Andrew and the Evil Spirit
by Bec Nanayakkara
Based on the story of the demon-possessed boy in Matthew 17:14-23, Mark 9:14-29, and Luke 9:40-44.
When Jesus gave his disciples the power to cast out demons and heal the sick, Andrew looked at his hands—they were the rough hands of a simple fisherman. Could hands like these really perform mighty miracles? It did not seem possible …
But it was! And the next day, when Andrew went out with the others, he made a blind girl see. Andrew looked at his rough fisherman hands—he could hardly believe it.
In the weeks that followed, Andrew healed many more people. He made the blind see, the deaf hear, the mute speak, and the lame walk. What a gift it was to do God’s good work!
But when Andrew looked again at his rough fisherman hands, his stomach tightened. This power and authority, these miracles—it all seemed too good to be true.
Suddenly, there was a cry from the crowd.
“Please,” said a man. “Please heal my son! He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk.”
In an instant the sky became dark. A voice in Andrew’s head whispered, “You’re not worthy to do God’s work.” Andrew pushed the voice away. He ignored the dark clouds, and he prayed over the boy …
But nothing happened. Andrew felt his heart sink, like a net cast out to sea.
The man begged Andrew and the others to try again. But the crowd began to murmur, “They can’t do it. Their power is not enough.”
A strong wind began to blow. The disciples whispered amongst each other, “What’s going on? Why can’t we heal this boy?”
Andrew looked at his rough fisherman hands. “It’s your fault,” said the voice in his head. “You’re not good enough to do God’s work.”
Thunder grumbled, lightning flashed, the crowd murmured, the man begged, the disciples panicked, and then …
“What is all this arguing about?” It was Jesus!
The crowd fell silent. Andrew felt his cheeks burn.
“Teacher,” said the man, “I asked your disciples to heal my son, but they couldn’t do it. Have mercy on us and help us if you can!”
The wind came to a stop. Andrew held his breath.
“What do you mean, ‘If I can?’” said Jesus. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
“I do believe!” said the man. “But help me overcome my unbelief!”
Suddenly, Andrew understood. It didn’t matter that he was a simple fisherman. It didn’t matter that his hands were rough. What mattered, more than anything, was that he believed in God’s mighty power.
Andrew watched as Jesus cast out the evil spirit. At last, the boy was free. And as the boy spoke, and sang, and laughed out loud, at last, Andrew believed …
He believed that God can do anything—even when He works through the rough hands of a simple fisherman.
About the Writer
Bec Nanayakkara is a Christian, homeschooling mum-of-five living in rural NSW, Australia. She is also a children’s author and her first two picture books will be out next year. Bec’s background is in Education and Wellbeing and she writes stories to encourage, uplift and inspire. For those interested, Bec regularly shares fun facts about her writing journey on Instagram @becnanayakkara.
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