"...but they could not."

"I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."
Luke 9:40

It wasn't the first time that it happened to Him and it wouldn't be the last. The father of the young boy had just told the horrific story about the demonisation of his son and the damage that it was doing to him. He finishes with "I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not". The disciples of a Rabbi went with him everywhere he went, listened to every word, watched every action and became the personification of their teaching. It was same with Jesus' disciples. They had been present as He taught, lived and travelled around. All His teaching was being passed on to them and their role was to take this teaching and pass it on. Jesus taught with power and many times this power was shown through the healing of individuals or the releasing of people from demonic bondage. Now, whilst Jesus was up on a mountain, this father had brought his suffering son to Jesus' disciples with the hope that they could free him from the oppression. He hoped that they would save his son through the powerful teaching of Jesus, "but they could not".
I bet these words would have caused all who were listening to be silent. This was a direct question, not too Jesus but about Him. When this man told Jesus what had just happened he was really asking if He was who He said He was. It was something that was common throughout His life. Jesus' family and friends, John the Baptist, and even the authorities and religious elite all asked that same question at some point. People still ask it today and the ramifications of the answer are huge. If He wasn't who He claimed to be then we are wasting our time, but if He was then there is more to come and more for us to experience.

They way that Jesus responded to this specific question is intriguing...