“You’re not the boss of anyone!” yelled my sister-in-law, Amy, at their family’s black lab/boxer mix, Frank, as she pinned all 80lbs of him to the floor. The whole Brewer/Brown clan was in the North Carolina mountains to celebrate my dad’s 70th birthday party and we had given him a darling 8-week-old, 5lb Shitzhu puppy named Blaze. Frank couldn’t understand everyone’s enthusiasm for the tiny fluff ball and went over to investigate. Feeling it important to assert his dominance over Blaze, just let him know who’s boss, Frank gave Blaze a little love tap combined with a growl and bite. As soon as Amy heard Frank begin to growl, she leaped over furniture and was on top of him in 0.2 seconds flat! Frank had been given no authority to exercise over Blaze; in fact, over no one, according to his master.
In today’s reading, we observe Jesus exercising His God-given authority over scripture, demons, sickness and disease and the natural world. He even has authority to forgive sins and over those God has chosen to reveal Himself. Put on your seatbelts for this one! It’s going to be a wild ride!
Read Luke 4:31-5:32
Authority over Scripture
As Jesus taught in the Capernaum synagogue, congregants continued to be amazed at His command of the scriptures. They were accustomed to rabbis quoting other rabbis and never having an original thought themselves. Being the actual Author Himself, along with the Spirit and Father, Jesus didn’t take any literary license as He explained the scriptures. He didn’t have to use His sanctified imagination when He quoted from the Torah or the prophets.
Authority over Demons
A demon was inhabiting a man who was a member of the synagogue. How long had this man made odd, awkward declarations in the midst of the service? The demon recognized Jesus and began to whip the man into a frenzy, “Leave us alone! What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Are you going to destroy us? We know who you are – The Holy One of God!” (v 34) Satan couldn’t get Jesus to cave in the wilderness, even when Jesus was at His weakest state physically. His next angle was to “out” Jesus before He was ready. Also, the question, “Have you come to destroy us?” is a legitimate one. While Satan knows that he will not win but will eventually be destroyed, he and his minions do not know the time of their destruction.
Jesus rebuked the demon and commanded it to come out of the man. It had no other option but to obey Jesus. It left the man, sane and whole, and the witnesses were all amazed at Jesus’ power and authority over unclean spirits.
Authority over Sickness and Disease
Simon’s (later known as Peter) mother-in-law was sick with a high fever. Jesus stood over her and rebuked the fever and just like that, it was gone! Word gets out that Jesus is exorcising demons and healing sicknesses and a long line of hurting people begins to wrap around Simon’s house and block. Jesus continued ministering until all who came to Him that day were freed from sickness and/or demonic oppression.
A man with leprosy all over him saw Jesus and fell facedown and begged confidently, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.” (v 12) What was this diseased man doing in the town? Anyone with leprosy or other contagious diseases was to be quarantined outside the city gates. And if they were to somehow be in the vicinity of clean people, they were to proclaim loudly, “Unclean! Unclean!” so that others would not become unclean by their proximity to the uncleanness of disease. This man was covered with leprosy. There was no way he was slinking in without anyone noticing. I imagine that he did alert the villagers of his condition, but when he cried, “Unclean!” Jesus didn’t flinch. Instead, He reached out and touched the man’s diseased body and said, “‘I am willing; be made clean.’ And immediately the leprosy left him.” (v 13) Jesus then instructed the healed man to keep this information to himself, with the exception of the priest, who he would need to present himself to and officially be deemed “clean” once again. Jesus wanted the man back in his community, able to contribute and care for his family. He didn’t want to feed the healing frenzy that was building, as the people were much more impressed with Jesus’ miracles than His message about the “good news of the kingdom of God” (v 43) and begged Him to stay close.
Jesus does move on, as His purpose was to proclaim the gospel to everyone in Israel, but the crowds begin following Him everywhere. They are so large, Jesus has to get in a fishing boat and use the natural amplification of the water and the bowl-like surroundings the hills surrounding the Sea of Galilee provided, to be heard. That fishing boat happened to belong to a guy named Simon…
Authority Over the Natural/Animal World
After He finished teaching, Jesus instructed Simon to put his boat out in deeper water and drop the nets for a catch. This would be similar to me offering PGA champion Scottie Scheffler advice on golfing techniques. Simon thinks to himself, but doesn’t say out loud out of respect for Jesus, “The fish aren’t biting today, Rabbi, and the last time I checked, you aren’t a fisherman, whereas I’ve been doing this my whole life!” But Simon humors Jesus and throws the net out. The haul of fish is so large, the nets begin to break; Simon and Andrew’s boat as well as their partners’, James and John, were so loaded down with fish, they began to sink…
* Simon: “Go away from me Jesus! I am a sinful man!”
* Jesus: “Don’t be afraid. The next catches you will make with me will be people!”
Simon, Andrew, James and John brought the enormous catch, along with their boats and supplies to shore, left everything and followed Jesus.
Authority to Forgive
When there was no other way to get a paralytic in front of Jesus in hopes of a miracle healing, the man’s friends lower him through the roof of the home Jesus was teaching in and in moments, he and his mat are right at Jesus’ feet. Seeing this man’s friends’ faith, Jesus forgives the paralytic's sins. “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” (v 20) “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (v 21) some scribes and Pharisees present question, which is exactly the point. They are correct that no one can forgive sins but God so Jesus asks, “Which is easier, to forgive or heal?” implying that if only God can forgive sins then obviously forgiveness is the greater gift. “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” (v 24) “…I’ll also heal this man right before your eyes!”
Authority Over God’s Chosen
Jesus has picked four of the Twelve Apostles who would travel with, learn from and minister to the people with Him over the next three years. Levi, the tax collector, was an unlikely choice for Jesus’ inner circle of followers. His only friends were his possessions, his money and his fellow tax collectors. Having sold his soul to Rome, Levi was despised by his Jewish community. He didn’t fit in anywhere - with the Romans because he was a Jew, with his family because he was a disgrace to them, with his Jewish community because he personally profited from taxes he collected from them on behalf of the empire.
Jesus sees Levi sitting in his tax booth with the line of Jews waiting to pay their taxes and simply says, “Follow Me.” (v 27) Levi stands up, locks up his booth, hands the key to the closest Roman soldier and follows Jesus. That evening, Levi (also known as Matthew and author of the first New Testament gospel account) hosts a large dinner party in Jesus’ honor and invites his only friends, his fellow tax collectors. The religious leaders, hanging out along the fringes of Jesus’ followers and taking note of His highly unorthodox and even unclean and unlawful practices, asked why He would deign to eat with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus replied, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (v 31-32) Oh and by the way, you are sinners in need of salvation…there is no one righteous, not even one. (from Rom 3:10 and Ps 14:3) Just as Jesus had cleansed the man covered with leprosy rather than being made unclean him, so Jesus was here to bring sinners to repentance, healing and forgiveness rather than being defiled by association with them.
Big Picture Questions for Today:
* Are you at times tempted, like the Brewer’s dog, Frank, or the religious leaders observing Jesus’ radical claims, to exercise authority that you have not been given?
* As you think of all of the examples in today’s reading of Jesus’ God-given authority, are you left feeling fitful, jealous of and rebellious against His authority, or does the idea of Jesus having authority over all things bring you surprising peace and contentment?
* Most of us do have positions of authority that have been given to us, whether in our families, work or communities. Are you a humble leader, recognizing that any authority you have has been given to you by God?
Pray to be able to humbly accept God’s good authority as the gift of protection and provision that it is.
