So what it ministry?
In the last entry I went over Matt's record of the healing of Pete’s ma’s-in-law healing. I’ll be fair and show Mark's & Luke’s records too.
Mark 1: 29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
Luke 4:38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
Now I used the NIV translation for the scriptures above but I think the NIV loses something in the translation. “Ministry” is lost in the translation. Check out how the King James translates the end of Mark 1:31 “and she ministered unto them.” She “ministered” right away, so what it ministry? So many times we look at the “pulpit” positions and say that’s “ministry” but in reality “ministry” can and should happen every single day instead of just on Sundays. As I was meditating on this story one morning I came up with this quote: “When you act selflessly you end up getting what is selfishly in your heart.” Someone who is way more quotable than me put it this way: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these other things shall be added unto you.” When I was in Bible school I remember one of my teachers talking about healing. He said that from his personal experience he had witnessed missionaries receive their healings, if they needed healing, quicker than a person that was not a missionary. The reason why was because the missionary saw past their own need and wanted to get back out and serve. Maybe that is why Pete’s mom was healed so fast, because she wanted to serve/minister. Or maybe she served/ministered because she was healed so quickly. Regardless, when she got healed she ministered. If we need a healing and receive it, then what are we going to do with it? I’m not suggesting God is withholding healing from you (if you need healing) just because your heart motives. I would never suggest that; I don’t believe God ever withholds healing (subject for another blog entry), but this subject covered today just may be a reason why some healings are delayed. It is always good to do a little “self check” on our motives.
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
Peter’s Ma-in-Law Pt. 1 of 2
He will even heal your In-Laws!
The 3rd healing recorded in chronological order is the healing of Peter’s ma-in-law. This is recorded in three of the gospels. Mark 1:29-31 & Luke 4:38-39 both record the deed but now Matthew finally gets into the “healings record game” in Matthew 8:14-15. The funny thing is Matt must have not cared what order the healings were in but rather that they just got recorded (I’ll cover that more in the entry “The Leper”). In the same chapter 8 he recorded the healing of the leper (8:2-4) and Centurion’s servant (8:5- 13) ahead of Pete’s ma-in-law but several sources show that those 2 healings happened after Pete’s ma-in-law. Not to write it off but in the grand scheme of things I don’t think it matters too much.
This last summer I had the privilege of co-teaching a class on the book of James with a friend of mine. My friend is a retired minister; he’s done this for years. I learned a very valuable thing from my friend: it was how to back up and look at the whole picture. I tend to get caught up in every detail and in turn lose focus on what’s really going on or what’s really being said. So let’s do that here, let’s back up and look at the whole picture. In the first 8 chapters of Matt we can see Jesus fulfilling His calling. Jesus came to preach/teach, then to heal (Matt 4:23). He came to set the captive free, first spiritually then physically. Seriously, what good is it to go to hell physically healthy? Matt chapter 5 through the end of chapter 7 records the famous “Sermon on the Mount”. There we find the “Be-attitudes” and so much more; those would be classified as the teaching/preaching part of Jesus’ calling. Or you can classify them as “spiritually freeing” parts of His ministry. Next in Matt chapter 8, we see Jesus “physically freeing” people from sickness and death. Matt never says what order the healings happened, he just records them. Let’s get to his version of the healing of Pet’s ma-in-law.
Matt 8:14-15 “14When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.”
Look carefully how Jesus ministered to her, “He touched her hand”. Recently I was listening to Pastor Bob Yadian’s series on “The Healing Lamb” (it’s a great teaching; you can pick it up on ITunes under “Precepts Radio”). Pastor Bob pointed out that when Jesus ministered healing to women He only touched their hands. We can see Jesus setting the standard on how to pray for the opposite sex. You pray for the opposite sex with discretion. In 1st Tim 3:1-7 Paul gives Timmy a list of qualifications that his elders must have. One of the requirements on that list is “Now the overseer must be above reproach” (1st Tim 3:2). There is no clearer example of “above reproach” than Jesus himself. Even at Jesus’ trial his accusers could not pin anything on Him. Even in the most spiritual situations it is important to remember our manners. One of the things about being “Christ-like” is to be “above reproach”.
