Miracles of healing – mental illness

Jesus is seen to heal many people who are possessed by evil spirits. They seem to have symptoms that might today be regarded as those of mental illness.

A man with an evil spirit (Mark 1:21–28)
Jesus is preaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath when a man with an evil spirit says to him, ‘What do you want with us Jesus of Nazareth? Are you here to destroy us? I know who you are, you are God’s holy messenger!’

Jesus replies, ‘Be quiet and come out of that man.’

The evil spirit shook the man hard, gave a loud scream and came out of him.

The people in the synagogue were amazed and questioned Jesus’ authority.

A man with evil spirits (The Gerasene Demoniac) (Mark 5:1–20)
This man lived in the territory of Gerasa and was possessed by so many evil spirits that his feet and hands had been chained. He smashed the chains and roamed the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones.

When he sees Jesus he calls him the Son of the most high God and begs him not to punish him. Jesus is quietly ordering the evil out of the man.

Jesus asks, ‘What is your name?’ and the man replies, ‘Mob, there are so many of us.’

Jesus sends the spirits from Mob into the pigs feeding nearby and they all rush over the cliff into the lake and drown.

After this, Mob is sensible and quiet. He wants to go with Jesus but Jesus orders him to go through the ten towns telling people what Jesus has done for him.

The Syro-Phoenician woman’s daughter (Mark 7:24–30)
This woman came to Jesus and told him her daughter had an evil spirit. She begged Jesus to drive out the demon and Jesus said, ‘Let us first feed the children.’

The woman, who was a Gentile, agreed saying that even the dogs could eat the scraps later. Jesus told her that because of her answer she would find her daughter cured when she returned home, as indeed she did.

It is important in Mark that Jesus heals all people, including Gentiles, and the Jewish term for dog was used for Gentiles. The woman had absolute faith that Jesus would heal her daughter and did not rush him.

The boy with the evil spirit (Mark 9:14–29)
This is an important story, illustrating the importance of faith in the working of miracles.

• A boy has fits and the disciples cannot cure him. (These fits are described as similar to epilepsy.)
• Jesus chastises the disciples for their lack of faith and asks for the boy to be brought to him.
• The ‘spirit’ throws the boy on the floor and Jesus tells the boy’s father that his son can be healed if only the father has faith.
• The father says he has faith, but begs for more. ‘I have faith,’ cried the boy’s father, ‘Help me where faith falls short.’
• Jesus then heals the boy, and, in reply to the disciples’ questions, says that only prayer can drive out demons of this sort.

It is important to search for faith and to pray for faith, rather than to pray for miracles.