On the next day ( ). Alone in Luke. It shows that the Transfiguration took place on the preceding night.

They were come down ( ). Genitive absolute of second aorist active participle of , a common enough verb, but in the N.T. only in Luke’s writings save Jas 3:15.

Met him ( ). First aorist active of , common compound verb, to meet with, only in Luke’s writings in the N.T. save Heb 7:1. With associative instrumental case .

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

Come down [] . Very frequent in Luke, and only once elsewhere : Jas 3:15.

Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament

POWERLESS DISCIPLES, DEMON CAST FROM CHILD V. 37-43

1) “And it came to pass, that on the next day,” (egeneto de te hekses hemera) “And it came to be on the following day,” after the transfiguration experience.

2) “When they were come down from the hill,” (katelhonton auton apo tou horous) “As they came down from the mountain,” from the mountain range, where they had gone with Jesus to pray, Luk 8:28; Mat 17:9; Mat 17:14.

3) “Much people met him.” (sunentesen auto ochlos polus) “There met him a huge crowd.” Mar 9:14 described the scene as “a great multitude,” that had gathered about His disciples, awaiting His return from the mountain, as the scribes quizzed His disciples. Mar 9:14-15 indicates that they ran to Him and were amazed.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

CRITICAL NOTES

Luk. 9:37. Much people.Better, a great multitude (R.V.).

Luk. 9:38. A man of the company cried out.Rather, a man [came] from the multitude [and] cried (R.V.). Master.I.e. teacher. Mine only child.Peculiar to St. Luke: he notes the same fact in the case of the widows son at Nain, and the daughter of Jairus.

Luk. 9:39. He suddenly crieth out.The passage might be rendered, it suddenly crieth out, i.e. the evil spirit; but the A.V. is the more natural of the two. The symptoms described are those of epilepsy.

Luk. 9:42. And tare him.Rather, tare him grievously (R.V.); or, convulsed him (margin of R.V.). Delivered him again to his father.There is a peculiar note of tenderness in St. Lukes narratives of Christs miracles. Cf. chap. Luk. 7:15.

Luk. 9:43. Mighty power.Rather, majesty (R.V.). But while they, etc.St. Luke places in marked contrast the wonder and admiration excited by the works of Christ and the announcement of His approaching death. The words of Christ were calculated to check the disciples hope of an earthly kingdom (Speakers Commentary).

Luk. 9:45. Hid from them, that they perceived it not.Rather, that they should not perceive it (R.V.). The writer clearly refers to a Divine purpose that they should not at present be aware of the full meaning of these words.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Luk. 9:37-45

The Power of Faith.The narrative of this miracle which St. Luke gives is much briefer than those in the two first Gospels, and omits a number of details which give special interest to this manifestation of Christs power and love. The side-lights of the story are full of instruction: e.g.

I. The vicarious power of faith.The success of this poor father for his child is typical of a whole class of our Lords acts of mercy. One-half of the detailed healings in the Gospel history were wrought at the prayer of friends. A considerable proportion were cures of those who could in nowise appeal to Jesus on their own behalf, and who, therefore, so far as receptive faith was concerned, were represented by their intercessors. Among the countless undetailed healings the proportion of such cures must have been great. Indeed, this was evidently a principle of the Lords healing ministry. What a gospel, this, the Author of which plainly says by His deeds, Not only come, but bring! Come for yourselves and find rest. Bring also the halt, the blind, the weak, the little ones, that they too may get the blessing, and My house may be filled. How far-reaching this principle is will appear when we consider the gracious teachings of Christianity as to infant salvation, its still wider teaching as to the place of representative faith for those who can own and confess nothing for themselves; also the marvellous spiritual results of patient, persevering, intercessory prayer. Nor should the reflex action of the principle be forgotten. The father stands beside the Christ of history, a monument of faith, timid yet true, because his love for his boy set him there. His Have mercy on us and help us like the heathen mothers Have mercy on me, was highly honoured by Jesus. The parental love that identified itself with the suffering child was used by Him as a step to the faith which united child and parent both to the Healer. Thus will true spiritual affection for those committed to our care draw ourselves and them into closest bonds with Christ.

II. The situation of the unsuccessful nine.Their failure had been conspicuous, and rankled in their minds. The cause of it was unbelief, want of faith, or rather of the watchfulness in prayer which keeps faith ready for action. Does not the situation recur? Are there not social evils preying on the body politic, open sores, even of the modern world, with which Christianityat least the Christianity of the Churchesseems unable to cope? Are there not times when their failure threatens to shame the cause of Christ, if not Christ Himself? But the Church is not Christ. His working is not to be measured by that of any human representatives, official or unofficial. We must not repeat the mistake of the multitude that day, and, because the disciples have failed, think that Jesus will fail. There are evils not to be met successfully without exceptional devotion and self-sacrifice in His followers. There are kinds of demonismhow many of them are still with us!in face of which ordinary easy-going Christianity breaks down. To cast them out heroism is needed; and surely Christ and His cause have never wanted for heroes and heroic devotion when the need came.Laidlaw.

SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON Luk. 9:37-45

Luk. 9:37. A Great Contrast.Very remarkable is the contrast between the scene on the Mount of Transfiguration and that which met the eyes of Christ at its foot: on the one hand the open heaven and the presence of glorified spirits, and on the other a vale of tears, with the worst forms of misery, pain, and unbelief. In his well-known picture of the Transfiguration Raffaelle has depicted this contrast in the most striking manner.

Luk. 9:41. Faithless and perverse generation.The censure must have been felt

(1) by those who had hastily argued from the impotence of the disciples to that of their Master;
(2) by the father of the child, whose faith was so weak;
(3) by the disciples who had attempted in vain to exorcise the evil spirit.

How long shall I be with you?What a contrast for Jesus between the hours of holy peace which He had just passed in communion with heaven, and the sight of the agony of this father and of the agitated crowd!Godet.

How long.He was hastening to His Father, yet could not go till He had led His disciples to faith. Their slowness troubled Him.Bengel.

Luk. 9:42. The devil threw him down.That the devil should rage with more than ordinary cruelty against the child, when he is brought to Christ, ought not to excite surprise; for in proportion as the grace of Christ is seen to be nearer at hand, and acts more powerfully, the fury of Satan is the more highly excited.Calvin.

Luk. 9:44. Let these sayings sink down into your ears.The disciples are to bear in mind these admiring speeches on account of the contrast which His own fate would now appear with the same. They are, therefore, to build no hopes upon them, but only to recognise in them the mobile vulgus.Meyer.

Delivered into the hands of men.If men offer thee a wreath of honour, be careful to intertwine with it a bunch of myrrh, and thus remind thyself, as thy Saviour did, that men are changeable, and their praise fickle and destitute of power to give strength or comfort in death.Besser.

Luk. 9:45. They feared to ask Him.Why did they fear to ask Him? Because they had an idea what the answer would be, and did not wish to understand what was exceedingly disagreeable to them. In this we can see how the will governs the understanding. Our Lord has still, alas! too many of such disciples who know not because they will not.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Butlers Comments

SECTION 5

Tenderness Amid Tragedy (Luk. 9:37-45)

37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38And behold, a man from the crowd cried, Teacher, I beg you to look upon my son, for he is my only child; 39and behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him till he foams, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not. 41 Jesus answered, O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here. 42While he was coming, the demon tore him and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

But while they were all marveling at everything he did, he said to his disciples, 44Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men. 45But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Luk. 9:37-43 Failing Faith: The next day after the Transfiguration, Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James and John. There was a great crowd of people gathered around the other nine apostles (who had been left at the foot of the mountain during the Transfiguration). The crowd was involved in an argument with some Jewish scholars (scribes). Seeing Jesus approaching, the crowd ran to greet Him. Jesus asked the crowd what they were discussing with the scribes. The reader should study this incident from a harmony of the Gospels in order to get the full impact of it.

A man from the crowd came to Jesus kneeling (Mat. 17:14) and bellowed (Gr. eboesen, from boao which is the word used to describe John the Baptists crying loudly, or bellowing forth in the wilderness), Teacher, I plead with you, direct your attention to my son, because he is my only son and, see, a spirit takes him and suddenly he screams out as he is convulsed with spasms. Matthew records that the father of the boy said he was moonstruck (Gr, seleniazetai, translated, epileptic, Mat. 17:15). Doctor Luke uses the Greek word, sparassei, from which we get the English word, spastic. The boy was demon-possessed (Luk. 9:42). The demon tortured the boy by causing him to fall into fires, into water, foaming at the mouth, grinding his teeth, dashing him down upon the ground and bruising (Gr. suntribo, to shatter, to smash, to crush, to break) him.

Then the boys father cast a lightening bolt into the situation. He said, I plead with your disciples to cast the demon out of my boy but they were not able. Jesus immediate reaction was to accuse His own disciples of being part of a faithless and perverse generation and to ask exasperatedly, how long must I bear with you? Was Jesus justified in speaking so severely to these disciples? Indeed! Why should He be partial toward any person? Any display of unbelief, especially in people who have been given so many extra-ordinary opportunities to know the truth and such miraculous confirmations of it, deserves quick and firm correction. Jesus minced no words with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Luk. 24:25-27) for their unbelief. Jesus rather bluntly corrected His own mother (Joh. 2:4; Luk. 8:19-21).

Jesus cast out the demon commanding it, Come out of him, and never enter him again (Mar. 9:25). He gave the boy back to his father and all the multitude was astonished at the very apparent demonstration of the majesty of Almighty God.

Luk. 9:44-45 Fearful Forecast: The proper relationship to Jesus does not consist in marveling over the miraculous but in faith in the face of the fearful. While this particular crowd stood around subjectively soaking up the great privilege they had enjoyed by their close proximity to a real miracle, Jesus turned to His disciples with a fearsome forecast of His messianic fate. Jesus took the twelve aside and resumed His journey south through Galilee (see Mat. 17:22; Mar. 9:30) for He had something of utmost importance to say for their ears only. So He prefaced His remarks with this command, Let these words sink into your ears. . . . The Greek verb thesthe is in the imperative mood (a command) and is from tithemi which means, put in, deposit, establish. What Jesus is about to say to them is not just to make conversation. It is imperative that what He is about to say be deposited in their minds so that it may become a part of their thinking processes. And what were these all-important words? . . . The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men. Their Master, their Lord, the One they recently confessed to be the Holy One of God (Joh. 6:69), is going to be killed and raised again after three days (cf. Mat. 17:22-23; Mar. 9:31-32). It is important for them to believe this because it is the will of God for the Son of man (the Messiah). Jesus must emphasize it and stress it because of the worldly-minded view of the Messiah held by most of the Jews (see our comments on Luk. 9:18-27).

But the disciples did not understand what Jesus said to them. How could grown men not understand a statement as straightforward, unmysterious, plain and brief as, The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise? The fact of death, even violent death at the hands of enemies is a common experience to mankind. Resurrection from the dead is not! This may be the reason they could not understand it. But Luke goes on to say that what Jesus said was concealed from them and they could not perceive it. The Greek word parakekalummenon means to cover with a veil. The Greek verb is in the perfect tense indicating that the veiling had taken place previous to this statement and was continuing to veil their thinking. This same Greek word is used in 2Co. 3:12-18; 2Co. 4:3 where it is talking about the veiled revelation concerning the messianic age in the Old Testament and that the devil uses this, along with mans unbelief, to hide the gospel. It was not God who concealed from the minds of the apostles the understanding about the-Messiahs death and resurrection, for the Prophets predicted it (Isa. 53:1-12, etc.). It was not Jesus who concealed His death and resurrection from the Twelve, for He predicted it very plainly four times (Luk. 9:22; Luk. 9:44; Mat. 20:17-19; Mat. 26:1-2). It was the apostles themselves, choosing not to believe Jesus about His death, who were concealing the meaning of His teaching, (see Mat. 16:21-23; Mar. 8:31-33). What the Lord says is perceived only if man is willing to let His word find a place in his heart (cf. Joh. 7:17; Joh. 8:37; Joh. 8:45, etc.). The parable of the soils illustrates this (see our comments on Luk. 8:1 ff.). The disciples deliberately resisted any thinking about this subject (the death of the Messiah) because it distressed them (Mat. 17:23) and it was a subject about which they were afraid (Mar. 9:32; Luk. 9:45) to seek any more information. Let all followers of Jesus of all ages take warning from the spiritual failure of the Twelve here. It is a betrayal of Christian discipleship to reject any teaching of the New Testament with the a priori that it does not conform to human experience. What Jesus commands and promises is accepted by faith in Who He Is!

Appleburys Comments

The Epileptic Boy
Scripture

Luk. 9:37-45 And it came to pass, on the next day, when they were come down from the mountain, a great multitude met him. 38 And behold, a man from the multitude cried, saying, Teacher, I beseech thee to look upon my son; for he is mine only child: 39 and behold, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth, and it hardly departeth from him, bruising him sorely. 40 And I besought thy disciples to cast it out; and they could not. 41 And Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and bear with you? bring hither thy son. 42 And as he was yet a coming, the demon dashed him down, and tare him grievously. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all astonished at the majesty of God.

But while all were marvelling at all the things which he did, he said unto his disciples, 44 Let these words sink into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered up into the hands of men. 45 But they understood not this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Comments

a great multitude met him.Jesus and the three disciples had been in the mountain; the crowds were waiting for Him to return. Their anticipation was evidently heightened by the failure of the disciples to meet the request of the distressed father.

Teacher, I beseech thee.The father turned to Jesus for help, for his only son was demon-possessed and in desperate need of help. Luke calls the demon an unclean spirit. The symptoms were those of epilepsy, but Luke says it was demon-possession. The technique which Jesus used in dealing with the case shows that it was not the ordinary disease, but real demon-possession. He, of course, had power to cast out demons as well as heal diseases.

I besought thy disciples.Why couldnt they cast out the demon? Jesus, according to Mark, said that this kind came out only by prayer and fasting (Mar. 9:29). He also said that it was because of their little faith (Mat. 17:20). If their faith had been as much as a grain of mustard seed, they could have removed mountains. This case clearly called for a miracle, and the least amount of faith that had to do with the power to perform miracles could have accomplished it, To assume that this refers to mountains of difficulty that can be removed by trust in Jesus is to overlook the meaning of Jesus explanation. He had given them power over demons, but they lacked the faithnot faith like that of the woman in the crowdby which that power was made operative. Had they, in the absence of Jesus, attempted to cast out the demon without relying on Him? Without the faith that kept them in contact with the power they were utterly unable to perform the miracle. See Studies in First Corinthians, pages 22425 and 238, for additional comment of faith to remove mountains.

O faithless and perverse generation, how long.Jesus had already given ample evidence of His deity, but many were looking at the cureunderstandably soand not at the evidential value of the miracle (Joh. 20:30-31). Jesus was nearing the climax of His earthly ministry and knew that He would not be with them much longer. His complaint seems to be that they had not yet, even at this late date, grasped the truth about Him.

astonished at the majesty of God.Jesus cast the demon out and gave the boy back to the father. As usual, the crowds were astonished; but this time, at the majesty of God.

But while they were marvelling.They marvelled at the miracle, but Jesus reminded the disciples that He was soon to be delivered up into the hands of men to be crucified. Thats why He had asked, How long shall I be with you? It was important that they realize that His mission called for the cross by which He was to destroy the power of the devil (Heb. 2:14). He said, Let these words sink into your ears. Dont let them go in one ear and out the other.

But they understood not this saying.There seemed to be no place in their thinking for the cross. They had their minds centered on the kind of kingdom that they wanted Him to establishan earthly kingdom. They were afraid to ask what He meant, lest it be the end of their dream. See Luk. 24:21.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(37) And it came to pass.See Notes on Mat. 17:14-21, Mar. 9:14-29. St. Lukes omission of the question and the teaching as to the coming of Elijah given by the other two Gospels is noticeable. There was no expectation of that coming among the Gentiles for whom he wrote. It was not necessary to correct that impression, or even to bring the difficulties which it suggested before their minds.

Much people.Better, a great multitude.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

76. JESUS CASTS OUT A DEAF AND DUMB SPIRIT, Luk 9:37-43 .

See notes on parallel sections, Mat 17:14-21; Mar 9:14-29.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘And it came about, on the next day, when they were come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.’

