January 19, 2025
Luke 4:31-44
“The Word of the King”
Last week ended with Jesus moving on from Nazareth. Keep in mind, as he begins his public ministry, Jesus is traveling alone. He has not yet called disciples to follow him. Leaving Nazareth, verse thirty, our bridge verse, tells us:
“But passing through their midst, he went away.”
What does Jesus go on his way to do? What’s the purpose of his next move?
Actually, one of the first critics of Jesus and the early church gives us a huge clue as to where Luke is taking us.
Back in the second century, there was a Roman philosopher who wrote from around 170-180 AD. His name was Celsus. His writings are the earliest known criticisms of Christianity. Over a half-century later, one of the first Christian scholars and theologians, Origen of Alexandria, wrote a comprehensive refutation of Celsus.
Here are some of the choice things Celsus wrote about Jesus and his followers:
Celsus jeered at the work of the church. He wrote that Jesus “is followed about with the rag, tag, and bobtail of humanity trailing behind him.” He also wrote that Jesus’ father was a Roman soldier named “Pantera.” And he claimed that Jesus performed his miracles by sorcery.
My favorite of Origen’s refutations, about fifty years later, of the charge that most of Jesus’ followers have been the rag, tag, and bobtail of humanity, is brilliant. He does not disagree with Celsus. Instead, he writes:
“Yes, but he doesn’t leave them the rag, tag, and bobtail of humanity; but out of the material you would have thrown away as useless, he fashions men and women, giving them back their self-respect, enabling them to stand up on their feet and look God in the eyes. They were cowed, cringing, broken things. But the Son of God has made them free.”
With that, let’s now turn to Luke 4:31-44. One thing I want you to notice is that, in this section, while Luke has Jesus preaching and teaching, he doesn’t get into the specifics of what Jesus preached and taught. Luke only describes its impact. We will later see the hugeness of that.
Here’s today’s passage:
And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.
Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
As we saw last week, Jesus’ own hometown folks tried to throw him off a cliff. But they couldn’t. For now, he’s untouchable. He will decide when he is to die. As we read in John 10:17-18, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
After he walked away, unharmed, Jesus then walks the twenty miles to Capernaum. This is important for a variety of reasons. As verse thirty-eight tells us, Jesus goes to the home of a man named Simon. Simon, also called Peter, is the first disciple called by Jesus to follow him.
Luke tells us a lot. Miracles. Threats. Teaching. Of everything Luke tells us,
the one thing…the one specific thing he doesn’t relay at this point…are the specific things Jesus taught. We’ll hear that later. For now, the point is, Jesus taught with authority. People were astonished. Jesus establishes his right position to tell people what they ought to believe about God and His kingdom. It’s all about a worldview defining what people should believe and how they should act.
Later, in Luke 6:46-49, Jesus is going to say:
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
If I spoke like that…if I said, “What you do with my words determines whether your life will be swept away in the final judgment”…you’d think I was psychotic or a psychopathic cult leader. Jesus speaks with sweeping authority.
That’s exactly what Jesus does here in Capernaum. Jesus is teaching. Yes. But listen again to the process:
And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God.”
Did you catch it? Jesus is teaching. An unclean demon cries out. Does Jesus call out the unclean demon? {Side note – Luke’s readers might not have immediately associated demons with a bad thing. In their world, demon had associations with foreign deities and idolatry.} Luke does make it clear that anything corrupting or attempting to corrupt God’s good purposes in the world is demonic.
Back to our first major point. Jesus doesn’t initially call out the demon. The demon calls himself out. Jesus is teaching. Jesus is telling the good news of the kingdom. He’s magnifying the greatness of God. That’s all Jesus is doing. And it ruffles the demon. The demon howls its alarm.
Now, please, don’t take this too far, but there are people today who have almost spasmodic fits of anger against Christian truth. Whether written or spoken, it is definitely crying out with a loud voice. Especially in this time of social media, the wickedness of people’s hearts gets revealed.
Here, I love how descriptive Luke is. The demon cries out, “Hey!” It literally conveys a sense of, “stop, or “that’s enough!” And remember, this outburst is unprovoked by anything Jesus specifically said. He has yet to directly address the demon.
