And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority

 

 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  

 

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region. 

 

- Luke 4:31–37 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee (following His temptation by the devil as He fasted for forty days), and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:   "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."   Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.  

 

 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. Ambrose of Milan, who says that Christ begins preaching and healing on the Sabbaths in order to show that "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."

 

 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  The prophets of old would teach in the third person ("the Lord says"), and teachers such as the scribes of Christ's own time would teach by quoting famous rabbis.  But Jesus' teaching was expressed in the first person ("I say to you").  My study Bible explains that this is what is meant by the statement that Christ's word was with authority, and therefore why this type of teaching astonished the people.  See, for example, Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount.

 

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.  My study Bible reminds us that the prophet Isaiah foresaw the Lord's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  Therefore, Jesus rebukes this unclean demon, crying out with a loud voice, to be quiet!  The following reasons are given for this desire for secrecy.  In the first place, Jesus will contend with the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders (He has already experienced the wrath of the neighbors in His hometown of Nazareth in yesterday's reading, above).  Second, there is the people's misunderstanding and expectations of the awaited Messiah as an earthly, political leader.  Finally, Christ desires to evoke genuine faith, which is not based solely on marvelous signs.  My study Bible concludes that Isaiah's reference to the suffering Servant therefore refers first to Christ, and by extension all who follow Him.

 

Christ's humility takes front and center stage in today's reading.  This statement might seem paradoxical, given that we've just read, in fact, that Jesus teaches with a personal authority that is so rare as to be astonishing to the people.   But, in fact, if we consider that Christ expresses Himself clearly and honestly, but without declaring Himself to be the awaited Messiah, then we begin to understand what humility looks like, and why He is the example we have.  In fact, this humility is precisely what is notable about Isaiah's depiction of the Christ as a suffering Servant.  Through Jesus' example, we learn what it is to tell the truth, being obedient to God, but without ostentation or grandiosity, incurring the astonishment -- and resentment -- of others.  In fact, this propensity of Jesus to act and to speak with authority will earn Him the opposition of the religious establishment, and lead to His persecution.  It will be a sticking point in the questioning of the religious authorities as to why and how Jesus conducts His ministry.  But Jesus manages to do something very important:  He acts and lives by His true identity, but never declares this as a proposition to others.  It is His life that reveals who He is, something that can be seen only with the eyes of faith.  This teaches us a great deal about what is true humility.  Humility is not debasing ourselves nor degrading ourselves in some manner so as to please others, or to grovel.  Humility is basically an absolute truth; we are humble before God is who we are, including our flaws, and seeking to do the things that please God in all our choices.  If we think of being fellow servants with Christ -- and servants and disciples of Christ -- then we seek His will in all things, and this is humility.  Just as Christ puts His human will second to the will of God, so we seek to please God and put our own impulses in service to God.  And this is humility and truth, for it is a true expression of the truth of who we are as creatures of God who seek to be children by adoption, to be children of Abraham, in the words of John the Baptist (Luke 3:8).  To live this way is to live with true integrity, for it is an attempt to live transparently in accordance with who we truly are, no more and no less, as those who must acknowledge God and God's guidance as our greatest need and dependency in life.  To live as humble is to remember God, and that God is the ultimate judge of all things, and not ourselves.  To be humble is to know that the discernment of the Holy Spirit, who reminds us of all of Christ's teachings, is what we need to seek at all steps in our lives.  To be humble is to remember that we are time-bound creatures, and so we are born to be always learning, especially from our mistakes.  As those who live bound by time, we live with constant change, and that dynamic of change applies to us as well.  Therefore we must be aware of our constant need for repentance or "change of mind," as the Greek word μετανοια/metanoia literally means.  As Christ's disciples, we will always have new things to learn, and He is our authority.  As His disciples, we are also called upon to forgive and to love, both of which take a great deal of humility, and form a long learning curve.  Let us be "like Him" in all things, as we are able. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!

 

 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  

 

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

 

- Luke 4:31–37 

 

Yesterday we read that, after His forty-day period of fasting and temptation in the wilderness,  Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.   And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. 

 

  Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. Ambrose of Milan, who says that Christ begins preaching and healing on the Sabbaths to show that "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."

And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.   Jesus teaches with authority; that is unlike the prophets of old and the teachers of His time, who taught in the third person ("the Lord says"), Jesus taught in the first person ("I say to you").  See, for example, the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5.  

