In brief
The father of the so-called epileptic boy is a man whose name the Gospels do not give. His only son has been tormented since childhood by a spirit that throws him into fire and water. After the disciples fail, he begs Jesus to have compassion. When Jesus tells him that all things are possible to him who believes, he cries out that he believes and asks for help with his unbelief. Jesus delivers the boy.
What does the name The Father of the Epileptic Boy mean?
The Gospels give neither his name nor his son's. The label epileptic boy comes from the way some translations render Matthew 17:15, while Mark describes a son with a mute spirit (Mark 9:17), and Jesus drives out a demon.
The story of The Father of the Epileptic Boy
At the foot of the mountain
Mark 9:14-16After the transfiguration, Jesus comes down with Peter, James and John. He finds the other disciples surrounded by a great crowd, with scribes arguing with them. Jesus asks what the argument is about. A man in the crowd then speaks up: he is a father who has come looking for help for his son.
A tormented son
Mark 9:17-18; Luke 9:38-39The father explains that his son, his only son according to Luke, has a mute spirit. The spirit throws him to the ground, he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. The father asked the disciples to cast out the spirit, but they could not. Matthew adds that the boy suffers terribly.
If you can do anything
Mark 9:19-22Jesus laments the unbelief of this generation and asks that the boy be brought to him. At once the spirit convulses him violently. Jesus questions the father, who answers that it has lasted since childhood and that the spirit has often thrown him into fire and water. Then he pleads: “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.”
I believe, help me
Mark 9:23-24Jesus takes up his words: “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” At once the father cries out: “I believe. Help my unbelief!” He honestly admits his mixed faith and doubts, and he even places his unbelief in Jesus' hands.
The boy delivered
Mark 9:25-27; Luke 9:42-43Seeing a crowd come running, Jesus commands the mute and deaf spirit to come out and never enter him again. The spirit comes out crying aloud, and the boy becomes like one dead. But Jesus takes him by the hand and raises him up. Luke specifies that he gives him back to his father, and all are amazed at the greatness of God.
The lesson for the disciples
Mark 9:28-29; Matthew 17:19-20Alone with Jesus, the disciples ask why they could not cast the spirit out. Jesus answers that this kind can come out only through prayer. Matthew also reports that he speaks of their unbelief and of faith like a mustard seed, for which nothing would be impossible.
Test your knowledge
What The Father of the Epileptic Boy teaches us
- We can come to Jesus with imperfect faith and honestly confide our doubts to him.
- All things are possible to him who believes, because faith rests on God's power and not on our own strength.
- The failure of others must not keep us from going directly to Jesus.
- Some spiritual battles call for a renewed dependence on prayer.
Key verses
“Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, ‘I believe. Help my unbelief!’” A prayer of rare honesty that Jesus does not reject: he answers by delivering the boy.
Jesus takes up the father's doubt, if you can, and turns it around: all things are possible to him who believes. The question is not Jesus' ability, but the trust we give him.
Jesus explains to his disciples that faith like a mustard seed would be enough to move a mountain. What counts is not the size of the faith but the greatness of the God in whom we believe.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about The Father of the Epileptic Boy
- Mark 9: Don't Be an Unbelieving GenerationThe preacher makes the father and his son the real protagonists of the story and dwells on Jesus' answer to the father: all things are possible to him who believes. He notes that epilepsy today is not a possession.
- Little Faith and a Great GodThe message contrasts the disciples' failure with the father's admirable answer, who clear-sightedly confesses his faith and his unbelief: we never outgrow our need for faith.
- 20 Bible Verses on DoubtThe page keeps the father's answer as an example of honest faith: we can believe and doubt at the same time, and bring that doubt to God.
- Get Ready: When Everything Changes, God Breaks Your Old PatternsThe preacher humbly takes up the father's prayer, asking for help with his unbelief, so that God may help the church believe and enter into what he is preparing.
Frequently asked questions
What does the father's prayer, I believe, help my unbelief, mean?
The father acknowledges that he believes in Jesus while admitting that his faith is fragile and mixed with doubt. Instead of hiding this weakness, he entrusts it to Jesus and asks him for help. Jesus does not turn him away: he delivers his son. This prayer shows that imperfect faith can still turn to the Lord.
Was the boy epileptic or possessed?
Matthew describes symptoms that some translations render as epileptic, while older versions say lunatic. But all three Gospels clearly present an unclean spirit, which Jesus drives out (Mark 9:25). The story does not allow us to conclude that all epilepsy is possession: it reports one specific case of deliverance.
Where is the story of the father of the epileptic boy found?
The story is found in Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29 and Luke 9:37-43, right after the transfiguration. Mark is the most detailed: he alone reports the dialogue between Jesus and the father, with the prayer “I believe. Help my unbelief!”