The connection with the Transfiguration is clearly made. As Jesus descends from the mountain with His three companions He is met by ‘a great crowd’. A contrast and comparison is probably intended to be drawn between the size of the ‘great crowd’, seen as representing humanity, and the greatness of the majesty of God in Luk 9:43 a. On the Mount the difference between the majestic Jesus and the sleepy Apostles had been accentuated. Here the difference between the great crowd and the majesty of God is being accentuated.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

A Healing that Revealed His Majesty ( Mat 17:14-18 ; Mat 17:22-23 , Mar 9:14-27 ; Mar 9:30-32 ) Luk 9:37-45 gives the account of Jesus healing the boy with the unclean spirit. This healing is placed within the subsection emphasizing Jesus revealing Himself to His disciples as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. This healing is place here because it also reveals Jesus’ majesty, for the people were all amazed at the “majesty” of God.

Luk 9:43, “And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,”

Grammar-Syntax – It is interesting to note that Peter uses this same Greek word to describe the appearance of Jesus Christ while on the Mount of Transfiguration, which is part of the narrative material found within this subsection revealing Jesus’ majesty.

2Pe 1:16, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty .”

Luk 9:43 Word Study on “the mighty power” Strong says the Greek word (G3168) means, “superbness, i.e. glory or spendor.” BDAG defines it as “grandeur, sublimity, or majesty.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used only 3 times in the New Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “mighty power 1, magnificence 1, majesty 1.” The other two uses are found in Act 19:27 and 2Pe 1:16. It is interesting to note that Peter uses this same Greek word to describe the appearance of Jesus Christ while on the Mount of Transfiguration, which is part of the narrative material found within this subsection revealing Jesus’ majesty.

Act 19:27, “So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.”

2Pe 1:16, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty .”

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

The Healing of the Epileptic Boy.

The miracle:

v. 37. And it came to pass that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met Him.

v. 38. And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech Thee, look upon my son; for he is mine only child.

v. 39. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and, bruising him, hardly departeth from him.

v. 40. And I besought Thy disciples to cast him out, and they could not.

v. 41. And Jesus, answering, said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.

v. 42. And as he was yet a-coming, the devil threw him down and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.

Since Luke is writing for heathen Christians, He omits almost all reference to the Pharisees and Sadducees, as his readers would have followed him only with difficulty. In this story, also, there is no reference to the quarrel which the disciples had with the leaders of the Jews, the story only being given. Jesus had been on the mountain overnight. But when He came down on the next day with His three disciples, He came upon an excited scene. In the first place, a great many people came to meet Him. And out of the crowd, as it drew near, one man came forward and cried to Him with a loud voice, in a pitiful prayer. He wanted Jesus to look upon his only son, with a view to helping him. From time to time it would happen that an evil spirit would take hold upon him, and the boy would suddenly scream with pain. The demon, meanwhile, would distort and tear him until froth would appear at the mouth, and even after bruising the child fiercely, he would barely withdraw for a time. It was a case of severe epilepsy and lunacy caused by an evil spirit. The poor father had pleaded with the disciples that had remained in the valley whether they could help in this emergency, but they had not been able. The cry of Jesus at this point: 0 unbelieving and perverse generation; people that have no faith and consistently go the wrong way! How long must I be with you and tolerate you? includes the people as a whole, also the father of the boy and, in a way, the disciples, as He told them afterwards. That was characteristic of the chosen people of God at that time: they were rejecting the Messiah of their salvation or following false leads and hopes in their dream of a temporal kingdom. Jesus then commanded the boy to be brought to Him. While the boy was approaching Jesus, in accordance with His command, the demon made a final assault on his victim, rending and convulsing him. Note: It is very probable that certain severe attacks of sickness, such as cramps, convulsions, epilepsy, lunacy, and others, even today are caused or aggravated by the devil. He is a murderer from the beginning and has only one thing in mind, to destroy the creatures of God. But the power of the evil spirit also in this case, as in all, goes only so far as Jesus permits it. For Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Luk 9:37-45 . See on Mat 17:14-23 ; Mar 9:14-32 , the latter of which Luke follows on the whole, but abbreviating.

] According to Luke, the transfiguration took place at night, Luk 9:32 .

Luk 9:38 . ] to look upon , with helpful pity to cast eyes upon. Comp. Luk 1:48 ; Sir 33:1 ; Tob 3:3 ; Tob 3:15 ; Jdt 13:4 . See the critical remarks. The middle voice does not occur. in this passage, as at Luk 8:42 , is found only in Luke.

Luk 9:39 . ] does not refer to the demon (Bornemann), but to the son , since introduces the result which is brought about in the possessed one by the . The sudden change of the subjects is the less surprising when we take into account the rapid impassioned delineation. See Winer, p. 556 [E. T. 787], and Schoemann, ad Is . p. 294 f.

] hardly , with trouble and danger; used only here in the New Testament.

] whilst he bruises him (even still as he yields). Conceive of a paroxysm in which the demoniac ferociously beats and knocks and throws himself down. This literal meaning of . is, on account of the vivid description in the context, to be preferred to the figurative meaning frets, wears away (Kypke, Kuinoel, Bornemann, Ewald), although Mark has , in another collocation, however.

Luk 9:42 . . ] but as he was still coming not yet altogether fully come up.

] a climax describing the convulsive action, he tore him, and convulsed him (comp. , cramp ).

. .] namely, by the expulsion of the demon.

. . . ] at the majesty (Josephus, Antt. Prooem . p. 5; Athen. iv. p. 130 F) of God . , , , Euthymius Zigabenus.

] Imperfect (see the critical remarks). Their wonder was excited by the miracles of Jesus as a whole , among which was to be reckoned also that special case.

Luk 9:44 . . . .] Place ye, on your part , etc. The disciples were to continue mindful of this expression of amazement ( ) on account of the contrast ( . . .) in which his own destiny would soon appear therewith. They were therefore to build no hopes thereupon, but only thence to recognise the mobile vulgus ! Bornemann, de Wette, Schegg refer . . . to . . ., so that would be explanatory ( to wit ). So already Erasmus. But the above reference of the plural . . most readily suggests itself according to the context; since, on the one hand, preceded (comp. subsequently the singular , Luk 9:45 ); and, on the other, the argumentative use of seems the most simple and natural.

. .] into the, hands of men , He, who has just been marvelled at as the manifestation of the majesty of God.

Luk 9:45 . ] purely a particle of purpose, expressing the object of the divine decree.

] that they should not become aware of it. The idea of the divine decree is that their spiritual perception through the internal (Heb 5:14 ), their intellectual (Phi 1:9 ), was not to attain to the meaning of the saying. The verb occurs only here in the New Testament.

. . . See on Mar 9:32 .

The whole description of this failure to understand is only a superficial expansion of Mar 9:32 , and not an intentional depreciation of the Twelve in the Pauline interest (Baur, Hilgenfeld).

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

c. The Return (Luk 9:37-50)

(Parallels: Mat 17:14-23; Mar 9:14-21; Mat 18:1-5.)

37And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill [mountain], much people met him. 38And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master [Teacher], I beseech thee, look upon my son; for he is mine only child.39And, lo, a spirit taketh him. and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that hefoameth again, and bruising him, hardly departeth from him. 40And I besought thydisciples to cast him out; and they could not. 41And Jesus answering said, O faithless [unbelieving] and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. 42And as he was yet a coming, the devil [demon] threw him down, and tare [convulsed] him. And [But] Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. 43And they were all amazed at the mighty power [, majesty] of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus [om., Jesus, V. O.9] did, he said unto his disciples, 44Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be [or, is about to be] delivered into the hands of men. 45But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived [comprehended] it not: and they feared to ask him of that [concerning this] saying. 46Then there arose [There arose also] a reasoning among them, [as to] which of them should be greatest [was the greatest; lit., greater].47And Jesus, perceiving the thought [reasoning, , as in Luk 9:46] of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, 48And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least [lit., less] among you all, the same shall be [is, V. O.10] great. 49And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils [demons] in thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us. 50And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Harmony.Luke continues his narrative with an account of that which took place on the morning after the Transfiguration of the Saviour, and by this moreover gives a proof that we must regard this last event as having taken place in the night (otherwise Lichtenstein, L. J., see p. 309). The conversation in descending from the mountain he passes over, not from an anti-Judaistic tendency (Baur), but as indifferent for Theophilus. With Matthew and Mark he relates the healing of the demoniac lad, and the prediction of the Passion following thereupon. After this the account of the return to Capernaum and of the stater in the fishs mouth must be inserted, which we find only in Mat 17:24-27. The disputation of the disciples as to their rank, communicated by Luke (Luk 9:46-48), proceeds parallel with Mat 18:1-5, and what he adds in relation to John and the exorcist, Luk 9:49; Luk 9:60 (comp. Mar 9:38-41), appears actually to stand in the correct historical connection, and must immediately follow Mat 18:5.

Luk 9:37. Much people met Him.Somewhat more in detail and with more vividness does Mark portray this meeting (Luk 9:14-15), in whose whole account the influence of the autopsy of Peter cannot be mistaken. But we find in comparing the accounts of the three Evangelists no artificial climax therein, arising from a certain desire of glorifying the Saviour (Strauss). In a very unforced manner, on the other hand, they may be united by supposing that a part of the throng had hurried to the Saviour, while another part waited for Him. Besides, the of Mark affords an unequivocal proof of the deep impression which His sudden appearance made. If we, however, consider that the people, as it appears, had not expected Him, and in their conscience were convinced of an unrighteous temper towards Him and His disciples at this instant, then His unexpected appearance must have caused them a so much stronger shock of surprise the more His composure and majesty in the descent from the mountain contrasted with the restless tumult of the people.

Luk 9:38. Look upon my son, .Not Imp. 1st Aor. Mid., but Inf. Act depending on . It is therefore not necessary with Lachmann to give the preference to the reading . The prayer that the Saviour would regard and help the unhappy demoniac is made more urgent by the mention that he is the only child, a trait which Luke alone preserves, but which is not therefore the less historical.

Luk 9:39. And, lo, a spirit.According to Matthew the sick child was at the same time a lunatic. The epileptic attacks, interrupted only by short intervals, by which the youthful sufferer was tortured, were aggravated periodically, as it appears, with the waxing of the moon. That lunacy and demoniacal suffering do not at all exclude one another, has been with the best right remarked by Lange ad loc.He crieth out.Not the boy (Meyer, De Wette) but the spirit, which so soon as he has possessed himself of the boy, suddenly (), by working upon the bodily organs of the possessed, causes the most hideous tones to be heard, and inflicts upon him moreover the farther mischief described in the sequel of the verse. There is nothing which intimates or requires a sudden change of subjects.

Thy disciples.Doubtless the unhappy father had come with the purpose that Jesus should help him, and found himself not a little disappointed when he learned that the Saviour with His three intimate disciples was absent. But when he was told that the demons had often been subjected to the disciples also (Mat 10:8), he had appealed to them for compassion, and apparently expected that they should be able at least to do that which, as was said, the disciples of the Pharisees accomplished (Mat 12:27). The sight of the fearful condition of the boy had, however, filled them with mistrust as to their own powers; perhaps they had also become lately weary in fasting and prayer (Mat 17:4); at all events the attempt had failed, the evil spirit had not yielded at their word, and the consequence of this had been shame before the suppliant, displeasure with themselves, and shame before the Master. Mistrust had been sown, discord awakened, perhaps already scoffing speeches thrown out; it was high time that the Saviour should intervene when it appeared in so striking a manner that His disciples even yet were very little suited to work independently even for so short a time.

Luk 9:41. O unbelieving and perverse generation.To whom the Saviour so speaks Matthew and Mark do not tell us, and the true reading, , in Mark, admits of many conjectures. See the principal views stated in Lange on Mat 17:17. That we have here by no means to exclude the apostles appears even from Mat 17:20, and if we in some measure place ourselves in the frame of mind in which to-day the Saviour found Himself, and think once again on the great contrast which, for His feeling, existed between the scene on the summit and that at the foot of the mountain, we then understand how He could in this moment name all that surrounded Him, although in different measure, a : a single word, which, however, betrays a world of melancholy. All the conflict, the self-denial, the tension of His powers which it cost His love to tarry continuously in an environment which in everything was the opposite of His inner life and effort, resounds overwhelmingly therein. How much harder this strife had become to Him, after that which He had just heard, seen, and enjoyed in the same night, we only venture in silence to conjecture. But we ask boldly whether this lamentation also may not be considered as a psychological proof of the fact that the Transfiguration on the mount was really an objective fact.

Bring thy son hither.As to the more particular circumstances, the graphic account of Mark is especially worthy of comparison with this. The command is intended to contribute towards awakening the believing expectation of the father and making him thus receptive for the hearing of his prayer. Just at the approach to the Saviour the last paroxysm supervenes in all its might. Quod atrocius solito in hominem svit diabolus, ubi ad Christum adducitur, mirum non est, quum quo proprior affulget Christi gratia et efficacius agit, eo impotentius furit Satan. Calvin.

Luk 9:43. At the majesty.Here also, as often in Luke, the glory redounding to God by the healing is the crown of the Saviours miracle. Comp. Luk 5:26; Luk 7:16.

Luk 9:44. Let these sayings sink down into your ears.We see that the Saviour is to be misled by no false appearances; on the other hand, He will draw His disciples attention to the close connection between the Hosannas! and the Crucify Him! Crucify Him! They are to give heed to those words, that is, to those eulogies of the people. In your ears, primus gradus capiendi. Bengel.For the Son of Man, , not in the sense of namely, as if the words referred to were those that now followed, but as Meyer takes it: The disciples are to bear in memory these admiring speeches on account of the contrast in which His own fate would now soon appear with the same. They are, therefore, to build no hopes upon them, but only to recognize in them the mobile vulgus.

Luk 9:45. But they understood not.A description of the ignorance and uncertainty of the disciples, which gives us to recognize in Luke the admirable psychologist. The word of the Saviour is not understood by the disciples: this chief fact stands at the beginning. The ground of it: .: there lies a upon the eye of their spirit, in consequence of which they cannot comprehend the meaning of the Lord, and because this perceptio is lacking, neither can there be any cognitio. The only one who could have cleared up the obscurity for them would have been the Master Himself, but Him they do not venture to interrogate personally, and remain therefore in the dark. The natural consequence of these obscure anticipations, which do not come to clearness in their minds, can only be sadness, which Matthew (Luk 17:23) gives as their prevailing mood after the prediction of the Passion has been renewed.

Luk 9:46. A reasoning which of them was the greatest.That just in this period of time such a strife could arise, shows most plainly how little the Saviours repeated prediction of His suffering had yet taken root in the mind of His disciples. In their thoughts they had already distributed Crowns, while the Master had the Cross in His eye. Occasion for such a strife they had been able to find a sufficiency of in the days last preceding, even if the germ of rivalry had not been already existent in their hearts. The declaration to Simon that he should be the rock of the church; the singling out of the three intimate disciples in the night of the Transfiguration, in whose demeanor it was easy to see that they had something great to keep silence concerning; the miraculous payment which the Saviour had but just before discharged for Himself and Simon (Mat 17:24-27); finally, the awakened enthusiasm of the people subsequently to the healing of the lunatic boy, all these might easily coperate to quicken their rivalry and earthly-mindedness. According to Luke the Saviour saw the thoughts of their hearts. According to the more exact and vivid account of Mark (Luk 9:33-34), He Himself first asks after the cause of their dispute, which they scarcely venture to name to Him.

Luk 9:47. Took a child.Just as in the Gospel of John (Luk 13:1-11), so does the Saviour in the Synoptics also give force to His instruction by a symbolic act. The tradition of the Greek church that the here-mentioned child was no other than the afterwards so renowned Ignatius (Christophoros; see Eusebius, H. E. iii. 30.; Niceph. ii. 3) rests probably on his own declaration in his Epist. ad Smyrn. Luke 3 : . Even assuming that the Epistle is genuine and that is to be understood of a meeting in the body, yet that which this father here states of the time after Jesus resurrection does not of itself give any ground for the assumption that he had even earlier come into personal intercourse with the Saviour.

Luk 9:48. Whosoever shall receive this child.No reminiscence from Mat 10:40, the reception of which in this passage takes from the Saviours whole discourse in Luke all continuity (De Wette), but one of the utterances which the Saviour might fittingly repeat more than once. By the fact that Jesus shows how high He places the child, He commends to them the childlike mind; and in what this consists, appears from Mat 18:4. The point of comparison therefore is formed, not by the receptivity, the striving after perfection, the absence of pretension in the child (De Wette), but most decidedly by its humility, which was so entirely lacking in them. By this humility, the childs understanding was yet free from vain imagination, the childs heart from rivalry, the childs will from stubbornness. That the Saviour, however, does not by this teach any perfect moral purity of children, or deny their share of the general corruption brought by sin, is very justly remarked by Olshausen, ad loc.

In My name, , that is, because he confesses My name. It is here self-evident that the expression: Whosoever receives one such child, receives Me, is applicable not to the child in itself, but to the child as a type of childlike minds. Such an one is not only the true subject, but even the legitimate representative of the humble Christ, even as He is the image of the Father, who is greatest when He humbles Himself the lowest. Erasmus: Quisquis igitur demiserit semet ipsum, hic est ille maximus in regno clorum. Subjective lowliness is here designated as the way to objective greatness.

Luk 9:49. And John answered and said.Comp. Mar 9:38-40. It gives us a favorable view of the spirit and temper of the apostolical circle in this moment, that the word of the Lord commending humility, instead of wounding their self-love, awakens their conscience. John at least calls to mind a previous case, in which he feels that he dealt against the principle here uttered by the Lord, inasmuch as he had not received one of the little ones who had confessed His name. Although he already conjectures that the Master cannot approve of this behavior, he modestly discloses it to Him.

We saw one.Even as in Act 19:13, here also had the name Jesus served as a weapon in the hand of one of the exorcists. An admirable proof of the authority which even a stranger attributed to the name of the Saviour. The man had actually more than once succeeded in its use, but the disciples out of ill-concealed rivalry and ambition had forbidden it him, inasmuch as the command: Cast out devils, had been by the Master exclusively given to them. Perhaps this prohibition had been given to the exorcist only lately, when the nine disciples had failed in the healing of the lunatic boy, and were therefore still less able to bear that another should succeed in this respect better than they. Undoubtedly the Saviour would have reprehended this arbitrary conduct of His disciples more sharply if they had not thus voluntarily and humbly acknowledged to Him their perverse behavior.

Luk 9:50. He that is not against us.It is not to be denied that many manuscripts here read for , see Lachmann, ad loc. According to Stier this passage belongs to those where the correction of the Lutheran translation appears urgently important; since the us here in the mouth of the Saviour destroys almost the whole sense of His language. Olshausen, De Wette, and others also read . Two reasons however exist, which move us to give the preference to the Recepta. In the first place, the reading is the most difficult, and it is easier to explain how could be changed into , than the reverse. Besides, the preceding appears to favor the common reading, since they had just been speaking of casting out devils in the name of the Saviour. But, however this may be, the difference of the sense, even with the reading changed, is far less than, superficially considered, it might appear; for, even if the Lord said, He that is not against you is, etc., yet He still means the cause of the disciples only so far as this might be at the same time called His own cause, and therefore indirectly He includes Himself also. The fuller form of the answer is found in Mark; see the remarks there. Suffice it, the Saviour considers the doing of miracles in His name as an unconscious homage to His person; this homage as a proof of well-wishing, and this well-wishing as a pledge that He, in the first instance at least (), had no assault to fear on this side, as, for example, the charge of a covenant with Beelzebub. It appears here, at the same time, how painfully this blasphemy, to which He had lately been exposed, affected Him.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. The going down from the mount of Transfiguration, where He had been consecrated for His Passion, may, in the wider sense of the word, be called for the Saviour already a treading of the way of the Passion. The might of hell grins with hidden rage upon the future Conqueror of the realm of darkness, over whom heaven had just unclosed. The bitterness of the Pharisees had during this absence not diminished but increased, and the discomfiture which His disciples suffered is only the presage of greater ignominy which awaits them when the hour of darkness shall have come in with power. In the midst of all discords of sin and unbelief which become loud at the foot of the mountain, the word of the Saviour is so much the more affecting: How long, etc. It is the expression of homesickness, and of the sorrow with which the Son longs after His Fathers house, which, on the summit of the mountain, had disclosed itself to His view. Comp. Luk 12:50. How many secret complaints to the Father does this one utterance of audible complaint presuppose.

2. The childlike mind which the Saviour demands from His disciples is so far from standing in contrast with the doctrine of a general corruption through sin, that on the other hand there is required for the attaining of this mind an entire transformation of the inner man. In truth, Mat 18:3 says nothing else than Joh 3:3. And here also the agreement of the Synoptical with the Johannean Christ comes strikingly into view.

3. The answer of the Saviour to John in reply to his inquiry respecting the exorcist, is an admirable proof of the holy mildness of our Lord. It breathes a similar spirit to the expression of Moses, respecting the prophesying of Eldad and Medad, Num 11:26-29, and that of Paul respecting those who preach Christ through envy and strife, Philipp. Luk 1:18, and gives at the same time a standard, according to which in every case the philanthropic and Christian activity even of those must be judged respecting whose personal life of faith we may be uncertain. It is true the Saviour had declared, in the Sermon on the Mount, that it is possible to cast out devils in His name and yet be damned (Mat 7:22-23), but even if this should hereafter come to light on that day before His judgment-seat, still it was something which His disciples could not as yet decide. They were continually to hope the best, and the more so as he who with hostile intentions, and without any faith at heart should attempt exorcism in His name would certainly not succeed in it. The favorable result of such an endeavor was a proof that, for the moment, they had to do with no enemy of the cause of the Saviour. The rule given here by Jesus is not in the least in conflict with His saying given Mat 12:30. The rule: He that is not for Me is against Me, is applicable in judging of our own temper; the other: He that is not against Me, etc., must guide us in our judgment respecting others. The first saying gives us to understand that entire neutrality in the Saviours cause is impossible, the other warns us against bigoted exclusiveness. Read the two admirable discourses of A. Vinet upon these two apparently contradictory sayings under the title: La tolrance et lintolrance de lvangile, found in his Discours sur quelques sujets relig., p. 268314, and the essay of Ullmann in the Deutschen Zeitschrift, by H. F. A. Schneider, 1851, p. 21 seq.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

The passage from the summit to the foot of the mountain.In order to be glorified with Christ, we must first suffer with Him.Jesus the best refuge for the suffering parental heart.The best disciples cannot replace the Master Himself.Conflict without triumph against the kingdom of darkness, 1. Possible; 2. explicable; 3. ruinous.The name of the Saviour blasphemed on account of His peoples weakness of faith.Every failure of the disciple of the Lord is the Masters shame.The happiness of childhood and youth destroyed by the might of the devil.The strife between faith and unbelief in the suffering fathers heart, comp. Mar 9:24. 1. Jesus knows; 2. relieves; 3. ends this strife.Over against the Saviour, the whole world stands as a perverse and unbelieving generation.Bring thy son hither, the best counsel to suffering parents.A last, vehement conflict often immediately precedes triumph.Jesus the Conqueror of the might of hell.The glory rendered to the Father the best thanks for the Son.No outward praise can deceive the ear of the Saviour.When the world testifies honor, the Christian has, above all, to consider how quickly its opinion changes.Misunderstanding of the plainest words of the Saviour: 1. How it reveals itself; 2. from what it arises; 3. whereby it is best avoided.The dispute as to rank among the disciples of the Saviour: 1. An old; 2. a dangerous; 3. a curable evil.Without genuine childlikeness, no citizenship in the kingdom of God. 1. In what this childlikeness consists: in humility, by which a. the childs understanding is yet free from vain imagination; b. the childs heart is yet free from ignoble jealousy; c. the childs will is yet free from inflexible stubbornness; d. the childs life is yet free from the dominion of unrighteousness. 2. Why one, without this disposition, can be no genuine disciple of the Saviour. Without this disposition, it is impossible, a. to recognize the King of the kingdom of God; b. to fulfil the fundamental law of the kingdom of God; c. to enjoy the blessedness of the kingdom of God.The world makes its servants great, the Saviour makes His disciples little.The high value which the Saviour ascribes to the receiving of one of His own.Tolerance and intolerance in the true disciple of the Saviour.Narrow-minded exclusiveness, 1. Not strange even in distinguished disciples; 2. in direct conflict with the word and the example of the Master.The allies whom the cause of the Saviour finds even outside of His immediate circle of disciples.Christian labor on independent account: 1. How often even now it is met with; 2. how it is to be rightly judged.How the church, collectively, may rightly judge the free activity of Christian individuals.

Starke:Langii Op.:Oh, how many parents experience the extremest grief of heart on account of their children; but how few there appear to be of them, who permit themselves thereby to be drawn unto Christ.Brentius:The devil is a fierce enemy of man, if he gets any leave of God.Cramer:Christ is far mightier than all the saints; therefore in distress flee not to these, but to Christ Himself.When mans help disappears, Gods help appears.Brentius:The wise and long-suffering Saviour knows still how to bring in again and to make good that which His servants have neglected and delayed; O excellent consolation!Christ and Belial agree not together, 2Co 6:15.Osiander:When it is well with us, let us think that it might also be ill with us, that we fall not into carnal security.Hedinger:The flesh does not like to hear of suffering, and will not understand it.If there is even yet so much ignorance in spiritual matters in the regenerate, how must it be with the unregenerate?Jesus is thinking of suffering, the disciples of worldly dignity; how wide apart is the mind of the Lord Jesus and of man!Nova Bibl. Tub.:How needful to watch over ones heart, since, even in enlightened souls, such haughty thoughts arise.In children there is often more good to be found than any look for in them.True humility of heart an infallible sign of grace.Quesnel:God is in Christ, and Christ in His members.True elevation is in humility.Hedinger:Let Christ only be preached in any way, Php 1:18.Blind zeal for religion is the greatest error in religion, Rom 10:2.True love approves the good, let it be done where and by whom it will, 1Th 5:21.Cramer:When servants and children of God agree in the main matter, it is no harm though they be somewhat different in words or ceremonies.

Lisco:Defective faith.The might of sin over man: 1. How it reveals itself; 2. how it is overcome by Jesus.Heubner:John (Luk 9:49), an example of well-meant but unwise zeal and sectarianism.The spirit of Christ is not bound.There is a displeasure at good when found in others, to which even the good are tempted.The boundary between true liberality and indifference.Palmer:1. What do our children bring us? 2. What have we prepared for them?Marezoll:The noble simplicity of the Lord: 1. Where and how it displays itself; 2. what profit it brings.Beck:Zeal for the honor of the Saviour may be, 1. Well-meant, and yet, 2. un-Christian.Arndt:The true dignity of the Christian.

Footnotes:

[9][Luk 9:43.Van Oosterzees omission of is according to Tischendorf, Tregelles, Alford with Cod. Sin., B., D., L., X., .C. C. S.]

[10]Luk 9:48.Rec.: . For we have the authority of B., C., L., X., Cursives, [Vulgate,] Origen, Cyprian, &c., and the probability that is a correction according to Mat 18:4. [This reference to Mat 18:4 is unintelligible, since the undisputed text there is .C.C.S.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

(37) And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him: (38) And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee look upon my son: for he is mine only child. (39) And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out: and he teareth him, that he foameth again, and bruising him, hardly departeth from him. (40) And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. (41) And Jesus answering, said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. (42) And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. (43) And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God; but while they wondered everyone at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, (44) Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. (45) But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying. (46) Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. (47) And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, (48) And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

The Reader will meet my humble observations on these verses in the similiar ones, Mar 9:14 , etc.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

IV

SEASON OF RETIREMENT PART IV THE CLOSING INCIDENTS

Harmony, pages 94-103 and Mat 17:14-18:35 ; Mat 8:19-22 ; Mar 9:9-50 ; Luk 9:37-62 ; Joh 7:2-10 .

When Christ and the three disciples who were with him at the transfiguration returned from the Mount they saw a great multitude gathered about the nine and the scribes questioning with them. Then follows the story of the failure of the nine to cast out the evil spirit of a demoniac boy and Jesus’ rebuke of their little faith, upon which our Lord healed the boy and restored him to his father. This story is interesting from several points of view. First, the case was an exceptional One and so difficult that the nine were unable to cast the Evil spirit out. Second, this is the only case of demonical epilepsy in the New Testament, the description of which by Mark is very vivid and much more in detail than that of either of the other evangelists. Third, Christ’s momentary impatience at dwelling amid such an environment is nowhere else so expressed, perhaps the more distressing from the contrast with the scene of the transfiguration, a few hours before. Fourth, the rebuke of the boy’s father is a fine lesson. He said, “If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” Jesus answered, “If thou canst!” We see here the point of the rebuke. Herefore we have found the form of faith that said, “If thou wilt, thou canst,” but this man reversed it: “If thou canst do anything, help us.” But the rebuke of Jesus set him right in his faith and then healed the boy. What a lesson for us! So often the Lord has to set us right in our faith before he can consistently give us the blessing. Fifth, the explanation which Jesus gave of their failure and the possibilities of God through the children of faith are a most helpful encouragement to the Christian of today. All difficulties may be removed by the power of faith. Sixth, the prescription of prayer as a means to the strengthen- ing of faith is a valuable suggestion as to the mans of our overcoming. Prayer is the hour of victory for the child of God. This is the winning point for every worker in the kingdom. All victories for God are won in the closet before the day of battle. Let us heed the lesson.

While on the way from Caesarea Philippi Jesus revealed again to his disciples that he must suffer and die and rise again, but they did not understand and were afraid to ask him. They were very slow to comprehend the idea of a suffering Messiah. This they did not understand fully until after his resurrection. This thought is more fully developed in connection with his submitted test of his messiahship which is discussed elsewhere in this INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS.

When they came to Capernaum an event occurred which made a lasting impression on Peter. This was the incident of the half-shekel for the Temple. When asked if his Lord was accustomed to pay the Temple tax, Peter said, “Yes.” But Peter did not have the money to pay it with, and our Lord, after showing Peter that he (Jesus) was exempt, told him to go to the sea and take the piece of money from the mouth of a fish and pay the Temple tax for Peter and himself, in order that there might be left to the Jews no occasion of stumbling with reference to him as the Messiah.

In section 70 (Mat 18:1-14 ; Mar 9:33-50 ; Luk 9:46-50 ) we have the lesson on how to be great, which arose from their dispute as to who among them should be the greatest. To this Jesus replied that the greatest one of all was to be servant of all, and illustrated it by the example of a little child. The characteristic of the little child to be found in the subjects of his kingdom is humility.. Then he goes on to show that to receive one of such little children was to receive him. Here John, one of the “sons of thunder,” interrupted him with a question about one whom he saw casting out demons, yet he was not following with them. Then Jesus, after setting John right, went on with his illustration of the little child, showing the awful sin of causing a little one who believes on him to stumble, and pronounces a woe unto the world because of the occasion of stumbling, saying that these occasions must come, but the woe is to the man through whom they come. The occasions of stumbling arise from the sin of man and the domination of the devil, but that does not excuse the man through whom they come.

Now follows a pointed address in the second person singular, showing the cases in which we become stumbling blocks, in which he also shows the remedy, indeed a desperate remedy for a desperate case. This passage needs to be treated more particularly. Then, briefly, what the meaning of the word “offend”? If thy hand offend thee, if thine eye offend thee, if thy foot offend thee; what is the meaning of this word? We find it in the English in the word “scandal,” that is, “scandal” is the Anglicized form of the Greek word here used. But the word “scandalize,” as used in the English, does not express the thought contained in this text, since that is a modern derived meaning of the word. Originally it meant the trigger of a trap, that trigger which being touched caused the trap to fall and catch one, and from that of its original signification it came to have four well-known Bible meanings. An instance of each one of the four meanings, fairly applicable to this passage here, will be cited. First, it means a stumbling block, that which causes any one to fall, and in its spiritual signification, that which causes any one to fall into a sin. If thy hand causeth thee to fall into a sin, if thine eye causeth thee to fall into a sin, if thy foot causeth thee to fall into a sin, cut it off, pluck it out. It is more profitable to enter heaven maimed than to have the whole body cast into hell. The thought is as we see it in connection with a stumbling block, that we fall unexpectedly into the sin, as if we were going along not looking down and should suddenly stumble over something in our regular path, where we usually walk. Now, “if thine eye causeth thee, in the regular walk of life, to put something in that pathway that, when you were not particularly watching, will cause you to stumble and fall into a sin” that is the first thought of it.

Its second meaning is an obstacle or obstruction that causes one to stop. He does not fall over this obstacle, but it blocks his way and he stops. He does not fall, but he does not go on. To illustrate this use of the word, John the Baptist, in prison, finding the progress of his faith stopped by a doubt, sent word to Christ to know, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” Evidently showing that some unbelief had crept into his heart that had caused him to stop. He was not going on in the direction that he had been going, and hence, when Jesus sent word to John of the demonstrations of his divinity, He added this expression, using this very word, “Blessed is the man who is not offended in me.” “Blessed is the man who in me does not find an obstacle that stops him.” Anything that is an occasion of unbelief fulfils this meaning of the word. If thine eye causes something to be put in thy path that suggests a doubt as to the Christian religion, and by that doubt causeth thee that had been going steadily forward, to stop, pluck it out. Let me give another illustration: In the parable of the sower, our Saviour, in expounding why it was that the grain that had fallen upon the rock and came up and seemed to promise well for awhile, afterward, under the hot sun, withered away and perished, says, “There are some people that hear the word of God and, for awhile, seem to accept it, but when tribulation or persecution cometh they are offended they are stopped.” That is the meaning of the word strictly. Persecution and tribulation cometh and an obstacle is put in their path that causes them to stop. Now, if thine eye causes an obstacle to be put in thy Christian path, that causeth thee to stop and not go forward, pluck it out. Yet another illustration: Our Saviour, who had announced a great many doctrines that people could easily understand and accept, suddenly, on one occasion, announced a hard doctrine, very hard, and from that time it is said that many of his disciples followed him no more. They stopped. Now, there was something in them, in the eye or the hand or the foot, that found an occasion of unbelief in the doctrine he announced, and they stopped. I remember a very notable instance, where a man, deeply impressed in a meeting, and giving fair promise of having passed from death to life, happened to be present when the scriptural law of the use of money was expounded, and he stopped. Some obstacle stretched clear across his path. It was the love of money in his heart. He couldn’t recognize God’s sovereignty over money. As if he had said, “If you want me to cry; if you want me to say I am sorry, I will say it; if you want me to join the church, I will join it; if you want me to be baptized, I will be baptized; but if you want me to honor God with my money, I stop.”

Now, the third use of the word. It is sometimes used to indicate, not something over which one stumbles and falls into a sin, and not an obstacle that blocks up his pathway, but in the sense of something that he runs up against and hurts himself and so becomes foolishly angry. As when one, at night, trying to pass out of a dark room, strikes his head against the door, and in a moment flies into a passion. “Now, if thine eye causeth thee to run up against an object that when you strike it offends you, makes you mad, pluck it out and cast it from thee.”

These three senses of this word have abundant verifications in the classical Greek and a vast number of instances in the Bible, in the Old and New Testaments. But there is a fourth use of the word. That is where the eye has caused a man to turn aside from the right path and to reject the wise counsel of God, and to indulge in sin until God has given him up; then God sets a trap for him right in the path of his besetting sin. In Rom 11:9 we find that use of the word: “Let their table be made a trap for them.” That is to say, God, after trying to lead a man to do right, if he persists in doing wrong, the particular sin, whatever hat may be, whether it be of pride, or lust, or pleasure, whatever it may be, that particular, besetting sin which has caused him to reject God, will make the occasion of his ruin, and in the track of it God will set the trap, and the man is certain to fall into it and be lost. Now, these are the four Bible uses of this term “offend.” Greek: Scandalon , the noun, and skandalizo, the verb. “If thine eye causeth thee to offend,” that is, “If your eye causeth you to put something in your path over which you will unexpectedly fall into a sin; if thine eye causeth thee to put an obstacle clear across your path, so that you stop; if thine eye causeth thee to put some object against which you will unthoughtedly run and hurt yourself and become incensed; if thine eye causeth thee to go into a sin that shall completely alienate you from God, and in the far distant track of which God sets a trap that will be sure to catch your soul pluck it out.”

The next thing needing explanation: People who look only at the shell of a thing may understand this passage to mean mutilation of the body. They forget that the mutilation of the body is simply an illustration of spiritual things. Take a case: One of the most beautiful and sweet-spirited girls I ever knew, before whom there seemed to stretch a long and bright and happy future, was taken sick, and the illness, whatever the doctors may call it, was in the foot, and the blood would not circulate. The doctors could not bring about the circulation and that foot finally threatened the whole body. Then the doctors said, “This foot must be amputated.” And they did amputate it. They amputated it to save her life. They cut off that member because it offered the only possible means of saving the other foot and both hands and the whole body and her life. It was sternness of love, resoluteness of affection, courage of wisdom that sacrificed a limb to save the body. Now using that necessity of amputation, as an illustration, our Saviour says, “If thy hand offend thee, cut it off; if thy foot offend thee, cut it off. If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.” But that he does not mean bodily mutilation is self-evident from this: that if we were to cut off our hand we could not stop the spiritual offense; if we were to pluck out the eye we could not stop the spiritual offense on the inside, in the soul; no lopping off to external branches would reach that. But what our Saviour means to teach is this: That as a wise physician, who discovers, seated in one member of the body, a disease that if allowed to spread will destroy the whole body, in the interest of mercy cuts off that diseased limb, so, applying this to spiritual things, whatever causes us to fall into sin, we should cut loose from it at every cost.

One other word needs to be explained, the word “Gehenna.” It is a little valley next to Jerusalem that once belonged to the sons of Hinnom. It came to pass that in that valley was instituted an idol worship, and there the kings caused their children to pass through the fire to Moloch, and because of this iniquity a good king of Israel defiled that valley, made it the dumping ground of all refuse matter from the city. The excrement, the dead things, the foul and corrupt matter was all carried out and put in that valley. And because of the corruption heaped there, worms were always there, and because of the burning that had been appointed as a sanitary measure, the fire was always there. Now that was used as an illustration to indicate the spiritual condition of a lost soul; of a soul that had become as refuse matter; of a soul that had become entirely cut loose from God and given up to its own devices; that had become bad through and through; that had become such a slave to passion, or lust or crime, that it was incorrigible, and the very nature of the sin which possessed it was like a worm that never dies. There was a gnawing, a ceaseless gnawing going on, referring to conscience, and there was a burning and a thirst going on. Now those images our Saviour selected were to represent the thought of hell.

Having explained its words, look now at the passage itself: “If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.” What is the principle involved in that exhortation? First, that it is a man’s chief concern to see that he does not miss the mark; that he does not make shipwreck; that he does not ruin himself. That is the chief concern of every boy, of every girl, of every man and woman, to see to it that he does not miss the mark of his being; that he does not make shipwreck; that he does not go to utter ruin.

The next thought involved in it is that in case we do miss the mark; in case we do make shipwreck; in case our soul is lost, then there is no profit and no compensation to us in any thing we ever had. “For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” If he misses the main thing, if he makes shipwreck of his own soul, then wherein does the compensation come to him that in his life he had this or that treasure, this pleasure or that; that he was able to attain to this ambition or that; that he for such a while, no matter how long, was on top in society or fashion in the world? What has it profited him if the main thing worthy of supreme concern, is lost?

The next thought is this: Whatever sacrifice is necessary to the securing of the main thing, that we must make. That is what this passage means, and no matter how dear a treasure may be to us; no matter how much we esteem it, if it be necessary that we should give it up or that our soul should be lost, this passage calls on us to give it up. A man may have in a ship a vast amount of money which he idolizes, but in the night he is alarmed by the cry of fire; he rushes upon the deck and he finds that the ship is hopelessly in flames and that the only way of escape is to swim to the shore. Now he stands there for a moment and meditates: “I have here a vast amount of money, in gold. If I try to take this gold with me in this issue in which the main thing, my life, is involved, it will sink me. My life is more than this money. O glittering gold, I leave you. I strike out, stripped of every weight and swim for my life.” It means that he ought to leave behind everything that would jeopardize his gaining the shore. A ship has a valuable cargo. It has been acquired by toil and anxiety and industry. It may be that the cargo in itself is perfectly innocent, but in a stress of weather, with a storm raging and with a leak in the vessel and the water rising, it becomes necessary to lighten that ship. Now whatever is necessary to make it float, to keep it above water, that must be done. If there be anything which, if permitted to remain in that ship, will sink it, throw it out. They that do business in great waters know the wisdom of this. Why? It is a question of sacrificing the inferior to the greater and better.

The next thought involved is this: Whenever it says, “If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out,” I venture to say that it is a demonstration, by the exhortation addressed to us personally, that if ruin comes to us it comes by our own consent. I mean to say that no matter what is the stress of outside seduction, nor how cunningly the devil may attempt to seduce and beguile us, all the devils in hell and all the extraneous temptations that may environ a man can never work his shipwreck if he does not consent.

The next point involved is, that whenever one does consent to temptation, whenever the ruin comes to him, it comes on account of some internal moral delinquency. Out of the heart are the issues of life. Out of the heart proceed murder, lust, blasphemy, and every crime which men commit. I mean to say that as the Bible declares that no murderer shall inherit eternal life, that external incentives to murder amount to nothing unless in him, in the man, in the soul, there be a susceptibility or a liability or moral weakness that shall open the door to the tempter and let in the destroyer.

Now if that be true we come naturally to the next thought in this text, that is, God saves a man, and if God can save a man, he must save him in accordance with the laws of his own nature. That is to say, that God must, in order to the salvation of that man, require truth in the inward part; that nothing external will touch the case; that God’s requirements must take hold, not of the long delayed overt act, but of the lust in the heart which preceded the act and made the act. And therefore, while a human court can take jurisdiction only of murder actually committed, God goes inside of the man and says, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.” From hate comes murder. If God saves you he must save you from the internal hate. Human law takes hold of a case of adultery. God’s law goes to the eye: “Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart.” God requireth truth in the inward part. And if one is saved he must be saved internally; he must be saved, not only from the guilt and penalty of sin, but he must be saved from the love of it and from the dominion of it.

The next point: With that law looking inside, looking at our thoughts, looking at the springs of action, the question comes up, “How shall one save his soul? How shall one so attain to the end of his being as that in the main thing he shall not miss the mark?” He has to look at it as an exceedingly sober question. There is no child’s play about it. He must not rely upon the quack remedies of philosophers and impostors, or rely upon any external rite, upon joining the church or being baptized, or partaking of the Lord’s Supper. The awful blasphemy of calling that the way to heaven! God requireth truth in the inward part, and if we are saved, we must be saved inside. As a wise man, having my chief business to save my soul, I must scrupulously look at everything with which I come in contact. Some men’s weaknesses are in one direction and some in another, but the chief thing for me is to find out my weakness, what is my besetting sin, where is the weak point in my line of defense, where am I most susceptible to danger, where do I yield most readily? And if I find that the ties of blood are making me lose my soul, I must move out of my own family, and therefore in the Mosaic law it is expressly said, “If thine own son, if the wife of thy bosom, shall cause thee to worship idols and turn away from the true God, thou shalt put thine own hand on the head as the first witness, that they may be stoned. Thou shalt not spare.” It is a question of our life, and if our family ties are such that they are dragging us down to death, we must strike out for our life. And that is why marriage is the most solemn and far-reaching question that ever came up for human decision. More souls are lost right there, more women go into hopeless bondage, more men are shipwrecked by that awful tie, than by anything else.

Then he goes on to show that these little believers must not be despised, because their angels are always before their heavenly Father, just as the angels of more highly honored Christians. This thought he illustrates with the parable of the ninety and nine, the interpretation of which might be considered as follows: (1) If there are many worlds and but one is lost, (2) if there are many creatures and only man is lost, (3) if there were many just persons, and only one is lost, then we find the lost world, the lost race, the one lost man is near the heart of the Saviour, the principle being that the weakest, the most needy, the most miserable are nearest the Shepherd’s heart. “Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish,” is the conclusion of the Saviour.

In section 71 (Mat 18:15-35 ) we have our Lord’s great discussion on forgiveness, i.e., man’s forgiveness of man. This subject is amply treated in volume 1, chapter xvi of this INTERPRETATION and also in my sermon on “Man’s Forgiveness of Man.” (I refer the reader to these discussions for a full exposition of this great passage.)

In section 72 (Mat 8:19-22 ; Luk 9:57-62 ) we have a very plain word on the sacrifices of discipleship. Here three different ones approached Christ asking permission to be his disciples. The first one that came proposed to go with him anywhere. Jesus told him that he had no abiding place; that he was a wanderer without any home, which meant there were many hardships in connection with discipleship. The second one that came to him wanted to wait till he could bury his father, which according to Oriental customs, might have been several years, or at least, thirty days, if his father was dead when he made the request, including the time of mourning. Luke tells of one who wanted first to bid farewell to them of his own house. But Jesus said, “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” The import of all this is that Christ will not permit his disciples to allow anything to come between them and him. He must have the first place in their affections. The expression, “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God,” means that the man who is pretending to follow Christ and is looking back to the things he left behind is not fit for his kingdom. This is a strict test, but it is our Lord’s own test.

Then, following the Harmony, we have, in the next section, the counsel of the unbelieving brothers that Jesus go into Judea and exhibit himself there. But he declined to follow their counsel and remained in Galilee. This incident shows that the brothers of Jesus had not at this time accepted him, which was about six months before his death and thus disproves the theory that the brothers of Jesus were apostles.

We now come to the close of this division of the Harmony in section 74 (Luk 9:51-56 ; Joh 7:10 ), which tells of Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem in view of the approach of the end of his earthly career. This going up to Jerusalem, John says, was after his brothers had gone, and it was not public, but as it were in secret. He sent James and John, the “sons of thunder,” ahead to Samaria to make ready for him, but the Samaritans rejected him because he was going toward Jerusalem, which exemplifies the old, deep-seated hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans. This section closes with a rebuke to James and John for wanting to call down fire upon these Samaritans. The next chapter of this INTERPRETATION connects with this section and gives the results of this trip to Jerusalem and his ministry in all parts of the Holy Land.

QUESTIONS

1. What was the incident immediately following the transfiguration?

2. What are the points of interest in the story of the epileptic boy?

3. What revelation did Jesus again make to his disciples while on the way from Caesarea Philippi, how did the disciples receive it and why?

4. Tell the story of Peter and the Temple tax and give its lesson.

5. What was the lesson on “greatness” here and what its occasion?

6. What was the point in the illustration of the little child?

7. What is the lesson from John’s interruption of our Lord here?

8. How does Jesus show the awfulness of the sin of causing a little child who believes on him to stumble?

9. From what do the occasions of stumbling arise and upon whom rests the responsibility for them?

10. What would you give as the theme of Mat 18:8-9 ; and Mar 9:43 ; Mar 9:45 ; Mar 9:47-50 ?

11. What are the several meanings of the word “offend” in these passages? Illustrate each.

12. What is the application of all these meanings? Illustrate.

13. Explain the word “Gehenna” as used here.

14. Looking at the passage as a whole, what is principle involved the exhortation? Give details.

15. What reason does Christ assign for the command not to despise one of these little ones and what does it mean?

16. How does he illustrate this

17. In a word what is the author’s position on the subject of man’s forgiveness of man?

18. What is Christ’s teaching here on discipleship and what is the meaning of his language addressed to each of the three, respectively, who approached him here on the subject?

19. What advice here given Jesus by his brothers, how did Jesus regard it, and what the lesson of this incident?

20. What are the closing incidents of this division of our Lord’s ministry and what are their lessons?

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

37 And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.

Ver. 37. See Mat 17:14 ; Mar 9:17 ; &c.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

37 42. ] HEALING OF A POSSESSED PERSON. Mat 17:14-21 .Mar 9:14-29Mar 9:14-29 . The narrative in Mark is by far the most copious, and I have commented at length on it.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

37. . . . ] The transfiguration probably took place at night , see on Mat 17:1 , and this was in the morning. Luke omits the whole discourse concerning Elias (Matt. and Mark , vv9-13).

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Luk 9:37-43 a. The epileptic boy (Mat 17:14-21 , Mar 9:14-29 ).

