JESUS HEALS A MAN WITH AN UNCLEAN DEMON + JESUS CLEANSES A LEAPER

Reading from Luke Ch. 4 vs 31-37 and Luke Ch. 5 vs 12-16

I tend to admire the way of Jesus, like how he carried himself and the way he went about things. He was very humble for the things he was doing. I also like to look closely at those he encountered and what they were like and this time around I see humility again. I’ll begin with the former, Jesus being in Capernaum and teaching on the Sabbath as he usually did. I like that he was known for that, but what stands out to me is the people noticing the difference between him and other speakers. This was the synagogue and there were different religious teachers who would minister or teach there but when they listened to Jesus he was different. He stood out because his words possessed authority, I think about this and the first thing that comes to my mind is truth.

Jesus was teaching the truth of God and we all know when you have truth you bring it out with a certain kind of confidence because you understand its strength. Not to say that the other teachers didn’t teach truth, it was just that with Jesus it was the authority with which he spoke about things. Christ was very sure of the things he taught, he had confidence in its source and power and in himself and why he was doing what he did and teaching what he taught. It’s interesting the kind of force/energy or flow one can have in the spirit when they trust in God and what he has called them to do, it’s like you surrender and he just uses you in a way you didn’t think possible of yourself and Jesus understood this and he spoke like it. It so happened that there was a man with a demon in the synagogue that he was teaching at and the demon begun to speak. It said for Jesus to leave them alone and asked what he wants to do with them, it said his name and asked if Jesus wanted to destroy them and how it knew who he was and mentioned that he is the holy one of God. When I looked at this I thought of the context and how already people were quite attentive to what Jesus was saying and now this demon speaks from the man, it was probably tense and scary.

I see how even if you may not be aware of yourself or your capabilities and just everything to do with you, the enemy and his followers know. They know who you are and understand the power you possess and what God thinks or says about you and in a weird way that puts me on edge. We are basically being fought by a thing that knows things about us that we haven’t yet discovered which means whatever he thinks is a threat to his kingdom that is in you he will fight to destroy or suppress. We do not fight against flesh and blood and there’s things about this world that we do not understand or might never know and so we really need to pray, read the word and rely on God. He knows all things and it is only him and by his power that we stand a chance or can even be protected. Jesus rebukes the demon and tells it to be silent and to leave the man and it goes out and does not harm the man. At this particular point in time Jesus was careful about revealing his identity, he’d heal and tell people to say nothing, it was the beginning of his ministry and not the time for people to know who he really was and it was not how he was trying to get to the people.

Jesus I believe wanted people to hear the good news, to learn about God and the truth of how he really was. He wanted people to really understand at least to some extent how everything really was, I appreciate that he wasn’t trying to gain some influence by who he really was or like his name/title. Most people today if they knew they had power or were the literal son of God would not be humble about it. They’d use it to gain followers and influence and most likely want to rule and such but Jesus wasn’t like that. He wanted us to understand and accept the truth, not just because he was who he was but because it was truth and something that was and is of benefit to our lives now, eternity and our relationship with God. I’m not saying who he was didn’t matter, later on he would reveal it and it would be a turning point for some, he was the promised messiah and that was a big thing for the Jews but I think it was a situation where you let your work speak for you. Let people not just follow cause they know who you ae but let them see the proof in the work, like how they were already seeing the authority in the way he spoke and taught.

Now, this demon yes knew who he was but it was not the right time for this to come out, just like with us, it’s not that God doesn’t have a plan for you or that he doesn’t see your work and efforts. There’s preparation and moulding seasons, there’s a right time for things to happen and we know of this from the whole story of Christ. So don’t be so eager, what you think is best right now might ruin you and so it’s better to be patient and wait on Gods time. The people did notice what had just happened, there wasn’t some extravagant exorcism or fight or anything, just Jesus speaking with his authority and power and commanding the demon to leave the man and they were amazed. It’s so cool to think about how simple and powerful our Jesus is, no complications just a sure word that carried all the spiritual power and authority to complete the action. It was very different from what they were used to and it surprised them and the word about him spread to the surrounding places. See it wasn’t him being the son of God but rather what he could do and the power of his words, that’s how his ministry grew, people heard of what he was able to do and they responded to that. Don’t fight for the name, do your work diligently and faithfully and things will grow and get better with time.

Now our second passage has Jesus in one of the cities, the word about what he could do spread and now people were coming to him for various things or help.  A man full of leprosy went to Jesus and he fell on his face and begged Jesus saying, “if you will, you can make me clean”. Lepers needed to be secluded or isolated from everyone and yet he didn’t ask for help like everyone. His words moved me because I saw a different kind of heart posture, I know it’s always said that it is good to ask and seek of God but here I see surrender to what God wants to do. Yes he is still begging but it’s with a different stance, it’s like he is saying to Jesus you see me and the situation I’m in and you have all the power to change this situation and I leave it to you to decide, but here I am bringing myself before you. I think of how we sometimes forget that we worship a God who is all seeing and all knowing, even before you pray or ask he already knows it, he knows what you need and what will truly help you. It makes me think of the sovereignty of God, how he can instantly change any situation or thing but he doesn’t, and sometimes I wonder why. I do understand that it’s not from some hateful or malicious stance but like him being all knowing and letting his will play out for it involves the very best for you happening even though it’s not in the way you think or at the time you want.

I’ve gone beyond the point, but it’s the surrendering posture, where you leave it/things to God to respond how he knows best. Sometimes we should leave ourselves to be at his mercy and not our own plans, you might find yourself better off. Jesus did respond, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said, “I will; be clean” and the leprosy left him. Once again easy actions but great impact, Jesus decided to do it, I know in all the other situations he did decide to heal but this one has his clear response, he agreed to do it for him. God can heal and help us, we should ask but sometimes present the issue and just have him work it out how he wants to, you’d be surprised that there’s better solutions than just the straightforward answer or path you want, more can be brought out of our situations than we can imagine. Jesus did tell him not to tell anyone about it but to go show himself to the priest and make an offering for the cleansing he received as commanded in the Law of Moses for proof. I appreciate this because yes Jesus came and fulfilled the law but he doesn’t make it irrelevant, there’s still lots to learn and follow in it without focusing on it really being a highlight to our sinfulness.

So let’s read the word and learn about it entirely not dismissing what was said before. We see Jesus still making sure to not have word about him spread but it still did and even more widely and crowds gathered to hear and get healed by him. Lots of good came from the things he preached and the people he healed, there was hope around and people knew when they went to him the impossible or hard things could be healed or solved. We should be the same, these are testimonies of Gods power and what he can do, he does see our hurts and if we can bring things before him he will touch and heal us not always how we want but always how we need. We should hold on to hope and trust in God for all that involves us and for everything we need and desire. You are loved by Jesus!