Introduction
In Nazareth of Galilee, where he grew up, Jesus read the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue on the Sabbath and said that it had come true. Jesus declared that he was the anointed Messiah who would preach the gospel to the poor, free the captives of sin, and open their spiritual eyes to see God. However, the people of Nazareth could not accept that the son of an ordinary carpenter with whom they had grown up was the Messiah.
In addition, Jesus told the people of Nazareth, who rejected him, that prophets are not accepted in their hometown, and gave the example of the two prophets Elijah and Elisha from the Old Testament. He said that because the Israelites did not acknowledge and ignored the two prophets, they only performed miracles on Gentiles. When the people of Nazareth heard this, they became furious and took Jesus to the brow of the hill and tried to push him off to kill him, but Jesus showed his authority and walked through them and escaped from there.
Jesus tried to preach the gospel to the people in his hometown where he grew up, but was instead treated cruelly by them. Usually, once people experience something like that, they have no desire to go there again. However, through that incident, Jesus saw how deep the hearts of the Galileans were hurt and how inferior they were. Although they were Jews, they were poor and looked down upon by the Jews living in Judea. So, they could not hold back their anger when they heard anything that seemed to ignore or condemn them even slightly. The reason was because they had not experienced God's grace for a long time.
So Jesus did not leave the Galilee area but went to Capernaum. It may have been because God's love for sinners who did not know or understand the Word of God sent Jesus to this earth, and because of Jesus' character of pitying sinners made him think that he should somehow preach the gospel of life to them.
?
I. The authority of Jesus’ words (vv. 31-32)
Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach (v. 31). At that time, Jews were allowed to build synagogues if they had more than 10 people. The synagogue had a ruler and elders, but there was rarely a teacher present. So, they gave opportunities to those passing by who wanted to teach or preach. That is why Jesus came to teach on the Sabbath.
However, the people who were taught by Jesus were so amazed and shocked. This was because numerous teachers of the law and scribes passed by the synagogue and taught the Word, and they felt an amazing authority in Jesus' words that they could not feel at all (v. 32). Jesus' message had authority. It was not the same as the messages of the scribes at the time. The messages of the scribes at that time always had a certain framework, and when they taught, “At a certain time, a certain rabbi said.” While saying this, they quoted the words of rabbis more authoritative than themselves, but never expressed their own opinions. So their words had no authority.
But one day, a person who was just over 30 came and taught. Although the content was completely different, the style was completely different. As soon as this man sat down to teach in the synagogue, he began to speak his words: “I tell you,” “truly, truly, I say to you.” Jesus’ words had power and authority. Every scribe who has ever passed through a synagogue has sought authority for what he was teaching by quoting the words of a famous rabbi. “He said so.” But when Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you,” he placed authority in himself. So those who heard Jesus' teachings were greatly amazed. Dear saints, who is this person who places such authority on his words?
Jesus had already read Isaiah 61:1 in the synagogue in Nazareth and declared, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (vv. 16-21). Like other scribes, Jesus did not teach, “At a certain time, a certain rabbi interpreted these words this way.” Jesus said, “I am the one whom the prophet Isaiah prophesied.” The scribes could not say this. However, because Jesus was the Son of God, he could confidently say that he was the Messiah, and because Jesus was God, every word of Jesus had authority.
That wasn't all. Jesus always spoke only by quoting the Bible. Because the Bible is the word of God, it has authority in itself. Every Sunday, we can listen to sermons similar to those taught by the scribes, or we can listen to sermons that contain powerful teachings from Jesus. The problem at this time is not those of you sitting here, but the problem of the preacher. If a preacher only preaches stories about how the world goes on, moral lessons or ethical issues such as how we should live in this world and how to live the right life, he is no different from the scribes of old.
The sermons of the scribes did not provide the food of life that truly satisfied the souls of the Israelites at that time. Even today, if many preachers only talk about famous people and preach about life skills, moral lessons, and positive ways of thinking, their sermons will never quench the thirst of the soul. Because the only thing that can quench the thirst of the soul is God’s word of life. Please believe that there is power in the Word of God and that there is life in the Word of God.
A tribe in Africa became completely extinct. Anthropologists studied the question, ‘How could a species disappear like this?’ and discovered the reason. On the mountain behind the village where that tribe lived, there was mysterious soil that tasted good when eaten. So when they ran out of food, they dug up the soil in the mountain behind them and ate it, without even thinking about getting food. The soil is tasty but has no nutrients. They all died from malnutrition because they only ate soil.
There is so much knowledge and information in the world today. Many people listen to knowledge and information for their own benefit. However, worldly knowledge or information has no life. Science, philosophy, and computer knowledge cannot give people eternal life. The only food that gives eternal life is the word of Jesus, the word of God, and this Bible. Many preachers neglect the testimony of the Word from the pulpit by talking about life in the world and philosophy instead of the Word of God and the precious blood of Jesus. That is feeding people tasty soil and killing their souls. Therefore, if the preacher always preaches the Word of God and always focuses on the Word, the soul that listens to the Word will be revived. This is because the Word is God's powerful teaching and the Woer of life that is alive and working. Therefore, preachers must always preach only the Word of God.
But when the preacher only preaches the word, why do some people change and others do not? Look at Hebrews 4:2. “For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.” That is because those who receive the word do not believe. If a person does not believe when hearing the Word, the sermon will not be effective and will be of no use to that person. As Peter preached, those who opened their hearts and received it were cut to their hearts and said, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Then they repented, were baptized, and became children of God. However, when Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, spoke, the Jewish leaders closed their hearts and did not accept him, so they covered their ears, screamed, and rushed at him, picking up stones and hitting Stephen to death.
Therefore, in order for the listeners to receive grace when the preacher only preaches the word of God, they must open their hearts and receive it by saying ‘Amen’ in faith.
II. Jesus’ authority to cast out demons (vv. 33-35)
However, there was a man in the synagogue who was possessed by a demon, an evil spirit and cried out at the top of his voice in front of Jesus (v. 33). What I don't understand is why there is a demon-possessed person in the synagogue. It may not be surprising that a man possessed by an unclean spirit was in the synagogue. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” Likewise, a demon, an evil spirit masquerades himself as an angel of light and work secretly, hiding among people. The Judaism practiced in the synagogues at that time was far from the truth. So the demon, an evil spirit was able to enter the synagogue without hesitation and stay there without any disturbance.
However, things changed when Jesus, the Son of God, read and taught the Bible in the synagogue. Because the light of the Word shined, the forces of darkness could not handle it. It's like when you lift a big stone, the dirty bugs can't handle the light and get scared and run away. A demon, an evil spirit who love darkness retreats from the light. When the demon's identity was revealed, he had no choice but to tremble in fear and scream.
“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!” (v. 34). The fact that the demon said “us” shows that the demon had completely taken possession of the person. However, the unclean spirit knew exactly who Jesus Christ was. First, he called out, “Jesus of Nazareth,” which represents the humanity of Jesus Christ. There were many people with the name Jesus at that time. So, to distinguish him from other people with the same name, Jesus was called ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Moreover, the demon knew that Jesus was “the Holy One of God.” The expression ‘Holy One of God’ is used in the Old Testament to refer to the Messiah. Therefore, the demon confessed to Jesus, ‘You are the Holy Son of God, the sent Messiah.’ It is a confession of the humanity and divinity of Jesus. The demon knew exactly who Jesus was.
Furthermore, he knew that demons would be destroyed by Jesus. The unclean spirit knew that when the time came, it would be judged by Jesus and thrown into the eternal lake of fire. Of course, no one knows the day or time. Neither the angels in heaven nor the Son know, but only the Father knows. So, of course the demon does not know either. So the demon thought about whether that day and time had come, and trembled with fear and asked. We also do not know the day or the hour. Therefore, we must always live in preparation for that day and time. I pray that we all live without any regrets or contritions no matter when that day or time comes, and that when we stand before the Lord, we all receive praise from the Lord and receive a great and eternal reward.
