Mark 9:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet He permitted the evil spirit to afflict the child, so that everyone could grasp the reality of the spirit's enticement and recognize that it had the power to take a life, had not the hand of God been their shield.

When the evil spirit recognized the Lord, it seized the man, causing him to collapse to the ground and convulse, foaming at the mouth; this was permitted so that the wickedness of the demon would be revealed.

A human succumbed to sin, yet the adversary faced torment. The wounded individual experienced healing, while the purity of the Judge revealed the source of his affliction. The imprisoned soul remained bound, but the foe was disciplined. The devil's punishment was revealed through the crucifixion of Christ's mortal body.

He commanded that the man possessed by demons be brought to Him. The man fell to the ground in His presence, foaming at the mouth. The Lord did not immediately initiate the healing.

As recorded by the Evangelist Luke, the afflicted individual did not approach Jesus on his own; rather, as Jesus was walking, a demon hurled him to the ground and started to strike him (Luke 9:42).

After rebuking His followers for their insufficient faith, which was the root cause of their failure, the Savior instructed for the afflicted boy to be brought before Him. Once he arrived, the boy was once again overtaken by his condition, collapsing to the ground in agonizing convulsions and frothing at the mouth. This was among the most harrowing manifestations of demonic influence, and even with the Savior in His presence, the father struggled to quell his doubts regarding the possibility of restoration.

The spirit convulsed him; immediately upon seeing Jesus Christ, the afflicted man or the tormenting spirit was struck by a dreadful seizure.