And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 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. 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.
If you can, picture this scene in your head and how it is unfolding. Jesus comes down from the mountain to rejoin his disciples, whom he had left for a short time while he spoke to his heavenly Father. Jesus sees his disciples in an intense conversation with the scribes, while surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. The scribes may have been condescending to the disciples, or they may have been trying to show them how their understanding was inadequate and seeking to genuinely assist the disciples in their apparent failure. One thing would be for certain: the disciples and the crowd around them were likely to have looks of confusion on their faces.
Jesus was coming down, and everyone turned and saw him. When they saw him, the text said they were greatly amazed! They were astounded at Jesus. I can see someone saying, “Man, am I glad to see you! You won’t believe the mess we have made of things down here…”
Jesus therefore asks, what is the discussion. Then one man stands out among the voices. He tells Jesus about his son and how a spirit has painfully tormented him. He painfully recites how the evil spirit has tried many times to cause his son to commit suicide. He tells Jesus, I brought him to seek your help. But your disciples cannot cast the evil spirit out. Here then is where Jesus entered the discussion. The man, the crowd, the scribes, and the disciples were all confused and powerless about how to save the boy. Each had their own way of dealing with it, and none seemed to work. What a humiliating circumstance for the disciples to have failed at what they thought would be such a simple task. Surely, they thought they were up to the task. Look at these scriptures about their previous authority and experience with this kind of situation.
Scripture:
- Matthew 10:1 – And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
- Matthew 10:8 – Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
- Mark 6:7 – And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
- Luke 9:1- Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
- Luke 10:19 – Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Therefore, the disciples did have the authority to cast out demons and Luke tells us that “the seventy returned again with joy, saying , Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name”. (Luke 10:17) The disciples had successfully cast out demons before, so it made sense that if they followed the same steps, said the same things, and used the same tools, they would succeed again.
The Roman Catholic church has a book called the Roman Ritual (Rituale Romanum) which is a liturgical book full of prayers, blessings, and rites performed by priests and deacons outside of the Mass. These different rituals are outlined in step-by-step procedures. They have specific words to say and specific times. They have responses that are to be given by others who are to be present. They use holy relics to amplify effect. It is quite a spiritual science. The rituals include Baptism, Penance, Anointing of the sick, and Major and Minor Exorcisms. The protocols for exorcisms are only to be used by authorized Catholic clergy delegated by a Catholic Bishop.
The Greek Orthodox Church has an equivalent ritual book called the Euchologion. They have four prayers of exorcism, but unlike their Roman counterparts, they believe that all Saints are exorcists. The rituals are still dependent on the use of prayers formulated by Church Fathers, the use of Holy Water, and the signing of the cross. [1]
Judaism has traditionally had Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) and Hasidic rabbis perform exorcisms through rituals designed to remove attached spirits. The rituals involve a minyan (quorum of ten adult Jewish men) to encircle the subject while reciting Psalm 91 and blowing a shofar in a specific ritual pattern. Jewish exorcisms are seen as a series of healings and a means of gradual deliverance. [2]
Like these and other pagan exorcisms, they rely heavily on a liturgical approach grounded in years of tradition and ritual. Human traditions can limit the truth of God and even lead them to abandon him. This leaves them with a form of godliness but without the power of God in their lives. Scripture says that we should avoid those people. (2 Timothy 3:5)
In this passage, the disciples were left alone while Jesus, Peter, James, and John went up the mountain to pray and seek God the Father. While they were alone, a different father came. He came seeking deliverance for his son. He came seeking Jesus. Instead, he found the disciples. The disciples took it upon themselves to cast out the demon. They were depending on the processes that they had learned. The words to say, the movements to make, and so on. The scribes there were probably advising them on how Jewish exorcists handled these evil spirits. The whole time, they were not trusting in God, or in Jesus, but in their own ability to cast out the demon.
Jesus answered them and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me”. This is a stunning accusation primarily directed at his disciples. Jesus is preparing to leave his disciples as his self-sacrifice draws near, and soon he will return to his heavenly Father. But even now, when Jesus has only left his disciples for a few hours to pray, they have fallen into unbelief. What a painful moment it is when a parent must witness their child failing in life, after everything they have tried to teach them. When Jesus says, “O,” it comes from deep within. How can I leave and let you walk, when you cannot even stand?
The Lord does not want us to live by superstitions. He does not want us to depend upon traditions. He does not want us to cherish men’s advice over his counsel. Jesus’ disciples failed when they could not see Jesus. Their faith rested on what they could see, not on what they had been taught and knew about Jesus. In John 20, Jesus told Thomas, “because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”. No, Jesus is not talking about exorcisms here; I know that. He is speaking of believing on him, on his name, on his authority. How can those who have not seen believe when those who have seen cannot? It is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)
Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Faith is an active trust in God. God is unseen to men. Christians must live by faith. Christians must trust in God whom they cannot see. They must trust in God, the Holy Spirit, indwelling them, yet they cannot see him. They must trust that Jesus died for them, yet they did not see it happen. They must trust that Jesus rose from the dead, but they did not see it happen. Christians look forward to living eternally, while they are surrounded by death. Paul is a great example of walking in faith. When he wrote the Corinthians, he said things like:
- “we are always confident, knowing” (2 Corinthians 5:6)
- “we are confident… willing… to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)
- “wherefore we labour…” (2 Corinthains 5:9)
- “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
You see, Paul was so convicted that he said we don’t just say we have faith; we walk confidently, with full assurance, willing to work earnestly in faith for what we believe in Jesus Christ. We walk in faith without seeing. The key is confidence in Jesus, not in ourselves. Walking by faith is walking in confidence in Jesus and His Word. Letting Him be God and not ourselves. We trust he will never leave us or abandon us. But He is our helper, and we do not need to fear or be dismayed because He cannot fail. (Hebrews 13:6; Deuteronomy 31:6,8)
I don’t know if you caught this in the passage. But is says that the man told Jesus, “Master, I have brought unto thee… my son”. The disciples took it upon themselves to cast out the demon, instead of waiting on the Lord. They should have joined the man in seeking Jesus, not trying to show how godly or how much spiritual authority they had. Walking in faith requires humility and dependence on Jesus. Knowing, as this stranger did, that Jesus is the Master.
Jesus said, “Bring him to me”. This is what those who believe in Jesus do. We bring the lost, the downtrodden, the overburdened, the hopeless, to Jesus. We hear the good news of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin, and we believe he rose from the dead and has given us eternal life; we know this because we have been told. We bring others to Jesus by telling them the truth.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
This is how we become Christians. This is how we are discipled. This is how others become followers of Christ and are discipled as Christians. We pass on to them what was passed on to us. Now that Jesus cannot be seen except in faith, those who trust in him tell others he can be trusted. This means we must be sanctified, trustworthy witnesses, always confident, knowing, and willing to labor for the name of Jesus, Christ, the Son of the Living God. No one else knows God except those who serve him. He is our confidence. Therefore, we boldly declare the gospel of Jesus Christ.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:16-17)
We are not ashamed to proclaim the gospel because we know that without it men are dead, not that they will die, but they are already dead. The gospel is the message of hope of life in Jesus Christ. Anyone who believes is given salvation. This is the grace of God. The key takeaway here for us is the FAITH BY FAITH part. The just shall live by faith, but faith is passed on by those already living by faith.
Too many Christians are running around trying to save the world by their own power. Too many Christians are trying to exercise demons by their own authority. Too many Christians are trying to overcome by their own strength and determination. They fail in frustration. They seek advice from the greatest named authors, the latest internet personality, or the counsel of psychiatrists, witch doctors, soothsayers, pendants, and all kinds of nonsense. Instead, they need to get out of the way and bring it to Jesus. Bring them to the Master.
Bibliography
Dennis, Rabbi Geoffrey. myjewishlearning.com. n.d. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-exorcism/ (accessed 2026).
Mastrantonis, Rev. Greorge. goarch.org. 09 03, 1991. https://www.goarch.org/-/exorcism (accessed 10 22, 2026).
[1] (Mastrantonis 1991)
[2] (Dennis n.d.)
