Gospel in Art: Jesus healed a possessed boy after the Transfiguration

The Transfiguration, by Raphael. Painted between 1516-1520, © Vatican Museums

Source: Christian Art

Mark 9:14-29

When Jesus, with Peter, James and John came down from the mountain and rejoined the disciples, they saw a large crowd round them and some scribes arguing with them. The moment they saw him the whole crowd were struck with amazement and ran to greet him. 'What are you arguing about with them?' he asked. A man answered him from the crowd, 'Master, I have brought my son to you; there is a spirit of dumbness in him, and when it takes hold of him it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and goes rigid. And I asked your disciples to cast it out and they were unable to.' 'You faithless generation' he said to them in reply. 'How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.' They brought the boy to him, and as soon as the spirit saw Jesus it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell to the ground and lay writhing there, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, 'How long has this been happening to him?' 'From childhood,' he replied 'and it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water, in order to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.' 'If you can?' retorted Jesus. 'Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.' Immediately the father of the boy cried out, 'I do have faith. Help the little faith I have!' And when Jesus saw how many people were pressing round him, he rebuked the unclean spirit. 'Deaf and dumb spirit,' he said 'I command you: come out of him and never enter him again.' Then throwing the boy into violent convulsions it came out shouting, and the boy lay there so like a corpse that most of them said, 'He is dead.' But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him up, and he was able to stand. When he had gone indoors his disciples asked him privately, 'Why were we unable to cast it out?' 'This is the kind' he answered 'that can only be driven out by prayer.'

Reflection on the painting

Our reading follows on from the Gospel of two days ago when we were told about the Transfiguration of Christ. As they came back down from the mountain, they were confronted by a chaotic scene. An ill, possessed boy has been brought by his father to Jesus' disciples. The father is begging them to heal his son, but they can't do anything for the boy. So Jesus and the three disciples, Peter, James and John, went from a very special moment up the mountain back to the day-to day reality down the mountain.

Jesus then went on to do what the disciples were unable to do: he healed the boy. When the disciples asked Jesus why they could not drive out the demon that had enslaved the boy, Jesus replied, 'This is the kind that can be driven out only by prayer'. Jesus seems to be imply that there are some situations that only God can resolve and all we can do is pray. How often we have found ourselves in those situations.

You may be familiar with this painting by Raphael in the Vatican Museums. The painting is in two parts. The upper part depicts the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain; the lower part depicts the possessed boy who is brought by his father to the disciples of Jesus for healing. This painting was Raphael's last painting before his death in 1520, aged 37. We see the disciples panicking, as they can't heal the possessed boy, held upright by his father. But the boy is already depicted post-healing. He is no longer prostrate from his seizure but is standing on his feet and his mouth is open, which signals the departure of the demonic spirit. In this last work, Raphael joins the two scenes together (of today's reading and that of two days ago) as his final testament to the healing power of the transfigured Christ. The man in lower left holding a book is the evangelist Matthew, who almost serves as an eye-level interlocutor for the viewer. He gestures to the viewers to draw them in to the painting.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-9-14-29-2023/