Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. The father's description of his son's condition — epileptic, suffering terribly, falling into fire and water — communicates the severity and danger of the affliction. Mark 9:18 and 25 identify the condition as demonic in origin; Matthew uses the epileptic description of the symptoms.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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