Chapter 9:14-29 All Things Possible

9:14 And when He came to His disciples, He saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.

and the Scribes questioning with them - disputing and contending with them about their master, His doctrines and miracles, and their mission and authority from Him;

9:15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed, and running to Him saluted Him.

and running to Him, saluted Him - expressing their great joy at His coming to them;

9:16 And He asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
what question ye with them? - what is it ye seek and require of them?

9:17And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto Thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

A dumb spirit - That is, a demon who afflicted those in whom it dwelt with an incapacity of speaking.

9:18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to Thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

Pineth away - By these continual torments; so he was not only deaf and dumb, but sorely tortured besides.

9:19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto Me.

That is a grand piece of advice, and a blessed word of permit — “Bring him unto Me.”

9:20 And they brought him unto Him: and when he saw Him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

When this demon saw Jesus, he had great rage, knowing that his time was short; and hence the extraordinary convulsions mentioned above.

9:21 And He asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

We are all by nature children of disobedience, 

--and in such the evil spirit works, and has done so from our childhood; 

--for foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, 

--and nothing but the mighty grace of Christ can cast it out.

9:22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Have compassion on us, and help us - Catching at His words, “If thou canst do anything,”....

9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

all things are possible to him that believeth; that is, "to be done" to him.

9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.

Help mine unbelief, help me to a pardon for it, help me with power against it; help out what is wanting in my faith with Thy grace, the strength of which is perfected in our weakness.

9:25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

I charge thee - Considerable emphasis should be laid on the pronoun: - Thou didst resist the command of My disciples, now I command thee to come out. 

*If this had been only a natural disease, as some have argued, could our Lord have addressed it, with any propriety, as He has done here?

9:26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

Note, Whom Christ cures, He cures effectually. How the unclean spirit took it; he grew yet more outrageous, he cried, and rent him sore, gave him such a twitch at parting, that he was as one dead; so loth was he to quit his hold, so exasperated at the superior power of Christ, so malicious to the child, and so desirous was he to kill him.

This demon may be considered as an emblem 

of deeply rooted vices, and inveterate habits.

9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

Jesus took him by the hand, kratēsas - took fast hold of him, and strongly bore him up, and he arose and recovered, and all was well.

9:28 And when He was come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

His disciples asked Him privately, why could not we cast him out? The disciples, who were particularly concerned in this matter, fearing they had lost the power of casting out devils, conferred upon them, inquired of Jesus, when He was alone, why they could not cast the demon out of the child, when they had ejected unclean spirits out of many others;

9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

There are some things, which we are not fit to do until we have drawn very near to God, and have been deeply humbled, and, with sincere repentance, and the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit, have been cleansed so as to receive so great a boon.