Here are two words you might want to write down:
ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY
That is a beautiful thing. What Luke gives us is the truth that as Jesus teaches with authority, he calls out demonic possession…and it brings deliverance. Why do you think unbelievers all over the world sometimes react so violently and aggressively to Biblical truth? As Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 2:24-26:
“And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
Oh no, someone is angry and spitting venom and saying horrible things about the Christian faith or about Jesus. Don’t get riled up. Simply share the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The devil is a liar and a hater. People who give in to the wickedness of their hearts are undone by their unbelief. Wickedness cannot stand against a person or a community of people ruled by truth and love.
What happens next? What does Jesus do next? He rebukes the demon.
That is exactly the most important thing Luke wants us to see. Jesus has
absolute sovereignty over demons. Here’s something else you might want
to write down:
NO DEMON CAN DISOBEY
Why, we wonder, why can’t they disobey? That’s the whole point of
demonhood…opposing God. How can you oppose God and thwart His sovereign will and harm those whom He desires to save if you can’t do your demon-stuff? What kind of demon are you if you don’t disobey God? Demons hate God. On a human level, we certainly have clear evidence that unsaved people hate God. So what’s up in these verses?
Keep in mind what the people say in verse 36: “For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
The point builds toward the next scene. In the home of Simon. His mother-in-law has a high fever. Jesus rebukes the fever and she’s healed. That’s another huge point. There’s no incantations. There are no rituals. His rebuke is enough. It carries authority. Even a fever must obey Jesus. Jesus Christ is sovereign over demons and nature.
Before we wrap up chapter four, a point for clarification and a point for
celebration.
First, clarification. It is the Word of Jesus Christ which heals and changes
lives. No one person or movement can do that. Whatever healing looks like in the lives of believers, according to God’s purpose, it is good. Why can we affirm that? Because we know that, no matter what you experience or go through, Jesus Christ is Lord. You are never alone. And even if you’re not healed in this life, you will be healed in the life to come. Simon’s mother-in-law, while healed of her fever, the day will come when she will die. And she will be with Jesus. That’s the promise for all of God’s people. It’s the trajectory of God’s salvation history.
Here’s what that means to us. When I was driving back to church after lunch, thinking about this point in the message, a song came on the radio. “All is Well,” sung by Michael W. Smith and Carrie Underwood. Here’s the verse which resonates so wonderfully with where we’re at:
All is well all is wellLift up your voices and singBorn is now EmmanuelBorn is our Lord and SaviorSing AlleluiaSing AlleluiaAll is well
That sums up our first point, our clarification. In Jesus Christ, all is well.
Finally, we’ll close with the celebration. The Word of Christ unbinds people held captive to a demonic worldview. I’m not talking about exorcisms. That’s not our point or the purpose of his freeing Word. What I’m talking about is when people who had no relationship with Jesus Christ answer the call to follow him, their worldview changes. I’m talking about people who were once antagonistic to Jesus in word and/or deed repenting of their sin and embracing the gospel worldview. I’m talking about those who help people in need. I’m talking about people who forgive those who sin against them. I’m talking about people who don’t hold grudges. I’m talking about people who are kind to strangers. I’m talking about people who were once pro-abortion are now decidedly pro-life. I’m talking about rejecting the transgender, non-binary social agenda. I’m talking about men and women who are disconnecting from pornography. I’m talking about people who treasure Jesus Christ above all others.
Here are two quotes from Charles Spurgeon that speak to our position in Christ:
I hope you love those quotes as much as I do. Praise God we have been properly instructed and shepherded by the very words of Jesus Christ.
Wherever the Word of Christ is spoken and shared, lost lives are liberated.
Jesus frees us from sin and fear. Jesus frees us for worship and loving others. Swept up in grace and mercy, we will never be swept away in sin and judgment. That is God’ purpose for our lives.
Make no mistake. Jesus is sovereign Lord and King. He is for you. Trust him. Be brave in his name, until he returns or until he calls you home.
And together the people of God said:
SOLI DEO GLORIA…
To the Glory of God Alone
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