Another thing that Pastor Bob pointed out was that Jesus never “prayed for the sick”. Sure enough Jesus did not pray for Pete’s ma-in-law; instead He commanded her fever to go. Matt records Jesus just touching her hand but Luke tells us that Jesus said what He said and the fever did what it was commanded to do. Now in James 5:14-15 we do see elders of the church praying for the sick. So there is prayer for/against sickness but when Jesus dealt with sickness He didn’t mess around. I guess we should’nt mess around either. Just get rid of it - sickness that is.
Stay blessed y'all, it's your choice.
jimmy
The 3rd healing recorded in chronological order is the healing of Peter’s ma-in-law. This is recorded in three of the gospels. Mark 1:29-31 & Luke 4:38-39 both record the deed but now Matthew finally gets into the “healings record game” in Matthew 8:14-15. The funny thing is Matt must have not cared what order the healings were in but rather that they just got recorded (I’ll cover that more in the entry “The Leper”). In the same chapter 8 he recorded the healing of the leper (8:2-4) and Centurion’s servant (8:5- 13) ahead of Pete’s ma-in-law but several sources show that those 2 healings happened after Pete’s ma-in-law. Not to write it off but in the grand scheme of things I don’t think it matters too much.
This last summer I had the privilege of co-teaching a class on the book of James with a friend of mine. My friend is a retired minister; he’s done this for years. I learned a very valuable thing from my friend: it was how to back up and look at the whole picture. I tend to get caught up in every detail and in turn lose focus on what’s really going on or what’s really being said. So let’s do that here, let’s back up and look at the whole picture. In the first 8 chapters of Matt we can see Jesus fulfilling His calling. Jesus came to preach/teach, then to heal (Matt 4:23). He came to set the captive free, first spiritually then physically. Seriously, what good is it to go to hell physically healthy? Matt chapter 5 through the end of chapter 7 records the famous “Sermon on the Mount”. There we find the “Be-attitudes” and so much more; those would be classified as the teaching/preaching part of Jesus’ calling. Or you can classify them as “spiritually freeing” parts of His ministry. Next in Matt chapter 8, we see Jesus “physically freeing” people from sickness and death. Matt never says what order the healings happened, he just records them. Let’s get to his version of the healing of Pet’s ma-in-law.
Matt 8:14-15 “14When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.”
Look carefully how Jesus ministered to her, “He touched her hand”. Recently I was listening to Pastor Bob Yadian’s series on “The Healing Lamb” (it’s a great teaching; you can pick it up on ITunes under “Precepts Radio”). Pastor Bob pointed out that when Jesus ministered healing to women He only touched their hands. We can see Jesus setting the standard on how to pray for the opposite sex. You pray for the opposite sex with discretion. In 1st Tim 3:1-7 Paul gives Timmy a list of qualifications that his elders must have. One of the requirements on that list is “Now the overseer must be above reproach” (1st Tim 3:2). There is no clearer example of “above reproach” than Jesus himself. Even at Jesus’ trial his accusers could not pin anything on Him. Even in the most spiritual situations it is important to remember our manners. One of the things about being “Christ-like” is to be “above reproach”.
Another thing that Pastor Bob pointed out was that Jesus never “prayed for the sick”. Sure enough Jesus did not pray for Pete’s ma-in-law; instead He commanded her fever to go. Matt records Jesus just touching her hand but Luke tells us that Jesus said what He said and the fever did what it was commanded to do. Now in James 5:14-15 we do see elders of the church praying for the sick. So there is prayer for/against sickness but when Jesus dealt with sickness He didn’t mess around. I guess we should’nt mess around either. Just get rid of it - sickness that is.
Stay blessed y'all, it's your choice.
jimmy
Crazy Synagogue Guy Pt.3 of 3
Now that’s amazing!
