The Power of His Words!

All right, we're pressing on with Jesus' story in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4.

Luke 4 · chapter mention

And if you have your Bible with you, please open it up.

We're going to be picking it up here in verse 31.

Last Sunday, we saw how Jesus was outright rejected by his hometown of Nazareth.

We heard about how he was received with excitement and honor in the synagogues of many other towns in Galilee.

But Nazareth was different.

They were so furious that they tried to kill him.

And we noticed in the dialogue there in Nazareth a reference to what Jesus had done in Capernaum.

Jesus said, and you will tell me, do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.

Well, now as we come down to verse 31, I believe Luke circles back to tell us about what happened in Capernaum.

My usual translation reads, then he went down to Capernaum.

This is verse 31.

And that word then kind of implies that there is a sequence.

First Nazareth and then Capernaum.

But a closer look at the language suggests that maybe that's an over-translation.

This is another translation.

And he went down to Capernaum.

And that's, I think, important.

I don't know that sequence is intended by Luke

because of what we heard last week about how this may be a little bit out of order here.

Let's just pause for a moment and consider why the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke,

sometimes present things in different orders.

You don't have to read too much while comparing them to notice the differences.

Take Mark, for example.

He has Jesus calling his first disciples right at the beginning of his ministry,

even before what we're about to read today.

Luke doesn't talk about Jesus calling his first disciples

until after what we're about to read today.

We're still going to get to it in chapter 5 next week.

Another example, if we look at our passage for today,

we're going to hear about an exorcism and a healing of a mother-in-law.

Here in Luke, they're just a verse apart.

And yet in the Gospel of Matthew, the entire Sermon on the Mount,

multiple chapters is put in between these two things in his Gospel.

Here's the takeaway.

There's more than one true way to tell a story.

A strict timeline is one option.

And generally, the Gospels do stay chronological.

Yet each writer at times may adjust the order in the way that they tell the story

in order to shape the account and to tell the story in the way that makes the most sense to them.

Scholars largely agree that Mark is probably the most chronological out of the three synoptic Gospels.

And that fits with his brief and less detailed way of telling things.

Matthew, on the other hand, sometimes groups material by type and by theme.

We see all the parables of the kingdom grouped together in some places.

We see the religious leaders' dialogue with Jesus, all grouped in one section, and some other things.

Luke is similar to Matthew as well.

Now, his account is orderly, and yet he is selective.

Sometimes he tweaks the sequence to highlight a particular theme or to maintain a particular focus.

So far in Luke, we've seen that the focus is on Jesus and his identity.

And then, as we've seen in the last couple weeks, it's now on Jesus' message

and people's response to that message.

And so, we're going to hear about the miracles, we're going to hear about the disciples,

but Luke wants us to hear about these things first.

This shouldn't trouble us.

I mean, even from our own experience, we know that there's more than one way

to accurately and faithfully give an account of what happened in the past.

Especially if it was something where, you know, it was a very full and busy time in our lives.

A lot of back and forth as Jesus' ministry was.

But back to the story here.

We're in verse 31.

And Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee.

And on the Sabbath, he taught the people.

They were amazed at his teaching because his words had authority.

So, the people of Capernaum have a completely different response than the people of Nazareth.

And Jesus kind of does the same thing, it appears.

Just like he did in Nazareth, he goes into the synagogue in Capernaum.

And he begins to teach.

Luke says that the people there in Capernaum were amazed at his teaching.

That word amazed has become a very flat word in English today.

We use it about almost everything.

Utterly astonished.

Perhaps better captures the meaning.

Astounded.

Overwhelmed.

Floored.

There's a sense of shock in this amazement.

Why?

Luke says it's because his words had authority.

What kind of authority did Jesus' words have that caused this reaction by the people?

Well, Luke's about to tell us what they heard that day from Jesus.

Verse 33.

In the synagogue, there was a man possessed by a demon.

An impure spirit.

He cried out at the top of his voice.

Go away!

What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

Have you come to destroy us?

I know who you are.

The Holy One of God.

Can you imagine this moment?

I mean, imagine.

Here you are, sitting in church.

