Luke 4:31-44 (Epiphany 4C)
St. John, Galveston 2/2/25
Rev. Alan Taylor

+ In Nomine Jesu +

Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

    In this morning’s Gospel reading there are three different sections. In the first section, Jesus cast out a demon from a man in the Synagogue in Capernaum. In the second, He healed the mother-in-law of Simon Peter, who was suffering from a high fever. And then, in the last section, people were bringing Him all of their family and friends who were sick with various diseases, and He healed all of them.

    All of these events took place early in Jesus’ ministry, as do many of the events we read about during the season of Epiphany. In that sense, Epiphany serves as an introduction to Jesus, the Light who has come into the world. As such, the readings, during this season of the year, give us a glimpse into a day in the life of Jesus. The miraculous things that He did in this morning’s reading certainly stand out, as do any of His miracles, but there are at least two common themes that run through this section of Scripture that I’d like to reflect on for a bit this morning.

    The first thing that is evident in the passage is that the people were astonished by Jesus’ authority. In fact, in the first part of the reading, even before Jesus cast the demon out of the man in the Synagogue, Luke tells us that, “(the people) were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.” And then, a bit later, after He cast out the demon and worked the other miracles, Luke says, “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.”

    Again, in the first instance, the people were astonished by Jesus authority simply as He taught in the Synagogue. I would say that their astonishment, in itself, is pretty significant, especially since it didn’t come anything miraculous. It takes a lot, I should think, for any of us be astonished. To be astonished means to be surprised, or impressed, even amazed. I guess, of late, when I’ve been astonished with something, it usually has to do with our two grandsons, Luke or Caden. Luke is really into all things engineering and robotics, and Caden pretty much lives and breathes baseball. They each have their interests, and the things they’ve accomplished, at least, in my unbiased opinion, are pretty astonishing. How about you? Can you think of a time when you were truly astonished with something? Unfortunately, in our day and time, our astonishment is often with something that accentuates the sin into which we have fallen, a mass shooting, or some other troubling event.

    In the case of this morning’s reading, I think we would do well to ask what it was about Jesus words, His teaching, that caused the people to react as they did? Certainly, many others, who had taught in the Synagogue, did so with authority, wouldn’t you think? If there is no authority behind what someone teaches and says, then their teaching could only be heard and received as mere opinion. The rabbis taught with authority. But their authority didn’t come from themselves. Rather, it came from another source. We could say then that their authority was derived from another. Rabbi Hillel, for instance, might have said, “well, this is what Rabbi Shamai taught,” or vice a versa. And so, to be viewed as one who taught with authority, the Rabbis relied on the wisdom and the insight of someone else, be it God, or another Rabbi.

    Jesus’ authority though was not derived from another. His authority came from Himself. He was and is the very wisdom and insight of which He preached and taught. This point, I think, goes to the certainty, the reliability of Jesus’ teaching. Though we often doubt His word and His promises, there is nothing in Him that should cause us to doubt. What He says is as certain as if it were already done. Your sins are forgiven. It is done! Death and the grave have been defeated. It is done! “I have come that they may have life and that they may have to the fullest.” It is done! You. have been reconciled to God and with you He is well pleased. It is done!

    You see, there is nothing uncertain about what Jesus says or promises. After all, God is incapable of lying. And, in Him there is no shifting or shadow, there is no wavering. In fact, in God there is no change for, as the Scriptures say, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Jesus taught with authority and His teaching astonished the people because it was certain, it was absolute, even worthy of praise.  

    This then, brings us to the second theme that runs through this passage in Luke 4, and throughout the Bible for that matter. After Jesus worked the three miracles, the people asked, “What is this word?” “For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”

    “What is this word?” God’s word is different from any other word, isn’t it? That is true in many respects, but this morning, our attention is drawn to one unique aspect of God’s word, namely it’s power. As St. Paul wrote in Romans 1, “the Gospel is the power of God (the dunamis in Greek, the dynamite of God), unto salvation.” The power of God’s word is demonstrated throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation.

    In the nothingness of the uncreated world, God said, “let there be light, and there was light.” Amazing! Astonishing! On the Sea of Galilee, in a boat with a bunch of frightened disciples, Jesus said to the wind and waves, “hush, be still,” and the wind and waves bowed to His greater authority. And then, tucked away in John’s Gospel is this little gem, the shows us, perhaps better than any other, the power of God’s word. “Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” Even the soldiers and other officials, couldn’t stand in the presence of the great “I am,” Yahweh, God in human flesh.

    God’s word though, is not for the baptized, a source of fear, but of great comfort and peace, in part, because it is a word of power. A number of years ago, I preached a sermon at the Lutheran Church in Medan, Indonesia. Of course, while I wish I could have, I didn’t preach in their native language, rather, I preached through an interpreter. I told the a story about the power of God’s word. I told them this particular story because it involved Indonesia, their native land. It happened in the early 1980’s. I had been to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, on an audit trip with the oil company I worked for. Since I was going to be there for a month, Dawn gave me a New Testament to take with me. This one, in fact. She knew we’d be staying in a compound, albeit a Hilton compound, meaning there wouldn’t be much for us to do with our free time. Anyway, over the course of my stay there, I read the New Testament. By my assessment at the time, some of it was enlightening, some of it was troublesome, and some of it was down right disturbing. Frankly, if it depended on me, to believe it, to cling to it and to trust it, I can confidently say, it would have never happened. But, God’s word is His power unto salvation. In my case, it wasn’t but a few years after that trip to Indonesia, I found myself in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, trying to learn Greek, so I could become a Pastor in the Church.       

    “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” Folks, God has brought you where you are today by power of His word. It is absolutely “a lamp to your feet and a light unto your path.” The Holy Spirit, working through the power of God’s word is what brought you to faith in Jesus and will hold you there until the day of Jesus’ triumphant return.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +