The Gospel according to Luke (4:31-37)
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
“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!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
Reflection:
We return this week to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, as told by Luke the Evangelist. Jesus has already had a pretty busy time – this 4th Chapter of Luke begins with Jesus being tempted by the Devil, then returning home to Nazareth, where the townspeople rejected Him. Luke portrays Him leaving Nazareth for Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee.
But, notice this – Jesus does not get away from Nazareth to just sit by the Sea. No. He continues to teach in their synagogue, and the people are amazed at His words, and at His power over the demon who was possessing the man in today’s story. A couple of thoughts on today’s encounter: first, notice that the demon, recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, doesn’t say he recognizes Jesus because of His words.. no.. the demon recognizes Jesus for WHO HE IS. And, then, notice the power Jesus has over that demon, calling the demon out, and the demon complies.
It made me think. Do we consider how others may see Jesus in us, even when we aren’t doing anything in particular to proclaim Him? I think we may forget that we are God’s children and witnesses to Jesus all day, every day of our lives. We may not think others notice, but they DO. What kind of witness do we give by how we treat everyone we meet. It’s a very high bar to meet, isn’t it? “I mean, really, Lord, do I have to shine Your light, even when I’m grumpy, when my boss just chewed me out or when my teenaged son or daughter just told me how much more they know than I do?”
The answer is YES, to all of those situations. I think it’s even more important then, because if others notice, they will know that it’s not by your own power you are sharing that light. No. It is TOTALLY because of the Holy Spirit within you. And, what better witness can we ever have than to let another see God’s glory in us, and to know that we were only slightly responsible for it? If I have a day like that, it’s a GOOD day indeed.
Action for the Day:
Think for a moment today of how much you depend on God, and ask Him to give you a greater desire to demonstrate that by YOUR actions today. And, if it happens that you do get that chance, give Him the praise for using you in that way! And, be thankful that you were an instrument of our Lord.
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