And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the mountain, many people met him.
Read Chapter 9
Bede
AD 735
Not that weariness has overcome His patience, but after the manner of a physician, when he sees a sick manacting contrary to his commands, he says, How long shall I come to your house when I order one thing, you do another. But to prove that He was not angry with the man, but with the sin, He immediately added, Bring your son hither.
Now in a mystical manner in proportion to their deserts does our Lord daily ascend tosome men, seeing that the perfect and those whose conversation is in heaven, He glorifies by exalting higher, instructing them in things eternal, and teaching them things which can not beheard by the multitude, but to others he descends, in that He strengthens the earthly and foolish men, teaching and chastening them. Now this demoniac Matthew calls a lunatic; Mark, deaf and dumb. Matthew signifies those who change as the moon, increasing and decreasing through different vices, Mark those, who are dumb in not confessing the faith, deaf in not hearings the very word of fait...
As if not knowing how to continue in the right beginnings. Now Christ disdains to dwell with those who are thus disposed. Hence He says, How long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Feeling troubled with their company, because of their evil deeds.
Now before not his father but the devil possessed him, but now the Evangelist adds that the people were astonished at the greatness of God, saying, And all were amazed at the mighty power of God, which he says, because of the gift of Christ, who conferred on the holy Apostles also the power of working divine miracles, and having the mastery over evil spirits.
The man was thoroughly an unbeliever and perverse, refusing the straight paths, straying from the mark, and wandering from the right ways. Christ does not want to be with those who think this way and have fallen into this wickedness. If one may speak in the manner of people, Christ is tired and weary of them. He teaches us this saying, “How long am I to be with you and bear with you?” The father says that the disciples, who received at Christ’s wish power to cast them out, were powerless to cast out evil spirits. He finds fault with the grace itself, rather than with those who received it. It was wicked blasphemy, because if grace is powerless, the fault and blame is not with those who received it but rather with the grace itself. Anyone who wishes may see that the grace that worked in them was Christ’s grace. Commentary on Luke, Homily
The father of the demoniac was rude and not courteous. He did not simply ask for the healing of the child, and in so doing crown the healer with praises. On the contrary, he spoke disrespectfully of the disciples and found fault with the grace given them. “I brought him,” he says, “to your disciples, and they could not cast it out.” It was owing to your lack of faith that the grace did not help. Do you not understand that you were the cause that the child was not delivered from his severe illness? Commentary on Luke, Homily
This lesson proves that he delivered us from the power of unclean spirits. We heard read that a man ran toward him from among the crowd and related the intolerable illness of his son. He said that he was cruelly torn by an evil spirit and suffered violent convulsions. The manner of his approach was not free from fault, because he shouted loudly against the company of the holy apostles, saying that they could not rebuke Satan. It would have been more fitting for him to honor Jesus when asking his aid and imploring grace. He grants us our request when we honor and confide in him as being the Almighty, whose power nothing can withstand. Commentary on Luke, Homily
But that this man was much weakened in faith, the writings of the Gospel show usin several places. In that place where he says, Help you my unbelief; and, If you can. And in that where Christ said, All things are possible to him that believes
Hence it seems to me more correct to account the father of the demoniac unbelieving, because he also casts reproach upon the holy Apostles, saying that they could not subdue the evil spirits. Butit were better to have sought favor from God by honoring Him, for He has respect to them that fear Him. But he who says that those are weak with respect to their power over evil spirits, who have obtained that power from Christ, calumniates rather the grace than those who are adorned with that grace in whom Christ works. Christ is therefore offended with the accusation of the saints, to whom was entrusted the word of holy preaching. Wherefore the Lord rebukes him and those like-minded with him, saying, O faithless and perverse generation. As if He said, Be...
By the word perverse, He shows that this wickedness in them was not originally or by nature, for by nature indeed they were upright, being the seed of Abraham, but became perverted through malice.
It seems indeed to me that this was a wise man. For he said not to the Savior, “Do this or that,”but, Look on my son, for this suffices for His salvation; as the prophet said, Look on me, and have mercy on me; and he says, on my son, to show that his was a reasonable forwardness in crying out aloud among the multitude. He adds, for he is my only child. As if to say, There is none other I can expect to be the consolation of my old age. He next enters into the sufferings, that he may move his Hearer to compassion, saying, And, lo, the spirit takes him. He then seems to accuse the disciples, but his answer is rather a justification of his casting aside his fear, saying, And I besought your disciples to cast him out: and they could not. As if he said, Think not that I have come lightly to You. Marvelous is Your greatness! I did not intrude upon Your presence at once, but went first to Your disciples. Because they failed to work the cure, I am now compelled to approach You. Our ...
