Amy C Walters

Jesus Heals Many – Luke 4:31-44

Jesus goes to Capernaum and begins teaching in the synagogue. The people are amazed at the authority of his teaching. Then, through two different miracles, that authority is demonstrated, showing us that Jesus’ word has power.

In the previous story, Jesus had returned to his hometown and was preaching in the synagogue there on the Sabbath day. But the people did not like what he had to say so they drove him out of town intending to kill him. God protected Jesus, enabling him to walk right through the crowd and go on his way.

So now we come to this story, which takes place in Capernaum, a town in Galilee. This is a town that Jesus is going to revisit often throughout his ministry years. We also see a pattern to Jesus’ ministry: going to the synagogue on the Sabbath and teaching. 

In Capernaum, the people “were amazed at his teaching because his message had authority.” So just like the hometown crowd, there is amazement at what Jesus is saying. But there’s a slight tweak to this crowd’s response. They are amazed “because his message had authority.” 

Authority denotes knowledge and power to back up what someone is saying. Jesus doesn’t need to quote someone who knows more than he does and can say it in a better way than he can. He doesn’t need to appeal to someone who has the power to back up what they’re saying.

What words would contrast with authority? Maybe soft would be one. Maybe weak or wishy-washy. Or maybe teaching that is unclear. 

Instead, Jesus’ message is clear and strong and powerful and weighty.

Now authority is not something that we necessarily look for these days. Sometimes we look for entertainment. “Infotainment” is a word that we use now because people want to be informed, but they want it done in an interesting way. Sometimes we push back on authority, wanting it for ourselves. 

But there’s something in Jesus’ teaching that is striking and compelling to the people, and they are hanging on his every word until there’s an interruption.

We’re told that there in the synagogue was a man who was possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. Some versions call it an unclean spirit. And this demon, through this man, cries out at the top of his voice, “Ha, 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.”

Imagine, if you will, that you are sitting in the synagogue listening to Jesus’ message and you’re hanging on his words, you’re compelled by the authority of what he is saying. But you’re also a little distracted because the person sitting next to you is getting a little antsy and agitated. And then suddenly, they shout out at the top of their voice, “have you come to destroy us? What do you want with us?” How would you feel?

Probably mortified if you’re sitting next to this person because everyone’s attention is going to be coming your way. You would probably scoot over, trying to create some distance between yourself and this person. And you would be really disturbed, upset, unsettled, by it. This is not normal for someone to cry out that loud in the middle of a sermon. This is bad behavior.

You might even feel some fear there too, because if they are doing this abnormal behavior of crying out during the message, what else are they capable of?

But Jesus is not thrown off by this outburst. He says sternly, but quietly, “Come out of him.” Just a few simple words. Then the demon throws the man down before them all and comes out without injuring him.

What a jaw-dropping sight! That would get the crowd talking. And in fact, we’re told that they are again amazed and again talk about Jesus’ authority. They say to one another, “What teaching is this? With authority and power, he gives orders to evil spirits, and they come out.” 

With just a few, simple words from Jesus, the evil spirit comes out. There’s no delay. There’s no argument or discussion or bargaining between Jesus and the evil spirit. There’s no secret formula from Jesus. The power of Jesus’ words accomplishes this miracle. 

Notice too that the people had already recognized the authority of Jesus’ words. They had already noted it about his message. Now Jesus demonstrates that authority with the miracle. His actions give evidence to the power of his words.

And with this, we see that Jesus has power over the spirit world.

Jesus then moves on from the synagogue and goes to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law is suffering from a high fever, and they ask Jesus to help her. Jesus bends over her and rebukes the fever, and it leaves her.

Again, Jesus heals the woman with a rebuke to the fever. He tells it something. We’re not told the specific words, but he speaks and it drives the fever away.

Jesus is now demonstrating the power of his words over the physical world.

Simon’s mother-in-law is completely healed from this fever. We’re told that she gets up “at once and begins to wait on them.” There’s no recovery period. There’s no lethargy that she has to sleep off. She hops up and starts to wait on them.

We’re going to see this word “rebuke” used later on too when Jesus is healing people and driving out more demons. Luke repeats that word to emphasize that Jesus’ word has power. 

And that is our key truth for today: Jesus’ word has power.

Now, I don’t know about you, but there are very few things that I can accomplish just by my words! I can tell my kids to do things, and for the most part, they listen and do them. My dog, not so much. But that’s about it.

We also hear a lot of promises from politicians or people in places of authority and power. They have a lot of things that they say, a lot of things that they want to accomplish. But so often those promises are broken because they don’t have the authority to back them up.

Not so with Jesus. What Jesus says, he is able to do, because his word has power.

This is going to be foundational as we continue to story through Luke, because Jesus is going to say some wild things, things that if they came from anyone else would just be bluster and emptiness. But we can trust Jesus’ words because they have power.