The Boy with an Unclean Spirit

Illustration of The Boy with an Unclean Spirit
Straight from the glory of the Transfiguration into a father's desperation - and the prayer that still fits every believer: 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.'

Coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus found his disciples surrounded by a crowd and arguing with scribes: a father had brought his son, seized since childhood by a spirit that threw him into fire and water, and the disciples could not cast it out. The father's plea - 'if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us' - drew Jesus's reply that all things are possible to him that believeth, and the father's answer has become one of the most quoted prayers in Scripture: 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.' Jesus rebuked the spirit, the boy fell as one dead, and Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up. Asked privately why they had failed, Jesus told the disciples, 'This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.'

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Details

Category
Deliverance
Testament
New Testament
Performed by
Jesus

Key Chapters

Mark 9 The Transfiguration 7 min read

Key Passages

"Help Thou Mine Unbelief"

Mark 9:20-27

A20nd they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25 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. 26 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. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

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Characters

Jesus Jesus is portrayed in the Bible as the Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah whose coming fulfilled Oldโ€ฆ Peter Peter, originally a fisherman named Simon, was called by Jesus along the Sea of Galilee to become one ofโ€ฆ James (Son of Zebedee) James, son of Zebedee, was one of the first apostles called by Jesus while fishing on the Sea of Galilee,โ€ฆ John (Apostle) John the Apostle, son of Zebedee and brother of James, was among Jesus' innermost circle of disciples andโ€ฆ

Places

Mount Hermon Mount Hermon served as the northern boundary of the territory conquered by the Israelites under Joshua,โ€ฆ

Themes

Redemption To redeem means to buy back. From Boaz purchasing Ruth's inheritance to Christ purchasing his people withโ€ฆ Faith Without faith it is impossible to please God. From Abraham leaving everything for an unknown land to aโ€ฆ Sovereignty of God The Lord reigns. From Joseph's slavery to Daniel's lions' den, Scripture reveals a God who works all thingsโ€ฆ

Did You Know?

1

The father's cry 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief' is one of the few prayers in Scripture answered while still confessing its own weakness.

2

This healing happened at the foot of the mountain while Jesus's face may still have shone from the Transfiguration - Raphael's last and greatest painting joined the two scenes on one canvas.

3

The disciples had cast out many demons before (Mark 6:13) - their failure here, and Jesus's answer about prayer, marks the difference between delegated technique and dependent power.