Somebody just...

I almost thought about asking someone to do this in the midst of the sermon here, but I thought, that might be a bit much.

How would you feel if somebody just stood up and started shouting this in the middle of the sermon?

Maybe the hair on the back of your neck would be standing.

And look at the words that this man is shouting.

Looking at his words alone, we see that he is repulsed by Jesus.

Go away!

He shouts.

What do you want with us?

Have you come to destroy us?

Who's the us?

Is anybody else in the room thinking the same thing?

This man speaks using a strange mix of plural and singular pronouns.

Which fits the description that he was possessed by a demon.

Jesus' words in Nazareth made the people furious.

But this is something totally different here.

There is, Luke tells us, an impure, unclean spirit in the man.

A demon.

A demon.

And if this is something that you've never heard of before, demons in the Bible are basically fallen angels.

And they roam to and fro deceiving and oppressing and manipulating and trying to do harm to people.

The reaction of this demon.

The reaction of this demon to Jesus' words and to his presence is shocking.

The demon wants Jesus to go away, to get away from him.

Could it be that the man himself was engaged in some kind of internal battle with this evil spirit?

And had come into the synagogue to seek help from Jesus against the will of this evil spirit.

And then this demon, it seems, goes ballistic.

Can you hear the fear in its voice?

Have you come to destroy us?

Now why would this demon, who's been having his way with this poor man,

why would this demon have cause to fear Jesus?

Why would this demon fear destruction from Jesus?

Why would this demon fear?

Why would this demon fear?

Why would this demon fear?

Why would this demon fear?

And this demon knows it.

Jesus has the power to destroy this corrupt, fallen creature.

And the demon knows it.

How does Jesus respond in this moment?

Verse 35.

Be quiet, Jesus said, stir.

Come out of him.

And we'll put a more literal wording on the screen again here.

And Jesus rebuked it, saying,

Be silent and come out from him.

Note the word rebuked.

Then the demon threw the man down before them all

and came out without injuring him.

All the people were amazed, astonished, and said to each other,

What words these are!

With authority and power, he gives orders, commands, impure spirits,

and they come out?

And the news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding area.

So let's go back to that question that we asked at the top.

What did Luke mean when he said

that they were astonished at Jesus' teaching

because his words had authority?

Or, let me ask it this way.

Why didn't the demon simply refuse

to do what Jesus said?

Why didn't it just go on shouting?

Why did it comply and come out of the man?

It had to.

It had to.

The demon complied

because it had to.

It did not refuse.

Jesus' words

forced it to comply

and leave the man.

This is the kind of authority

and power

Jesus' words had.

That's what astonished the people

that day.

Luke says,

The news spread throughout the surrounding area.

And this issue of authority

and power in Jesus' words

brings to mind

another moment

that Luke wants to tell us about.

Verse 38.

Jesus left the synagogue

and went to the home of Simon.

We get the sense that this is later that same day.

Now Simon's mother-in-law

was suffering from a high fever

and they asked Jesus

to help her.

Who's Simon?

This is maybe another clue

that Luke has his material

arranged a little differently

and likely not chronologically

at this moment.

If we look to all three

of the other Gospels

we see that Jesus began

to call his disciples

right away

after his baptism.

And Simon was one of them

to whom Jesus gave the name Peter.

One of the twelve disciples.

But Luke at this point

has just been so focused on Jesus

as a teacher

and a preacher

and the response of the people

that he's just getting

to the miracles now.

And one of the early miracles

was this healing

of Simon's mother-in-law.

And we're going to hear more

about Simon

and who he was

in the next chapter.

Luke's going to tell us

all about him

and where it started

with Simon Peter.

But we learn from this miracle

here in verse 38

that Simon Peter was married.

Luke says that Simon's mother-in-law

so his wife's mother

was at the home of Simon.

The picture we get here

is that Simon is already

a follower of Jesus

and he brings Jesus back

to his house in Capernaum.

And there at his house

is Simon's wife

and his wife's mother.

And Luke says

that she was suffering

from a high fever.

Note the kind of fever.

Not just a little feverish

but a great fever.

