Dancing with the demons: A disability inclusive reading of Mark 9:14–29

This work explores Mark 9:14–29 through the lens of theology of disability, reimagining the traditional interpretation of “casting out the spirits” as an invitation to “dance with the spirits.” Drawing from lived experience and theological reflection, it challenges dominant Christian narratives that treat disability as a problem to be healed, fixed, or hidden. Instead of reading this passage as a triumph of faith over affliction, I explore how it opens space for honoring disabled bodies as bearers of divine presence. Situating the text within ancient understandings of spirit possession and illness, particularly epilepsy, I trace how these historical perceptions continue to shape modern ableist assumptions. Using a disability-informed reader-response approach, the work critiques how ableism persists in Christian theology and practice. I argue that Jesus’s healing here is not a mandate to erase difference, but a call to shared vulnerability, mutual care, and embodied community. Disability is reframed not as a lack of faith but as ground for prophetic witness and theological insight. This re-reading offers a more inclusive and compassionate theological framework that affirms disabled persons as vital, whole participants in the life of faith.