16 Jody A. Barnard Marshall has offered an alternative analysis and suggests that: “the emphasis is not on the miracle ... but on the results”49. In view of the absence of an actual description of the miracle this makes good sense of the passage. Indeed, if the results had not been recorded, there would be little, if any, indication that a miracle had taken place at all. However, this places the climactic point of the story at v. 17, which is reported entirely with aorist tense forms. Healing a possessed boy (9,37-43) This pericope is widely recognised as a miracle story in form50, indi- cating that the main point of the story is the effortless exorcism of v. 42b. This is confirmed by Luke’s plot-line, which, after the initial situation has been documented (v. 37), takes great care to build the tension of the complicating action (vv. 38-42a)51. Assuming Mark was one of Luke’s sources, he has omitted the dialogue between Jesus and the boy’s father thereby concentrating attention on the miracle of Jesus rather than the lesson about faith (cf. Mk 9,21-24). Thus, the rebuke of the spirit, the healing of the boy, and safe return to his father, stands as the climactic point of the story. Although Klutz would agree that the severity of the boy’s condition elevates the importance of the exorcism, surprisingly, he concludes that none of the aorists are “particularly noteworthy ... they provide a back- ground against which other forms and processes are allowed to stand out and be seen as more prominent”52. Although some of the verbs could be construed as illustrative of Porter’s proposal, Klutz’ fails to appreciate the fact that the entire climactic resolution is reported in aorist tense forms (ἐπετίμησεν ... ἰάσατο ... ἀπέδωκεν), v. 42b. Healing a blind beggar (18,35-43) Although the miracle stories in Luke’s journey narrative (9,51 - 19,44) tend to be incidental rather than central, this particular pericope seems to be an exception since there is no accompanying teaching or climactic pronouncement. Verses 35-39 introduce the scene and create a sense of anticipation with the detail that, at first, the blind man was rebuked. This introductory material, however, contains ten imperfective verbs compa- red with only three in vv. 40-43. It seems unlikely that the imperfective aspect is indicating prominence for all these actions since this would Marshall, Luke, 363. 49 Bultmann, History, 211; Marshall, Luke, 389; Bock, Luke, 1:879. 50 See Klutz, Exorcism, 155-58. 51 Ibid., 172. 52