A high fever.

So you can imagine her there

lying in bed

shivering

and sweating

and pale

and weak

just like anyone

with a high fever is.

And they

presumably

Simon and his brother Andrew

asked Jesus

to help her.

verse 39.

So Jesus bent over her

and rebuked

the fever

and it left her.

She got up

at once

and began

to wait on them.

Notice how

Jesus heals her.

Luke says

he rebuked.

There it is again.

Same word.

He rebuked

the fever

and it left her.

Also notice

how quickly

she went from

lying in bed

shivering

and sweating

pale and weak

to up and about

serving the guests.

She got up

at once.

Luke is actually

quite emphatic

about this.

This translation

has kind of

smoothed this sentence

out a bit

but quite literally

immediately

rising up

she began

to serve them.

this is clearly

a miracle

and while

Jesus

will heal

far more

devastating

illnesses

than this

it's still

astonishing

and especially

the way

that Jesus

does it.

He rebuked

the fever

and it

left her.

What's a fever?

I'm not a

medical expert

or a doctor

but from my

understanding

a fever

is an immune

system response

of the body

which attempts

to fight off

infection

caused by

viruses

or bacteria

by raising

the internal

temperature

of the body

in an effort

to hinder

or kill

the bacteria

or viruses.

So what exactly

did Jesus

rebuke?

With the demon

it makes sense

and you know

it's a sentient

self-aware

creature

with hearing

the ability

to speak

and to reason

it has a will

it has a mind

it can act

but this sickness

on the other hand

is just not like that.

viruses

and bacteria

don't have brains

they don't have ears

they don't understand

or speak

human language

the fever

itself

is the body's

God-given

defense mechanism

and yet

Jesus

it says

rebuked

the fever

he rebuked

the sickness

in her body

and it complied

I can't help

but think

the same words

that they said

in the synagogue

earlier

like what words

are these

with authority

and power

he commands

sicknesses

and they cease

maybe it seems

that the sickness

in your body

and he says

stop it

and instantly

it's like you

were never sick

before

you can sit

up

go on your

way

this is just

the beginning

this is just

the prelude

for the night

the first healing

of the evening

verse 40

at sunset

the people

brought to

Jesus

all who

had various

kinds of

sickness

and laying

his hands

on each

one

he healed

them

moreover

demons

came out

of many

people

shouting

you are

the son

of God

but he

rebuked

them

and would

not allow

them to

speak

because

they knew

he was

the Messiah

what a

night

can you

imagine

this

the sun

is going

down

people

are lined

up

all crowded

around

the house

of Simon

Peter

the fisherman

in Capernaum

by now

word spread

rapidly

what Jesus

did earlier

in the day

at the synagogue

not to mention

how it's been

traveling all

over the region

from his

other visits

to other

towns

and the

whole town

it seems

and surrounding

areas

knocking on

the door

and they've

brought all

their sick

loved ones

and their

friends

to be

healed

by Jesus

and he

greets them

one by

one

laying his

hands

on them

and he

heals

them

all of

them

Luke

very

specifically

mentions

that there

were

various

kinds

of

sicknesses

all

kinds

!

