A Spirit of Comfort
And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Matthew 15:23-28
Let's do this next one together. Here we know exactly what the problem is. Though none are listed, let's go through the possible symptoms. These are something other than usually everyday illness explained and fixed by the ordinary. Nor are these plagues that have fallen in some parts of the world at certain times in history affecting large numbers of people the exact same way every time. This is largely a personal issue of a spiritual nature that also has some physical signs. I know long ago the ancient Greeks and quite possibly some others thought that four main humors brought diseases. When the humors or forces were out of order, so were the people. Restoring balance then, required righting the humors. Now I know I'm not an ancient Greek physician nor do I aspire to be. Then again, some others believed in bringing leeches and a good blood-letting no matter the ailment. Scripture says the life of the body is in the blood. Therefore, if the blood goes, so does the life. Nor am I advocating for human sacrifices since you are not Christ. Certain others though, very much believed in demon possession and made elaborate rituals to care for the process. Perhaps though, the solution to these vague and mysterious complaints is much simpler even than that.
Diagnosis: demon possession
Symptoms: unspecified, general torment, torture of others, torture of self
Duration: time of inhabitation is unclear though it is a child, suggesting it has not yet reached its' full strength. The child is vexed with it, which can mean its' still fighting which keeps it from being full strength.
Treatment: Notice Jesus begins to talk to this woman about what ails her. Since torment is involved, it makes sense to find out what that is. This is key to either resolving the situation or finding out what spirit. Here the issue at hand is simple. The woman is feeling isolated and alone without any friends or family support. She in essence is seeking love and belonging and to be heard of the Lord. Upon gaining this, the mother's spirit resolves and also her daughter's.
Prognosis: Full recovery of physical, mental, and spiritual symptoms