Luke 4:31–44
31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.
33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 “Go away! 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.
36 All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!”37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
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.
40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them.43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Deliverance and Response
The main theme of these verses is the Jesus who heals and drives out demons from his people.
Healing and deliverance are a very important part of who Jesus is and his salvific work. Earlier in the same chapter, Jesus introduced himself in the synagogue, quoting Isaiah 61:1-3 which reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the captives free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
He told those who were present that the same scripture had been fulfilled in their hearing on that day. We then see Jesus put in practice what he had just told the people in Nazareth.
Stories of healing and deliverance followed wherever Jesus went.
Notice the theme of worship and wonder at Jesus is also present in this passage as a response to his work of healing and deliverance. People were amazed at his teachings (32), the demons cried out that Jesus was the holy one (34) and after the deliverance of the man possessed with demons, people were amazed once more and said to each other, “what words these are! With authority and power, he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out” (36)! Demons were leaving the people shouting that Jesus is the Son of God (41).
A commentary by Tyndale suggests that Jesus telling the demons to be quiet had something to do with the fact that he wanted people to believe by what he said and what he did, rather than by the worship of demons.
In conclusion, this passage reminds us that Jesus is our ultimate healer and deliverer and that as Hebrews 13:8 says, he is the same yesterday, today and forever. The same power, authority, and glory that was in him when he walked on earth is still with him. If we are sick or feel bonded by anything today we can still call on him and he will answer. It is also important to acknowledge that sometimes healing and deliverance doesn’t come exactly in the time we expect it. Not everyone who was sick in the days of Jesus was healed. If we don’t pray, we can be sure nothing will happen. This passage again reminds us that the worship of Jesus should be our position when we call on him and when we respond to the outcome of our prayers, whether good or bad. No circumstances should make us doubt who God is or his character because he never changes.
- Would you still trust God even if his answers weren’t in your favor?
- How long can you wait on God’s answer before you give up or look for plan B?
Author Bio
Olivier Kavutse is a husband to Amanda Fung and has two little ones; Jireh (boy, 6) and Jadah (girl, 4). He is the worship pastor at
North Shore Alliance Church and also enrolled in a program called MALTS (Masters of Arts, Leadership, Theology and Society) at Regent College. He and his wife run a ministry called beauty for ashes Rwanda which focuses on youth empowerment, especially in the area of higher education in Rwanda/Africa.
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Luke and Acts taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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