and not

only

sicknesses

but suddenly

you know

it's like

the people

who knew

of others

that were

afflicted

by demons

brought

them as

well

demons

came out

of many

people

that night

says Luke

and the

demons

themselves

were shouting

you are

the son

of God

just like

the guy

earlier in

the day

at the

synagogue

they're

declaring

what they

know

about

Jesus

why they

shout

this

it doesn't

say

are they

trying to

blow

Jesus

cover

or reveal

his

identity

before

the time

or are

they just

terrified

and can't

help but

shout out

the identity

of the one

that they

feel

threatened

by

and again

we read

the same

word

Jesus

rebuked

them

the many

demons

and would

not

allow

them

to speak

here's an

even clearer

question

answer to

the question

I asked

earlier

why don't

they just

ignore

Jesus

why don't

they just

defy

Jesus

and keep

on hollering

and stay

in the

person

continue

to torment

them

because

they

can't

Jesus

with his

rebuke

with his

words

does not

allow

them

to speak

who can

restrain

a fallen

angel

with

mere

words

let the

demons

themselves

tell you

the answer

the son

of God

Luke says

that Jesus

silenced them

because they

knew he was

the Christ

the Messiah

it would

seem that

there's some

sort of

divine plan

or timeline

of God

by which

Jesus will

be revealed

to the

people as

being the

Messiah

and who

knows

maybe the

demons are

trying to

blurt it

out and

publicly

make it

known before

the appointed

time and

somehow hinder

the plan

of God

either way

Jesus silences

them

he muzzles

them

with his

rebuke

now I know

this may

sound strange

but

put yourself

in the

demon's

shoes

for a

moment

can you

imagine

being told

by Jesus

to just

shut up

and not

even being

able

to speak

out in

defiance

against

him

try as

you may

you're

driven out

of this

man or

woman or

child that

you've been

tormenting

and being a

wicked creature

you're probably

going to seek

someone else

to pray

upon

but even

after this

gathering is

over

there is

this power

holding your

tongue

keeping you

from saying

anything

about the

true identity

of this

man from

Nazareth

who just

gave you

the royal

smackdown

what power

is this

what authority

is this

it's the

power and

authority of

God himself

which Jesus

has

and speaks

with

verse 42

at daybreak

Jesus went

out to a

solitary

place

the people

were looking

for him

and when

they came

to where

he was

they tried

to keep

him from

leaving

them

but he

said I

must

proclaim

the good

news of

the kingdom

of God

to the

other

towns

also

because

that is

why I

was sent

and he

kept on

preaching

in the

synagogues

you get

the sense

that all

of this

lasted

well into

the night

that eventually

everybody went

home

and whether

anybody slept

or not

that night

it doesn't

say but

Jesus sneaks

away at the

first crack

of dawn

to a place

where there

is nobody

and Mark

adds the

detail in

his gospel

that Jesus

went there

to pray

to talk

to God

the Father

and as this

next day

comes Luke

says that

the people

were searching

for Jesus

they're going

all over the

place trying

to find out

where did

he go

where is

he and

it's not

surprising

I mean

think about

what just

happened

and when

they finally

find Jesus

it says

they tried

to keep

him

from leaving

them

can you

imagine

this

the people

pleading

with him

to stay

what is

Jesus

say

verse 43

I must

proclaim

the good

news

of the

kingdom

of God

to the

other

towns

also

because

that is

why I

was sent

that is

why I

was sent

notice

the word

sent

Jesus

has a

clear

understanding

of who

he is

he knows

what his

mission

is

what God

has given

him to

do

I also

notice

the words

most

emphasized

in this

statement

here

surprisingly

in the

original

also the

other

towns

also the

other

towns

it's right

at the

front

it's

necessary

for me

to proclaim

the good

news of

the kingdom

of God

there

it's not

that Jesus

doesn't want

to be

with the

people of

Capernaum

any longer

it's not

that he's

overwhelmed

by the

crowds

and feels

worn out

or that he

just has

itchy feet

instead

it's this

keen

awareness

of the

need

for other

towns

to hear

this

good

news

that he's

proclaiming

from

God

and so

I cannot

stay

he says

and I

imagine

in that

moment

that front

and center

on people's

minds

is all

the

miracles

the

healings

the

exorcisms

but notice

what Jesus

states

as his

mission

he doesn't

say I

must go

and heal

people in

the other

towns

too

the

healings

themselves

are not

the main

point

rather I

must

proclaim

the good

news

of the

kingdom

because

that

is why

I was

sent

this is

Luke's

emphasis

we're

meant

to see

that

more

important

than

the

miracles

is

the

message

they

confirm

the

good

news

that

Jesus

is

proclaiming

the

miracles

set

people

free

from

illnesses

and

lifelong

debilitating

conditions

even

and

they're

good

gifts

of

God

they

set

people

free

from

the

control

of

demons

as

we

just

saw

but

the

message

has

the

power

to

set

people

free

from

death

itself

from

spiritual

captivity

and

bondage

in

the

kingdom

of

this

world

and

it

has

the

power

to

prepare

them

for

life

in

the

kingdom

of

God

that

Jesus

is

proclaiming

I

love

the

way

that

Luke

describes

the

good

news

of

Jesus

here

I

must

proclaim

the

good

news

of

the

kingdom

of

God

to

the

other

towns

also

what

is

the

kingdom

of

God

it's

the

rule

and

reign

of

God

which

has

always

been

and

is

now

coming

closer

with

Jesus

here

and

is

yet

to

come

in

full

measure

over

our

rebellious

world

and

authority

and

power

the

likes

of

which

the

world

has

never

seen

what

better

way

to

prove

that

this

kingdom

of

God

is

real

and

that

it

is

coming

than

by

these

miraculous

words

of

power

that

Jesus

declared

think

about

this

I

has

power

control

authority

over

the

fallen

angels

but

God

alone

Jesus

speaks

and

with

his

words

he

forces

them

out

and

subdues

them

proving

that

he

is

the

king

the

Messiah

of

this

kingdom

who

has

power

and

control

and

authority

over

the

stuff

of

the

natural

world

things

like

viruses

and

bacteria

and

bodies

God

alone

does

Jesus

speaks

and

with

his

words

he

heals

!

He

eradicates

sickness

and disease

and disorder

even at

the cellular

level

in people's

bodies

proving

that he

is the

king

of

God's

kingdom

one

of the

things

that's

come up

over

and

over

again

and

Luke's

been

pointing

us

to

it

is

this

truth

that

Jesus

is

the

son

of

God

and

not

just

a

man

that's

what

the

angel

Gabriel

declared

before

Jesus

was

born

it

was

the

thing

God

himself

declared

with

an audible

voice

at

Jesus

baptism

it

was

the

thing

the

devil

tried

to

call

into

question

in

the

wilderness

and

here

we

see

that

even

the

demons

can't

help

but

acknowledge

that

that's

who

he

is

you

are

the

son

of

God

they

said

we

know

who

you

are

when

the

most

powerful

enemies

of

Jesus

are

shouting

it

that's

pretty

compelling

evidence

that it's

true

especially

if

Jesus

has

the

power

to

shut

them

up

and

drive

them

out

do

you

see

who

Jesus

is

do

you

see

what

they

saw

that

day

do

you

hear

what

they

heard

that

day

for

all

who

believe

in

Jesus

our

faith

in

him

is

well

placed

it's

not

just

a

blind

leap

of

faith

God

has

put

the

clear

message

before

us

and

plenty

of

signs

to

confirm

it

all

that

remains

is

for

us

to

bow

the

knee

before

God's

chosen

king

and

pledge

allegiance

to

him

put

our

full

trust

and

faith

in

his

message

we're

going

to

take

time

now

to

partake

of

the

Lord's

table

together

this

what we

heard

today

is

just

the

beginning

of

the

story

but

later

on

in

the

story

Jesus

gives

his

life

to

set

us

free

from

the

power

of

the

evil

one

the

power

of

sin

he

takes

on

himself

the

punishment

that

we

deserve

dying

on

the

cross

to

atone

for

us

to

reconcile

us

to

God

he

does

this

to

cleanse

us

and

to

make

us

fit

for

life

with

him

forever

in

his

kingdom

and

so

we

want

to

remember

that

again

now

we

want

to

give

thanks

for

that

again

now

by

eating

of

the

bread

and

drinking

of

the

cup

and

if

you're

here

and

you

believe

this

you

believe

in

Jesus

and

have

acknowledged

him

as

your

king

your

savior

your

then

I

want

you

to

know

that

this

table

is

for

you

as

well

please

partake

with

us

celebrate

with

us

remember

with

us

and

if

not

please

just

allow

the

elements

to

pass

you

by

we're

going

to

take

a few

minutes

now

just

to

reflect

and

pray

quietly

and

then

after

that

we'll

have

the

elders

come

up

and

pass

out

the

elements

and

we'll

wait

until

everybody

wishing

to

partake

has

been

served

and

then

we'll

eat

and

drink

together

all

at

once

in

unison