On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 There was a man in the crowd who cried out, “Teacher, I beg you, look at my son; he is my only child. 39 For a spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams and it convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it releases him only with difficulty, wearing him out. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out but they could not.” 41 Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here.” 42 As he was coming forward, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion; but Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and returned him to his father. 43 And all were astonished by the majesty of God.
While they were all amazed at his every deed, he said to his disciples, 44 “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” 45 But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
The day after the mountain where He was transfigured, Jesus steps back into the crowd. He has just revealed His glory to Peter, James, and John, but His purpose has not changed. He meets a father whose only son suffers under an “unclean spirit” (v. 38). In Scripture, an unclean spirit is a personal evil power opposed to God that harms the human person and resists God’s reign. The boy’s suffering is violent and exhausting (vv. 39-40). The disciples have tried to help, but they cannot.
Jesus’ words—“O faithless and perverse generation” (v. 41)—are corrective, not cruel. “Perverse” means turned away from right order, bent from God’s path. He calls the people back to trust in God. As the boy approaches, the demon throws him down, but Jesus rebukes the spirit, heals the child, and returns him to his father (v. 42). The crowd recognizes more than human skill: they are “astonished by the majesty of God” (v. 43). ‘Majesty’ here means God’s saving power in mercy—His holiness at work for our good.
At that very moment of wonder, Jesus turns His disciples from the sign to its meaning: “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men” (v. 44). “Son of Man” recalls Dan. 7 and points to Jesus as the One who receives authority from the Father and will pass through suffering to glory. To be “handed over” means betrayal, arrest, and the path to His Passion. The disciples do not grasp this; the meaning is hidden from them, and fear of what His words imply and of asking Him keeps them silent (v. 45).
Luke places these scenes together to teach us what Christ’s glory looks like on earth. Jesus is transfigured, but unchanged in His mission. He does not remain on the mountain; He goes down to heal, to teach, and to walk toward the cross. The miracle confirms His authority over evil, yet it also prepares the disciples to understand that the final victory over evil will be won through His obedient love on Calvary. He restores a son to his father now, and soon He will offer His life so that the Father may receive many sons and daughters into communion with Himself.
This passage also explains the nature of faith. Faith is not only amazement at God’s works; faith listens and follows. Jesus says, “Pay attention” (v. 44). What faith asked of the disciples then is what it asks of us now: attentive trust that follows Christ. True attention accepts both His power and His path, in accordance with God’s will, just as Jesus Himself did. Our weakness—confusion, fear, and silence—shows our need for His correction so that what is bent in us may be made straight. We bring our needs to Him with confidence, trusting that His mercy is near and active. The glory seen on the mountain shines again in His patient mercy in the valley, and it will shine most clearly when He is “handed over” for our salvation.
Transfigured but unchanged—true God and true man—Jesus moves from glory to mercy and sets His face toward the cross. Because He is true God and true man, His obedient love on the cross truly saves us. As God, His sacrifice has divine power to save; as man, He offers perfect obedience in our human nature; these are united in one divine Person. His cross truly redeems.
Lord Jesus, You reveal the majesty of God in mercy. Keep me attentive to Your word and steady in trust when I do not understand. Straighten what is bent in me. As You returned the child to his father, return my heart to the Father’s will. Lead me in Your way of the cross, that I may share Your life and bring Your peace to others. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011), Lk. 9:37-45.
- The Navarre Bible: St. Luke, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008), on Lk. 9:37-45.
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Chiu et al. (2018), Luke 9.
- The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Brown et al. (1990), on Lk. 9:37-45.
- Council of Chalcedon (AD 451), Definition of Faith (“one and the same Son… perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity”).
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