And I desired thy disciples to cast him out: and they could not.
και εδεηθην των μαθητων σου ινα εκβαλωσιν αυτο και ουκ ηδυνηθησαν
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 7 commentaries
This individual was marked by a significant lack of faith. As a result, the unclean spirit did not depart from his son. His disbelief overshadowed the authority of the apostles. The man's lack of faith and boldness was made apparent by his public confrontation of the disciples, where he leveled accusations against them.
However, his perspective was not without its shortcomings: he openly criticized the company of the holy apostles, claiming they were unable to confront Satan, whereas it would have been more fitting to revere Jesus when he sought His assistance and pleaded for mercy. For He answers our prayers when we reverence and have faith in Him as the Almighty, whose strength is unconquerable. He is indeed the Sovereign of all powers, and nothing can stand against His purpose. In truth, all that possesses authority draws its capability from Him. Just as He illuminates those who can receive light, being Himself the true light, and bestows wisdom upon whom He will, being Himself Wisdom and perfect insight, so also, as He embodies Power, He imparts strength to those prepared to accept it.
Yet, when we, through disbelief, disregard His glory and unjustly overlook His supreme majesty, we render ourselves incapable of receiving anything from Him, for “we must ask in faith, without wavering,” as one of His disciples noted. The accuracy of this statement is evident in our everyday encounters. Those who make requests to earthly overseers and rulers typically begin with appropriate commendations, acknowledging their authority and grandeur; they address their petitions “To the Lords of the earth and the sea, and of every nation and tribe of humanity,” before articulating their desires. Thus, the father of the afflicted child was disrespectful: he not only failed to request the healing of his son while extolling the healer, but he also disdainfully criticized the disciples, assigning blame for the favor granted to them. “For I brought him,” he stated, “to your disciples, and they could not cast him out.” And yet, due to your lack of faith, grace has not availed you. Do you not understand that you were the reason the child was not freed from his grave illness? We are called to have faith when approaching Christ, and He teaches us that those who wish to receive His healing grace must come with faith, as He consistently seeks faith from those who draw near to Him, wishing to be recipients of His gifts. For instance, when Lazarus passed away in Bethany, Christ assured that he would be raised. When one of his sisters doubted this promise and did not anticipate the miracle, Christ declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” A similar instance is found with Jairus, the ruler of the Jewish synagogue, whose only daughter had just perished. In despair, he implored Jesus to save her from death, and as Christ approached the ruler’s home, He guaranteed that He would. However, as they proceeded, a relative of Jairus encountered Him and said, “Thy daughter is dead; do not trouble the Master.” What was Christ’s response? “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will come to life.”
Gifts This passage illustrates that the Lord has freed us from the dominion of impure spirits. We read that a man approached Him from within the crowd, sharing the plight of his son who was severely afflicted. He revealed that his child was grievously tormented by a malevolent spirit and endured violent episodes. However, the way he approached the Savior was flawed; he raised his voice against the holy apostles, claiming they were unable to expel the adversary. It would have been more appropriate for him to approach Jesus with reverence, imploring Him for assistance and seeking His mercy. He grants us what we ask for when we revere Him and place our trust in Him as the Almighty, against whom no power can prevail.
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and rudeness The father of the boy possessed by the demon displayed rudeness and lack of respect. Rather than humbly requesting the healing of his child while praising the healer, he chose instead to disparage the disciples and criticize the grace granted to them. He lamented, “I begged your disciples to cast it out, and they could not” (Lk 9:40). This man was thoroughly lacking in faith and morally corrupt, straying from the righteous path and losing sight of the truth. Christ is not inclined to associate with such individuals trapped in this sinfulness. If we interpret this in human terms, it can be said that Christ grew weary of them. He expressed this by asking, “How long shall I be with you and bear with you?” (Lk 9:40). The father’s assertion that the disciples, empowered by Christ's will to drive out the demons, were unsuccessful was indeed a slander against the very grace they received. This remark was a serious blasphemy; if grace holds no power, the flaw does not lie within its bearers but within grace itself. Anyone can observe that the grace evident in the disciples was indeed the grace of Christ.
Matthew recounts the story of a young man who was tormented during the new moon in the thirty-fifth chapter, and it encapsulates the entire situation.
The Father is not currently seeking assistance from Jesus, indicating that He does not expect to receive any help from Him at this moment.
In this moment, Jesus makes His entrance, and the crowd rushes to welcome Him. However, the father of the tormented boy first pleads to Him from a distance, asking Him to notice his afflicted son. As he approaches closer and kneels before Jesus, he recounts the extensive anguish of his child, implores Him for compassion, and mentions that Jesus' disciples were unable to heal him.
During that time, the father of the tormented child made his way through the throng, kneeling before the Savior. With a loud voice, he shared his plight, revealing that his son was afflicted by severe bouts of demonic possession, was entirely unable to hear or speak, and was plagued by suicidal tendencies, having already attempted to throw himself into fire and water on multiple occasions. He brought his son to the disciples, but they were unable to drive out the demon, leading to mockery from the scribes as a result of their inability.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 11 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS