Luke § 46

And it happened on the following day, as they were descending from the mountain, a great crowd met Him, and behold, a man from the crowd shouted out, saying: Master, I beseech You, look upon my son, for he is my only one. The places match the events: On the mountain, the Lord prays, is transformed, reveals to the disciples the secrets of His majesty; descending to the lower places, He is met by the crowd, struck by the lamentation of the wretched. Above, He reveals the mysteries of the kingdom to the disciples; below, He reproaches the crowds for the sins of unbelief. Above, He discloses the Father's voice to those who could follow Him; below, He expels wicked spirits from those who were being tormented. Even now, according to the quality of merits, He ceases not to ascend and descend for some. For those who are still earthly and beginners, as if seeking the low places, He strengthens, teaches, and corrects; but the perfect, whose conversation is in the heavens, He glorifies by exalting more highly, instructs more freely about eternal things, and often teaches those things which the crowds cannot even hear.

Certain places accord with certain events. On the Mount our Lord prays, is transfigured, reveals the secrets of His glory to His disciples; as He descends to the lower parts, He is received by a large concourse. As it is said, And it came to pass, that on the next day, when he was come down from the hill, much people met him. Above He makes known the voice of the Father, below He expels the evil spirits. Hence it follows, And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee look upon my son.

Now in a mystical manner in proportion to their deserts docs our Lord daily ascend to some 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 be heard by the multitude, but to others he descends, in that He strengthens the earthly and foolish men, teaching and chastening them.

Now it came to pass on the following day etc. After the demonstration of the glory promised and the contemplation of the glory demonstrated, there is here subjoined the confirmation of the glory considered, in the miraculous healing of a demoniac, mute and lunatic. Concerning this healing, three things are introduced by the Evangelist for its perfect explanation. The first is the disposing opportunity; the second is the effecting power, at the passage: But Jesus answering, said to them etc.; the third is the consequent benefit, and this at the passage: And all were astonished etc.

The disposing opportunity is gathered from three things, namely from the presence of the meeting crowd, from the entreaty of the beseeching man, from the violence of the besieging demon.

Therefore he first introduces the presence of the meeting crowd, when he says: Now it came to pass on the following day, as they were descending from the mountain, that is, returning to the plains; a great crowd met them, because they believed and hoped to see signs, according to that passage of John six: "A great multitude followed Jesus, seeing the signs which he worked upon those who were infirm." And note that the crowd does not accompany him ascending, because it does not grasp sublime things; whence Exodus nineteen: "The common people shall not be able to ascend the mountain"; but it meets him descending, because it willingly embraces the lowly things of Christ; whence Matthew eight: "When Jesus had descended from the mountain, great crowds followed him."

From this it can also be understood spiritually that the leisure of contemplation, which is designated by the ascent onto the mountain, belongs to few; but the exercise of action, which is designated by his descent and the crowd meeting him, belongs to many. This was signified in the ark of Noah, which, though it was three hundred cubits at the bottom, was completed at the top in a single cubit, as is clear from Genesis 6. And therefore the summit of the mountain befits those who contemplate, and the level plains those who labor, according to that verse of the Psalm: "The mountains ascend, and the fields descend." And this is what Bede said in the Gloss: "On the mountain he prays, teaches, demonstrates his majesty, opens the Father's voice to the Apostles; but descending, he is received by the crowd, is struck by the weeping of the wretched, reproaches the sins of unbelief, expels evil spirits." Here he touches upon four acts of the contemplative life, which he designated in the ascent of the mountain, which are prayer, reading, beholding of divine things, and revelation of secrets; and four of the active life, which are shown in the descent. For in a fourfold way a prelate ought to condescend to his subjects in the exercise of action, namely by visiting, compassionating, rebuking vices, and relieving necessities.

According to the literal sense, however, the crowd meets him as he descends, because they desired to see the expulsion of the demon, which could not be accomplished by the disciples, as is added shortly after: "I asked your disciples to cast him out, and they could not." Therefore, from so great a presence and desire of the people, the opportunity for performing a miracle is gathered.

Secondly, he introduces the urgency of the man beseeching, when he says: And behold, a man from the crowd cried out. In this he shows the affection in supplicating, according to that verse of the Psalm: "When I cried to the Lord, he heard my voice"; whence 1 Maccabees 5: "They cried out with trumpets to heaven and cried out in prayer"; and of Samuel it is said in 1 Kings 15 that "being grieved, he cried to the Lord the whole night."

And that this was a cry of prayer is clear from what follows: Saying: Master, I beseech you, look upon my son, for he is my only child. In this prayer he confesses Christ's excellence, offers reverence, seeks clemency, and alleges need; and thus the prayer is sufficiently perfect. When he says Master, he confesses his excellence, according to what is said to the disciples: "You call me master and lord, and you say well," John 13. He calls him master rather than anything else because he considered that he could do and know more than the disciples, who had not been able to nor known how to cure his son; and for this reason the Lord said to the disciples in Matthew 23: "Do not be called masters, for one is your master, Christ."