We covered how amazed the people in the synagogue were at Jesus’ teaching. He hadn’t even healed the crazy dude yet. Then in Part 2 we covered the “set free”. Now it’s time to really be amazed. Let’s read our text before going further.
Luke 4:31 – 36
31Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. 32They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.
33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
35"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
36All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" 37And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
Mark 1:21 - 28
21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
25"Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." 28News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Check out how Mark put it in 1:27: “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching – and with authority!’ He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” This "amazement" is different than the first "amazement" recorded. This is beyond their ears being tickled; truly this is authority in action. I could only imagine being in that synagogue crowd that day. First I hear this traveling speaker teach with true conviction. It’s like the scripture that he is sharing is really alive inside of him. Second he tells a “loud mouth” to shut up and the “loud mouth” starts shaking like crazy and then chills out like everything is normal. That is one biblical scene I want to see on HeavenTube when we get up there. Luke records the congregation saying “What is this teaching? With Authority and Power”. The Authority he taught with caught their amazement before, but now His power has caught the crowds’ attention. The Greek word used for power here is “Dunamis”. It’s the same word used in Hebrews 1:3 “sustaining all things by his powerful word.” It is also the same word used in Acts 1:8 “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” It’s the same power. You know what that means? The same power that really amazed the synagogue crowd is the same power that now dwells in us. Now that is crazy to comprehend, it shouldn’t be but it is. It shouldn’t be crazy to comprehend because Jesus himself said that. In the last entry I mentioned Mark 16:18 but let’s look at verses 15-18: 15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Now He’s not telling us to gargle rat poison, he’s just saying we’re protected. Now that truly is amazing. The same healing power that flowed out of Jesus now flows out of us, in Jesus name. The question is, will we use it and let it flow or damn it up.
Stay Blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
We covered how amazed the people in the synagogue were at Jesus’ teaching. He hadn’t even healed the crazy dude yet. Then in Part 2 we covered the “set free”. Now it’s time to really be amazed. Let’s read our text before going further.
Luke 4:31 – 36
31Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. 32They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.
33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
35"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
36All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" 37And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
Mark 1:21 - 28
21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
25"Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." 28News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Check out how Mark put it in 1:27: “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching – and with authority!’ He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” This "amazement" is different than the first "amazement" recorded. This is beyond their ears being tickled; truly this is authority in action. I could only imagine being in that synagogue crowd that day. First I hear this traveling speaker teach with true conviction. It’s like the scripture that he is sharing is really alive inside of him. Second he tells a “loud mouth” to shut up and the “loud mouth” starts shaking like crazy and then chills out like everything is normal. That is one biblical scene I want to see on HeavenTube when we get up there. Luke records the congregation saying “What is this teaching? With Authority and Power”. The Authority he taught with caught their amazement before, but now His power has caught the crowds’ attention. The Greek word used for power here is “Dunamis”. It’s the same word used in Hebrews 1:3 “sustaining all things by his powerful word.” It is also the same word used in Acts 1:8 “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” It’s the same power. You know what that means? The same power that really amazed the synagogue crowd is the same power that now dwells in us. Now that is crazy to comprehend, it shouldn’t be but it is. It shouldn’t be crazy to comprehend because Jesus himself said that. In the last entry I mentioned Mark 16:18 but let’s look at verses 15-18: 15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Now He’s not telling us to gargle rat poison, he’s just saying we’re protected. Now that truly is amazing. The same healing power that flowed out of Jesus now flows out of us, in Jesus name. The question is, will we use it and let it flow or damn it up.
Stay Blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
Crazy Synagogue Guy Pt. 2 of 3
You best recognize!
