But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he stood up — the taking by the hand and lifting echoes the healing of Simon's mother-in-law (Mark 1:31) and the raising of Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:41). The physical contact and the lifting communicate restoration to life and standing — the same verbs used for resurrection. He stood up (anestē) is the word for resurrection throughout the New Testament. The exorcism that began in convulsions ends in a quiet act of restoration: a hand extended, a boy lifted, a person standing.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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