Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus', “disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist. And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying”, and in chapter seventeen and verse fifteen of his book, Matthew shares how the man said, “Lord, have mercy on my son” where we read:
Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed:
for ofttimes he falls into the fire, and oft into the water.
The verse reads, “Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed:”. Matthew began with the word, “Lord” or “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”, “have mercy” or “be compassionate to the afflicted, help and give aid” “on my son” or “to the certain man's son”: “for” which means “because, since and on account that” “he is lunatic” or “the certain man's son was moon-struck or epileptic”, “and sore vexed” which means “and is affected and undergoes miserable, ill, wrong and reviled bad”. Matthew shared how the man asked Jesus to be “compassionate and give aid to his son” because the son suffered “miserable” epileptic” seizures.
The verse continues, “ for ofttimes he falls into the fire, and oft into the water.” Matthew continued with the word, “for” or “because, since and even as” “ofttimes” which means “frequently and often” “he falls” which means “the certain man's son descends from a higher place to a lower and is thrust down” “into the fire” or “into a fiery fire”, “and oft” which means “frequently and often” “into the water” or “into the water of pools, fountains or any of the earth's repositories”. Matthew shared how the man explained that because of his condition, his son was thrown into “fire and water” many times.
When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see the dire situation this man had with his son. We might imagine how helpless this man felt as his son's epileptic seizures would cause him to “fall into” burning fires or “deep waters”. He may have had to rescue his son from these perils of death, and this man believed Jesus could help him. Those who are wise know they can come to Jesus with any problem they have because God desires to have a relationship with them through His Son. When they do, Jesus always has compassion and brings them the answer they need.
Next time Matthew shares how the man tells Jesus that His disciples, “could not cure him”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
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