“What Authority and Power!”
Key Verse: Luke 4:36
Amazed, the people exclaimed, “what authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command.”
Additional Reading: Luke 4:31-37
Whenever I read these Biblical accounts of Jesus speaking to the demons and hearing these demons recognizing Jesus’s position and power, I am surprised at our lack of faith. As I was making my journey through the Book of Luke, I had written a note at the bottom of the page, after reading the passage we’re studying today: “demons were clear on who Jesus was”. It seems to me that many of us are not as clear on who Jesus is as these demons were (are)! When our understanding of who Jesus is becomes fuzzy, then our faith is fuzzy as well.
Look what the demon said of Jesus in Luke 4:34, “I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” Do you have that clearly stamped into your understanding of who Jesus is in your life? If Jesus is truly the Holy One of God, surely our reverence of Him and obedience to His teachings is paramount in our lives! Just like those in Jesus’s day, there are many today who say with confidence that Jesus was a great teacher and a great prophet of God. And though those titles do demand some respect, it’s at a much higher level to say Jesus is the Holy One of God.
The word “holy” reminds us that Jesus never came short of the glory of God, like we do. The word should remind us that Jesus is pure, perfect in every way. Even as a child, Jesus amazed the expert teachers of God’s Law, as they listened to him explain Biblical passages. (Luke 2:47) Later in that same passage, we are told that “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all people” (Luke 2:52). This child was born of a virgin, was fully human and yet, fully God – the Holy One!
The crowds that witnessed these things and heard what was being said of Jesus responded as we would (or should): “Amazed, the people exclaimed… what authority and power this man’s words possess… ”. (Luke 4:36) I’m wondering if we exclaim these words in our walk with Jesus! Shouldn’t we face all of our ‘demons’ with this same faith? Jesus has the authority and power to overpower any demons we face. Shouldn’t we be quick to use the Name of Jesus when we are battling the temptations of our lives? Shouldn’t we be so convinced in the authority and power of Jesus’s words, that we would never believe the negative thoughts that the evil one puts in our minds!
One of the most popular Christian songs in modern times is “You Say” by Lauren Daigle. Look at some of the lyrics:
I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough
Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up
You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh You say that I am yours!
The key to the power of this song comes in the next line of lyrics:
and I believe, oh I believe what you say of me
In the final analysis, all of life boils down to what you choose to believe! The devil can speak into your life and he does. If you had parents that said a lot of horrible things to you when you were young, those haunting voices can still ring in your mind. But the great news is, God speaks into your mind as well! His words are light and life, full of love and acceptance! The question boils down to who you will believe!
Father, I choose to believe the words of your Holy One, Jesus! His words possess authority and the power that I will read and believe for my life. In Jesus’s Name, amen.