Yeshua’s Preparation of the Emissaries for the End ~ Part 4
In our last post, we examined Yeshua’s Preparation of the Emissaries for the End, including His Transfiguration. In this post, Yeshua Heals A Demon-Possessed Boy.
Yeshua Heals A Demon-Possessed Boy
Apparently, back in Caesarea Philippi (Mattityahu 16:13), Yeshua encounters a demon-possessed person and demonstrates His power over evil. His talmidim had tried to cast out the demon, but they failed due to their weak faith.
14 When they returned to the other talmidim, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 When the crowd saw Yeshua, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him.
16 “What is all this arguing about?” Yeshua asked.
17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked your talmidim to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
19 Yeshua said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
Yeshua rebukes the faithless people of His day for their weak faith and distorted perception (compare Deuteronomy 32:5, 20). This criticism was probably aimed at His talmidim.
20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Yeshua, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
As in Yeshua’s previous encounters with unclean spirits, the demon causes a commotion within its host when Yeshua appears.
21 “How long has this been happening?” Yeshua asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into the water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us if you can.”
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Yeshua asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
Yeshua’s response redirects the conversation from questioning His ability to the need for faith.
24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Yeshua saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, He rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” He said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
26 Then, the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Yeshua took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 Afterward, when Yeshua was alone in the house with His talmidim, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” [1]
20 He said to them, “Because you have such little trust! Yes! I tell you that if you have trust as tiny as a mustard seed, you will be able to say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there!’ and it will move; indeed, nothing will be impossible for you!” [Some manuscripts insert verse 21: But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting.] [2]
In our next post, we continue to examine Yeshua’s Preparation of the Emissaries for the End by looking at Yeshua’s Death Is Again Foretold and other encounters.
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[1] Mark 9:14–28 (See also Mattityahu 17:14-19 & Luke 9:37-43a, 17:5-6)
[2] Mattityahu 17:20-21.
My Heart is for Israel 