Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁴ They came to the people. A man came and kneeled in front of Jesus.

¹⁵ He said, `Sir, help my son. A bad spirit is in him and he has much trouble. Often he falls into the fire, and often he falls into the water.

¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.'

¹⁷ Jesus said, `You people today do not believe. You have turned away from God. How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.'

¹⁸ Jesus talked to the bad spirit and he came out of the boy. The boy was healed.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus alone. They asked him, `Why could we not drive the bad spirit out?'

²⁰ Jesus said to them, `Because you do not believe enough. I tell you the truth. If your strength to believe were as much as a little mustard seed, you could say to this hill, "Go, move over to that place!" And it would move. Nothing is too hard for you to do.

²¹ But this kind of bad spirit does not come out of a person unless people ask God and fast [do not eat food for a time].'