Luke 4:31-37
Lesson Focus As we participate in God’s mission in the world, we are called to love those who perpetrate acts of evil.
Lesson Outcomes Through this lesson, students should:
Understand that Jesus is doing the things he said he would do in his hometown sermon.
Be encouraged to find ways to participate in Jesus’ mission in the world.
Be encouraged to love those who do acts of evil.
Catching Up on the Story Jesus’ ministry has begun in earnest. In this chapter alone, we have witnessed Jesus come face to face with the devil in the wilderness. In that episode, the devil offers Jesus many things that Jesus could use to serve his own desires, wants, and needs. Jesus fails to give into any of the devil’s temptations, proclaiming his trust in and fidelity to the Kingdom that he’s beginning.
Next, Luke tells us that Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth in Galilee. It is evident that Jesus is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit as he teaches in the synagogues. Word begins to spread all around the countryside about this hometown boy who’s becoming something special.
The goodwill doesn’t last very long. Jesus’ teaching in the synagogue ruffles some feathers. On one particular occasion, when he was at his home synagogue, he read from the Isaiah scroll, Isaiah 61 to be specific. After reading the passage, he sits down and proclaims that the Scripture is fulfilled in their hearing! Isaiah 61, having messianic overtones, causes people to stop and think. The conclusion the crowd reaches is not good, and they drive Jesus out of town and try to throw him off a cliff!
An Unclean Spirit Escaping his hometown crowd, Jesus travels from Nazareth to Capernaum. Down is an accurate descriptor because there is a more than 1,500 feet drop in elevation from Nazareth to Capernaum.
Undaunted by his previous experience in his hometown, Jesus continues his teaching and preaching tour. Jesus makes his way to the synagogues in the area. Word about his teaching spreads far and wide. Luke tells us that Jesus’ fame grows because “he spoke with authority.” The Jews of Jesus’ day were accustomed to religious leaders speaking, but not with the same kind of authenticity that Jesus did. The authority with which Jesus speaks will now be combined with a significant show of power.
On one Sabbath, while Jesus was at the synagogue, a man possessed by an unclean demon was present. No doubt you have just formed a mental picture of what a demon-possessed man must look like. It is entirely possible that the image in your mind has been profoundly shaped by Hollywood’s depictions of the demonic. I am not so sure that these images are helpful, or accurate for that matter!
In my mind, I imagine an average-looking man of the day nervously fidgeting during the goings-on of the service. He’s waiting for the right moment to make his presence known, not to the congregation, but to Jesus. In the middle of everything, the man cries out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! 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.”
As far as confessions go, this one is pretty accurate. Let’s break down the man’s statement. First, the man issues a command and then quickly a question. The demon-possessed man knows that Jesus is the enemy, the one against this demon and his friends are working. Or, maybe the demon is content with his little local kingdom and wants to be left alone. Either way, the demon knows that Jesus has come to shake things up. The question the demon puts to Jesus digs a little deeper into Jesus’ intention. The demon knows Jesus will shake things up, but to what extent he does not know.
I find it interesting that the demon’s intuition about what Jesus will do to it is wrong. At the end of the story, Jesus does not destroy the demon. There’s nothing to suppose that Jesus does not have the power or authority to do so. It makes me wonder, perhaps Jesus’ mission in the world and the Kingdom Jesus is bringing has a place for even demons. Is Jesus hoping that someday, even those forces of spiritual evil in the world will be wooed back to God? Is Jesus’ hope for creation so big and so grand that not even the evilest being is beyond God’s redemption?
After the question, the demon confesses to knowing precisely who Jesus is, “the Holy One of God.” In effect, the demon is using Jesus’ name. In the ancient world, to know a demon or god’s name was to have power over that being. If you could invoke the name of a god, you could bid that god do your will. Perhaps the demon hopes that by confessing his knowledge of who Jesus is, he would have a bit of power over Jesus and be allowed to continue unhindered?
It does not work. Jesus has heard enough and proceeds to rebuke the demon, “Be silent, and come out of him!” Why would Jesus tell the demon to be quiet? Does he not want his true nature exposed? Or is it that Jesus does not want the masses to hear it from the likes of a demon? Maybe Jesus wants to put down any notion that knowing who Jesus is gives anyone power over what Jesus will do?
