“AND they asked Him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? And He answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things;... But I say unto you, that Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.”
The scribes, insisting that Elias must come before the Messiah, had apparently bothered the disciples who acknowledged Jesus as the true Messiah, but had not yet seen Elias come. The scribes, however, had failed to rightly apply the prophecy of Malachi (to which they undoubtedly referred), which promised Elias “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” The Lord was indeed present with the disciples as the true Messiah, but this was not yet the day the prophet spoke of. In that day the Lord will come in terrible judgment, whereas He was presently here in mercy.
The disciples were privileged to see and know Him before the time of judgment and they had also seen one sent before Jesus “in the spirit and power of Elias,” namely, John the Baptist, whom the people and the nation had rejected. Jesus shows them that, while the scribes were literally correct in the prophecy of Malachi, they were at fault for failing to heed other scriptures from which they should have recognized both John and Jesus. One such scripture that should have been well known to them is: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Isa. 40:33The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3).
“And when He came to His disciples, He saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.” The multitude had been present at a scene that must have been most unhappy for the disciples. A man with a son who possessed a dumb spirit had, in fait brought the lad to them for healing. But they had been unable to do and apparently their unsuccessful a tempts had brought challenges and questions from the scribes—no doubt to their great embarrassment.
The multitude, it seems, was aware that the disciples were not measuring up to their ability and turn quickly to Jesus when He comes to the place. The father of the boy turns to Him also, saying, “Master, I have brought unto Thee my son.” The Lord expresses sorrow at the lack of faith on the part of His followers and then asks that the son be brought to Him The young man had been possessed with this evil spirit since a mere child and was completely in its power. Does this not remind us of those who are “servants of sin,” who know not the Lord and allow Satan to govern their lives? What a wretched state to be in!
But Satan’s evil spirit cannot stand before the presence of the Lord Jesus and is driven out. The people think, however, that it has cost the life of the boy for he appears to be dead as a result of this experience. But so it is that all who, having walked in their own folly and become slaves to Satan’s ways, must own themselves “dead in trespasses and sins” before they can find freedom through Christ and His work on Calvary. The Lord readily shows that the lad is not at all dead, but now has a new life. Accepting the hand of Jesus, he is lifted up—drawn to Him—and is free from all claims of the evil one he formerly served. Has this too been your experience? Can you say, “Giving thanks unto the Father... who hath delivered us from the power of darkness...?” Col. 1:12-1312Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians 1:12‑13).
ML-11/03/1963