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Scripture: Luke 4:31-37
31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 "Ah! 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." 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." 37 And reports of him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
Meditation: When you listen to the word of God in Scripture how do you respond to it? Do you hear it with indifference, selective submission, or with the full assent of faith and obedience? When Jesus taught he spoke with authority. He spoke the word of God as no one had spoken it before. When the Rabbis taught they supported their statements with quotes from other authorities. The prophets spoke with delegated authority - Thus says the Lord. When Jesus spoke he needed no authorities to back his statements. He was authority incarnate - the Word of God made flesh. When he spoke, God spoke. When he commanded even the demons obeyed.
God's Word is alive and active
Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD), in his commentary on this
passage from the Gospel of Luke, tells us that Jesus had all power
and authority to heal every sickness and expel every demonic power
because he was the living and active Word of God the Father
(John 1:14 and Hebrews 4:12):
The bystanders, witnesses of such great deeds, were astonished at the power of his word. He performed his miracles, without offering up a prayer, asking no one else at all for the power to accomplish them. Since he is the living and active Word of God the Father, by whom all things exist, and in whom all things are, in his own person he crushed Satan and closed the profane mouth of impure demons. [Commentary on Luke, Homily 12].God's Word has power to set us free
"Lord Jesus, you have the words of everlasting life. May I never doubt your saving love and mercy, and the power of your word to bring healing, restoration, and freedom from every sin and oppression."
Psalm 27:1,4,13-14
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear? The LORD is the
stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that
will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold
the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in
his temple.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let
your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD!
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: New creation begins on the Sabbath, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"He describes the works of divine healing begun on the sabbath
day, to show from the outset that the new creation began where the
old creation ceased. He showed us that the Son of God is not under
the law but above the law, and that the law will not be destroyed
but fulfilled (Matthew 5:17). For the world was not made through
the law but by the Word, as we read: 'By the Word of the Lord were
the heavens established' (Psalm 33:6). Thus the law is not
destroyed but fulfilled, so that the renewal of humankind, already
in error, may occur. The apostle too says, 'Stripping yourselves
of the old man, put on the new, who was created according to
Christ' (Colossians 3:9-10, Ephesians 4:22,24). He fittingly began
on the sabbath, that he may show himself as Creator. He completed
the work that he had already begun by weaving together works with
works. (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
4.58)
Scripture quotations from Common Bible:
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright
1973, and Ignatius Edition of the Revised Standard
Version of the Bible, copyright 2006, by the
Division of Christian Education of the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the United
States of America. Used by permission. All rights
reserved. Citation references for quotes from
the writings of the early church fathers can be
found here.
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The Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations is in need of on-going development to expand resources and to reach people around the world. If you would like to contribute, you can make an online donation. |