Going on with the Crazy Dude: A couple of years ago I read a book by Lester Summerall called “Demons: The Answer Book”. After reading it I would watch these prison documentaries on MSNBC and CNN and wonder how many of the prisoners were possessed. I can honestly tell you I have never knowingly been confronted by a demon possessed person. I’m not really planning on it. I’m not one that looks for the supernatural/paranormal kind of stuff. I have been to places where I felt a strong demonic presence or so it seemed. New Orleans is a place that comes to mind. Kesha and I went there years ago; we were uncomfortable the whole time. On the flip side I remember when Kesha and I first moved to Iowa City; someone asked me what I felt when I drove into town. My answer was “opportunity” ~ spiritually speaking. I think that person was looking for an answer along the lines of “evil” or something. Whether it’s I.City or N.O., I choose this: 1st John 4:4 “Greater is He that is in me then he that is in the world” and Romans 8:31“If God be for me then who can be against me.” Romans 8:31 “Who can be against me” has to be one of the greatest “spiritual” smack talk scriptures. That is pretty much saying that anyone who comes against me is nothing; they are nobody. I love smack talk! I used to wear my OU gear into Lincoln, Nebraska every time I visited it. Lincoln definitely has some Football Demons.
Let’s read on the healing (or freeing) of this crazy dude in the Capernaum Synagogue.
Luke 4:31 – 36
31Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. 32They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.
33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
35"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
36All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" 37And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
Mark 1:21 - 28
21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
25"Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." 28News about him
spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Let’s cover the “cast out”, shall we? In the last entry I talked about how amazed the people were at Jesus’ teaching. Now this crazy dude starts acting up. Luke 3:33-34 states “In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, ’Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!’” I want to focus in on that “Ha” in a moment but first we’ll look at what this demon says: “Holy One of God”. James 2:19 states “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” This “crazy synagogue dude” is a clear example of the point James is making in his book. But back to what the demon dude said. “Holy One of God”. My NIV study bible had this in the notes section: “The Holy One of God, the title is used elsewhere only in John 6:69 and points to Christ’s divine origin rather than his Messiahship. The name was perhaps used by the demons in accordance with the occult belief that the precise use of a person’s name gave certain control over him.” Sounds good to me, I told you, I don’t mess much with the paranormal stuff. Nonetheless, it’s seems like this demon is challenging Jesus. If it was not challenging Jesus then it would have stayed silent. Let’s get back to that “Ha” that Luke recorded. The Amplified states “Ah, let us alone!” I love the Message; it put’s it this way “Ho!” The Literal translation says it this way: “Aha! What is to us and to You…” “Ha, “Ah”, “Ho”, and “Aha” all show some kind of surprise or offense. What ever the demon was trying to say Jesus wasn’t going to put up with it. Jesus just simply states “Shut up & Get out”. That is New King Jimmy version (my favorite version) we can read what happens next: the demon left kicking and shrieking. I love how Dr. Luke records the “cast out”. He states in 4:35 that “Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.” Luke, being a doctor, made sure we, the readers, knew the man was set free without injury even though the demon did it’s best to kill the man. This story is telling me that no matter how big the problem is or how much the problem tries to take us out, our God is bigger. The problem could be a freaky demon or a simple cold it doesn’t matter. Our God is bigger. Colossians 2:15 states that Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” I don’t/won’t take the time to fully dive into Colossians 2:15 but the “powers and authorities” are now the “nothing” that Romans 8:31 speaks of. No matter what rises up and tries to control you, it has to let go of you because God is bigger! Not only does it have to let go of you but you will be without injury. The word injury used in Luke 4:35 caught my attention. The Greek word for injury is the same used for “hurt” in Mark 16:18: “they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." That Greek word is Blapto and it also means, besides injure and hurt, to disable, weaken, and impede. Impede means to slow down. So what I want us to grasp today is the healing power of Jesus will not only set us free but whatever we were in bondage to before can no longer injure, hurt, disable, weaken, or slow us down. Whether that’s a demon or sickness, it does not matter. We’ve got a race to run, no need to be slowed down.
