Meeting the Greatest Need

Jesus was not motivated by popularity polls.

Today’s text brings the battle between evil and right, that Jesus had with Satan, to the human realm as we meet a man who was demonized and a woman who had a fever.

Some will dispute that Satan or demons actually exist, but they will readily admit that evil exists in our world. If evil exists, why is it so hard to accept Satan as evil personified. And if God has beings that carry out his ministry of protection and encouragement, why wouldn’t Satan have being who assist in his goal of stealing, killing and destroying?

There are many ideas (too many which come from horror movies) about what demon possession looks like, but v.33 indicates that at least one man was indwelt by a demon, and the “us” in v.34 indicates to me that there were more than one.

Fantasy tales, books and games have intrigued the imagination for generations. Next month many of our neighbors will celebrate a holiday that magnifies the attention on spells and disembodied spirits. Much of the holiday is playful imagination, but we should never forget that demons are real and today’s text demonstrates that, while their power is always limited and subject to Jesus, their impact on human beings can be very painful to the individual and damaging to relationships.

Feeding, exorcising demons or healing are not primarily for the purpose of making people comfortable or to make Jesus likeable: they are demonstration of authority!

As we consider these 14 verses this morning, I want you to give special attention, or perhaps to underline, each time you see the word authority or rebuke.

Evil Portrayed as a Spirit (vv.31-37)

The reality of evil spirits

1. Fantasy books and movies that use spells to accomplish deeds on others have inoculated us from the belief in real unseen spirits.

2. Television and Comic books that describe undead zombies roaming our earth insulate us from the true reality of the eternal destiny of the soul.

3. Parlor Games, side show freaks and psychic hotlines that claim to foretell one’s future trivialize the danger of demonic invitation.

4. You may disagree with me, (this is my opinion, not a “thus saith the Lord”) but I am convinced that much of what is diagnosed as mental illness has its origin in evil oppression.

a. This is not always the case! There are times when one’s brain chemistry impacts him or her significantly and medicinal intervention is absolutely the best course of treatment.

b. AFTER one’s endocrine system is working as God intended, I am convinced that much of psycho-therapy would be enhanced by acknowledging the presence of evil in our world and the Evil one’s attempts to steal, kill and destroy what God desires for us.

5. Ancient Hebrews believed that the soul of a person who died went to a place of rest awaiting a future resurrection on the Day of the Lord. There was hardly ever an inclination to interact with these departed souls.

6. Christian teaching is that the souls of the dead go to one of 2 destinations-one a place of peace in the presence of our Savior, and the other a place of torment designed for Satan and his minions (marked by darkness and gnashing of teeth). Where we await the future resurrection of our bodies and final judgment before entering into our eternal state.

Our world has a lot of National Inquirer ideas about death that have no basis in Scripture that was written by one with intimate knowledge of both our world AND the afterlife.

I am convinced that many of the stories about messages from the dead are actually demons who masquerade as angels or our loved ones in an attempt to distract us from the truth that God intends for us to believe.

I watched a funeral for a Jewish woman this week and there was not one mention of future resurrection or the two destinies described in the Scriptures.

Authority over evil spirits

1. Exorcists had two main methods of expelling demons: (1) scaring the demon out or making it too sick to stay—for example, by putting a smelly root up the possessed person’s nose in the hope that the demon would not be able to stand it—or (2) invoking the name of a higher spirit to get rid of the lower one. The people are amazed that Jesus can be effective by simply ordering the demons to leave.[i]

2. Jesus was able to cast out demons because he possessed greater authority.

3. Jesus doesn’t just describe the problem, He doesn’t talk about a plan to address the problem, He FIXES the problem. (v.32)

Application

1. I was asked by one of our students a couple weeks ago about a particular type of fantasy entertainment. Our whole dinner table then engaged about different forms of fantasy/role-playing and passive entertainment that glamorizes spirits and spells apart from the truth of Scripture.

2. My advice was that a Christian person of any age will do himself more good by taking heed to Phil 4:8

Philippians 4:8 ESV:2016

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Transition: Evil sometimes demonstrates itself as demonic spirits, but they are subject to Christ’s authority. Another way that evil interacts with us is when…

Evil Portrayed as a Sickness (vv.38-39)

Explanation

1. A few minutes ago I told you that I am convinced that evil opposition may be a cause for emotional turmoil.

2. I also believe that turmoil can have physical manifestations. Psychosomatic illness is real illness.

3. Worry can affect the lining of the digestive track so that one develops ulcers.

4. Anxiety can elevate the pressure at which blood courses through your arteries.

5. Stress can increase the frequency of migraines.

6. I’m not suggesting that we go back to blood-letting or leeches, but if emotional wellness can impact physical symptoms, is it that far of a stretch to believe that Simon’s mother-in-law’s fever was caused by demonic influence?

