Exorcising a boy possessed by a demon
The exorcism of a boy possessed by a demon, or a boy with a mute spirit, is one of the miracles
Narrative
Mark's account describes how Jesus is surrounded by a crowd, one of whom asks for help for his son, who 'has a spirit that makes him unable to speak'. He explains that the spirit makes him foam at the mouth, grind his teeth, and become rigid. He tells Jesus that he had asked the disciples to cure the boy, but they had been unable to do so. Jesus responds by describing the crowd and his followers as a 'faithless generation', and asks 'how much longer must I be among you?'.
When he is brought to Jesus, the boy immediately experiences an
Jesus then commands the spirit to leave the boy, and it does. Seeing that he looks like a corpse, many in the crowd think he is dead, but Jesus helps him to his feet.
Afterwards, the disciples ask Jesus why they were unable to cure the boy and he explains, 'This kind can come out only through prayer'. Some sources add, 'and through fasting'.[4]
The version in Matthew's gospel is considerably shorter, and drops the reference to a crowd and the need for prayer.
The version in Luke's gospel is also shortened, but mention of the crowd is retained.
Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary notes that "the graphic description here of St. Mark corresponds exactly to epilepsy".[5]
In Matthew's account it specifies that the boy is "moonstruck" (Greek: σεληνιάζεται, selēniazetai). This is translated as "a lunatic" in the Geneva Bible and in the King James Version ("lunatick") and as "an epileptic" in the New King James Version and the Revised Standard Version. Strong's Concordance states that the condition of epilepsy was "supposedly influenced by the moon".[6]
In
In terms of the words, this kind [of demon], John Chrysostom noted that these demons were of a higher order, and were more "powerful, obstinate and malicious." Thus they could only be driven out by prayer and fasting; since these things "lift men up from the flesh to God."[8]
Gallery of art
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Lower panel of a stained glass window by Alfred Ernest Child in the east aisle, depicting the healing of the demon-possessed boy
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Painting (Wulcken Jean-Baptiste, Guérison du possédé) in Saint-Matthieu's church in Grand'Rue in Colmar (Haut-Rhin, France).
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The Healing of the Possessed. A miniature from the Jruchi Gospels II, H-1667, 138r. National Center of Manuscripts, Tbilisi, Georgia (1667)
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On this folio from Walters manuscript W.592, Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy.
See also
- Miracles of Jesus
- Jesus exorcising a mute
- Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac
- Epileptic seizure
- Exorcism
References
- ^ Mark 9:17-29
- ^ Matthew 17:14-21
- ^ Luke 9:40-44
- ^ "Mark 9:14-29". Biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
- ^ Pulpit Commentary on Mark 9, accessed 15 June 2017
- ^ Strong's Concorance, 4583: seléniazomai, accessed 29 January 2017
- ^ Lapide, Cornelius (1889). The great commentary of Cornelius à Lapide. Translated by Thomas Wimberly Mossman. London.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Chrysostom, John (1885). .