The gospel accounts are filled with numerous stories of sicknesses being miraculously healed by Jesus Christ. Two thousand years ago, people had different explanations and understanding about the diseases and disorders we see today. In Mark 9 we read a story of Jesus healing a young boy. This boy is often described as having been healed of Epilepsy because he had a seizure right before Jesus heals him, but the boy’s affliction was more than Epilepsy. The boy in this story suffered from what doctors today call Autism. Autism is a group of developmental brain disorders, collectively called autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The term "spectrum" refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment, or disability, that children with ASD can have. Some children are mildly impaired by their symptoms, but others are severely disabled. While the story of the healing of this boy is found in three of the four gospels, I will use the account in the gospel of Mark to support my point.
Mark 9:17-29 reads:
17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.
18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”
20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
The child afflicted with the spirit is a boy. Autism is four to five times more common in boys than girls. An estimated 1 out 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States. The father also describes a mute spirit meaning that his son was unable to talk. About 25 percent of individuals with ASD are nonverbal. This would have been referred to as having a mute spirit in Jesus’ time. In verse 18 the father also explains that the boy has seizures, and today it is estimated that as many as one third of individuals with ASD also have Epilepsy. The father attributes the cause of the seizures to the mute spirit.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood.
22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Because the father understands that a spirit causes his son’s behavior, he describes the spirit as “throwing” his son into fire and water on different occasions to try to kill him. Today children with autism are known to “wandering, bolting, or eloping” to unsafe areas like water and traffic. About half of children with ASD wander from safe to unsafe environments and about one third of children with autism who wander are nonverbal, just like the boy in the story. In 2012, the National Autism Association found that from 2009 to 2011, accidental drowning accounted for 91% total U.S. deaths reported in children with autism subsequent to wandering. This is actually the same type of spirit that the boy had thousands of years ago throwing these children into the water to destroy them. The father attributes all these symptoms to a mute spirit that has been afflicting the boy since childhood and because the boy is still a boy, childhood would indicate early childhood, when autism becomes evident in individuals. Many children with autism can even begin to develop language skills and then suddenly lose them and stop speaking. The young boy in the story is a nonverbal child with autism who also suffers from frequent seizures and elopement. His level of autism on the spectrum would be considered severe.
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”
26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
This behavior was not caused by any medical or biological reason as doctors today report. It was caused by a foreign entity, which was in the child, carrying out these behaviors that characterize autism. Jesus simply commanded the spirit to leave the boy and it did. I also want to point out that Jesus referred to this spirit as a “deaf and dumb” spirit. As mentioned earlier, the boy did not speak as do many children with autism, this accounts for the spirit being characterized as dumb but many children with autism also do not respond to their names or when people speak to them. This is why Jesus characterizes the spirit as being a deaf spirit as well. Though there is no medical problem that impacts hearing, the spirit causes them to behave as though they are deaf.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Jesus’ disciples where able to cast out other spirits in the same manner that Jesus did but they could not cast out this deaf and dumb spirit from the young boy. Jesus said it was because this particular spirit only comes out by prayer and fasting. This is the permanent cure for autism. Jesus’ disciples did not fast and that is why they could not cast it out. We have proof of this in Luke 5:33-35 when Jesus is questioned about His disciples not fasting.
33 Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”
34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?
35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”
For me, it is very clear that what we call autism today is what was referred to as a deaf and dumb spirit in this scripture account. As far as I know, children who are given this diagnosis live with the effects of this spirit for the rest of their lives. GOD DID NOT CREATE ANYONE WITH AUTISM. A demonic spirit causes autism, which can only be removed by prayer and fasting. God can do all things.
The diagnosis of autism falls on a spectrum and afflicts each individual in different ways. No matter the symptoms being displayed it can be completely healed. No one has to live with this affliction for the rest of his or her life. If this is hard for one to accept in their spirit call out to the Lord in the same way the boy’s father did and say, “Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
JESUS CAN AND WILL DO IT FOR YOU TOO!!!!!!!!!
Reference Articles
1. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-developmental-disorders/index.shtml
2. http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
3. http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/epilepsy
4. http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/new-data-shows-half-all-children-autism-wander-and-bolt-safe-places
Mark 9:17-29 reads:
17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.
18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”
20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
The child afflicted with the spirit is a boy. Autism is four to five times more common in boys than girls. An estimated 1 out 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States. The father also describes a mute spirit meaning that his son was unable to talk. About 25 percent of individuals with ASD are nonverbal. This would have been referred to as having a mute spirit in Jesus’ time. In verse 18 the father also explains that the boy has seizures, and today it is estimated that as many as one third of individuals with ASD also have Epilepsy. The father attributes the cause of the seizures to the mute spirit.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood.
22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Because the father understands that a spirit causes his son’s behavior, he describes the spirit as “throwing” his son into fire and water on different occasions to try to kill him. Today children with autism are known to “wandering, bolting, or eloping” to unsafe areas like water and traffic. About half of children with ASD wander from safe to unsafe environments and about one third of children with autism who wander are nonverbal, just like the boy in the story. In 2012, the National Autism Association found that from 2009 to 2011, accidental drowning accounted for 91% total U.S. deaths reported in children with autism subsequent to wandering. This is actually the same type of spirit that the boy had thousands of years ago throwing these children into the water to destroy them. The father attributes all these symptoms to a mute spirit that has been afflicting the boy since childhood and because the boy is still a boy, childhood would indicate early childhood, when autism becomes evident in individuals. Many children with autism can even begin to develop language skills and then suddenly lose them and stop speaking. The young boy in the story is a nonverbal child with autism who also suffers from frequent seizures and elopement. His level of autism on the spectrum would be considered severe.
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”
26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
This behavior was not caused by any medical or biological reason as doctors today report. It was caused by a foreign entity, which was in the child, carrying out these behaviors that characterize autism. Jesus simply commanded the spirit to leave the boy and it did. I also want to point out that Jesus referred to this spirit as a “deaf and dumb” spirit. As mentioned earlier, the boy did not speak as do many children with autism, this accounts for the spirit being characterized as dumb but many children with autism also do not respond to their names or when people speak to them. This is why Jesus characterizes the spirit as being a deaf spirit as well. Though there is no medical problem that impacts hearing, the spirit causes them to behave as though they are deaf.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Jesus’ disciples where able to cast out other spirits in the same manner that Jesus did but they could not cast out this deaf and dumb spirit from the young boy. Jesus said it was because this particular spirit only comes out by prayer and fasting. This is the permanent cure for autism. Jesus’ disciples did not fast and that is why they could not cast it out. We have proof of this in Luke 5:33-35 when Jesus is questioned about His disciples not fasting.
33 Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”
34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?
35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”
For me, it is very clear that what we call autism today is what was referred to as a deaf and dumb spirit in this scripture account. As far as I know, children who are given this diagnosis live with the effects of this spirit for the rest of their lives. GOD DID NOT CREATE ANYONE WITH AUTISM. A demonic spirit causes autism, which can only be removed by prayer and fasting. God can do all things.
The diagnosis of autism falls on a spectrum and afflicts each individual in different ways. No matter the symptoms being displayed it can be completely healed. No one has to live with this affliction for the rest of his or her life. If this is hard for one to accept in their spirit call out to the Lord in the same way the boy’s father did and say, “Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
JESUS CAN AND WILL DO IT FOR YOU TOO!!!!!!!!!
Reference Articles
1. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-developmental-disorders/index.shtml
2. http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
3. http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/epilepsy
4. http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/new-data-shows-half-all-children-autism-wander-and-bolt-safe-places
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