| Matthew 4:23 And Jesus
went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of
disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan. |
Mark 1:21 And they
went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the
synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. |
Luke 4:31 And came
down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. 32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. 35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. 36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. 37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. |
Matthew offers a summary of Jesus' first days of ministry at this point, while Mark and Luke give a specific instance of the delivery of a demon-possessed man in a synagogue. The account illustrates two characteristics of Christ that were paramount during his ministry. First, he had authority, not only over the physical world, as when he cured diseases, but over all the spirit world as well. Even those spirits who had rebelled against God were still subject to him. Secondly, Jesus always had compassion for those who suffered, for whatever reason, and it lay within his power to ease their suffering. As heirs to his kingdom, we have the same authority over Satan, and the same capacity to minister in healing through prayer. We should also have the same compassion for the hurts and needs of others.
Just as he demonstrated his authority in healing and deliverance, Christ demonstrated his authority in teaching. The knowledge he demonstrated was certainly not amazing for one who is, after all, the living Word, but it was amazing to those who did not know who he was. His command of the truth of scripture came through the Holy Spirit, and every believer can be instructed by the Spirit as well if we choose only to feed on the Word. As Jesus shared the message of the scriptures with all of those who heard him, we should always be ready and willing to share it with those we come in contact with. Unfortunately, many believers have only the barest knowledge of what the Bible teaches, and we can't share what we don't have ourselves. Part of the fear we have in witnessing about the Gospel is that we aren't equipped to do it.
A popular idea even among many believers now is that demon possession is just another form of mental illness, and that the notion that demons work to torment people is just an ancient superstition. It is interesting to note here that Matthew distinguishes between those who are possessed by demons and those who are mentally ill, or "lunatick", to use the King James term. Not every one with a mental disease is possessed by demons, by any means; actual possession is quite rare, from my understanding and experience. Demons operate, though, in the lives of people who are vulnerable, particularly where there is emotional distress involved. Mental illness can sometimes provide a gateway for demonic activity; demons don't necessarily cause insanity, but they can intensify it. In some extreme cases, they can afflict people who are otherwise perfectly healthy in their mental state. Only the Holy Spirit, through the gift of discernment, can reveal whether or not demons are involved. Well-intentioned, but misguided, efforts to exorcise demons can sometimes do more harm than good, when what the person really needs is medication and therapy.
Christ's fame began with word of the miracles he performed. People flocked to see him not just because they had some disease he could cure, but because they wanted to see what he could do. Those who came and went for no other reason left with nothing; only those who saw beyond the miracles to the man who was God truly benefited. Jesus himself recognized the dangers of such a thrill-seeking attitude, both when he addressed those who came looking for a "sign" (Matthew 16:1-4), and those who wanted a repeat of the feeding of the multitude (John 6:26-27). There are many churches now who attempt to draw people in with spectacular shows, with emotion-driven music and preaching, but offer no real substance to give them the permanent benefit of the saving power of the Gospel. As the Psalmist said, "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it:" (Psalm 127:1a). No matter how many thousands of people flock to a church, if the Holy Spirit is not the one who draws and keeps them, the work involved is useless.