He shares in our joy.
Healing of the official’s son: Jesus can overcome space (distance), He does not need to see the person He heals, He has infinite power, but He also wants us to believe without signs and wonders.
Casting out of the evil spirit in the synagogue: The authority of Jesus is recognized by the demons and He triumphs over evil and silences it.
Healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law: Jesus does not need crowds to demonstrate His power and He has compassion about the needs of one person, even if those needs seem smaller and only worthy of a couple of verses of scripture.
Healing and casting out demons of many in Capernaum (at Peter’s house): Jesus has compassion on all who come to Him and has no conditions that He places on giving them His mercy. He can heal instantly with a light touch and again demonstrates authority over demons and silences them.
Miraculous catch of fish on the Sea of Galilee: Jesus demonstrates His powers over His creation, He once again brings abundance, and He teaches humble fishermen that their task of bringing souls to Him is the most important thing they can do. They must follow Him.
Cleansing of the Leper: Jesus is willing to heal us, is compassionate towards those who suffer and can instantly cure a dreadful and feared disease. We must have faith when circumstances seem hopeless.
Healing of the Centurion’s Servant: Jesus came so that anyone who believes on His name is saved, Jew or Gentile. One of the most humble and devout persons that He encounters during His ministry is a Roman Centurion who cares and loves a servant who is sick or paralyzed. Jesus has instant authority over this illness, again eliminating space (distance) as a barrier to healing; He also marvels at this man’s faith.
Healing of the paralytic passed through the roof: Jesus demonstrates His ultimate authority as the Son of God to forgive sins and to heal a condition that seems irreversible. He can sense and read the hearts and thoughts of others. He turns a major disruption into a lesson on forgiveness. The friends of the paralytic show tremendous faith in how they solve this problem.
Healing of the withered hand on the Sabbath: Jesus can instantaneously heal a chronic condition, restoring a hand to full function. The man he heals exhibits great faith in His ability to heal and obeys Him. Jesus also challenges the assumptions and rules that have taken the place of faith and wisdom in the hearts of the Pharisees and Scribes. His anger is righteous; their rage is murderous.
Raising of the widow’s son from death: Jesus is filled with compassion for the suffering and grief of others. He has power over death and can restore us to joy and hope in the face of a hopeless situation. His endless grace and the power of His word are sufficient. We are to spring into action, serving Him and bringing His hope to the hopeless.
Taming the storm on the Sea: Jesus has the unlimited power to tame nature and He calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee instantly. His disciples, after seeing one miracle after another before this, are struck with memory loss when this crisis hits and forget that He is the Creator of the Universe and creation will obey Him. Jesus is there in the storms of life for those who believe on His name.
Casting demons into a herd of pigs: Jesus has the ultimate authority over evil and demons must have His permission to even enter into animals that immediately die. Demon possession is a real thing, but is likely rare and would not occur in a believer who is under the power of the Holy Spirit. We should not get so comfortable with evil surrounding us that we are fearful of holiness and good. Jesus wants us to tell others about His power and healing and to be without superstitions.
Healing of a woman with a bleeding disorder: Jesus knows when His healing powers are used and, with great love and compassion, tells this daughter of the Kingdom that her faith has made her well. Casual contact with Jesus doesn’t save us. We are saved by coming to Him with everything (sins, sufferings, distractions, hopes, and belief). Jesus cleanses and revives us!
Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus from the dead: Jesus, the Son of God, has power over life and death. His power is infinite - healing can come from a touch of His garment or a touch from His hands. His compassion is infinite. His words can bring a person back to life and He knows for those who believe that death is just sleep. Just as in His time, our age is filled with mockers and scorners and we must pray for those lost souls.
Jesus heals two blind men: Faith and persistence leads to miracles. Jesus extends mercy and compassion to those who are suffering and recognize Him as the Messiah, by healing two blind men who follow Him.
A mute demoniac is healed and speaks: Jesus has ultimate authority over evil and easily casts out a demon, allowing a man to finally speak. The Pharisees are not impressed and accuse Him of being a demon. As He continues His ministry and healings, He laments the lack of harvesters.
A man is healed by Jesus by the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath: Jesus homes in on a man among the many who has hopelessly waited for healing in the pool for 38 years. He asks him if he wants healing, then tells him to stand, take up his pallet, and walk. We are all waiting for something, but we should stop waiting and be actively seeking Him in our everyday lives through our worship and prayers. Human-made rules and rituals can separate us from our Creator, who is working to sustain us and His creation.
The feeding of the 5000+: Jesus is compassionate and involves his believers in provided abundance. Nothing is too meager or small for the Lord to use in a big way. The disciples continue to look for worldly answers to solve problems and He points them, once again, to His supernatural abilities. People are physically hungry and God’s resources should not be wasted. The Word is also needed to feed the masses spiritually.
Jesus walks on water: Jesus again demonstrates mastery over creation by walking on deep waters. His disciples don’t initially recognize Him, but when they do, Peter wants to join Him (Matthew account). Peter walks in faith a short distance, then is distracted by a worldly fear (the wind). Jesus grabs him to help home and asks him why he has so little faith and is full of doubts. The disciples declare Him the son of God.
Healing the many in Genneserat: Jesus has absolute power over Nature and over sickness. He heals many, often just from their touch of His garments. The crowds recognize Him but do not know Him.
Jesus heals the demon-possessed daughter of a Gentile: Jesus travels to a Gentile region and the only recorded act there is His response to the deep faith of a Gentile woman, who even turns aside His gentle remonstrations. She is the only person who is told directly that her faith is strong. The healing is once again a remote and instant casting out of the demon in the woman’s daughter.
Jesus heals a deaf and (mostly) dumb man: Jesus uses His supernatural healing powers in many different ways. He has compassion on this man and sighs heavenward when seeing the suffering in front of Him and uses unique healing techniques. He instantly heals this man’s hearing and speech, leaving many astounded.
The feeding of the 4,000+: Jesus can provide sustenance to those who are hungry for His word. He again miraculously creates adequate real food for thousands who are listening to Him, while also having to deal with the blindness and deafness of His disciples, who cannot put the big picture together and think outside their narrow worldly boxes of “reality”.
Jesus restores the sight of a blind man near Bethsaida: Jesus uses natural and supernatural methods to restore the sight of a blind man, giving His disciples a lesson in overcoming spiritual blindness.
Jesus heals a man blind from birth: Once again, Jesus demonstrates His mastery over His creation and can cure a congenital defect, a blindness that has been there since this man’s birth. The man’s story enrages the Pharisees, but he grows in faith and courage from not knowing Jesus to worshipping Him (and probably becoming a member of the larger entourage).
Jesus heals a boy with an unclean spirit: Jesus returns with Peter, James and John from the Transfiguration and is greeted almost immediately with a worldly issue: A boy has a vicious unclean spirit that throws him into regular convulsions and keeps him from speaking and his father is asking for help. The disciples have been unable to cast out the unclean spirit. Jesus sighs at their unbelief. The father believes but also asks for help for his unbelief. The powerful demon is cast out and the boy is now spared. This type of demon requires effective prayer and the faith of a mustard seed, which the disciples still lack.