 

 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.  Christ is careful to keep hidden His identity as Messiah, in this beginning of His ministry ("Be quiet...!").  My study Bible comments that this hidden or secret quality is foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  There are several reasons for this secrecy.  First, there is the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders which Jesus knows will happen (Jesus has already dealt with rejection in His hometown of Nazareth; see yesterday's reading, above).  Second, the people have particular expectations of the Messiah which are focused on an earthly, political leader quite different from Christ's own messianic mission.  Finally, the Lord's desire is to evoke genuine faith, which is not based simply on marvelous signs. 

 

The first thing we notice about Jesus is, indeed, His authoritative presence, and presentation of Himself.  As my study Bible points out, He doesn't simply teach like one of the scribes, nor does He speak as did the prophets.  He speaks from Himself.  He doesn't declare His identity to the world in proclamations about Himself, but instead His actions reflect who He is.  They give us a portrait of messianic authority.  As the people say, "For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  He speaks with authority and power, commanding the unclean spirit, and this is, indeed, Christ's own authority and power.  This is important for us to understand, because without such authority within Himself, He could not command us in the ways that He does throughout the Gospels.  When He speaks and teaches with authority, such as in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7) or the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20-49), we're given commands that Jesus teaches are "everlasting life," because He speaks whatever the Father has told Him to speak (John 12:50).  Elsewhere Jesus teaches that His words are spirit and they are life, because it is the Spirit who gives life (John 6:63), and the Spirit rests on Him.  Moreover, John the Baptist teaches (in John's Gospel), "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand" (John 3:35).  Everything that we know points to Christ's authority as Son, which has been given Him by the Father.  In John 16:15, Jesus says, "All things that the Father has are Mine."  Therefore, the authority in Christ is a kind of absolute, for it is conferred by the Father.  Even the sheep who belong to Christ, those who come in faith, are drawn by the Father to Christ (John 10:27-30); so therefore, Christ's authority is complete in all the ways we can think of.  Even the power of judgment is conferred to Christ by the Father (John 5:22-23).   In today's reading, Christ's actions express who He is.  In some sense, He's hidden in plain sight, but clearly, in the words of the unclean spirit, the spirit world knows who He is.  For us, it's important to understand that whatever we see in life (or think we see) there is this hidden, mysterious realm that is part of our reality.  It might not show so well to us, it might not be obvious, but Christ, the saints, the prophets before Him, and the faithful of the Church, testify that that reality amidst us.  Christ's authority is clear to the unclean spirit, and it obeys.  But we, who might not be aware of all that goes on around us, are left to discern what perhaps we cannot so clearly see.  Jesus will teach us that "every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:17-20).  Christ speaks with authority and acts with authority, and these fruits of His early ministry bear witness to Him.  How will we know what's real and what's true?  We will follow His command, seeking His help for discernment, for His authority is what leads us and protects us from false prophets, from the darkness that rejects the light of the Holy One of God.

I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!

 

Jesus teaching in the temple, fresco, 14th cent. (after John 7:37).  Vysokie Dechani Serbian Orthodox Christian Monastery, Kosovo

 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

 

- Luke 4:31–37 

 

Yesterday we read that, after His forty days of temptation, Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."   So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His own way.

 

Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  My study bible cites St. Ambrose of Milan, who comments that Christ begins preaching and healing on the Sabbaths in order to show that "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."

And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  To teach with authority makes Jesus quite different from both the prophets of old and the teachers of His day.  Usually teaching would happen in the third person (i.e. "The Lord says"), or citing the teaching of a famous rabbi.  But Christ teaches in the first person, saying, "I say to you."

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"   Here is something to remark about:  Jesus' presence stirs the demons and exposes them.  They know who He is, and that He is their powerful opponent.

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  Jesus commands the unclean demon to be quiet so as not to reveal His identity as the Christ, the Messiah.   My study bible offers several reasons for this, citing the prophecy of Isaiah as foreseeing this need (Isaiah 42:1-4).   The reasons for secrecy include first, the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders.  Then there is the danger of the people's confusion of the Messiah with an expected earthly, political leader, as opposed to Jesus' preaching the gospel of the Kingdom.  Also, Christ's desire is to evoke genuine faith, which is not based solely on marvelous signs. 

 

And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.  Jesus forbids the demon from openly declaring Him to be the Christ, the Holy One of God.  But let us note that His authority and power cannot be hidden. 