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Luk 9:37-43 a

37On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. 38And a man from the crowd shouted, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only boy, 39and 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. 40I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.” 41And 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.” 42While 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. 43And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

Luk 9:37-62 This is a series of events that clearly illustrates the disciples’ lack of spiritual maturity.

1. the demonized boy, Luk 9:37-43

2. the prophecy of Jesus’ death, Luk 9:43-45

3. the fight over who is greatest, Luk 9:46-48

4. jealousy over other exorcists, Luk 9:49-50

5. the anger of the Apostles, Luk 9:51-56

6. mixed loyalties, Luk 9:57-62

Luk 9:37-43 a Mar 9:14-20 is a much fuller account of this healing.

Luk 9:39 The physical symptoms are of a grand mal seizure. Demons often manifest symptoms of diseases. However, the NT makes a clear distinction between disease and demon manifestation.

Luk 9:40 Jesus had given power and authority over the demonic to His Apostles in Luk 9:1-6. However, in this instance they were unable to exorcize the boy.

Luk 9:41 “Jesus answered” This is an allusion to the Song of Moses from Deu 32:5; Deu 32:20; it addresses not only the disciples (cf. Mat 17:19-21), but also the crowd (Israel).

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

on. Greek. en App-104.

come down. Greek. katerchomai, only once outside Luke and Acts (in Jam 3:15.

the hill = the mountain, as in Luk 9:28.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

37-42.] HEALING OF A POSSESSED PERSON. Mat 17:14-21. Mar 9:14-29. The narrative in Mark is by far the most copious, and I have commented at length on it.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Our Lord had been on the mountain, and had been transfigured; and when he came down, the first person that he met was the devil, with whom he had to come in contact. Whenever you or I get up on the mountain-top, and have a very happy and delightful experience, we may expect to be in a battle before long. Our joy is, however, a preparation for the conflict; it nerves our spirit, and makes us strong to meet the great enemy of our souls.

Luk 9:37-40. And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the company cried out saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.

There they were, all baffled and defeated; and their enemies were looking at them with many a grin of contempt and scorn. Now comes the conquering Captain. He will turn the tide of battle when his troops are flying before the enemy. He comes, and with a word he gathers them together again.

Luk 9:41. And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you. Bring thy son hither.

If you have been praying for some dear one, and the devil is not cast out, but the one for whom you have pleaded seems to be worse rather than better, notwithstanding all your prayers and all your efforts, hear the Master himself saying to you tonight, as he said to the father of this child, Bring thy son hither.

Luk 9:42. And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him.

This is Satans usual way. Whenever he is about to be cast out of anyone, he grows angry; and if he cannot destroy, he will worry, just as a bad tenant will do injury to the house if he cannot any longer keep possession of it. As he was yet a-coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. Perhaps I speak to some tonight who are coming to Christ, and yet have worse fears than ever. They are more troubled than ever they were before. Well, you are like this poor child: As he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. It was, however, the devils last throw.

Luk 9:42. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.

How well it is done, bow perfectly it is done, how easily it is done, how quickly it is done when Christ comes on the scene! Let us pray distinctly tonight for those who have been our failures hitherto. They will not he Christs failures if in prayer and by faith we bring them to him.

Luk 9:43. And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God.

But while they were amazed, many of them did not believe. It is one thing to be astonished, it is another thing to be humbled, and to be led to simple faith in Christ. Never be content with any emotion but that which leads you to believe in Jesus for yourself.

Luk 9:43-44. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.

Just after the transfiguration, just after he had cast out the devil, he tells his disciples that the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. The shadow of the cross fell upon Christ long before the substance of the cross was on his shoulder. He never forgot that the day would come when he must lay down his life as a ransom for many, and he never started back from it, either.

This was compassion like a God,

That when the Saviour knew

The price of pardon was his blood,

His pity neer withdrew.

45. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.

They were not as yet spiritual enough to spy out his meaning; and when they had even a faint glimmering of it, it made them feel so sad, so cast down, that they did not dare to go and ask him fully to explain it. Do not you think that you and I may have tonight, something pressing upon us that would all vanish if we but took it to Jesus? And yet we fear to ask him. Let us drive away that fear, and be familiar with our Lord, and tell him everything that vexes our spirit.

Luk 9:46. Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.

Sad, sad, sad, a hundred times sad! When he was talking of his death, and of his being delivered into the hands of wicked men, his disciples were disputing as to who should be the greatest. Ah, brethren, but we may be guilty of quite as great an inconsistency. If, after Christs death for us on the cross, and after he has given up everything for us, and has washed us in his hearts blood, if we begin to want to he great and famous in the eyes of men, what wretches we are! May God deliver us from all ambition, from every kind of self-seeking, and from any measure of pride! Otherwise, we are inconsistent in pretending to follow such a Master as the Lord Jesus.

Luk 9:47-48. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, and said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

The way to rise in the ranks of Christ is to go down. Be willing to do the meanest thing, and you are growing in Christs esteem. When you are great, you are little. When you are nothing, then are you great. The Lord take away from us the black drops of pride that make us stand up on our dignity, and think we must be somebody! Somebody? God will not use you as long as you are somebody; but when you are nobody, then will God greatly magnify you, and use you in his Church.

Luk 9:49. And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.

This man who was casting out demons was a dissenter, he was not with the regular church. He was doing good; but still, what right had he to do it? John said, He followeth not with us. He was outside the pale; and even John, with all his loving disposition, felt that he must blow that candle out. He had no right to shine in anything but the regular, orthodox candlestick. We forbad him, because he followeth not with us.

Luk 9:50. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

Jesus also said that no man could do a miracle in his name, and then lightly go and speak evil of him; so that it was for the good of the cause to let the irregular practitioner go on with this business. Besides, if anybody can cast a devil out, by all means let him do it; for there is none too much of the power of casting out devils; and, remember, that these gentlemen who found fault, could not cast the devil out themselves. They had been beaten in this very task; and yet, when somebody else did it in the power of God, they began to complain, and forbid them. That is surely being like the dog in the manger. God save us from falling into that spirit!

Luk 9:51. And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up,

Is not that a wonderful expression? Christ is to die, and to be buried. Ah! but this word comprehends everything, that he should be received up. Think not of the gloom of death, specially concerning your dear friends who have lately fallen asleep. Think of their being received up. They did seem to go down; they went as low as the grave; but they could not go any lower. Thank God for his abounding mercy in receiving them up.

Luk 9:51. He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

To go where he must he scourged, and spit upon, and crucified: He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.

Luk 9:52-53. And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

He used to be welcomed in Samaria; but now the evil spirit has come to the front again: They did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem, and they wished nobody to go up to the feast at Jerusalem, but desired all to stop and worship God with them on Mount Gerizim. So they would not receive him.

Luk 9:54-55. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

When you read the Old Testament, you will remember that the spirit of the Old Testament was in accordance with the law of Moses; but you are not under the law but under grace, and the spirit of Christ is another spirit, not the spirit of judgment, bringing down fire from heaven, but the spirit of mercy, bringing life and blessing from above.

Luk 9:56. For the Son of man is not come to destroy mens lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

That was all Christ did by way of punishment of these Samaritans: he went to another village. Yet, gentle as was this treatment, it was really a very severe punishment, such a punishment as will fall on all of you who reject Christ. If you will not receive him, he will go to somebody else. If you will not hear him, somebody else will; and if, when you hear him, you will not accept him, it may be that you will not hear him many times more, the word may never again be spoken with any power to you, but Christ will go to somebody else.

Luk 9:57-62. And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Luk 9:37-45

25. THE DEMONIAC BOY

Luk 9:37-45

37 And it came to pass, on the next day,-Parallel records of this miracle are found in Mat 17:14-20 and Mar 9:14-29. Jesus and the three disciples spent the night on the mount of transfiguration; in the morning they came down to the foot of the mountain where the nine disciples and a great multitude were assembled. The miracle which followed is peculiar, as a case of failure on the part of the disciples; it gave the occasion for our Lord to rebuke their unbelief, and to manifest at the same time his own power. Mark, whose account is fuller, adds that the scribes were around the nine disciples troubling them with perplexing questions and taunting them about their failure to cure the demoniac child.

38 And behold, a man from the multitude cried,-This man addressed Jesus as “Teacher”; Mar 9:17 records the same address; while Mat 17:15 records the address as “Lord.” He besought Jesus “to look upon” his son; he wanted Jesus to heal his son. Luke adds that he was an “only child.” This is peculiar to Luke as we have seen on other occasions. (See Luk 7:12; Luk 8:42.) This father cried unto Jesus as soon as he appeared. The agony and the earnestness of the father were very intense.

39 and behold, a spirit taketh him-The father describes the terrible handling of the child by the demon. He said that “a spirit taketh him”; Mark records that it was a “dumb and deaf spirit.” (Mar 9:25.) In Mat 17:15 the boy is described as an “epileptic, and suffereth grievously.” He was “possessed” with a demon which caused deafness, dumbness, and fits of epilepsy; it was a severe and complicated case. His dumbness consisted in his inability to utter articulate sounds. This evil spirit seized him as if to destroy him; at any time the demon might exert his frenzied power upon the child, producing sudden and violent paroxysms. The child would suddenly cry out, which showed that dumbness was an, inability to articulate correct words. The demon, having possession of the child, would tear him, causing him to foam at the mouth, and cause bruising the body of the child. Mat 17:15 says that “oft-times he falleth into the fire, and oft-times into the water.” Mark records that the dumb spirit would “dash him down” and cause him to foam at the mouth and grind his teeth. The three descriptions taken together form a fearful picture of the frenzied paroxysms which were added to his afflictions.

40 And I besought thy disciples-Apparently while the scene of the transfiguration was transpiring this very severe case of demonical possession was brought before the nine apostles; they attempted to cast out the demon, but were unable. There is no other record of any case of sickness which the disciples, apart from the Master, could not cure by the power which he had given them. Here is a case of signal failure; it is a case of complex afflictions; demoniac, and a “lunatic,” or, judging from the symptoms more accurately, it was epilepsy. The cure baffled the nine disciples; the severity of the disease may have filled them with distrust.

41 And Jesus answered and said,-This was in the presence of the scribes and the multitude and his disciples. It showed his nine disciples up in a bad light. However, Jesus rebuked the faithless and perverse generation. The rebuke must be applied to the multitude as well as to the scribes; it applies also to his disciples, though perhaps with not the same force as to the scribes. Jesus asked how long he should be with them and bear with them. Here the two questions of Mar 9:19 (only one in Mat 17:17) are combined in one sentence. After asking the question Jesus commanded the father and his friends to bring his son to him.

42, 43 And as he was yet a coming,-As the child was brought to Jesus “the demon dashed him down” and convulsed him grievously. Luke’s description as a physician is very vivid; the description seems to be an attack by the demon and by a fit of epilepsy. Mark adds the piteous plea of the father: “If thou canst do anything [after thy disciples have failed], have compassion on us.” Mark also gives the response of Jesus and his answer to the “if.” Jesus showed that the “if” was not his to remove, but belonged to the father. “If thou canst! All things are possible to him that believeth.” (Mar 9:23.) Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and “healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.” All were astonished at the “majesty of God.” Calmness, dignity, sympathy, and power were blended in this act of Jesus. People were compelled to ascribe all these to the majesty of God; though nine disciples had failed, the Master had with a word prevailed.

43, 44 But while all were marvelling at all the things-This verse shows a poor division in verse division; the division should have been at the end of the sentence with the words “majesty of God.” The latter part of verse 43 has nothing to do with the first part of the verse. Mar 9:30 relates that they now departed from the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi and passed through Galilee; Mat 17:22 speaks of Jesus abiding in Galilee; and from Joh 7:1-9 we may infer that Jesus, during this whole period, rather sought retirement. While the multitude was wondering Jesus spoke to his disciples and said: “Let these words sink into your ears.” It is probable that his disciples were nearest to him and that he could give them special instruction. The words which he was about to speak he wanted to lodge permanently in the minds and hearts of the twelve apostles. Again he announced that he should be “delivered up into the hands of men.” He should be betrayed by Judas and given up by the Father to men in order that he may suffer and die. (Act 2:23.) The divine plan of his sufferings and death had formed the topic of discourse on the mount of transfiguration, and now it is the topic of his nearest circle of disciples.

45 But they understood not this saying,-They did not understand what Jesus meant. The original Greek may be translated “it was concealed from them”; this may relieve in part the disciples to some extent of the full responsibility for their ignorance about the death of Jesus. They were afraid to ask Jesus about what he meant. It may be that they were not allowed to understand, but that they would more fully understand later. After the resurrection and ascension they saw the truth very clearly; the Holy Spirit guided and enlightened their minds, and wrought a great change in their perception of Christ’s teaching. There is a natural diffidence in speaking to a person regarding near approaching death. And this diffidence was increased to fear by the all-inspiring presence and power of Jesus. It may be that the personal dignity precluded questions.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

the Greatest Serve the Neediest

Luk 9:37-50

When the mountain is bathed in the glory of God we are loath to leave it. But we must not tarry in the enjoyment of its raptures, when the plain contains so much misery. Saints and angels on the one hand, demons on the other! The disciples that have not enjoyed the mountain fellowship have no power over the unclean spirits that haunt men. It is easy to denounce demons; we must do more-we must exorcize them.

But let it never be forgotten that if you are able to cope with the devil, in the power of God, you must be prepared for the Cross, Luk 9:44-45. We cannot die for men, as Jesus did; but we can suffer rebuke and shame with Him, and thus fill up that which is behind of His afflictions, Col 1:24.

Let us seek the child-heart! We must distinguish between childishness and childlikeness. One of the loveliest pictures of the coming time is Isa 11:6. Only childlike souls can tame and conquer the beasts. Let us welcome simple holy souls, and be ourselves of that class; and let us cultivate large-hearted charity toward those who cast out demons, though they be not of our school.

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary

At The Foot Of The Mount — Luk 9:37-50

And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met Him. And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech Thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. And I besought Thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God, but while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, He said unto His disciples, Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands of men. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask Him of that saying. Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by Him. And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in My name receiveth Me: and whosoever shall receive Me receiveth Him that sent Me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name: and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us- Luk 9:37-50.

It would be a wondertul thing if we might always remain on the mountain with Christ. A mountain in Scripture speaks of a plaee of special and exalted privilege. It was on the mountain that the disciples witnessed the marvelous transfiguration of our blessed Lord. They would have gladly remained there with Him and with the Old Testament worthies who appeared in glory, speaking of His decease which He was to accomplish on Calvary; but the time came when they had to leave that place of blessing and go down to the foot of the mount to rejoin the rest of the apostles, and to meet the multitudes in their sin and need. Many of us have known similar experiences. It has been our happy privilege on various occasions to enter into most wonderful and precious communion with the Lord, far apart from the ordinary cares and responsibilities of daily life. On the mount of blessing we were free to be occupied with Christ alone. How gladly would we have remained there and never again taken an interest in mundane affairs. But this could not be. We may not always be in the enjoyment of mountain-top experiences. We have to descend to the plains to participate in the ordinary affairs of life. The fact is that the mountain-top experiences are intended by God to fit us for our part in ministering to those who do not know our Lord; or to those who know Him, yet have very little understanding of the precious truths He delights to reveal to us.

And so we read, It came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met Him. In the throng was a poor, troubled father who had with him a demon-possessed son. The father immediately sought out Jesus, pushing his way through the crowd and looking up to Him earnestly, he exclaimed, Master, I beseech Thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. Evidently, satanic power had so controlled this poor lad that he was suffering from something very much akin to epilepsy, but back of it all was demon power. We can well understand the anguish of the fathers heart. There is something so pathetic and so gripping in those words, He is mine only child! How many parents have known somewhat similar circumstances-an only son or daughter under the power of Satan, and apparently no ability on their part or on the part of others to deliver them. But when we go to the Lord we go to the right Person. Our cries are never unheeded by Him; He is never indifferent to our exercises. He may not instantly heal bodily ailments, He may not immediately save from Satans power, but we can always be sure of a loving and sympathetic hearing; and we may be certain of this: in Gods due time the prayer of faith will be answered.