Regardless of Jesus’ motives, we hear no more from the demon. Jesus’ second command was for the demon to come out of the man. This, too, is obeyed. The demon throws the man on the ground but does not harm the man as he leaves his host. Luke does not tell us what becomes of the demon. We are only left to wonder as to the demon’s fate.
What an exchange this must have been to witness! What would your reaction be if you were present that day? I can imagine the tension in the room as the exchange took place; dead silence accompanied by mouth’s agape and eyes wide open. Did the congregation wonder how things would end? Did they know the man had a demon in the first place? What does the man do after he is freed from the demon?
Luke tells us that a general sense of amazement pervaded the place. People wondered what kind of words and utterances it was that Jesus spoke? A simple command issued by others would not have produced the same result. Clearly, this man named Jesus has the power to exorcise demons and the authority to do so. Not only is Jesus a powerful and authentic teacher, but he can also back up his claims!
So What? Luke’s placement of this story right after his hometown sermon is telling. It is evident that Luke wants us to understand that Jesus is doing the very same things he said he could do. Indeed, the Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus, and he is bringing release to those who are captive. Jesus is letting the oppressed go free.
I’m stuck, however, on the fate of the demon. Yes, we should proclaim the good news about what Jesus has done. We should understand that our call as disciples of Jesus is to participate with Jesus in his mission of release to the captive and working toward the freedom and flourishing of the oppressed. At the same time, I think this passage wants us to consider the fate of those actively working against God’s purposes in the world.
What are God’s desires for those who perpetrate the worst kind of evil? What does God want to happen to those who actively seek to captivate people in cycles of poverty, addiction, and abuse? As we are called to work toward the coming of God’s Kingdom in the world, how are we to treat the evil ones in our midst?
The demon wants to know if Jesus is there to destroy him and his colleagues. The answer to that question is no. While I can’t say for sure that Jesus cast out that demon in hopes that the demon would return to right relationship with God, the rest of the gospel story makes me believe that Jesus has the demon’s best interest in mind. If God’s Kingdom is about love and grace, mercy and forgiveness, if God’s Kingdom is about the restoration and redemption of all things, then that means that even those who do the evilest things should not be destroyed. In our dealings with evil, we should work for the redemption of those who perpetrate evil.
Specific Discussion Questions Read the text aloud. Then, read the text to yourself quietly. Read it slowly, as if you were very unfamiliar with the story.
Define both power and authority. How are they similar? Can you have power without authority? Can you have authority without power? Justify your answer.
Luke tells us that the people around Capernaum were astounded by Jesus’ teaching because he spoke with authority. What do you think it was about Jesus’ speaking and teaching that caused the people to think that way?
In verse 33, we are told that in the synagogue where Jesus was, there was also a man with an unclean demon who began to cry out at Jesus. Put yourself in the synagogue that day. Imagine how you and the people around you would have reacted. What would you have done if you were there that day?
What do you make of the demon’s question about what Jesus is going to do to him and other demons? How do you think the demon knew who Jesus was? Do you think the demon was scared that Jesus would destroy him? Why?
By calling Jesus by his name and by proclaiming Jesus the “Holy One of God,” the demon may have been trying to assert his power over Jesus. It was believed that knowing the name of a god or demon in the ancient world allowed you to have some control over that being. What do you think the demon hoped to accomplish by naming Jesus?
Jesus’ response is swift, commanding the demon to be silent and to leave the man he possessed. Why do you think Jesus wanted the demon to be quiet?
Where did the demon go after he was cast out of the man?
It’s obvious that Jesus did not destroy the demon. Why do you think Jesus did not destroy the demon? Did Jesus not have the power or authority to do so?
What do you think are God’s intentions for the spiritual forces of evil in the world?
Jesus is literally doing what he said he would do in his hometown sermon in the passage directly before this story. Go back and look at Luke 4:16-19. Of the things listed there, what category of thing has Jesus just done?
Jesus calls us to participate in his mission in the world. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to work toward the freeing of those who are oppressed and captive to all manner of things. What are some of the ways we might do those things in our local area?
Does this story inform how we should treat those who perpetrate the worst kinds of evil? If so, how? If not, why?