Jesus' Words Possess Authority

Luke 4:31-44 In 1938 Neville Chamberlain returned to Great Britain after meeting with Hitler and promised “peace in our time”—less than a year later Hitler invaded Poland.  In 1957 Communist leader Nikita Khruschev promised the West:  “We will bury you”—a generation later the Berlin Wall came down.  In 1991 Saddam Hussein promised the U.S. and her allies the mother of all battles—100 hours later the fighting was over.  The words of the world’s most powerful men don’t always amount to much.

How different the words of our Lord!  Jesus spoke with authority—and the people were astonished.  But not only were they astonished—things were dramatically changed for the better in their lives by his words:  evil was conquered—the sick were healed—and a kingdom was established as people came in faith to Jesus.  The Bible says that:

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.

            When Jewish rabbis of that day taught their followers they followed a long-standing practice of arguing and teaching from various scholars of the past and schools of rabbinic thought and so there was constant conflict between differing voices of authority—all demanding to be heard as the truth. 

But when Jesus arrived on the scene he quoted no other authority proof of his words—he simply said:  my word is truth.  In fact, he said that he was the correct interpreter of everyone who had had spoken before—even Moses and the prophets.

So it still is today.  Jesus will not allow himself to simply be one voice among many—each with their own particular perspective—but no absolute claim on the truth.  Jesus rejected that idea then and he rejects it now. 

To honestly engage Jesus for he said he was and who he showed himself to be, it is necessary to take seriously the authoritative way that he spoke—identifying his own words—as the Truth.  When we listen to Jesus we can be confident we know the truth:  about salvation and marriage and hell and everything else he taught.

Now, we all know that often times words are cheap—even words spoken with conviction and authority.  But Jesus is different for he speaks not only with authority but with power greater than the forces of hell.  The Bible says that:

In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! 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.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.

            Many thousands of years before this scene God had promised this very thing—that One born of a woman would enter into the world to crush Satan and undo the effects of evil upon the world.  During those millennia between promise and fulfillment, it certainly seemed as Satan had the upper hand. 

But in this first encounter with the satanic angels, Jesus showed himself to be the victor to whom evil must yield.  There were no theatrics like we see in the movies, there was no magical incantation—Jesus simply spoke his powerful and authoritative word to the demon:  “Be silent and come out!”—and he did.  Satan was no match for Jesus.

This is the best possible news for us, for even though Satan is a defeated enemy—he is still an enemy.  The Bible tells us that the devil is a roaring lion looking for those who he might devour.  But the authoritative and powerful word of Jesus still conquers him every time.

In the waters of Holy Baptism, Jesus breaks into Satan’s kingdom and by his own words that are spoken there sets us free and claims us for his own precious possession.  With the words of Holy Absolution, Jesus removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.  When Jesus’ Word is read in our homes and heard in preaching it crucifies our flesh and raises us from spiritual death and keeps us steadfast in our faith. 

This battle that Jesus waged against Satan and his angels continued throughout his ministry until it reached its conclusion at Calvary.  On that dark Friday afternoon, as the  Son of God died upon the cross, it certainly looked as if Satan had the victory after all. 

But the last words that Jesus spoke—It is finished!—were not the concession speech of a defeated man.  Instead, they were the powerful, authoritative words of God’s own champion who had accomplished his mission to save the world. 

His shed blood wiped away the record of our sin—his death made things right again between us and God—and his resurrection from the dead was the visible, victorious sign that Satan was a defeated enemy and even death has been transformed forever by Jesus who said:  “Because I live, you will live”.  Life in all its fullness…

For Jesus had come not only to destroy evil at the root-- but also to remove the terrible effects of it from our lives.  The Bible says that:

Jesus arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. 

            Billions of dollars are spent on medical research—many of the best and brightest minds spend their lives trying to unlock medical mysteries of dread diseases.  But it is important for us to remember that-- while there are various biological causes for disease—there is one spiritual cause—and that is sin.

Sin has not just affected us spiritually—it has affected us physically.  Now this DOES NOT mean that this person or that has some disease because they committed some specific sin.  The Bible nowhere teaches that. 

But it does say that when Adam and Eve sinned, the very fabric of creation was torn so that death and disability and disease entered into the world and the creation groans in its broken-ness, yearning for the end of sorrow and sickness. 

We are not immune from that broken-ness and we too yearn for a new creation unmarred by the effects of sin.  We long for the day when illness and disease are no longer part of our lives. 

That day will come--as Jesus showed in every miracle--speaking his powerful Word and undoing the effects of sin on broken human lives.

Simon and his family knew the power of Jesus and beseeched him to help their loved one and he did—merely speaking a Word—and the fever left her and she began to serve—and so it is in every believer’s life. 

Christians who know the powerful, healing effect of his Word upon their own lives serve him by extending the same to others.  Across this world today, millions of needy, broken people are fed and sheltered and healed and cared for and comforted and lifted up by Christians—simply because we believe his Word that whatever is done for these least of humanity is ultimately done for him. 

This is the way it has always been—those who are healed and helped by Jesus want folks around them to experience his power in their lives.  The Bible says that:

When the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.

            Could Jesus have simply lifted up his hands and brought healing to each without touching them?  Of course!  And so why did he touch every one of them personally and individually?  Because there is something special about being touched by those we love-- and who love us.

That is what we receive today in Holy Communion:  Christ’s true body and blood—his physical presence for us—his touch, personally and individually. 

The people that day would have been thrilled to have their diseases healed no matter how it happened—but to have the Master reach out his hand and touch them—that was even more—just like Holy Communion is even more for us because we hear that Good News that Jesus’ healing love is not just for the crowd in general—but for each of us personally and individually.  Jesus wants everyone to have this.  The Bible says that:

The people… would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well… 

            We can understand how they felt, can’t we?  But Jesus had to remind them—and us too—that his powerful, healing Word is not just meant for us few—but is meant for the world-- and that we must not hinder that mission-- but do our part to extend it.

Throughout this account of Jesus at Capernaum that is exactly what we see—that all those who heard Jesus and were healed by Jesus and delivered by Jesus did their part in his mission.

Those who heard him in the synagogue spread the Word throughout the neighboring towns.  Simon invited Jesus into his home.  His mother-in-law who was healed immediately got up and began to serve him.  Neighbors brought their loved ones to Jesus so that he could heal them and set them free. 

So it still is today.  Telling.  Serving.  Sharing.  Inviting.  These are still the ways that those whose lives have been forever transformed by the powerful and authoritative Word of Jesus do their part in his mission.  May God grant it in this place!  Amen.