A desperate father found Jesus' disciples and begged them to rescue his young son. An evil spirit has demonized the boy. The demon either gives or exacerbates epileptic-type seizures (Luke 9:37–40) and attempts to kill him by throwing him in fire and water (Mark 9:22). The disciples find they have no control over the demon despite having been empowered by Jesus (Luke 9:1). When Jesus arrives, the father turns to Him. Jesus is frustrated with the lack of faith of everyone involved but agrees to help.

Luke presents a quick resolution, but Mark gives more details. When the demon sees Jesus, it throws the boy down into another seizure. Jesus asks the father how long the boy has suffered, and the father says since childhood. The father then says, "But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus responds, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." The father gives the famous answer: "I believe; help my unbelief!" Jesus then sees an even larger crowd running toward them and cuts the conversation short. He rebukes the demon, and the boy goes into one last seizure that leaves him lying on the ground like a corpse. Jesus reaches down and helps him up, alive and healed (Mark 9:20–27).

Matthew says, "the boy was healed instantly" (Matthew 17:18). Mark's description might not seem "instantaneous," but compared to the conversation Jesus had with the Legion of demons (Luke 8:27–33), this is an accurate description.

Rarely, scholars attempt to suggest the demon slammed Jesus to the ground and "threw him into a convulsion." That is inconsistent with the actions of demons around Jesus. Legion harmed the man they possessed (Mark 5:5), and this demon regularly harmed the boy (Luke 9:39). A demon did cause its victim to attack would-be rescuers, but these rescuers were attempting to use God's power in an inappropriate way (Acts 19:13–16). Jesus consistently demonstrates full power over demons; they must exit at His word (Luke 4:31–36).

The wording in the ESV is blurry. It uses the term "heal" often in the context of casting out demons, but usually the source word is the generic Greek word for rescue or return to health. Here, the Greek word primarily means to restore someone to health after a physical malady. Luke almost always reserves its use for those cases in which someone is healed from a disease. In Acts 10:38, Luke quotes Peter saying about Jesus, "He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." This seems to indicate that in the case of this boy, he may have epilepsy and the demon is making it worse. Jesus' healing of the boy goes beyond even rescue from disease and possession, however; in giving him "back to his father," the relationship and the boy's cultural position as his father's only child and heir are also restored.

Luke ends here. Matthew and Mark record the disciples retreating to a house in private and asking Jesus why they couldn't cast out the demon. Matthew quotes Jesus talking about their lack of faith while Mark points out their lack of prayer (Matthew 17:19–21; Mark 9:28–29). It was for prayer that Jesus went to the top of the mountain with Peter, James, and John (Luke 9:28). Luke's gospel often highlights the importance of prayer (Luke 1:13; 2:37; 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18; 10:2: 11:1–12; 18:1; 19:46; 21:36; 22:32, 39–46).

Luke 9:37–43 records another story highlighting the disciples' misunderstanding of Jesus and their lack of faith. Jesus, Peter, James, and John return from the mountain. There, Jesus shone with God's glory and the disciples encountered Moses, Elijah, and God the Father. The disciples they left behind, despite having been empowered by Jesus to perform miracles (Luke 9:1–6), find it impossible to rescue a boy from a violent demon. Jesus scolds the lack of faith before He drives the demon away. This story is also in Matthew 17:14–20 and Mark 9:14–29.

Luke 9 completes Jesus' Galilean ministry and begins describing His journey towards Jerusalem. Jesus gives His disciples miraculous power and commissions them to preach. The empowerment thrills the disciples but confuses Herod Antipas. A hungry crowd of thousands and hard teachings about following Jesus, however, shows the disciples' faith is short-lived. The transfiguration and the demonized boy precede stories of the disciples' continued confusion. They still struggle to accurately represent Jesus. Luke 9:51–62 begins the "travelogue" (Luke 9:51—19:27) with examples of the patience and sacrifice needed to represent Jesus as His followers.

Luke 9 straddles the two major sections biblical scholars call "Jesus' Galilean Ministry" (Luke 4:14—9:50) and "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27). The Galilean ministry alternates calls to discipleship with stories on Jesus' authority and teachings. The travelogue records what Jesus did and taught to prepare the disciples for His crucifixion. After a final group of stories on how to respond to Jesus (Luke 9:51—11:13) and several examples of how the Jewish religious leaders reject Jesus (Luke 11:14–54), Luke presents Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—19:27).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.

Accessed 5/6/2024 12:32:52 PM

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