Oftentimes in our distress we go to fellow-believers, seeking help from them, sometimes to be bitterly disappointed. This poor father said, I besought Thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. Now we know that the Lord had given His disciples authority over unclean spirits, and on other occasions that power had been manifested in a marvelous way, but in this particular instance they seemed utterly helpless. Why? Well, the Lord Himself makes it clear. He said, This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. They were confronted with a problem which they could not solve. Undoubtedly one reason was that they had become occupied with ideas of advancement in the coming kingdom, and so they were out of touch with the Lord. They might go through the ordinary motions of laying their hands upon the demon-possessed, commanding the unclean spirit to go out of him; but there were no results because the disciples were out of fellowship with God who has said to His own, Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not.

It is so easy for Christs servants to become professional, or semi-professional, to become self-centered and to give way to pride and self-interest. When this is so, prayer will be neglected and the study of the Word will no longer occupy us; and we will have little power when it comes to personal work and seeking to deliver people from the dominion of the devil. In fact, a believer out of touch with God has no power at all; he becomes the laughing-stock of Satan. He may call upon the demon to depart from his victim, but the evil spirit will refuse to do so; and the poor, unhappy demoniac will find no deliverance. If one is to be in the position where God can use him, there must be self-judgment and confession, daily feeding upon the Word, and he must continue instant in prayer. In this case the disciples could do nothing for this poor, distracted father, and so he turns to Jesus for help. The Lord Jesus rebuked the disciples, saying, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Then He said to the father, Bring thy son hither. As the poor boy-was brought into the Lords presence, we are told that the demon cast him down and he lay writhing upon the ground and foaming at the mouth. It was a pitiful sight, and the compassionate heart of Christ was deeply touched. He said to the father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? He did not ask the question because He did not know, but He wanted to draw out that fathers heart and lead him to confide fully in the only One who could give him the help that was needed. The father replied that this had come upon his son when he was but a little child, and that at times while under this awful demon power, he had been cast into the fire and badly burned, and at other times he had been thrown into the waters where he was in danger of drowning. The father, after telling of these sad experiences, exclaimed, If Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us; and at once, we are told, Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. Oh, the joy that must have welled up in that fathers heart when he realized that his boy was free and that the demons power was broken!

Thank God the Saviour has the same power today. No matter how Satan may have afflicted poor lost sinners; no matter how terrible the bondage under which they have lived for years, when they come to Him who died to redeem them, they can be delivered, set free from the chains that have bound them, and He will give them the joy of His salvation.

It is not always His will now in this dispensation of grace to deliver from bodily affliction. God had promised the people of Israel that if they would walk with Him they would be free from sickness. He has not promised this to those who belong to the Body of Christ; but He has promised something even better-namely, grace to endure. Paul found this out, He suffered from a severe physical affliction, and he besought the Lord thrice for deliverance from it. God did not answer in the way His dear servant at first desired, but said to him, as it were, No, Paul; I am not going to free you from this affliction, but I am going to do something better for you; I am going to give you grace to bear it. Paul exclaimed, Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

When the people saw how the boy was delivered from the spirit that had controlled him for so long, we read, They were all amazed at the mighty power of God. While they were looking on with wonder at the mighty works which Jesus did, He took occasion to tell His disciples that the day was drawing near when He Himself would be delivered into the hands of men. Then, indeed, they would need faith to believe that He was truly the Christ of God. He said to them, Let these sayings sink down into your ears. When the time actually came they forgot His warning, and so they were in great perplexity. Had they only borne in mind what He had told them, they would not have been so troubled when He was delivered into the hands of men to be crucified. He said to them, as it were, Do not forget what you have seen and heard, for the day is coming when you will need to call these things to mind, when you see Me led out to die, and apparently left alone and forsaken upon a cross of shame. You will be in danger then of thinking that I have been a deceiver, but remember these things when the hour comes that I am taken from you. They did not understand, however, for it was hid from them, we are told, and they perceived it not: and they feared to ask Him of that saying. Had they been in more intimate communion with Him, they would have doubtless turned to Him and asked for fuller information, and He would have given it gladly. We notice as we go on through these records that there were times when there seemed to be no restraint, and the Lord was able to speak to them freely of what was in His heart; at other times, when He spoke of His death and resurrection, there seemed to be a barrier between Him-and them. They were perplexed. The root-cause of their lack of faith and of understanding is seen in the incident that follows. We read, Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by Him, and said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in My name receiveth Me: and whosoever shall receive Me receiveth Him that sent Me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. How this brings out the distrustfulness, worthlessness. the unreliability of the human heart, even in those who really knew and loved their Lord. The disciples were His own. They were surely among the best in Israel, and yet they were remarkably human, and seemed to forget so easily what was expected of them as followers of the meek and lowly Saviour. He has been speaking of His death, and here they are striving among themselves as to who will be greatest. Think of it! These men who had been with Jesus for so long, and had never seen Him do a selfish thing, nor heard Him say a word that would indicate a proud or haughty spirit, and yet they are so unlike their Master that they are actually quareling among themselves as to who will have the highest place in the coming kingdom. What a lesson for all of us as we realize that As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. Note the lovely picture which Jesus put before the disciples. He took a little child and set him by Him and said, Whosoever shall receive this child in My name receiveth Me. The child is the ideal convert: simple, trustful, confiding, ready to receive because of faith in the person who speaks to it. The little one trusted Jesus and was not afraid of Him, and therefore remained at His side in perfect confidence.

Did the disciples get the lesson? Did they understand that it is the spirit of the little child which the Lord desires to see manifested in His own? Do we realize it today? Do we see Jesus, as it were, in every little child? As we look into those innocent little faces, do we behold Him; and do we say in our hearts, We must do unto this little child as we would do unto Him? To receive the child in His name is to receive Him, and to receive Him is to receive the Father who sent Him.

The Lord adds, He that is least among you all, the same shall be great. Advancement, then, in the kingdom of God comes by taking the lowest place.

In the next verses we have the Lords rebuke of sectarianism. It is quite possible to be intensely jealous of ones ecclesiastical position while actually out of touch with the Lord Himself. John manifested this when he spoke up and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name: and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. Evidently this man whom they had seen was one who believed in Jesus and in the power of His name, and he undertook to seek to exorcise demons in the name of Jesus, and evidently the demons came out. But this gave no joy to the heart of John or the other disciples. They were indignant that anyone should be using the name of their Master in this way if he did not actually belong to their little company. How much of that spirit we see among Christians who are so obsessed with the idea that they alone constitute the elect of God, that they find no pleasure in the work which others are doing for Christ who do not belong to their particular sect or group. What a rebuke are the words of the Lord, not only to those disciples of old, but to us: Forbid him not: he that is not against us is for us. Elsewhere Jesus said that He that is not for us is against us. Both are true. There is no such thing as neutrality in respect to Christ. We are either for Him or against Him. If for Him, we are not against Him; if not against Him, we must be for Him. If we could ever keep this in mind it would prevent a lot of unhappiness among professed Christians. Just because people do not agree with us in every detail does not mean they are necessarily against Christ. Many would die for His names sake who might not see with us as to some minor point of doctrine or church order. We may say we do not see why the Lord should use certain people when they do not belong to us, but He continues to use them just the same. Precious souls are being won to Christ through many with whom we might not fellowship.

There are indeed many important lessons to be learned at the foot of the mountain. There the difficulties of life are to be faced. We discover that only by prayer and fasting can we have power to deliver others from satanic influences. Only as we live in fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ and desire nothing for ourselves, will we be able to understand and enjoy the precious truth of God and to maintain a right attitude toward others. We are slow to learn, but may God give to each one of us His grace to bow in contrition at our Saviours feet and receive the instruction that He is so ready to give.

Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets

Chapter 59

When They Came Down

When our Lord Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, he found his disciples being harassed by the scribes, apparently because they were not able to perform the miracle of casting out the demon which possessed a young man who was brought to them. When the Lord Jesus saw what was going on, he immediately stepped in to defend the nine disciples who were baffled by their inability to perform this miracle and baffled by the learned scribes who were disputing with them. He asked the scribes why they were disputing with (questioning) his disciples. But, before the scribes said anything, before any of the disciples said anything, a man butted into the conversation (Mar 9:14-29). Normally, in polite society, such an intrusion is looked upon as rudeness and is disdained. However, this mans intrusion was most welcome, because it was the intrusion of a desperate, loving father for his demon possessed son.

This poor man cared nothing for the dispute between the scribes and our Masters disciples. His son was possessed of the devil! His son was pining away under satanic influence. His son was perishing and he was helpless! Therefore, he came directly, as soon as he had opportunity, to the only One who could help. He brought his son to the Son of God, seeking mercy, grace and life for his son by the power of our great and glorious Saviour.

Mountains And Valleys

The first thing I see in this passage is the fact that mountain top experiences seldom last very long. The contrast between this paragraph and the one preceding it is very striking and must not be overlooked. We move from the Mount of Transfiguration to the valley of sorrow, from the vision of Christs glory to a sad, sad history of Satans power and influence in the life of one young man.

Peter, James and John had been in the blessed company of Moses and Elijah. They had just heard God the Father speak from heaven. They had just seen the Son of God transfigured before their eyes. Now they come into the scene of conflict, pain, weakness and misery. Here is a boy in agony, tormented by the devil. Here is a father with a broken heart, in deep distress. Here is a band of weak disciples, baffled by Satans power and unable to help.

That is a fairly vivid picture of every Christians life in this world. Mountain top experiences are delightful, blessed times; but we must not expect them too often or expect too many of them. Most of the believers life is spent in conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil. Our blessed visions of glory, those sweet foretastes of heaven, those seasons spent on the holy mount with the Lord are to be seized and enjoyed when God gives them. But that is the exception, not the norm.

When we are in the valley, let us try always to remember that the Lord Jesus comes to his disciples in the valley, just as he does in the mountain. He always comes, manifesting himself to us at precisely the right time. The sorrows and conflicts of our valleys are as much by divine arrangement as the joys of our mountain tops.

Utterly Dependent

We are also reminded by this story that we are utterly and entirely dependent upon our Lord Jesus Christ. Like Moses, when he came down from Mount Sinai, our Lord Jesus found his disciples in a state of complete confusion. They were under the assault of a malicious group of scribes (Mar 9:14-16). The occasion of this was the fact that the disciples had attempted to cast the demon out of this mans son without success. These are the same men who had, just a short time earlier, done many miracles and cast out many devils. Yet, before this man and his son, they were utterly helpless.

These disciples learned by humble experience a very needful lesson. It is a lesson we must learn, a lesson that must be burned into our hearts. You will find it in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to his chosen disciples in Joh 15:5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Without him, without his grace, without his strength, without his wisdom, we can do nothing. This is a lesson contrary and bitter to our flesh. However, it is a lesson demonstrated over and over again in Scripture. We must not forget it. If the Lord leaves us to ourselves, we have no strength to do anything or in any way resist the devil.

May God the Holy Spirit teach us daily that we are weak; weakness itself, and utterly helpless without the wisdom, presence, power and grace of Christ, which he alone can give us.

Satanic Power

This story is also recorded upon the pages of holy scripture to teach us and warn us of the horror of satanic power. Let none imagine that Satan is a fictional force of evil. Let none be so foolish as to laugh, and think that Satan is just a religious boogie man conjured up by crotchety old men to scare little children. If we read the gospel narratives together, we find that this father described the power and influence of Satan over his son in five ways.

(1) He called this satanic spirit a foul spirit. Every foul, unclean thing proceeding out of the heart of man is promoted and encouraged by satanic influence. Those things that are contrary to nature, the moral perversities of homosexuality, are the result of God giving men and women over to the influence of hell (Rom 1:24-27).

(2) The satanic spirit possessing the fathers child was a destructive spirit, tearing the boy apart from within, causing him to foam at the mouth like a mad dog, gnash his teeth and pine away. It is satanic influence that causes people to run to destruction.

(3) The spirit possessing this young man made him both deaf and dumb. The evil spirit from Satan kept the boy from hearing any who might help him and from crying out for help to any. So it is with poor, lost sinners. Satan blinds the eyes, stops the ears, and ties the tongues of men. He endeavours to keep sinners from seeing the glory of God in the face of Christ. He seeks to prevent any from hearing the gospel. And he tries to keep the needy soul from crying to the God of all grace for help. But, blessed be his name, the Friend of sinners is Gods Mighty One, by whom the prince of darkness is cast out!

(4) The satanic spirit possessing this mans son made the boy a lunatic. John Gill described his condition as a form of epilepsy which causes fainting and dumbness, , a disorder of the heart. He was, as Paul tells us, taken captive by Satan at his will (2Ti 2:26). What a sad picture! Yet, this is the picture of all sinners without Christ. Wicked men and women perform horrid atrocities in a seizure of wickedness, because sinners have no ability to resist the wicked one, until Christ comes to dwell within by the saving operations of his grace.

(5) This demon took possession of this young man as a mere child. This is a matter of deepest importance. We must labour to do good to our children and to serve the interests of their souls, even from their earliest years. If Satan begins early to destroy them, we must begin early to save them. We must, to the best of our ability, control those who have influence over them, guide them in choosing their friends and companions, instruct them in the scriptures and the blessed doctrine of the gospel, and pray for them.

Dual Natures

We also see in this passage another of the numerous examples given in scripture of the dual natures of every believer. This is brought out clearly by Mark (Mar 9:23-24).

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Who can read those words and fail to see that faith and unbelief, righteousness and sin are found in the same person? The father of this child said, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. He believed. Yet, he had some doubts. He brought his child with hope. Yet, he was fearful. He seems to have expressed this honestly in Mar 9:22. He said to the Lord Jesus, If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us.

You may think, Thats not much faith. You would be right in your thinking if you did. But it was enough. He took his son home completely freed of the demons power. He had faith as a grain of mustard seed; but it was true, God-given faith. The fact is: none of Gods people in this world are perfect, not even in a single area. It is not our faith, neither its strength, nor its quality, nor its quantity that matters, but Christ, the Object of our faith. Luk 9:43-45 shows us this fact: not only is true faith very often weak faith, true believers are often terribly ignorant of many very important things. Yes, all who are taught of God know the gospel. They all know all that they need to know to exercise true faith in Christ. All true believers know Christ. But it is a very dangerous thing for us to start trying to determine how much a person must know to be saved. It is not what we know that saves us, but WHO!

And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying (Luk 9:43-45).

Christs Dominion

We are taught here, by vivid example, the totality of Christs dominion. There are many who foolishly imagine that Satan and the demons of hell are rivals to God, that they are somehow out of control. Nothing could be further from the truth. The devil is Gods devil. He is under Gods control. God uses him to accomplish his own purposes. And when he gets done with him, he will destroy him.

Do you see this? Our Lord Jesus Christ exercises total dominion over Satan and his agents at all times. He speaks with almighty, sovereign authority, and Satan and his demons immediately, implicitly, totally obey his voice. Satan is strong, malicious and busy. We are no match for the fiend of hell. But the Lord Jesus Christ is yet able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him. He will save his elect from Satans power. Satan can never snatch us from our Saviours almighty, omnipotent hands. Soon, the God of peace will bruise Satan under our heels (Rom 16:20).

Believing Parents

I must not fail to call your attention to the fact that this story is recorded upon the pages of Inspiration to remind us again of the privileges and responsibilities of believing parents. We cannot save our children. We cannot change their nature. We cannot give them life and faith in Christ. Many believing men and women have raised houses full of rebels. Let none of us arrogantly and ignorantly imagine that because children are wicked something must be amiss with the parents. Such talk betrays pride and self-righteousness!

Still, there are some things we can and must do for our children. We can do for our sons and daughters what this man did for his son. He brought his son to the Saviour, to the place where Christ was to be found; and we can bring our children to the house of God to hear the gospel. He brought the Saviour to his Son by fervent prayer; and we can seek the Lords mercy for our children. He acknowledged his sons condition to the Lord Jesus. This poor father acknowledged that his only child was possessed of the devil, deaf and dumb, a lunatic, wicked to the core, and dying. Then, he acknowledged that he had always been that way.

Mark shows us that his sons desperate need was his need. His prayer to the Saviour was, Have compassion on us, and help us! And he believed God for his son. He could not believe instead of his son as a proxy. There is no such thing as proxy faith. But he did believe for his son. This man understood that foolishness is bound in the heart of every child. The rod of correction must be used to drive it from him; but only the grace of God can effectually deliver a sinner from the foolishness that is in him and from the power of Satan that rules him.