Jesus’ remedy for a fever (v.39)

1. Notice that Jesus treats her fever by rebuking it, and that she immediately responds.

The closest thing I have seen to this immediate change is when a child is too sick to go to school. But as soon as the class is over where that assignment was due or the test was scheduled, she feels better.

It is when going to school is unwise, but when girlfriends invite her to the mall or his friends ask him to come to football practice, the healing is powerful.

Sometimes the healing can happen as quick as turning on the video game system or the phone ringing from that special someone.

2. I wish Covid-19 responded like the last part of v.39 – she immediately returned to her chores and tasks; no 14-day quarantine!

Transition: What do an exorcism at church and a healing in a woman’s home have to do with each other? What ties these stories together? They both involve Jesus’ rebuke based upon his authority! And that authority was spread to others as well.

Kingdom Proclaimed in the Synagogues (vv.40-44)

A word about kingdoms (reference)

1. Kingdom=authority.

a. “My house, my rules”

b. “My body, my choice”

c. “Not my President” nearly 4 years ago.

d. CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone) renamed CHOP (occupied protest)

2. If we claim “Under God”; this includes not only His blessing (God Bless America), but also His Authority.

· Since God created the earth and every being that inhabits it, He has the right of ownership to determine how it is used.

In 1979 the Grammy Award for “Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Male” went to Bob Dylan (who had become a born-again Christian) for “Gotta Serve Somebody”.

The Chorus to this song says:

you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You're gonna have to serve somebody It may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

In response John Lennon wrote the song “Serve Yourself”.

3. I believe the characters of Luke 4 would agree with Dylan. Verse 36 says the demoniac didn’t deliver himself. Verse 39 says the woman did not deliver herself from the fever. Verse 43 says it is good news when the kingdom of God is present and acknowledged.

Walk the Talk (vv.43-44)

1. Preaching (v.44) is the word “to herald, or announce”. The word Luke uses was a generic announcement, much like someone could describe the weather or report sports scores.

2. Preach the good news (v.43) is “to evangelize”. The idea is not as much about the talk as it is the accomplishment of the task.

Protests and demonstrations seem to happen daily in our country. But many of these demonstrations amount to little more than venting or whining. I’ll put myself in that description as well. While I have communicated directly with our elected representatives, most of my angst over what I believe to be unconstitutional restrictions upon the free exercise of religion has been communicated to the social media more than the decision makers.

3. Actions taken for the cameras and press release are almost never effective in changing a situation.

4. Jesus didn’t just issue a press release or put a name on his robe. He evangelized, brought good news to reality in synagogues throughout his homeland.

The Gathering Places

1. Different than the Tabernacle or a Temple. This was not a place for sacrifice. It was a much smaller place for worship and discussion.

Grant Osborne writes of Nazareth: “as all places with at least eleven males (the traditional number demanded for a synagogue), it [Nazareth] had a synagogue”. [ii] As would other towns of similar size.

2. Much like today’s café, barbershop or High School stands, it was the place where men gathered to chat. In the Jewish way of life it was the synagogue, in the Greek way of life it was the temples or markets.

3. Jesus went to where the people gathered and introduced God’s justice to people’s situations.

4. We also cannot expect people to come to the church, we must take the good news to them.

Conclusion:

Jesus claimed authority over evil spirits whether they manifest in behaviors or physical symptoms. He has commissioned all believers to carry on in that mission as his ambassadors.

We do not fear evil, we do not shrink back from opposition. We boldly proclaim that submission to Christ is the remedy for all evil attacks.

Let me conclude with 3 summary statements:

1. Spiritual realities can influence behavior and health, we must not be hesitgant to proclaim victory in Jesus’ authority.

2. Bringing the Gospel into reality requires more than words. We must do the things that make His authority evident to others.

3. God’s kingdom is a matter of our submission to His authority. When we seek His will over our comfort we can witness the progressive fulfillment of the Lord’s pray until the consummation of the age.

Your greatest need is not to have a demon exorcised from you. Your greatest need is not to have Jesus speak a word that give you physical health (although we pray for both of these). Your greatest need is to realize the authority of Jesus and to submit to Him in each area of your life.

[i] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Lk 4:35–37.

[ii] Grant R. Osborne, Luke: Verse by Verse, ed. Jeffrey Reimer, Elliot Ritzema, and Danielle Thevenaz, Awa Sarah, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018), 115–152.Temple comparison