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