And he said unto them,
This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
All Commentaries on Mark 9:29 Go To Mark 9
Theophylact of Ochrid
AD 1107
After He had shown His gloryin the mount to the three disciples, He returns to the other disciples, who had not come up with Him into the mount; wherefore it is said, “And when He came toHis disciples, He saw a great multitude about them, and the Scribes questioning with them. "For the Pharisees, catching the opportunity of the hour when Christ was not present, came up to them, to try to draw the mover to themselves.
For the multitude was glad tosee Him, so that they saluted Him from afar, as He was coming to them; but some suppose that His countenance had become more beautiful from His transfiguration, and that this induced the crowd to salute Him. It goes on: “And He asked them, What question ye with them? "Why does the Lord put this question? That confession may produce salvation, and the murmuring of our hearts may be appeased by religious works.
The reason that He rebuked the foul spirit, when He saw the crowd running together, was that He did not wish to cure him before the multitude, that He might give us a lesson to avoid ostentation.
That is, the whole class of lunatics, or simply, of all persons possessed with devils. Both the man to be cured, and he who cures him, should fast; for a real prayer is offered up, when fasting is joined with prayer, when he who prays is sober and not heavy with food.
Again, this devil is deaf and dumb; deaf, because he does not choose to hear the words of God; dumb, because he is unable to teach others their duty.
Again, when Jesus, that is, the word of the Gospel, takes hold of the hand, that is, of our powers of action, then shall we be freed from the devil. And observe that God first helps us, then it is required of us that we do good; for which reason it is said that Jesus “raised him;” in which is shown the aid of God, and that “he arose,” in which is declared the zeal of man.But fasting in general is not only abstinence from food, but also from all carnal delights, yea, from all vicious passions. In like manner, prayer taken generally consists not only in the words by which we call upon the Divine mercy, but also in all those things which wedo with the devotedness of faith in obedience to our Maker, as the Apostle testifies, when he says, “Pray without ceasing.”
