MONDAY 7TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME GOSPEL COMMENTARY. THE CURING OF THE EPILEPTIC BOY (Mk 9:14-29).

Mk 9:14–29
Jesus cures an epileptic boy

As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!”
Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”

COMMENTARY FROM THE NAVARRE BIBLE, ST. MARK (WITH PERMISSION)

17 The demon who possessed this boy is described as a “dumb spirit” because dumbness was the main feature of the possession. On diabolic possession cf. note on Mt 12:22-24.
19-24 As on other occasions, Jesus requires submission of faith before he works the miracle. The exclamation of Jesus refers to the request of the boy’s father (v.22), which seemed to suggest some doubt about God’s omnipotence. The Lord corrects this way of asking and requires him to have firm faith.
- In v.24 we can see that the father has quite changed; then Jesus does the miracle. The man’s strengthened faith made him all-powerful, for someone with faith relies not on himself but on Jesus Christ. Through faith, then, we become sharers in God’s omnipotence. But faith is a gift of God, which man, especially at times when he is wavering, should ask for humbly and tenaciously, like the father of this boy “I believe, help my unbelief,” and like the Apostles: “Increase our faith!” (Lk 17:5).
28-29 “In teaching the Apostles how to expel a spirit as evil as this he is teaching all of us how we should live, and telling us that prayer is the resource we should use to overcome even the severest temptations, whether they come from unclean spirits or from men. Prayer does not consist only in the words we use to invoke God’s clemency but also in everything we do, out of faith, as homage to God. The Apostle bears witness to this when he says: ‘Pray constantly’ (1 Thes 5:7)” (St Bede, In Marci Evangelium expositio, in loc.).

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