Thursday, March 1, 2007

Luke 4:31-44 (The Message)
31-32He went down to Capernaum, a village in Galilee. He was teaching the people on the Sabbath. They were surprised and impressed—his teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to.
33-34In the meeting place that day there was a man demonically disturbed. He screamed, "Ho! What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you're up to. You're the Holy One of God and you've come to destroy us!"
35Jesus shut him up: "Quiet! Get out of him!" The demonic spirit threw the man down in front of them all and left. The demon didn't hurt him.
36-37That set everyone back on their heels, whispering and wondering, "What's going on here? Someone whose words make things happen? Someone who orders demonic spirits to get out and they go?" Jesus was the talk of the town.
He Healed Them All
38-39He left the meeting place and went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was running a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. He stood over her, told the fever to leave—and it left. Before they knew it, she was up getting dinner for them.
40-41When the sun went down, everyone who had anyone sick with some ailment or other brought them to him. One by one he placed his hands on them and healed them. Demons left in droves, screaming, "Son of God! You're the Son of God!" But he shut them up, refusing to let them speak because they knew too much, knew him to be the Messiah.
42-44He left the next day for open country. But the crowds went looking and, when they found him, clung to him so he couldn't go on. He told them, "Don't you realize that there are yet other villages where I have to tell the Message of God's kingdom, that this is the work God sent me to do?" Meanwhile he continued preaching in the meeting places of Galilee.

We read in Luke 4: 14-30 where Jesus proclaimed he had come to “preach the Message of good news to the poor…announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free…” Now, we see that in action. Jesus sets a man free from demon possession, he heals Simon’s mother-in-law and other people with all sorts of sicknesses. Jesus had power over demons and disease.

The people liked Jesus because he taught with confidence and authority and because he was able to heal people. They did not want him to leave. When they tried to hold him back, Jesus told them he could not stay but that he must go and proclaim God’s Message in other towns as well.

Do you believe Jesus still has power today?

Have you or anyone you know ever been miraculously healed? Do you believe that could happen? Will you ask for healing?

Are you or anyone you know held captive by some sort of demon? It may not be an actual supernatural being, but it could be a demon of addiction or a bad behavior. Do you believe that Jesus can set you free from whatever binds you? Will you ask him to?

Powerful God, we read in your word about Jesus and how he could send away demons and send away sickness and disease. Help us believe what we read. Help us believe that what was true in the Bible times is still true today: that Jesus can protect us from evil and heal our bodies. We know Jesus works in line with your will, and that we do not always understand it, but help us to have faith in him and in his power to work for our good, for Your good. Thank you for loving us and for sending Jesus to set us free