In this, however, that he adds: I beseech thee, he shows reverence. For it belongs to the one beseeching to humble himself and show reverence, according to what is said in First Timothy five: "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father." And this a man ought especially to do in prayer. For in Sirach thirty-five it is said: "The prayer of him who humbles himself shall pierce the clouds."

In this, moreover, that he adds: Look upon my son, he asks for mercy, according to that passage of Sirach thirty-six: "Have mercy upon us, O God of all, and look upon us and show us the light of your mercies"; concerning which regard it is said in the Psalm: "He has regarded the prayer of the humble and has not despised their petition."

In this, that he adds: Because he is my only child, he pleads his need, as if he were saying that verse of the Psalm: "Look upon me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and poor." For an only son is tenderly loved, according to that passage of Second Kings one: "As a mother loves her only son, so I loved you"; and is lost with grief: whence in Genesis forty-two Jacob said of Benjamin: "He alone remains; if any adversity befall him in the land, you will bring my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave."

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.

(non occ.) It seems indeed to me that this was a wise man. For he said not to the Saviour, "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 mine 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 taketh him.

And behold, a spirit seizes him, and suddenly he cries out, and it convulses him and scatters him with foam, and scarcely departs tearing him. This demoniac, whom the Lord healed descending from the mountain, Matthew describes as lunatic, Mark as deaf and mute. They signify those of whom it is written: "The fool changes like the moon" (Eccl. XXVII), who never remain in the same state, now changed to these, now to other vices, waxing and waning, mute in not confessing their faith, deaf in not in any way hearing the word of faith.

Now this demoniac Matthew calls a lunatic; Mark, deaf and dumb. (Matt. 17:15, Mark 9:25.) 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 hearing the very word of faith.

Thirdly, he adds the violence of the besieging demon, when he adds: And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out: from which it appears that the demon was afflicting him with a sudden affliction; whence in Matthew seventeen it is said of this same boy: "Have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers grievously and often falls into water and frequently into fire"; whence such an infirmity was sudden, as is the infirmity of those seized by demons. Such, moreover, was Saul, of whom in First Kings sixteen it is said that when the evil spirit of the Lord seized Saul, David would strike the harp; in which it is signified that the true David, Christ, was to subdue demonic violence.

Nor was it only sudden, but also afflictive: whence he adds: And he dashes him and tears him apart with foaming: which is a sign of great pain and affliction; whence he could already say: "My bones are scattered at the brink of hell," because he was being torn apart by the infernal spirit.

Nor was it only afflictive, but also prolonged: on account of which he adds: And he scarcely departs, tearing him: whence he could say that verse of Job nineteen: "His robbers came together and made their way through me and besieged my tabernacle round about."

According to the spiritual understanding, however, in this demoniac so afflicted is understood the man who is possessed by spiritual sin: who is seized through pride, which first causes the devil to extend his hand against man, according to that passage in Job 41: "He is king over all the children of pride." — Secondly, he cries out through vainglory; Isaiah 5: "I expected that he would do justice, and behold, a cry." Such were the Pharisees, according to that passage in Matthew 23: "They enlarge their phylacteries, magnify their fringes, love the first places at feasts," etc. Thirdly, he dashes down through envy, according to that passage in Job 30: "You have lifted me up, and as though setting me upon the wind," through arrogance, "you have dashed me down violently," through envy, because, Job 5, "envy slays the little one."

Fourthly, he is scattered through wrath, which disturbs all thoughts, according to that passage in Job 17: "My thoughts are scattered, tormenting my heart"; and in the Psalm: "They were scattered and not contrite; they gnashed upon me with their teeth."

Fifthly, he tears apart through sorrow of heart, by which he casts down into impatience, through which the conscience also is torn apart; whence Ecclesiasticus 38: "Sorrow of heart bows down the neck," etc.

And hence it is that he scarcely departs on account of perfidy: Wisdom 12: "Wicked is their nation, and natural their malice, and because the thought of their heart could not be changed forever."

And I asked your disciples to cast him out, and they could not. In this saying he secretly accuses the apostles, for the impossibility of healing is sometimes attributed not to the weakness of the healers, but to the faith of those who are to be healed, the Lord saying: "Let it be done to you according to your faith."

And that this suffering was of great duration is apparent from the difficulty of the cure; whence he adds: And I asked your disciples to cast him out, and they could not. The reason for this, however, was that they could not do so by earthly power, according to that passage in Job 41: "There is no power upon the earth," etc.; and at that time the power of divine efficacy was absent on account of human unbelief. Whence Matthew 17: "The disciples said to the Lord: Why could we not cast him out? But he answering said: Because of your unbelief." But on the contrary, Mark 9: "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."

