The Unmatched Power of God
This Sunday, our Gospel reading is one of those stories that makes you pause.
Sure, some people may have the opposite reaction, speeding through this passage, and not wanting to spend time thinking about demons or conversations about Beelzebul.
“Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.” Luke 11:14-16
I get it. We already deal with so many bad things in our daily life, why should I spend any time thinking about the supernatural? We have bad traffic, noisy neighbors, financial needs, health issues… I mean, fill in the blank. We tend to be so caught up with all that life throws at us, that unless we are intentional in growing spiritually, we say we have no time for it.
To be fair this is not an easy passage to digest. Is a demon really causing a man not to speak? Why are they talking about the prince of demons? Are they accusing Jesus of using devil’s power to perform signs? What’s going on?
First of all, we need to acknowledge the amazing miracle happening here. A man, who couldn’t talk, suddenly speaks. We don’t know anything about his story or background, but that fact alone is worth our attention and marvel. Luke actually writes to us as if that was just ‘another Tuesday’ in Jesus’s life. Miraculously healing people was a common event in His ministry, and here we have the added layer of casting out a demon.
Let’s stop for a moment. There is truth here that we shouldn’t ignore. It is the whole reason why people’s responses in this story were so misguided. We should always read Scripture with the character of God in mind. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. His Incarnation and presence amongst us is about restoring all things to their former glory.
That’s the reason healing was so important in Jesus’ ministry. It pointed to the day He will right every wrong, give us a new body, and have us reign with Him (Rev. 21). That’s the reason we take time to grow spiritually. His promises are not just for a life to come. His Presence and His power is manifested in our lives TODAY. If you draw closer to Him, you will discover He is right there with you.
People in this passage did not recognize Jesus as Messiah. Some didn’t even think of Him as one of God’s prophets, like those who came before Him and performed miracles in the power of His Spirit. They just accused Jesus of being of the devil. The very devil Jesus came to defeat. The Deceiver, who from the beginning heard God say that from the womb of the woman would come the One to crush his head (Gen 3:15).
It’s also true that, in this passage, some were considering whether or not to believe in Jesus. But, instead of surrendering to Him, they kept asking for more signs – more ways He could give them a reason to believe. They wanted to convince their minds they had enough ‘data’ to make their believing in Him plausible. The problem is that our faith comes from the heart. When our hearts align with God’s heart, our minds follow. Our understanding of who He is comes out of our belief in Him. Not the other way around.
The way these two groups of people responded to what Jesus did allow us to see a couple of things:
- They were familiar with signs. Unlike many of us, they were used to the reality of the supernatural, the unseen world.
They didn’t question the miracle itself. They couldn’t argue with what they saw happening, so they questioned the source of the power making it happen. There are supernatural things happening all around us. Be aware of the move of the Spirit in and around you. When you humble yourself before God, He reveals Himself to you.
- Jesus is in the business of setting people free. This was as true then as it is true today. It’s is the devil, the enemy of our souls, who is about deceit, oppression, and captivity.
- Once exposed, the enemy is no match for the Power of God.
Today, as we continue our Lenten season, and as you may expose areas of your life to God, remember He is for you. He is with you and He has conquered death. There’s nothing that life or the enemy has done to keep you away from God, that can resist the Love, Grace and Power He brings. He can set you free from anything that holds you back from receiving fullness of life in Him.
Blessings and peace,
Rev. Todd and Dr. Christiane