 

Christ's public ministry begins with a revelation of His identity, although inadvertent.  It does not come from Jesus, but comes from the unclean demons responding to His presence.  Once He has begun to preach on the Sabbaths, the response of the demons makes it clear they fear His presence.  They worry that the time has come for their destruction, and they clearly know that Christ, "the Holy One of God," has this power.  They already fear a final judgment, and that the time has come.  So what our text tells us today is that although Jesus does not want to make any sort of public declaration about His identity as Messiah, His authority and power are nevertheless revealed, and cannot be hidden.  They are at work in the power to cast out the unclean demon and also to silence it.  His authority and power are at work in His preaching, in which He notably speaks in the first person -- that is, "with authority" -- and the people clearly notice and remark upon this.  So what we can notice about this is that, even though Jesus refrains from speaking in public about His own identity as the Christ, and He also commands the unclean spirit to be quiet so as not to reveal this identity, the signs of His identity are nevertheless all there.  This is an important thing to realize when we speak of Christ and the stories in the Gospels, because the notion of a "sign" is quite important.  Everything Jesus does:  the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom, and especially His miraculous doings such as turning water to wine, healing the sick, and most exceptionally the raising of Lazarus, are all "signs," and quite clearly called so especially in the Gospel of John.  All of these signs can also be called manifestations of the presence of the Kingdom, and the power and authority of the Son of God.  The title by which the demon refers to Jesus, "the Holy One of God," is most particularly an important title for today's reading, because it establishes, so early in the public ministry of Christ, a particular distinction for Jesus.  He is not "a" holy one of God.  He is "the Holy One of God."  The word Christ or Messiah is not openly used by the demon, but "the Holy One of God" has a clear and distinct meaning without naming Him as Messiah.  However, Jesus' distinctiveness, despite His "hiding" of His full identity as Messiah at this stage of His ministry, is nevertheless present in the signs so far observed by people.  He speaks with authority, and He commands the demons, so both His authority and power are manifest as signs of who He is.  And this should make us think also about our own identities in Christ, and who we are.  We might not be called to go out and proclaim something about ourselves, but as followers of Christ, we nevertheless hope that we, also, manifest signs of the presence of the Kingdom, also known to us as fruits of the Spirit.  St. Paul lists among these fruits love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  And he adds that against such there is no law, testifying to the grace present in these fruits.  (See Galatians 5:22-23.)   Without publicly declaring ourselves as figures of discipleship with some sort of title to identify ourselves, these fruits or signs that manifest of our faith and the works that are products of that faith tell us about ourselves and our identity, and they tell others as well -- who may or may not understand the fullness of what is manifest and whence it comes.  But we will know and feel the products of grace in our lives.  Just like Jesus' "fruits" are signs of His real identity, so these signs or manifestations -- as small as they might seem -- are clues to who we are.  Possibly most importantly, they are clues as to vocation.  They give us hints about the road we're on, the journey our faith in Christ takes us on.  Just like the demons, there may be some people in our lives who react quite adversely to what we know to be manifestations of our faith, and that may -- fortunately or unfortunately -- give us a clue about where our own path of vocation in Christ may diverge from the paths of others.  On the other hand, there are those who will recognize the fruits of the Spirit in us for what they are, and value them deeply -- again, giving us a clue as to vocation and where our paths coincide with others who are part of the communion we have joined.  So for today, let us think about vocation, and observe how Christ's vocation or true identity cannot help but be manifest in the various signs that cause people to marvel and demons to fear.  We are but followers of our Lord, and our own paths must also be met as vocation, the signs of grace giving us help for discernment and the leading of the Spirit.  In all things, Jesus follows the Father and is helped and led by the Spirit.  He has also been ministered to by the angels, and will continually seek personal time in prayer.  Let us be like Him, for the disciple is not greater than the Master (Luke 6:40).  If we follow in humility, so we also might bear signs of the Kingdom.  In the icon fresco, above, Jesus offers the waters of the Holy Spirit to all who thirst (John 7:37), and so it is for those who would find their true vocation in faith.

What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out

 

 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

 

- Luke 4:31–37 

 

Yesterday we read that after being tempted by the devil, Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."   Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"   Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine thorughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

 

 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  My study bible quotes St. Ambrose of Milan, who explains that Christ begins preaching and healing on the Sabbaths in order to show that "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."  Regarding teaching . . . His word . . . with authority, my study bible comments that Christ doesn't teach like the prophets of old and the teachers of His own time, who taught in the third person ("The Lord says").  Christ instead teaches in the first person ("I say to you").  See also Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount.