Stay Blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
Going on with the Crazy Dude: A couple of years ago I read a book by Lester Summerall called “Demons: The Answer Book”. After reading it I would watch these prison documentaries on MSNBC and CNN and wonder how many of the prisoners were possessed. I can honestly tell you I have never knowingly been confronted by a demon possessed person. I’m not really planning on it. I’m not one that looks for the supernatural/paranormal kind of stuff. I have been to places where I felt a strong demonic presence or so it seemed. New Orleans is a place that comes to mind. Kesha and I went there years ago; we were uncomfortable the whole time. On the flip side I remember when Kesha and I first moved to Iowa City; someone asked me what I felt when I drove into town. My answer was “opportunity” ~ spiritually speaking. I think that person was looking for an answer along the lines of “evil” or something. Whether it’s I.City or N.O., I choose this: 1st John 4:4 “Greater is He that is in me then he that is in the world” and Romans 8:31“If God be for me then who can be against me.” Romans 8:31 “Who can be against me” has to be one of the greatest “spiritual” smack talk scriptures. That is pretty much saying that anyone who comes against me is nothing; they are nobody. I love smack talk! I used to wear my OU gear into Lincoln, Nebraska every time I visited it. Lincoln definitely has some Football Demons.
Let’s read on the healing (or freeing) of this crazy dude in the Capernaum Synagogue.
Luke 4:31 – 36
31Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. 32They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.
33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
35"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
36All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" 37And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
Mark 1:21 - 28
21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
25"Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." 28News about him
spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Let’s cover the “cast out”, shall we? In the last entry I talked about how amazed the people were at Jesus’ teaching. Now this crazy dude starts acting up. Luke 3:33-34 states “In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, ’Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!’” I want to focus in on that “Ha” in a moment but first we’ll look at what this demon says: “Holy One of God”. James 2:19 states “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” This “crazy synagogue dude” is a clear example of the point James is making in his book. But back to what the demon dude said. “Holy One of God”. My NIV study bible had this in the notes section: “The Holy One of God, the title is used elsewhere only in John 6:69 and points to Christ’s divine origin rather than his Messiahship. The name was perhaps used by the demons in accordance with the occult belief that the precise use of a person’s name gave certain control over him.” Sounds good to me, I told you, I don’t mess much with the paranormal stuff. Nonetheless, it’s seems like this demon is challenging Jesus. If it was not challenging Jesus then it would have stayed silent. Let’s get back to that “Ha” that Luke recorded. The Amplified states “Ah, let us alone!” I love the Message; it put’s it this way “Ho!” The Literal translation says it this way: “Aha! What is to us and to You…” “Ha, “Ah”, “Ho”, and “Aha” all show some kind of surprise or offense. What ever the demon was trying to say Jesus wasn’t going to put up with it. Jesus just simply states “Shut up & Get out”. That is New King Jimmy version (my favorite version) we can read what happens next: the demon left kicking and shrieking. I love how Dr. Luke records the “cast out”. He states in 4:35 that “Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.” Luke, being a doctor, made sure we, the readers, knew the man was set free without injury even though the demon did it’s best to kill the man. This story is telling me that no matter how big the problem is or how much the problem tries to take us out, our God is bigger. The problem could be a freaky demon or a simple cold it doesn’t matter. Our God is bigger. Colossians 2:15 states that Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” I don’t/won’t take the time to fully dive into Colossians 2:15 but the “powers and authorities” are now the “nothing” that Romans 8:31 speaks of. No matter what rises up and tries to control you, it has to let go of you because God is bigger! Not only does it have to let go of you but you will be without injury. The word injury used in Luke 4:35 caught my attention. The Greek word for injury is the same used for “hurt” in Mark 16:18: “they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." That Greek word is Blapto and it also means, besides injure and hurt, to disable, weaken, and impede. Impede means to slow down. So what I want us to grasp today is the healing power of Jesus will not only set us free but whatever we were in bondage to before can no longer injure, hurt, disable, weaken, or slow us down. Whether that’s a demon or sickness, it does not matter. We’ve got a race to run, no need to be slowed down.
Stay Blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
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