Authority and Power – January 30, 2022

Isaiah 40:27-31, Luke 4:31-44
January 30, 2022

Last week Harold spoke to you about what happened at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.  Do you remember?  He was in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, and he was reading the scripture and teaching the people.

And if you remember, that didn’t go so well!  Oh, it started out ok.  It began with Luke saying that “All spoke well of him.”  It was, “Hometown boy does good!”  But, before long, he says, “When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath!”  What Jesus told them about himself was too much for them!  “And they rose and put him out of the city, and they led him to the brow of the hill, that they might throw him down!”

So, his words were true, when he said, “no prophet is acceptable in his own county.”  And he spoke to them as a prophet that day.  And a prophet’s message was often a harsh one.  And that day his message was that some would see who he truly was, and others would refuse to see!  They would miss out!  And the way he said it, they not pleased!

So, Jesus left there and in verse 31 we’re told that he went to the city of Capernaum.  And I’ve talked about Capernaum before.  During his ministry, it became his “adopted hometown,” if you will, his “base of operations.”  And in the course of his ministry, he would return there often.

So, in todays’ passage, Jesus is in Capernaum, and he has his second “preaching gig.”  And this one went much better.  We’re told that the people were “astonished at his teaching.  For he taught them with authority!”  That’s one of our words for today, “authority.”  And then, as this story unfolds, we see a different kind of authority, the authority he had in the spiritual realm.  And then after that, we would see a different kind of power, one that was greater than just the power of his words.  We would see his healing power.

And that’s how Jesus began his ministry.  He began with demonstrations of his authority and power!  In the first part of our passage, he casts out this demon.  And right away we see his authority over the spiritual realm.  And we know it from this demon possessed man.  Jesus is speaking and this man cries out with a loud voice, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are, the holy one of God!  The demons always knew who Jesus was.  It even says that in the last part of this story.

Think about his scene.  Jesus is speaking, this man suddenly shouts these things at him!  It must have been shocking!  I don’t know what I would do if it happened to me!  (And don’t get any ideas!)  Well, Jesus knows what to do.  He says to the man, “Be silent and come out of him.”  That’s it!  And at his word, it happens!  The demon throws the man down and leaves him!  And the people watching – who must have been in shock, say, “What is this?  With authority and power, he commands the unclean spirits!”

They saw that Jesus had authority over the spiritual realm.  And he still does!  And we’re told that the people left the synagogue that day and told everyone what had happened.  Luke says, “the word spread about him all around that region.”  And what were they saying?  Was it that he spoke well?  Was it that he was a great teacher?  No, they told people about what he did!  They told people about his authority and power.  That’s how it began.  And now they were about to see power of a different kind.

The next thing that happens takes place at Peter’s house.  Jesus is there, and we’re told that Peter’s mother-in-law was sick.  And Luke says, “Jesus stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.”  And the people went out and spread the word about that!   And by the end of the day, they came to him from all around the region, bringing all of their sick and demon possessed.  And they all crowded around Peter’s house.  And there Jesus performed what I like to call “a mass healing.”  Once again, he showed his authority, and his power, this time it was power over disease.

The result of this is that Jesus’ popularity – his fame – grew huge!  I love this ending.  Luke tells us that he tried to go to “a lonely place.”  He tried to seek some solitude.  But he couldn’t.  They sought him out.  They went and found him!  And that would be the way of it. As I’ve said before, the Gospels tell us that it got to the point where the crowds grew so great, that Jesus was barely able to have a decent meal together with his disciples.  And this story today was the beginning of that.  it was the beginning of what I’ve often called, “Jesus, the Rock Star!”

And in all this, what I want you to see today, is that, right from the start, we see Jesus’ authority and power!  His fame wasn’t about him being a great speaker and teacher, and then later on, he began to do miracles and wonders.  Some “so-called” miracle workers have done that over the years.  No!  Right from the start, Jesus shows his authority and power.  And that is why his popularity and fame spread!  And it started right here in Capernaum.

And that’s what I want us to remember today.  This Jesus we follow is not just a great teacher.  He’s not just one who said a lot of great things.  And of course he was, and he did!  But more than that, he is one with Authority and Power.  And, as we would see, he is God and Savior.

It’s too easy to forget that, isn’t it?  And the world would have us forget that!  Too many in the world want to dismiss the stories of Jesus’ power.  They would rather choose not to see.  They would rather be angry.  They would rather cast him out of the city, like they did in Nazareth.

What we need to know today is that Jesus has authority and power.  He has the authority over our “demons.”  He has the power over our diseases and weaknesses.  And of course, he is our Savior, as he was destined to be!  And we have these stories to remind us of that!  Because it is too easy to forget, isn’t it?  It’s too easy to go through life thinking that our “demons” are too strong, that our weaknesses are too great.  It’s too easy to give in to the temptation to think that Jesus was just a guy who said a lot of great things!  And there are too many people who would have us believe only that.

But Jesus was so much more than that!  And through him, we can know of God’s great power.  Because again, that’s too easy to forget.  We think of God as one who guides us and comforts us, but too often we don’t think of him as having all that much power.

These stories of Jesus remind us of that.  And I’m glad they do!  We read about what happened then so we can know of what can still happen now.  We read these stories to be assured that if we seek to know God better, we will know better his authority and power in our lives.  We will know his authority over the demons that threaten to possess us, and his power in our times of weakness and despair.

In the end, Jesus rebuked the demons, because they knew that he was the Christ!  Let us be sure that we do, too!

Prayer

Eternal God, we thank you that you have come to be among us, and to show us your power.  Help us to know that you are still among us today, and that your power is available to us.  Help us seek you with all our hearts.  Help us, as we strive to know you better, and to follow more closely Jesus, our Lord and our Savior and our friend.  For this we pray in his name, Amen.