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.  Jesus commands the unclean demon to Be quiet, as He does not want His messianic identity revealed at this early stage of His ministry -- and certainly not this way, but rather in the way His ministry will unfold with His disciples.  My study bible explains that Christ's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  The reasons for this secrecy would include the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders, the people's misunderstanding and expectation of the Messiah as an earthly and political leader, and Christ's desire to evoke genuine faith which is not based solely on marvelous signs.  The people marvel at Christ's authority and power, shown in His command to the unclean spirits.

So what is authority and where does it come from?  Where does power come from?  These are the things that distinguish Christ from all the others the people hear preaching.  Christ speaks from His own authority and acts from His own power.  But how would we recognize this authority and power?  My study bible makes note of the ways in which Christ preaches, that He speaks direct from His own authority, in using phrases like, "I say to you," such as when He preaches regarding the Law in the Sermon on the Mount.  In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus uses the formula, "You have heard that it was said to those of old . . .  But I say to you . . . ," adding, refining, building upon the Law, in just the same way in which the New Testament illumines, expands, and further reveals and enlightens what was given in the Old.  So Jesus conveys power and authority in His speech, but speech alone would not be enough to convey what truly exists with Christ.  In our story of the synagogue in Capernaum in today's reading,  Jesus commands the unclean demon and the demon must obey.  This is another display of authority and of power.  But still, exorcists did exist within the Jewish tradition -- to cast out an unclean demon was not an exceptional sign, but the sign of the authority and power of Christ Himself was something exceptional.  He needs no other name in which to act, no other authority other than what He possesses within Himself.  These are the things to which the people respond and for which they marvel about Christ.  His authority is in His identity, in Himself.  Once again, when pondering this question of authority and power, we return to Christ's relationship to the Father and the Holy Spirit.  His authority and power is in His identity as Son.  As such, this authority and power is something new in the world, something the people have not seen before.   As my study bible reminds us, Christ's preaching is bringing something new into the world, a new creation.  But as "sons" by adoption, how does this authority and power work in us, or through us?  St. Paul writes, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).  If Christ's power and authority have come into the world in order to reconcile all the world to Himself, and therefore to save, then what is our place in this "ministry of reconciliation" which Paul writes about?  How is Christ's power and authority extended through us?  Ultimately, the power of the Cross is the way of Christ, and that power and authority work in this world, through the good and the bad, for God's purposes.  Let us keep in mind, as we read that the people marvel at Christ, that this power and authority was brought into the world for us, and continues in the ministry He's given to us, and through us.  We each have our place within and among this power and authority which is shared with us, and distributed through the Spirit.  What grace does God share with you?  How does power and authority translate to grace, in order to be at work in your life, and through your part as one among the faithful?  Christ's power and authority startle the people of His time, but in our own lives at this time, we perhaps need that more than ever -- to rely on it, to participate in it, and especially to make it real in this world by living through it.  Let us consider the new creation as one that is ever-renewed, continually made new in us, and our part to play in what is meant for the life of the world.  

What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out

 Then He went down to  Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

- Luke 4:31-37

 Yesterday we read that after Jesus was tempted in the wilderness,  He returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is filled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Then He went down to  Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  My study bible tells quotes St. Ambrose of Milan, who comments that Christ begins preaching and healing on the Sabbaths to show that "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."  (See Genesis 2:2-3.)

And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  The people are astonished because Jesus teaches with authority.    The prophets of the Old Testament and also the teachers of Jesus' time would teach in the third person; i.e. "The Lord says").  But Jesus teaches in the first person ("I say to you").   Those of old were very few who heard God's voice directly, but Jesus speaks directly to all.

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.   The demons know who Jesus is.  But Jesus' identity will not be revealed through declarations and proclamations; His ministry must unfold as it unfolds, through the works He is given to do and the word He is given to teach.  He doesn't openly declare Himself Messiah.  There will be all kinds of complications in this ministry:   the hostility of the leadership, the people misunderstand what the Messiah is to be and expect an earthly political leader, Jesus wants genuine faith in His relationship to His followers -- not to convince by signs alone.  He manifests His identity, but not simply through open declarative proclamations.

Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.  The expression of Jesus' ministry is authority and power through the works He is given to do.   It is in this way He manifests His identity as Incarnate Christ.