Operations Of Grace

There is in this passage of scripture an instructive, beautiful picture of Gods mighty operations of grace. Whenever God saves a sinner, there are certain things you can expect to see, and certain things you can expect to happen. I do not suggest by any means that all who are saved have the same experiences; but every believers experience is similar. Death is death. Life is life. Grace is grace. And salvation is salvation. This is how God performs it. This is how the Lord God performs his mighty operations of grace in us.

First, when God saves a sinner, there is a Divine call. Bring thy son hither (Luk 9:41). The Lord God of all grace orders providence to bring the chosen, redeemed sinner under the sound of the gospel and sends forth his Spirit to call his chosen to himself, by irresistible, effectual grace (Psa 65:4; Psa 110:3).

Second, whenever the Lord Jesus calls sinners to himself, as they are coming to him, there is usually a satanic throw (Luk 9:42). Satan is now in a rage because he knows his time is short (Rev 7:12). So he unleashes upon the sinner God is about to save, all his hellish power.

Third, when the Lord comes to give eternal life, there is a hopeful slaughter. God always brings us down, before he lifts us up. He always wounds, before he heals. He always strips, before he clothes. He always empties, before he fills. And God always kills, before he makes alive (Mar 9:25-26).

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, he is dead.

Then, blessed be his name, when the Lord Jesus comes in saving power, there is a resurrection from the dead (Eph 2:1-4). But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose (Mar 9:27).

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible

Mat 17:14-21, Mar 9:14-29

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

7

Hill and mountain are used in the same sense in the New Testament. The people were generally-on hands whenever Jesus reappeared from his places of privacy.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

THE event described in these verses took place immediately after the transfiguration. The Lord Jesus, we should remark, did not tarry long on the Mount of Olives. His communion with Moses and Elias was very short. He soon returned to His accustomed work of doing good to a sin-stricken world. In His life on earth, to receive honor and have visions of glory was the exception. To minister to others, to heal all who were oppressed by the devil, to do acts of mercy to sinners, was the rule. Happy are those Christians who have learned of Jesus to live for others more than for themselves, and who understand that it is “more blessed to give than to receive.” (Act 20:35.)

We have first, in these verses, an example of what a parent should do when he is troubled about his children. We are told of a man in sore distress about his only son. This son was possessed by an evil spirit, and grievously tormented by him, both in body and soul. In his distress the father makes application to our Lord Jesus Christ for relief. “Master,” he says, “I beseech Thee look upon my son: for he is mine only child.”

There are many Christian fathers and mothers at this day who are just as miserable about their children as the man of whom we are reading. The son who was once the “desire of their eyes,” and in whom their lives were bound up, turns out a spendthrift, a profligate, and a companion of sinners. The daughter who was once the flower of the family, and of whom they said, “This same shall be the comfort of our old age,” becomes self-willed, worldly minded, and a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God. Their hearts are well nigh broken. The iron seems to enter into their souls. The devil appears to triumph over them, and rob them of their choicest jewels. They are ready to cry, “I shall go to the grave sorrowing. What good shall my life do to me?”

Now what should a father or mother do in a case like this? They should do as the man before us did. They should go to Jesus in prayer, and cry to Him about their child. They should spread before that merciful Savior the tale of their sorrows, and entreat Him to help them. Great is the power of prayer and intercession! The child of many prayers shall seldom be cast away. God’s time of conversion may not be ours. He may think fit to prove our faith by keeping us long waiting. But so long as a child lives, and a parent prays, we have no right to despair about that child’s soul.

We have, secondly, in these verses, an example of Christ’s readiness to show mercy to young persons. We are told in the case before us, that the prayer of the afflicted parent was graciously granted. He said to him, “Bring thy son hither.” And then “He rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.” We have many similar cases in the Gospels. The daughter of Jairus, the nobleman’s son at Capernaum, the daughter of the Canaanitish woman, the widow’s son at Nain, are all instances of our Lord’s interest in those who are young. The young are exactly those whom the devil labors to lead captive and make His own. The young seem to have been exactly the persons whom our Lord took a special delight in helping. Three He plucked out of the very jaws of death. Two, as in the case before us, He rescued from the complete dominion of the devil.

There is a meaning in facts like these. They are not recorded without a special purpose. They are meant to encourage all who try to do good to the souls of the young. They are meant to remind us that young men and young women are special objects of interest to Christ. They supply us with an antidote to the common idea that it is useless to press religion on the attention of young people. Such an idea, let us remember, comes from the devil and not from Christ. He who cast out the evil spirit from the child before us, still lives, and is still mighty to save. Let us then work on, and try to do good to the young. Whatever the world may think, Jesus is well pleased.

We have, lastly, in these verses, an example of the spiritual ignorance which may be found even in the hearts of good men. We are told that our Lord said to His disciples, “The Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.” They had heard the same thing from His lips little more than a week before. But now, as then, the words seemed lost upon them. They heard as though they heard not. They could not realize the fact that their Master was to die. They could not realize the great truth that Christ was to be “cut off” before He was to reign, and that this cutting off was a literal death upon the cross. It is written, “They understood not this saying,”-“it was hid from them,”-“they perceived it not.”

Such slowness of understanding may surprise us much at this period of the world. We are apt to forget the power of early habits of thought, and national prejudices, in the midst of which the disciples had been trained. “The throne of David,” says a great divine, “did so fill their eyes that they could not see the cross.” Above all, we forget the enormous difference between the position we occupy who know the history of the crucifixion and the Scriptures which it fulfilled, and the position of a believing Jew who lived before Christ died and the veil was rent in twain. Whatever we may think of it, the ignorance of the disciples should teach us two useful lessons, which we shall all do well to learn.

For one thing, let us learn that men may understand spiritual things very feebly, and yet be true children of God. The head may be very dull when the heart is right. Grace is far better than gifts, and faith than knowledge. If a man has faith and grace enough to give up all for Christ’s sake, and to take up the cross and follow Him, he shall be saved in spite of much ignorance. Christ shall own him at the last day.

Finally, let us learn to bear with ignorance in others, and to deal patiently with beginners in religion. Let us not make men offenders for a word. (Isa 29:21). Let us not set our brother down as having no grace, because he does not exhibit clear knowledge. Has he faith in Christ? Does he love Christ? These are the principal things. If Jesus could endure so much weakness in His disciples, we may surely do likewise.

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Notes-

v38.-[Cried out.] The Greek word so translated implies a crying out with a very loud voice. It is the same word that is used of our Lord’s “crying with a loud voice” on the cross; (Mat 27:46,) and “the multitude crying out to Pilate to do as he had ever done to them.” (Mar 15:8.)

[Mine only child.] Let us remember that the daughter of Jarius, whom our Saviour raised from the dead, was an only daughter, and the widow’s son at Nain an only son. These things are worth notice. Luke is the only Gospel writer who specially mentions them.

v39.-[Hardly.] Let it be noted that this word must be taken with “departed.” It means “scarcely,” or “with difficulty.”

v40.-[They could not.] The reality of Satanic possession is shown by this fact. We read of no disease which the disciples could not cure. But here we are told of a demoniac whose case baffled them. There was a degree of Satanic possession, with which their weak faith was unable to grapple. It was evidently something quite distinct from any merely bodily ailment.

v41.-[O faithless and perverse generation.] The question has been often raised, “To whom were these words addressed? and with what purpose were they spoken?” Were they meant to apply to the disciples only, and to be a rebuke to their unbelief? This is the opinion of Origen. Were they, on the other hand, addressed to the whole multitude of the Jews, as well as to the disciples? This is the opinion of Hilary, Chrysostom, and Jerome. Did our Lord refer to the contrast between the vision of glory he had just left in the Mount of Transfiguration, in the company of Moses and Elias, and the unbelief and wickedness of the generation among whom He was sojourning? This is the opinion of Burgon.

It may however be doubted whether these words could fairly be applied to the man whose son was afflicted. He did what he could. He brought his son to the disciples. If the cure was not wrought, the fault was surely theirs more than his. In fact, when the disciples, as recorded by Mat 17:20, asked our Lord why they could not cast out this devil, He answered them at once, “Because of your unbelief.” The father on the contrary, when our Lord said to him, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible,” cried out, “Lord, I believe.”

The words of our Lord would therefore appear to be directed partly to His own disciples, and partly to the whole generation of the Jews among whom He lived.

v44.-[Let these sayings sink down into your ears.] The literal translation of these words would be, “Put these sayings into your ears.”

Fuente: Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

Luk 9:37-42. THE HEALING OFTHE DEMONIAC BOY. See on Mat 17:14-21; Mar 9:14-29. Luke is briefest, Mark fullest.

For he is mine only child (Luk 9:38). Peculiar to Luke.

And he suddenly crieth out (Luk 9:39) i.e., the child. The rapid change of subject, first the spirit, then the child, then the spirit again, shows the intimate connection of possessed and possessing.

Bruising him grievously. Comp. Mar 9:26 : rent him sore.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Subdivision 4. (Luk 9:37-62.)

Testing in an evil World.

We have seen then what the world is, through which the disciple of Jesus is called to pass, and how the rejection of the Master characterizes it henceforth for the disciple. It is therefore an adverse stream that he is called to breast, and to meet the combined powers of evil in a warfare that never ends on this side heaven, -which, if it seem to do so, it is but the lure of the enemy replacing his open assault; while, as that which intensifies all the struggle, there is that within us constantly in league with the foe without, an enemy behind all our fortifications, a self against oneself.

Yet are we assured that “all things work together for good to them that love God; to those that are the called according to His purpose.” It must be therefore that all this is working for good, this various strife, this enemy within also, all this that is the occasion of such and so keen distress, all this that seems so against us. Nay, there must be in all this a wisdom of God exhibited which when learned shall call forth our wonder and our praise, -a wisdom which has in view not time only but eternity.

And it is not hard to understand this: for if God’s thoughts are fixed on bringing us into conformity with Himself, the discernment of good and evil must be a large part of this, we must have our senses exercised to this end. How much the manifestation of God Himself has been made in connection with His mastery over the evil! not in mere judgment of it, but much more in His grace. Must we not for the knowledge of Him, as He would have it, learn also what evil is, be tested by it, learn mastery over it? Thus the good of the trial is apparent, and why it should occupy the place it does here in connection with the fulness of salvation.

1. That failure in this conflict should be so much before us is sorrowful enough; yet even so are we most emphatically warned and guarded against it. The very first lesson is that of how to use the power with which we are entrusted; and the story is one which, for our need of it, is found in all three synoptic Gospels. Luke indeed does not dwell upon the details as the two others do, -Mark especially; nor have we even (what may seem stranger) the insistence upon the need of prayer and fasting which we find in the others. Rather do we find that the power is in Christ, and still available, whatever may be the failure of disciples. The actual display of it does not measure what is available, as long as Christ remains accessible, as He ever is, to the feeblest faith of the really needy. The simplicity and ease with which He acts seems most enforced here; and Christ as the resource, amid whatever failure on the part of His people is worthy of the first place in the lessons that are given here.

But the fact of His rejection by men abides, however much He may display His power; and though there may be astonishment at it, too, at times. Christ the crucified is the Master we follow, and this truth He would have sink down into our ears and abide with us. Alas, we are not beyond the need either of being warned by the disciples, want of comprehension of this, or even by their fear of being made to comprehend!

2. Two lessons as to humility follow: the first in which the Lord checks the anxiety to be greatest by identifying Himself with the littleness of a little child, and then by the assurance that the least of all among His followers would be great enough. For indeed, that which we have in common, and as the fruit of Christ’s work, must be far greater, thank God, than our differences, which will be the result of our own.

The second lesson is in view of their having forbidden one who was casting out demons in Christ’s name, but who was not in their company: as if the power that he displayed had been illegitimately acquired. The Lord here assures them that if he were not of their company, he must needs be on their side. For who could divorce the power of the Spirit from the Spirit of power? Self-appreciation here but slenderly covers itself with zeal for Christ; and how soon does it blind us as to plainest principles.

3. We next find the Lord on His way to Jerusalem, the days getting near for His being received up. For the Samaritans it is enough that His face is set toward Jerusalem: they do not receive the messengers sent before to prepare for Him. The spirit of the sons of Zebedee is aflame, and they would bring fire down from heaven after the manner of Elijah, to consume the churlish Samaritans. The pleading of Elijah’s example seems to imply that they were already by no means sure that the Lord would be disposed to such a visitation of an offence like this. They could hardly have been with Him so long, without having learned as much as this of His long-suffering. But Elijah they had lately seen with Him, and his example they might quote with One who so completely maintained as He did the authority of Scripture. But He makes it no question of Scripture; it was they who knew not of what spirit they were. They were not of His: for the Son of man had not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.

The disciples here illustrate the danger in which we are in; seeking to reproduce the examples left us by the men of faith of old, even where most fully sanctioned by the word of God. Dispensations differ, and we must know well how to recognize the difference. Faith too is an individual thing which can only be exercised in one’s own path with God; and the imitation of another, as that, necessarily takes us out of such a path. The carrying out of principles, or obedience to precepts, is, of course, an entirely different thing; only they must be the principles of the dispensation to which we belong. From want of understanding this the Church of God has been judaized, secularized, and carnalized; an earthly priesthood, law, the rule of kings, and how much else, have been introduced into it; it has usurped Israel’s place and promises; and Scripture has been quoted for all this, and perverted to make it good. Here too, disciples, acting with honest enough meaning, have not known of what spirit they were.

{Verse 55. The first part here is doubtful; the last, according to the evidence of MSS., still more so. Yet the interpolation seems difficult to understand, and as to the first part must have been early, for it is found in most of the ancient versions, as well as in Marcion, Clement of Alexandria, and others. See the Am. Editor’s note in Lange’s Commentary.}

4. Finally in this section we have what Matthew (Mat 8:19-22) puts in another connection; and doubtless in the order of time. Luke gives the moral connection and adds a third example of such testing of followers by the Lord, which we can suppose to be of no infrequent occurrence. In the first case there is the enthusiasm which looks well, but needs a more sober estimate of what is involved in following Christ. The second, on the other hand, is unready, and needs the rousing call to prompt obedience. The third, which is in Luke only, though very similar to the second, requires the renunciation of the claims of the living, as much as of the dead. He who has put his hand to the plow -the one-handled eastern plow, frail and easily overturned, is in question -must keep his eyes on it also, and not look back, or he is unfit for the Kingdom of God.

Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary

Observe here, 1. The person brought to Christ for help and healing; one bodily possessed by Satan, who rent and tore him, but rather to torment than to despatch him. Oh how does Satan delight to do hurt to the bodies, as well as the souls, of mankind! Lord, abate his power, since his malice will not be abated.

Observe, 2. The person who represented his sad condition to our Saviour; his compassionate father, who kneeled down and cried out. Need will make a person both humble and eloquent; every one has a tongue to speak for himself, happy is he that keeps a tongue for others.

Observe, 3. The physicians which this distressed person is brought unto: first to the disciples, and then to Jesus. We never apply ourselves importunately to the God of power, until we despair of the creature’s help. But what hindered the disciples that they could not cast out this evil spirit? Why, it was their unbelief; O faithless generation.

Learn thence, that the great obstacle and obstruction of all blessings, both spiritual and temporal, coming to us, is our wretched infidelity and unbelief.

Observe, 4. The sovereign power and absolute authority which Christ had when on earth over the devil and his angels: Jesus rebuked him, cast him out, and charged him to return no more into him. This was a proof and demonstration of the Godhead of our Saviour, that, in his own name, that, by his own power and authority, he could and did cast the devils out.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Luk 9:37-45. For a full elucidation of these verses, see notes on Mat 17:14-23; and Mar 9:14-29. Let these sayings sink down into your ears That is, consider them deeply; in joy remember the cross. So wisely does our Lord balance praise with sufferings.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Vers. 37-40. The Request.

The sleep with which the disciples were overcome, as well as Peter’s offer to Jesus, Luk 9:33, appear to us to prove that the transfiguration had taken place either in the evening or during the night. Jesus and His three companions came down from the mountain the next morning. A great multitude awaited them. Nevertheless, according to Mark, the arrival of Jesus excited a feeling of surprise. This impression might be attributed to a lingering reflection of glory, which still illumined His person. But a more natural explanation of it is the violent scene which had just taken place before all this crowd, which gave a peculiar opportuneness to the arrival of the Master. Matthew omits all these details, and goes straight to the fact.

