14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him,
14 At the bottom of the mountain, they were met by a crowd of waiting people. As they approached, a man came out of the crowd and fell to his knees begging,
14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,
14 At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said,
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 17:14
Commentary on Matthew 17:14-21
(Read Matthew 17:14-21)
The case of afflicted children should be presented to God by faithful and fervent prayer. Christ cured the child. Though the people were perverse, and Christ was provoked, yet care was taken of the child. When all other helps and succours fail, we are welcome to Christ, may trust in him, and in his power and goodness. See here an emblem of Christ's undertaking as our Redeemer. It encourages parents to bring children to Christ, whose souls are under Satan's power; he is able to heal them, and as willing as he is able. Not only bring them to Christ by prayer, but bring them to the word of Christ; to means by which Satan's strong-holds in the soul are beaten down. It is good for us to distrust ourselves and our own strength; but it is displeasing to Christ when we distrust any power derived from him, or granted by him. There was also something in the malady which rendered the cure difficult. The extraordinary power of Satan must not discourage our faith, but quicken us to more earnestness in praying to God for the increase of it. Do we wonder to see Satan's bodily possession of this young man from a child, when we see his spiritual possession of every son of Adam from the fall!