Christian Art | Jesus Heals The Epileptic Boy | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
Matthew 17: 14-20 – Week 18 Ordinary Time, Saturday (King James Audio Bible KJV)
14 ¶ And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Jesus’ disciples travel a long journey as they develop and grow in faith in Jesus. Their progress is halting rather than steady. The disciples make mistakes. It will not be until the events following Jesus’ death and resurrection that the disciples will gifted, especially with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, in order to found the Church. We may find we identify with the disciples as we think of any challenges we face in our own faith.
The boy Jesus heals in these Gospel verses suffers from epilepsy. This would be understood as the work of evil spirits, of devils. The act of healing thereby consists in casting out the demon from the boy, who is now cured instantly by Jesus, where the disciples failed.
The boy thereby becomes for the evangelist a sign of God’s call to us to have greater faith. Jesus walks with us, therefore we can have the power to move mountains, insofar as we believe in Jesus, the Son of God. Our faith should be as a mustard seed, an image used by Jesus to speak of the growth of the Church from such humble beginnings to be a shining light to the whole world, and to speak of the growth of faith within each Christian’s heart and soul, the Kingdom come. Through baptism, through our death to sin as we receive new life in Jesus, sharing in his cross, our faith is enabled to grow, to flourish, to be a light to the world.
‘Our Lord tells the Apostles that if they had faith they would be able to work miracles, to move mountains. “Moving mountains” was probably a proverbial saying. God would certainly let a believer move a mountain if that were necessary for his glory and for the edification of one’s neighbor; however, Christ’s promise is fulfilled everyday in a much more exalted way. Some Fathers of the Church (St. Jerome, St. Augustine) say that “a mountain is moved” every time someone is divinely aided to do something which exceed man’s natural powers. This clearly happens in the work of our sanctification, which the Paraclete effects in our souls when we are docile to him and receive with faith and love the grace given us in the sacraments: we benefit from the sacraments to a greater or lesser degree depending on the dispositions with which we receive them. Sanctification is something more sublime than moving mountains, and it is something which is happening every day in so many holy souls, even though most people do not notice it.
‘The Apostles and many saints down the centuries have in fact worked amazing material miracles; but the greatest and most important miracles were, are and will be the miracles of souls dead through sin and ignorance being reborn and developing in the new life of the children of God.’ (The Navarre Bible commentary.)
Concluding Prayer | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
Send forth the light of the Holy Spirit on us,
Lord God, almighty Father,
subject as we are to your divine majesty:
so that safe from every foe,
we may always rejoice
as we celebrate your praise.
Through Christ our Lord
King James Audio Bible | Endnotes
How Are We To Understand Jesus’ Healing As The Casting Out Of Devils?
The passage tells the story of a man who brought his son to Jesus, seeking healing. The boy suffered from epilepsy, and the disciples had been unable to heal him. Jesus rebuked the demon causing the illness and the boy was immediately cured.
The language used in this passage might seem strange to modern readers, particularly the idea of casting out demons. It was a common belief in the ancient world that illnesses and afflictions were caused by demons or evil spirits. The idea was that these spirits would enter a person’s body and cause them harm.
In the case of the boy in Matthew 17, the demon was causing him to have seizures. By casting out the demon, Jesus was not only healing the boy physically, but also freeing him from the influence of evil.
The idea of healing as the casting out of demons has been a prominent theme in Christian theology for centuries. In Catholicism, for example, exorcism is recognized as a sacramental rite, and is performed under certain circumstances to rid a person of demonic influence.
Saint Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century wrote extensively on the subject of demons and their influence on human beings. For Aquinas as for Christians today, demons are spiritual beings, created by God, who fell from grace and are now opposed to God’s will. According to Aquinas, demons could influence humans in various ways, including causing illness and disease.
For Protestants, the idea of healing through the casting out of demons has been influential. The Pentecostal movement, for example, places a strong emphasis on spiritual healing and often employs exorcism as a means of healing.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, also believed in the power of exorcism as a means of healing. In his sermons and writings, Wesley emphasized the importance of faith and prayer in healing, and often cited examples of healing through exorcism.
However, not all Christians believe in the literal casting out of demons as a means of healing. Some interpret the language used in the Bible as symbolic, rather than literal, and believe that the stories of Jesus casting out demons are meant to teach a deeper spiritual lesson.
Regardless of one’s interpretation of the passage in Matthew 17, it is clear that healing was an important aspect of Jesus’ ministry. Whether through the casting out of demons or other means, Jesus sought to alleviate the suffering of those around him and bring them closer to God. As Christians, we are called to follow in his footsteps and seek to alleviate the suffering of others, both physically and spiritually.
Christian Healing And Exorcism
Some Christians have argued that physical healing is a sign of God’s grace and favour, while others have emphasized the spiritual healing of the soul as the most important form of healing.
Saint Augustine wrote extensively on the subject of healing, emphasizing the importance of faith and the power of prayer. He also recognized the role of medical science in healing, but believed that ultimately, true healing came from God.
Another important figure in the history of Christian healing is Saint Teresa of Avila, a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic and nun. Teresa experienced a number of mystical visions and believed that God had given her the gift of healing. She wrote extensively on the subject, emphasizing the importance of faith and the power of prayer in bringing about healing.
Christian denominations continue to emphasize the importance of healing. The Catholic Church, for example, has a formal process for recognizing miracles and has recognized a number of healings over the years. Similarly, many Protestant denominations place a strong emphasis on healing, often through prayer and the laying on of hands.
One notable example of this is the Charismatic movement, which emerged in the mid-twentieth century. The Charismatic movement emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in healing and often involves speaking in tongues, prophecy, and other forms of spiritual practice.
Faith Healing And Exorcism In The Gospels
The casting out of demons and exorcism is a recurring theme of the New Testament. In addition to the story in Matthew 17, there are several other instances of Jesus casting out demons, each lesson with its own unique characteristics and lessons.
In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus encounters a man possessed by a legion of demons. The man lived in the tombs and was so violent that no one could control him. When Jesus approached him, the man cried out: ‘What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.’
Jesus commanded the demons to come out of the man and enter a nearby herd of pigs, which then ran down a steep hill and drowned in the sea. The man was cured and became a follower of Jesus.
This story highlights the power of Jesus over even the most formidable of demons, as well as the importance of faith in healing. The man who was possessed had been shunned by society and was living a life of torment, but through Jesus’ intervention, he was able to find healing and a new sense of purpose.
The story of the epileptic boy is recounted in numerous of the Gospels. The story emphasizes the importance of persistence and faith in healing. The father of the boy had been seeking healing for his son for years, and had even sought out the disciples before coming to Jesus. Despite the apparent failure of the disciples, the father did not give up, but continued to seek healing until he found it through Jesus.