Charles Spurgeon Commentary Mark 9:17

"And one of the multitude answered him, Teacher, I brought unto thee my son, who hath a dumb spirit;" — Mark 9:17 (ASV)

And one of the multitude answered—

One who had a peculiar reason for answering; just as, I trust there will be one in this multitude before me who will have a peculiar reason for listening to my message, and a peculiar reason for remembering it after it is delivered: "One of the multitude answered"—

And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

We do not know if the scribes gave any answer to Christ's question, and it does not matter at all. What always matters is practical, living, earnest prayer. So what the scribes may have said is not recorded, but the prayer of the poor father is: Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit. If any of you have come here to quibble, we shall take no notice of that; but if there is a soul that has come here to pray, the recording angel will write it down in the eternal book.