In our daily devotionals, we examine each of the supernatural acts of the Lord Jesus during His time on Earth. Today, we will discuss His extraordinary power to deliver a boy from a demon. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each describe different aspects of the scene:
37The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.” (Luke 9:37-40).
When Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, He encountered a desperate father. An unseen evil spirit was tormenting his only son. Whenever the spirit seized him, it attempted to kill him by throwing the boy into fire or drowning him in water: “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water” (Matthew 17:15).
The evil spirit waited until the boy was near a campfire or the cooking fire in the home and then threw him into the flames. Burns, scratches, and cuts likely covered his body as a result. Similarly, whenever there was a river or a well, the evil spirit would throw the boy into the water to harm him. He could never be left alone, not for a second. It must have been an incredibly exhausting and horrifying existence for the family, regularly confronting demonic activity.
As Jesus approached, the boy screamed at the top of his lungs (Luke 9:39). After the scream, the demon threw him to the ground in convulsions (Luke 9:39). It then took control of the boy's vocal cords and sense of hearing, rendering him mute (Mark 9:17) and deaf as well (Mark 9:25). Besides the terrifying screams, the demon prevented the boy from communicating his condition. Imagine how traumatic life was for the boy; he couldn't express what was happening inside him to his father or hear any comforting words from his family.
Mark shares more details: “It slams him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and stiffens out” (Mark 9:18). The Greek word translated into English as "slams him" conveys an image of something very violent and likely quite frightening to those watching. When they brought the boy to Jesus, the demon threw him to the ground in convulsions. He “rolled around, foaming at the mouth” (Mark 9:20), grinding his teeth as he became stiff as a board. The father’s account of his son went further: “Only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it departs" (Luke 9:39). When the father described the mauling, what do you think he witnessed? More than likely, he saw bruises appearing all over the boy's body as the evil spirit tore at him before departing until the next attack.
We should not assume this was an epileptic fit, as Luke, the author of this passage of Scripture, was a doctor, and I’m sure he understood such matters. We must take Jesus at His word when He stated that an evil spirit caused it. Let us not be naive about the presence of evil. What they witnessed was more than a physical phenomenon. The boy's violent behavior before their eyes, the foaming at the mouth, the inability to hear, the suicidal tendencies, and the way the spirit reacted upon encountering Jesus should provide sufficient evidence that this was not epilepsy. We should also avoid the error of believing that all epileptic fits are demonic in origin. Demons cannot remain hidden in the presence of Christ. Luke writes:
42Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43And they were all amazed at the greatness of God (Luke 9:42-43).
While the demon was throwing the boy to the ground, the Lord spoke to the demon, despite the boy's deafness: "But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father” (Luke 9:42). The boy's scars, burns, and cuts healed instantly as they all looked on. No wonder Luke records, “They were all amazed at the greatness of God” (v. 43). I would have loved to see their faces and their amazement. I hope there are reruns in heaven! The Lord is so kind. Keith Thomas
This meditation is from the more comprehensive group study found in the All Studies box on the Home Page. Click on the Gospel of Luke, and then study 22, The Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit. YouTube video teachings at: https://www.youtube.com/@keiththomas7/videos