The symptoms of the malady, rigidity, foaming, and cries, show to what kind of physical disorder it belonged; it was a species of epilepsy. But the 42d verse and the conversation following, in Matthew and Mark, prove that in the belief of Jesus the disorder of the nervous system was either the cause or the effect of a mental condition, of the same kind as those of which we have already had several examples (Luk 4:33 et seq., Luk 8:26 et seq.). According to Matthew, the attacks were of a periodical character, and were connected with the phases of the moon (). Mark adds three items to the description of the malady: dumbness (in the expression dumb demon there is a confusion of the cause with the effect; comp. Luk 8:12-14; Luk 8:23, for examples of similar confusion), grinding of the teeth, and wasting away. These are common symptoms in epilepsy.

The disciples had found themselves powerless to deal with a malady so deep-seated (it dated from the young man’s childhood, Mar 9:21); and the presence of certain scribes (see Mark), who no doubt had not spared their sarcasm either against them or their Master, had both humiliated and exasperated them. The expectation of the people was therefore highly excited.

What a contrast for Jesus between the hours of divine peace which He had just spent in communion with heaven, and the spectacle of the distress of this father, and of the various passions which were raging around him!

Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)

LXX.

THIRD WITHDRAWAL FROM HEROD’S TERRITORY.

Subdivision E.

HEALING THE DEMONIAC BOY.

(Region of Csarea Philippi.)

aMATT. XVII. 14-20; bMARK IX. 14-29; cLUKE IX. 37-43.

c37 And it came to pass, on the next day, when they were come down from the mountain, b14 And when they came to the disciples [the nine apostles which had been left behind], they saw a great multitude about them [We last heard of the multitude at Mar 8:34. See Exo 34:29), but this can hardly have been so, for it would have been at variance with the secrecy which Jesus enjoined as to his transfiguration. Moreover, so important [422] a feature could hardly have escaped from the narratives of all three evangelists. Undoubtedly the amazement was caused by the sudden and opportune return of Jesus. Those who urge that this was not enough to produce amazement show themselves to be poor students of human nature. The multitude had been listening to and no doubt enjoying the questions of the scribes. The unexpected appearance of Jesus therefore impressed them with the sudden sense of having been detected in wrong-doing which invariably leads to amazement. Moreover, those who remained loyal to Jesus would be equally amazed by his approach, since they could not but feel that an exciting crisis was at hand.] a14 And when they were come to the multitude [i. e., when Jesus and the multitude met], bhe asked them, What question ye with them? [He surprised the scribes by this demand and they saw at once that he knew all and they felt rebuked for their unwarranted exultation, and so kept silent.] c38 And, behold, athere came to him a man, bone of {cfrom} the multitude, akneeling to him, banswered him, ccried, saying, bTeacher, a15 Lord, bI brought unto thee my son, who hath a dumb spirit; ahave mercy on my son: for he is epileptic, and suffereth grievously; cI beseech thee look upon my son: for he is mine only child. 39 and behold a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; b18 and wheresoever it taketh him, it dasheth him down: cand it teareth him that he foameth, band grindeth his teeth, and pineth away: cand it hardly departeth from him, bruising him sorely. [When the scribes did not answer, the father of the demoniac boy broke the embarrassing silence by telling Jesus about the matter in question. His child was deaf, dumb, and epileptic, but all these physical ailments were no doubt produced by the demon or evil spirit which possessed him. The phrase “hardly departeth from him” rather suggests the continual unrest in which the demon kept his victim rather than that the demon ever really relinquished his possession of him. Pauses in the delirium of agony were regarded as departures of the [423] demon.] a16 And I brought him to thy disciples, band I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; c40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. bthey were not able. aand they could not cure him. 17 And Jesus answered and said, {banswereth them and saith,} aO faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I bear with you? cbring hither thy son to me. bunto me. [As there was no reason to accuse the apostles of perversity, it is evident that the rebuke of Jesus is addressed generally to all and not particularly to the disciples. The perverse faithlessness and infidelity of the scribes had operated upon the multitude, and the doubts of the multitude had in turn influenced the apostles, and thus, with the blind leading the blind, all had fallen into the ditch of impotent disbelief. The disbelief of the people was a constant grief to Jesus, but it must have been especially so in this case, for it fostered and perpetrated this scene of weakness, mean-spiritedness, misery, and suffering which stood out in such sharp contrast with the peace, blessedness, and glory from which he had just come.] 20 And they brought him unto him: c42 And as he was yet a coming, bwhen he saw him [saw Jesus], straightway cthe demon dashed him down, and bthe spirit tare him grievously; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it since this hath come unto him? And he said, From a child. 22 And oft-times it hath cast him both into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: {ahe falleth into the fire, and oft-times into the water.} [By causing the long-standing nature of the case and the malignity of it to be fully revealed, Jesus emphasized the power of the cure] bbut if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst! All things are possible to him that believeth. [Jesus echoed back the “if thou canst” which the man had uttered. If Jesus marveled at the faith of a Gentile which trusted the fullness [424] of his divine power, he also marveled at the disbelief of this Jew which thus coolly and presumptuously questions the sufficiency of that power. In the remainder of his answer Jesus shows that the lack of power is not in him, but in those who would be recipients of the blessings of his power, for those blessings are obtained by faith.] 24 Straightway the father of the child cried out, and said I believe; help thou my unbelief. [He confessed his faith, but desired so ardently to have the child healed that he feared lest he should not have faith enough to accomplish that desire, and therefore asked for more faith.] 25 And when Jesus saw that the multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. [Jesus had found the multitude when he came down from the mountain, but the excitement in this multitude was evidently drawing men from every quarter, so that the crowd was momentarily growing greater. A longer conversation with the man might have been beneficial, but to prevent the gathering of any larger company Jesus acted at once and spoke the words of command. Since the demon was manifestly of a most daring, impudent, and audacious nature, Jesus took the precaution to forbid it attempting to re-enter its victim, a precaution which the conduct of the demon abundantly justified.] 26 And having cried out, and torn him much, he came out: and the boy became as one dead; insomuch that the more part said, He is dead. [The malicious effrontery and obstinacy displayed by this demon stands in marked contrast to the cowed, supplicating spirit shown by the Gergesene legion. See Mat 13:32). Faith has such power with God that even little faith becomes well-nigh omnipotent in an age of miracles.] b29 And he said unto them, This kind can come out by nothing, save by prayer. [Prayer was the means of increasing faith. Demons, like spirits in the flesh, have different degrees of will force, some being easier to subdue than others, and this once, being particularly willful and obstinate, required more faith to expel it.]

[FFG 422-426]

Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)

DEMONIACAL EJECTMENT

Mat 17:14-21; Mar 9:14-29; Luk 9:37-43. Mark: And having come to His disciples, He saw a great crowd round them, and the scribes arguing with them. He and the three disciples had been absent from the nine and the multitude during that memorable night of the transfiguration. In the morning, when they come down from the mount, they find an oral debate going on between the nine apostles and the scribes; i.e., the pastors of the Churches, who had gathered with the multitude. The subject of the debate was the failure of the nine to cast out an awfully stubborn and formidable deaf and dumb demon, which had occupied an only son from his infancy. And immediately all the multitude, seeing Him, became aroused, and running to Him, seized Him; i.e., gathered about Him, and took Him into a special diagnosis. He asked the scribes, Why are you disputing with them? The salient point in the debate was, that as the nine had failed in all their efforts to cast out the demon, at the same time alleging that if their Master were there, He could cast him out; the scribes stoutly disputed their word, and argued with them that if He were there, He would fail just as they had done. And one of the multitude, responding, said, Teacher, I brought my son to Thee, having a dumb spirit, and when he may seize him, he convulses him; he froths, gnashes his teeth, and pines away. Matthew says: He is a lunatic, and suffers exceedingly, and frequently he falls in the fire, and often in the water. Luke: And, behold, the spirit takes him, and immediately he cries out, and he convulses him with foam, and scarcely departs from him, contorting him.

We see from these descriptions that the child was an epileptic, of the very worst form, his convulsions being so frequent and violent as not only to take away the faculty of hearing and speech, but to render him at times insane, raving like a maniac. When these awful convulsions came on him, he screamed and roared at the very top of his voice, falling, rolling, in indescribable agony, gnashing his teeth, foaming at the mouth, and finally pining away, gasping for breath, and apparently ceasing to breathe, looking pale as a corpse, perspiration evanescing, becoming dry, ashy, cold, and to all appearances lifeless. And I said to Thy disciples that they may cast him out, and they were not able. Responding, He says to them, O faithless generation, how long shall I bear with you? We see here how grievous their unbelief and consequent failure were to Jesus. Lord, save us from grieving Thee in a similar manner! Bring him hither to Me; and seeing Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him; and falling on the ground, he continued to wallow, foaming. Here you see, the demon knew Jesus, having long ago been a pure spirit in the celestial universe, gazing upon the glory of the Son, before he had the misfortune to deflect with the great apostasy, following in the track of fallen Lucifer. See how awfully stubborn and malignant he is! Seeing Jesus, and knowing that his time is short, he seizes the moment left him to execute his wrath on his poor victim, seizing him instantly, convulsing him with horrific spasms, so that, falling on the ground, he wallows, foaming as if he were dying. And He asked his father, How much time there is since this happened to him? And he said, From his infancy; and frequently he throws him into the fire, and into the water, that he may destroy him; but if You are able to do anything, help us, being moved with compassion in our behalf. And Jesus said to him, If you are able to believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And immediately the father of the little child, crying out with tears, continued to say, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief. Here we see a glorious illustration of the omnipotence of faith.

O what an inspiration this wonderful Scripture flashes out on a desponding Church and a sinking world!

Millions on all sides are sweeping into hopeless ruin; whereas alt that is needed that we may be saved to the uttermost, and our friends and loved ones rescued from Satan to go to heaven with us, is faith in Jesus. It costs nothing but your sins and your doubts, which were Satans millstones around your neck, dragging you to perdition. Your family are unsaved, your loved ones hanging over hell by the brittle thread of life. Soon it will be eternally too late. Will you not fly to the mercy-seat in their behalf? I trow, no demon more obstinate, potent, and incorrigible than this one possesses any of them. Though awful devils have them by the throat, Jesus is more than a match for them all. Will you not give Him a chance before demons people hell with the inmates of your home and community? You see here that true faith is accompanied by tenderhearted humility, illustrated by the fact that this man is so intensely exercised for the salvation of his son, that his tears gush out copiously, and flow in rivulets over his face. So get down before God till you, in spite of doubts and devils, with heart-gushing tears, can say, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.

And Jesus, seeing that the multitude are running together, rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him, Dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, Come out from it and enter no more into him. Crying out, and convulsing him much, he came out. He became like a corpse, so that many said, He is dead. When Jesus was talking to the man, the multitude, observing that something was going to be done, and all eager to see, immediately began to crowd in from all directions to witness the sight. As this would produce a great confusion, Jesus instantly commands the obstinate demon, who had resisted all the efforts of the nine, to come out. The demon avails himself of the last moment to execute vile retribution against the poor epileptic. So, in the very act of evacuating him, he convulses him so awfully that he pines away, pallid and ghastly as a corpse, and the people all around say, He is dead. I have witnessed many scenes of this kind in my revival- meetings, people falling amid frightful convulsions, foaming at the mouth, pining away, gasping for breath, and the unspiritual people around saying, He is dead, She is dead. I could give you the positive history of many such cases, which I have seen with mine own eyes. Frequently have they been hauled away from my meetings like dead people, but they always came to life.

The physical phase of this case is abundantly illustrated in all of our lunatic asylums, without which our communities would be terrorized this day by raving maniacs. I now have in mind a good, true, and efficient, sanctified Methodist preacher, who, like this boy, had epilepsy, in its worst form, till one and twenty, when a sanctified sister, finding her way to his fathers house, told him about Jesus, and prevailed on him to commit to Him soul and body. Though three times, amid these awful convulsions, he had been laid out and pronounced dead, when he got his eye of faith on Jesus, though all physicians had abandoned him to die, the Blessed Healer, in a moment, cast out the stubborn demon, completely healing soul and body, so that he has never since had a trace of epilepsy; but, responsive to the call he received when Jesus healed and sanctified him, from that day he has been preaching holiness to the Lord.

Mat 17:19 : Then the disciples, coming to Jesus, privately said, Why were we not able to cast him out? Jesus said to them, For truly, I say unto you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Be thou moved hence, and it will be moved, and nothing shall be impossible to you. But this kind goeth not out except through prayer. E. V. says, Through prayer and fasting, some good man evidently adding fasting, feeling that it would strengthen the statement, as it does not here appear in the original. We must remember that the disciples did not fast till after the Lord had left the world, as this would have been out of harmony with the glorious sunshine of His perpetual and omnipotent presence. He said that they would fast after He had gone away. Hence it is all right and pertinent for us to fast, as the Spirit leads, till He returns in glory. We must remember that our Savior is talking about spiritual things, referring to the little mustard seed and the great mountain to illustrate the omnipotence of faith. God appreciates quality rather than quantity. Hence, though your faith may be small, if it is free from doubt, the tiny mustard seed will make the great mountain of sin leap away, and sink out of sight into the sea of forgetfulness.

In these two notable transaction i.e., the transfiguration glory on the mountain summit, and the casting out of this awfully cruel, stubborn, obstinate demon down at the base, we have a vivid illustration of heaven and hell in close proximity. So terrible is the conflict between the powers of darkness in this world, that we often find the bright summit, the transfiguration glory, and the dark valley, pervaded by infuriated demons, in close proximity. Where God works, Satan works too, et vice versa. Hence the Christian soldier should never be discouraged at the rage of hell and the howl of devils; but on the contrary, in that case, should always take courage, as Satan is not fool enough to waste his ammunition. When the powers of darkness rendezvous and the formidable difficulties intervene, always look out for bright victories.

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament

Luk 9:37-43 a. Healing of the Demoniac Boy (Mar 9:14-29*, Mat 17:14-21*).Lk. is careful to say this was on the next day. The child is again an only one (Luk 7:12, Luk 8:42). The Gr. word for dashed him down is one that was used by prize-fighters. With Luk 9:43 a cf. Luk 5:17; Luk 5:26.

Luk 9:43 b Luk 9:45. Second Prediction of the Passion (Mar 9:30-32*, Mat 17:22 f.*).Lk. gives this at once, not during subsequent days in Galilee, and he makes it so much less definite that some scholars have thought it represents the earliest form of the prediction. There is no mention of resurrection here.

Luk 9:44. these words, i.e. the announcement that follows; for is better rendered namely.delivered up: i.e. by God, cf. Rom 8:32.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

Verse 37

On the next day, when they were come down. This form of expression, and the disposition to sleep manifested by the three apostles, as mentioned in Luke 9:32, seems to imply that the transfiguration took place at night. It is not wonderful that the sublime circumstances of the scene should have strongly affected the ardent feelings of the apostle Peter. He alludes to the event long afterwards, (2 Peter 1:16-18,) in language which shows that it made a deep and lasting impression upon his mind.

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

9:37 {7} And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.

(7) Nothing offends Christ as much as incredulity, although he bears with it for a time.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

6. The exorcism of an epileptic boy 9:37-43a (cf. Matthew 17:14-20; Mark 9:14-29)

The effect of Luke’s omission of the conversation Jesus had with the disciples about Elijah is clear. This healing appears as the work of the Son of God whom the Transfiguration presented.

"It is the Jesus who has been transfigured who now appears to help men at the foot of the mountain; what the disciples cannot do, he can do. He appears like a visitor from another world who has to put up with the unbelief of men." [Note: Marshall, The Gospel . . ., p. 389.]

Luke also omitted Jesus’ teaching on the importance of faith that He gave His disciples at the end of this story (cf. Mat 17:19-20; Mar 9:28-29). All Luke’s emphasis falls on Jesus’ authority. This is the first of four incidents that show the disciples’ lack of faith, slowness to learn, pride, and intolerance.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

Luke is the only Gospel writer who mentioned that the descent happened the day following the Transfiguration. This notation has the effect of contrasting the glorious manifestation on the mountain with the mundane world of sin and unbelief below. Some commentators thought that Luke’s comment implies that the Transfiguration happened at night, but that is an unnecessary supposition.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)