The demon knew exactly that Jesus was not only the Messiah and Savior who came to this earth in the flesh to save people, but also the Lord of judgment. However, people cannot be saved simply by knowing God and Jesus. Demons know exactly who God is and who Jesus is, and they even believe in them. James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.” However, demons cannot be saved. This is because the faith that demons believe in is a faith that stops at the level of knowledge.
True faith, the faith that leads to salvation, must not stop at the level of knowledge, that is, intellectual faith. When Jesus came to Galilee and preached the gospel of God, he said, ‘Repent and believe the good news.’ (Mark 1:14-15). If you want to believe in Jesus and go to heaven, you must repent. Have you ever heard that demons repented? Demons never repent. Knowing that you did something wrong and repentance are two different things. If you know you have done something wrong, repentance is admitting your mistake with your mouth and not making the same mistake again in the future.
Not only did the demon know the power of Jesus, but he also recognized Jesus as the Son of God. But the demon was not saved. Among us, there may be people who know the power of Jesus and believe in Jesus as the Son of God, but are still not saved. Salvation means a life transformed by a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The demon knew exactly who Jesus was. But the demon was not saved. Rather, he received a rebuke from Jesus (v. 35). Jesus’ authority is clearly demonstrated here. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and commanded two things. The first command was ‘Be quiet.’ Jesus did not allow the unclean spirit to speak about Him. This is because demons are spirits of lies and are not qualified to speak about the things of God. The second command was ‘Come out of him.’ Jesus simply gave a command to drive out the demon. He did not recite any incantations, nor pray nor lay his hands on him. Jesus simply commanded the unclean spirit to ‘come out of him.’
When Jesus commanded with his words, heaven and earth and everything in them were created. Because Jesus’ words have authority. All creatures simply obey Jesus’ commands. At Jesus' command, the demon had no choice but to come out of the man's body. The demon may not have wanted to come out, but he had no choice but to come out because Jesus, God, commanded him. However, because the nature of the demon is unclean and evil, the demon tormented the person until the end. The demon threw the man down before the crowd. But it did injure the man.
III. Reaction of people in the synagogue (vv. 36-37)
The people in the synagogue were amazed again. They were once amazed by Jesus' authoritative teachings, and were even more amazed when they saw his power and authority to throw out evil spirits (v. 36). At the same time, they only kept whispering to each other, saying, ‘What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out.’ They did not truly understand who Jesus was. When the demon saw Jesus, the Holy One of God, and thought that the time had come for his destruction, he was frightened and cried out at the top of his voice, but the people in the synagogue were only amazed to see Jesus casting out evil spirits with authority and power.
We realize one important thing here. The Pharisees kept asking Jesus to show them signs or miracles as the Messiah. Then they said they would believe him. But signs and miracles do not create faith. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17). Friends, do you want your faith to grow? Please open the Word of God, read it, and meditate on it. Then your faith will grow.
Because of this, the news about Jesus spread througout the surrounding area near Capernaum (v. 37). The news about Jesus would have been that his teachings had authority and that his words had authority and power to drive out even unclean spirits. This news about Jesus would have had no choice but to immediately spread everywhere.
Conclusion
We must also spread only good news about Jesus Christ. Only then will non-believers come to believe in Jesus. In order to spread good news about Jesus, our attitude toward spreading the news about Jesus is important. We must first show those around us the attitude of a believer in Jesus Christ. We should not get irritated or angry when we encounter difficult or hard things. Of course we will be upset. In such cases, we must show those around us that we can persevere and overcome with faith. We must always be filled with the joy that the Lord gives us. We must become love-filled and happy people by believing in Jesus Christ.
A person full of joy who spreads good news about Jesus, and through a happy person, good news will also spread about the church that person attends. Then, evangelism and revival will naturally occur. I pray that we all live proudly and exalt only Jesus.
