Luke 4:31-41
31 And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee; and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;
32 and they were amazed at His teaching, because His message was delivered with authority.
33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,
34 “Leave us alone! What business do You have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, it came out of him without doing him any harm.
36 And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another, saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
37 And the news about Him was spreading into every locality of the surrounding region.
38 Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her.
39 And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and served them.
40 Now while the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He was laying His hands on each one of them and healing them.
41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” And yet He was rebuking them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ.
An Incident on a Sabbath
Teaching with authority
The Gospel of Luke contains five accounts of healings on the Sabbath, and today’s passage is the first of them. Jesus taught the people in the synagogue at Capernaum every Sabbath. His way of teaching was fundamentally different from that of the Jewish rabbis (teachers) of the time. What the rabbis of that time valued most was the faithful memorization and repetition of the teachings of previous rabbis. Any pursuit of originality was strongly discouraged. In contrast, Jesus’ teaching was full of authority. This was because He spoke under the anointing of the Holy Spirit (v 32). Is your calling to preach messages or to give testimony? Do your messages or testimonies carry authority? Unless we learn to speak under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we cannot speak with the authority that comes from the Lord.
The exorcism of demons and the healing of sickness
The authority of Jesus was manifested in concrete ways—through the casting out of demons and the healing of sicknesses. The first to respond to Jesus’ message was an unclean demon, and Jesus immediately cast it out. Next, Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law of her fever. When the sun set (that is, when the Sabbath had ended), many sick people gathered around Jesus. Luke writes, “Now while the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He was laying His hands on each one of them and healing them” (v 40). This expression reflects the gentleness of Jesus. The demons also came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” Jesus did not seek to prove that He was the Messiah through exorcisms or healings. However, when He saw people in need of help, He could not close His heart to them. What is particularly interesting is the reaction of the demons. James writes, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder” (James 2:19). While the disciples spent several years learning that Jesus is the Messiah, the demons recognized it from the very beginning and trembled. How many years has it been since you became a Christian? Are you not only increasing in knowledge but also learning to trust God more deeply?
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, please increase my faith. Teach me to speak under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Let me walk today placing my trust in You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.