The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
“O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.
(verses 37-43)
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On the mountain of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John saw the glory of Jesus shining bright – like “a flash of lightning” (Luke 9:29). Although distracted when Moses and Elijah appeared alongside, they were enveloped by a cloud and heard the voice of the Father focusing their attention solely on Jesus, leaving them with a vision of Jesus “alone.” They never forgot. But they kept that clear sighted revelation to themselves, telling no one any of it until much later.
Yet when they descended from the mountain the next day, things were less clear. Indeed, the contrast is stark, for in these lowlands there is turmoil, conflict, unbelief, and demonic oppression. A large crowd meets Jesus, apparently stirred up (as Mark tells us in his Gospel) by an intense argument raging between the teachers of the Law and the remaining disciples. Immediately a distraught father cries out to Jesus, pleading with him to heal his son who is violently afflicted by an evil spirit. “I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not,” he moans. Was it the disciples’ inability to provide release for the young man that sparked the debate with the religious elite in the first place? We don’t know, but their failure is in clear view.
Jesus responds by putting his finger on the issue. “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” he cries. The disciples, although they had received authority previously to cast out demons (Luke 9:1), have not been able to exercise faith in this instance. The teachers of Law are skeptical and argumentative. Meanwhile the surrounding crowd is interested in the drama, but seemingly devoid of real belief.
“How long shall I stay with you and put up with you?” Jesus laments. That cry is full of grief. It reminds me of the statement early in John’s Gospel that “he came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11) – what he should have expected to find, he did not. So now. The faith that should have been there, was absent.
Yet, he himself does not retreat – he doesn’t pull back. Indeed, the ultimate answer to “how long” will be seen in the coming agony of the cross. But at this moment he simply says, “Bring your son here.” Scrambling, the demonic presence exerts final impact on the boy, throwing him to the ground. But Jesus rebukes those forces of evil, releasing the young man decisively, and giving him back whole and healthy to his father. What grace.
It’s a picture of the humble condescension of our Saviour. From the glory revealed on the mountain, he steps down into the valley. From the brightness of his majesty, he descends into the darkness. He enters the spiritual battle. He strides into the midst of unbelief.He releases. He rescues. He saves.
What grace.
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Praise you, Lord Jesus. You who are the beloved Son of the Father – the radiance of his glory – praise be to your name. With grace and compassion, you released this afflicted boy. The forces of darkness were turned aside – they could not stand in face of your commanding rebuke. Through your cross you have won such release and rescue for me, also. You have disarmed the powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Praise your name.
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Reflect:
What valley do you find yourself in at the moment? Welcome the Lord of Glory to step into your reality. Surrender your unbelief. Ask for his rescue. Praise him for his grace.
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Photo by Garrett Jackson on Unsplash
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