Section Sixteen

A Demon Possessed Boy

Parallel passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke tell the story of Jesus healing a demon-possessed boy. The story has three parts: 1. A man approaches Jesus to plead with him. He says that his son is suffering because of seizures and convulsions (Mark says that the boy was left unable to speak) 2. The man says that he has already brought his son to the disciples, but the disciples could not heal him. Jesus bemoans the lack of faith and then heals the boy. 3. The disciples ask Jesus why they couldn’t heal the boy. Jesus says it was due to the lack of faith of the disciples. Matthew uses the now famous saying that they needed faith as small as a mustard seed.