We note in this beginning of Jesus' ministry that it is begun in the power of the Holy Spirit:  He was filled with the Holy Spirit when He returned from the Jordan (His Baptism) and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan regarding His ministry.  Then  He returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee (yesterday's reading, above).   Everything works through the holy power of God manifest through the work of Father, Son, and Spirit.  In reading through the Gospels, we should not separate the work of Father, Son, and Spirit together.  Christ says over and over again that those who have seen Him have seen the Father.  In John's Gospel, at the Last Supper, we understand His promise that if we abide in Him and follow His commands, He, the Father, and the Spirit (whom He calls the Helper) will dwell with us and make their home with us.  The Holy Spirit is always at work in the story of Jesus' ministry, preparing the way and helping to lead Him to the events that will make up this ministry.  In today's reading, Jesus' power and authority astonish the people.  The ministry unfolds to tell a story of what this Messiah is all about, to reveal God, and to reveal God in God's fullness as Trinity.  It is this story that we watch, and this unfolding in a particular way, that the Spirit helps to lead and to make manifest for us.  Even as Jesus' ministry is fulfilled through Father, Son, and Spirit, we should never minimize the importance of all three at work in our own lives.  We call on and pray to Christ, but where One is, so is the Trinity, as He has promised and taught to us. But the example of the specific unfolding of Jesus' ministry should let us understand the power that we have to call upon through prayer.  There are specific prayers to the Holy Spirit (for example, this prayer that begins all Eastern services), as we have the prayer given to us by Jesus to pray to Our Father (Matthew 6:9-13), and there are also short, simple prayers to Christ called the Jesus Prayer or Prayer of the Heart, to pray at any time, in concentration or while doing other tasks.  We see the specific way Jesus is called upon to develop His ministry and to reveal Himself as God to the world.  So should we follow His example, and always ask through prayer for how the journey of our own life is to be led and to unfold.

What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out

 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

- Luke 4:31-37

In yesterday's reading, we were told that after His temptation and forty days in the wilderness, Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.   And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  My study bible quotes St. Ambrose of Milan on this verse, who writes that Jesus begins preaching and healing on the Sabbaths to show that "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."

And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.   There are many things Jesus does that cause people to be astonished.  But the subject of His authority is an essential to note.  He is unlike the prophets of old and the teachers of His day.   My study bible explains that they would teach in the third person ("The Lord says").  But Jesus speaks from Himself; He teaches in the first person ("I say to you").  See also Matthew 5, the first part of the Sermon on the Mount.

 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.   Jesus commands the demon to be quiet, and come out of him.  Although He speaks with authority and His power is evident, Jesus isn't ready to reveal Himself as Christ, the Messiah.  It's not yet His time.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus read from Isaiah to the people of His hometown, Nazareth.  This lack of open proclamation of His identity was also foreseen by Isaiah (see Isaiah 42:1-4).   My study bible cites reasons for secrecy which include the growing hostility of the religious leadership, the people's misunderstanding and false expectations of the Messiah as an earthly and political leader, and Christ's desire for genuine faith not based wholly on persuasive or marvelous signs.  The demons know Him, and they know His power of judgment, but they do not willingly serve that power.  They, however, cannot resist His command.

Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.  Jesus expresses His authority and power in what He does, how He ministers.  His is not a ministry of open proclamation and worldly types of persuasion.  Faith must come from those who accept to understand what He does and what He teaches.

Jesus' temptations in the wilderness were all about temptations for worldly use of both His authority and His power.  Satan questioned Christ's relationship to the Father, and His identity as Son; the temptation was to prove it on worldly terms.  In these beginning passages of Jesus' ministry in Galilee, we see the temptations' roots in how His ministry is to be conducted.  He will not give earthly proofs of who He is, although His ministry will express many signs of the divine at work.  He will not declare Himself as a sort of worldly power, commanding armies and legions and using force or manipulation as persuasion.  His ministry is one that calls people to faith, and more.  He calls human beings to use their own capacities for spiritual sight and hearing.  In the unclean demon, we see an example of the spiritual without the true discipline of faith.  It is simply destructive -- and destructive to human beings.  Its work is parasitical, its energy and effect is haywire.  It teaches us that even the "spiritual" does not guarantee good effect, good direction, true healing for human beings, nor good intention and order.  The demon does not love God, nor understand God's love, but only fears destruction -- and therefore does not love human beings.   Ultimately, the real key to faith is love, what we love within ourselves, and the depth of loyalty that builds in terms of faith in the word and teachings of Christ.  In such we come to more deeply know God's love.  Jesus' power and authority come down to the appeal to those who love God, and therefore can know God, recognizing what is before them.  He will repeat this teaching over and over again to the authorities:  that had they known His Father, they would know Him.  So what is this word that is brought into the world by the Word Himself?  How do we really know love, and what is truly good for us?  What is contained in His love that the demon doesn't know?  How is it that we as human beings are capable of discerning this?  There are many reasons why His ministry will unfold as it does, for His way of calling out faith.  But above all, we can see the tie between faith and love.  Do we have ears to hear and eyes to see it?

With authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out

Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth! Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

- Luke 4:31-37

 In yesterday's reading, we learned that Jesus' ministry had grown quite successfully in Galilee; He was "glorified by all."  Then He went to His hometown of Nazareth.  As was His custom, He opened the scroll given to Him, which was the Book of Isaiah.  Jesus read:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  Jesus began to tell them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  All marveled at His gracious words and said, "Isn't this Joseph's son?"  He told them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in your country."  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country."  He began to teach how in the Old Testament Scriptures, in the events of Israel's history, many times it was Gentiles chosen for God's showing of grace.  By this He indicated that relationship alone isn't enough to guarantee the working of Spirit among them.  They were enraged at this, throwing Him out of the city, and trying to toss Him off the cliff upon which the city was built.  But passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath.  Capernaum, my study bible notes, "was a major city on the northern shore of the Lake of Galilee."  It will become Jesus' "headquarters" in His Galilean ministry.

And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.   In a sense, this is a repetition of events at the synagogue in Nazareth, with the difference being the response of those in attendance.  Jesus has an authority that isn't derived from "the glory" or praise of men, but from God, as Messiah or Anointed One.  He doesn't have worldly credentials for this authority, not having studied, for example, with a famous rabbi.   This is something new, and it is astonishing to the people.

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth! Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"   Here is something indeed showing another kind of authority, not of this world.  It's a kind of unmasking or revelation, a hint of what is going on behind the veil of what we know and see and hear with our five senses.  A demon speaks out in a person, who knows who Christ is.  It's a recognition that comes from somewhere else, where a spiritual battle has been going on.  My study bible notes that the plural we is from both the demon and the possessed man.

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.   It seems to me this is something to marvel at, for more reasons than we might usually understand.  Not only does Jesus command this unclean spirit to leave the man alone, rebuking the spirit for speaking out, but we have to note the difference between the treatment of this demon and the people in Nazareth.  Jesus is here to protect and save human beings from the oppressive rule of such demonic power; He commands the spirit and it has no choice but to obey.  But with human beings, God does not compel:  we are free to choose, as did the people of Nazareth in rejecting Jesus' teaching.  He is here to claim our world for the kingdom and for this work.  He invites us in to participate in His work claiming this world for the kingdom; but His authority is already clear over the demon.

Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.  The people note also this authority.  Who is He that He can do this?  How does His word have such power?

It's said that with every new understanding come more questions.  This is especially so when we speak of the mysteries of God and God's kingdom.  Here, we can ask another question from this scene.  Why does Jesus use His authority over the demons, and yet with human beings He "Lord's it over" no one?  It's a question that begs to be asked, one that has many indications and also opens up yet more questions.  One thing we can certainly see is a revelation of Jesus' authority:  that whether or not He is here in the world as a man without an army, or worldly authority or command, He's clearly in authority in this place of a spiritual kingdom.  And furthermore, yet another question opens itself up to us:  Why does the demon know who He is?  How does this unclean spirit know Jesus of Nazareth, and His identity as the "Holy One of God" and yet people don't know and understand that from their worldly point of view?  So, we have to seek those answers, and we come to know our faith more through the questions we must ask in response to God's revelation and manifestations of grace to us than anything else.  Everything Christ does invites us into a mystery, into His kingdom, as participants who can learn and grow, deriving from grace more questions, and more answers, and more ways of looking at God who is the absolute mystery.  But grace invites us in, and invites our questions.  Why does He compel no one to love Him, and yet rules over the demons?  Clearly our world is a place where there is a battle going on, one in which a lot of people fail to engage or take note; and yet, it is a battle for hearts and minds, a battle for our souls, something within us that we don't quite know or see all the time.  When we engage with our Creator in love, we seek to bridge that space of separation from one kingdom to another.  We pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  For God so loved the world, His Son comes into our lives, sharing every bit of it with us, going first to show us His Way.  Let us step into His Way, into the mystery to which He invites us on a lifelong journey, with our questions, and our hearts and minds open to His love.