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?

He then seems to accuse the disciples, but his answer is rather a justification of his casting aside his fear, saying, And I besought thy disciples to cast him out: and they could not. As if he said, Think not that I have come lightly unto Thee. Marvellous is Thy greatness! I did not intrude upon Thy presence at once, but went first to Thy disciples. Because they failed to work the cure, I am now compelled to approach Thee. Our Lord therefore does not blame him, but the faithless generation; for it follows, And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation.

And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. He does not rebuke the boy, who was suffering the attack, but the demon which was causing it, because one who desires to correct a sinner must drive away the vice by surely reproving and hating it, but ought to restore the man with love, until he can be returned healthy to the spiritual fathers of the Church.

While the boy is coming to our Lord, he is dashed to the ground; because men when turned to the Lord are often grievously afflicted by the devil, that he may instil a hatred of virtue, or revenge the injury of his expulsion. As in the beginning of the Church he waged as many fierce conflicts as he had to bewail losses suddenly brought upon His kingdom. But our Lord rebukes not the boy who suffered violence, but the evil spirit who inflicted it; for he who desires to correct the sinner, ought by reproof and abhorrence to drive away the vice, but to revive the man by gentleness, until he can restore him to the spiritual father of the Church.

And because "there is no agreement of Christ with Belial, nor of light with darkness," therefore he adds: And as he was approaching, the demon threw him down and convulsed him: in which it is shown that he came unwillingly to the light as one doing evil, according to John three: "He who does evil hates the light." At the same time it is also shown that the devil most greatly opposes anyone possessed by him from being converted to Christ, as Bede says in the Gloss: "Whence the boy approaching the Lord is thrown down, because those converted to the Lord are for the most part more gravely assailed by the demon, so that they may return to their vices." Of which we have the example in Exodus fourteen concerning Pharaoh, who pursued the departing people.

Third, it is described as mighty in the expulsion of the unclean spirit, when it is added: And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, as if restraining him by word alone, according to that passage above in chapter four: "Rebuking them, he did not allow them to speak"; whence the Angel of the Lord said in Zechariah three: "May the Lord rebuke you, Satan."

And because by that rebuke the demon was cast out, there is added: And he healed the boy. Whence that rebuke was salutary: on account of which Job 5: "Do not reject the rebuke of the Lord, for he himself wounds and heals, he strikes, and his hands shall heal." - And because the faith of the father had merited this, therefore there is added: And he restored him to his father, to soothe his grief, so that he might say to his only son that word of Jacob, Genesis 46: "Now I shall die happy, because I have seen your face and leave you surviving."

Moreover, by this deed the prelate is spiritually instructed how he ought to restore a subject possessed by the devil through sin to the King of heaven, namely by rebuking and healing: rebuking through justice and healing through mercy. Moreover, there ought to be the rigor of justice with respect to the fault, but the sweetness of mercy with respect to nature. Whence Augustine: "Let correction be made with love of persons in hatred of vices"; and Gregory: "We owe severity to vices and compassion to nature." "For true justice has compassion, false justice has indignation." Whence also below in chapter ten it is said of the Samaritan tending the wounded man, that he poured wine and oil into his wounds, wine that stings and oil that soothes, according to the two things which have been said.

He might indeed have healed him by His simple command, but He makes his sufferings public, bringing the weak in faith to the sight of things present. Then the devil, when he perceived our Lord, rends and dashes the child clown; as it follows, And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him; that so first the sufferings should be made manifest, then the remedy be applied.

And all were amazed etc. - After the disposing occasion and the effecting power, the Evangelist here adds the consequent benefit. And this was twofold: the first universal, the second particular. The first was the arousal of all to reverence for his majesty, the second was the urging of the disciples to the understanding of truth.

First, therefore, with regard to the arousal of all to reverence for his majesty, it is said: And all were amazed at the greatness of God, because great was the power which perfectly healed so great a disease in so short a time, with so brief a word. Whence they sang that verse of the Psalm: "Great is our Lord and great is his power"; and that of Jeremiah 10: "Great are you, O Lord, and great is your name, and in all the kingdoms of the earth there is none like you"; and Exodus 15: "Who is like you among the mighty, O Lord? Terrible and praiseworthy and working wonders."

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.

(non occ.) Every thing that Jesus did claimed admiration from all men for a peculiar and divine light reflected upon each of His works, according to the Psalms, honour and majesty wilt thou lay upon him. (Ps. 21:5.) Although all indeed marvelled at those things which He did, He however addresses what follows, not to all, but to His disciples; as it is said, But while they wondered every one, &c.

While all thus were wondering at the miracles, He foretels His passion. For miracles do not save, but the cross conveys the benefit. Hence he adds, For the Son of man shall he delivered into the hands of men.