Luke 9:37–45 (ESV)
37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
This passage takes place right after the transfiguration of Jesus. In chapter 14 of Mark’s Gospel, we have the same account, only with greater detail. What’s interesting is the focus of each account. In Mark’s Gospel, the focus of the passage centers on the conversation between Jesus and the father of this boy. Here, in Luke’s account, the focus is centered on the astonishment of the people as the majesty of God is revealed.
What’s interesting in all the accounts is that the disciples are struggling and are unable to cast out the evil spirit from the boy. At the beginning of chapter nine, we know that Jesus had sent out His disciples in pairs, without His presence, and they were given the authority to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. They went out and were successful in their work.
However, now they are not having any success. The disciples have cast out evil spirits before without Jesus, but now they are unable to cast out this evil spirit.
Here in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus chastises the crowd (not the disciples), calling the crowd a “faithless and twisted generation.” The point of Jesus’ chastisement is that the crowd is making a deliberate choice to disbelieve in contrast to the disciples, who are limited and inadequate to the task.
Here’s what I love about this miraculous sign: the inadequacy and limitations of the disciples and the willful choice of the crowd to disbelieve; even though there have been numerous miraculous signs by Jesus at this point, those shortcomings and failings do not have the last word…, Jesus does, and Jesus heals and gives the boy back to his father.
As Jim Edwards so rightly notes in his excellent commentary, “Divine power leads to physical healing, and physical healing leads to the restoration of relationships. In this instance, Jesus again reveals himself to be the restorer of families, giving the boy back to his father as he earlier gave the boy back to his mother (7:15).”
What’s sad is even this is not enough for those who refuse to acknowledge that this revelation of the majesty of God is a revelation of the Messiah standing in their midst, and at the end of the passage, we get the second prediction of Jesus’ regarding His approaching death on the cross.
Right now, I’m thinking about blind spots and fear. Did you catch that moment of fear in verse 45? We all have blind spots in our faith, and we all have our own fears when to comes to following Jesus, even the disciples did (both here and when Jesus was transfigured before them 9:34). It’s normal and natural to feel fear at times, especially when Jesus is leading us off the map! However, when we feel that twinge of fear, we must remember the most repeated command in Scripture, “Do not be afraid.”
Do not be afraid; come into His presence and follow Jesus wherever He leads, even if it’s off the map.
God bless you, and know that you are constantly in my prayers!
Scott