Thy Strong Word

January 31, 2010
The Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany

Luke 4:31–44
And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother–in–law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (ESV).

   Many of you have served in the military. If so, you know one thing for certain: If your commanding officer barked an order, you obeyed. To do otherwise was to risk punishment. If he said, “Right face,” you right–faced. If he said, “Load that plane,” you loaded that plane. If he said, “Polish those shoes,” you did so without hesitation. You obeyed his every command … because his word carried authority!

   There is someone else whose words are even more powerful and authoritative. When he speaks, everything obeys his voice. In the beginning, he spoke the universe into existence. When he said, “Let there be light!” light instantly came into being.1 When he said to a raging storm, “Peace, be still,” it suddenly became calm and quiet.2 When he said to a dead corpse, “Young man, I say to you arise,” the dead man sat up and began to speak.3 Indeed, this man’s words were—and still are—a mighty power! This man, of course, is more than a man. He is God in human flesh. His name is Jesus.

   Indeed, Christ’s strong word has amazing power. In our text for today, we will see, first, that it has the power to enlighten hearts and create saving faith in souls that are spiritually dead. And, second, we will see that it has the power to cast out demons.

I. Christ’s Strong Word has the Power to Create Saving Faith in the Spiritually Dead
   Let’s go to the synagogue in Capernaum and see what takes place. Jesus faced the congregation and began to teach. That is to say, he explained—with utter clarity, and with conviction born of divine certitude—what the appointed text said and meant. No one ever taught as he did, for the power of God energized his every word. The effect of his teaching was instantaneous. We read, “And they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.”4

   He taught as one having authority and not (as St. Mark reports), as the scribes.5 The scribes were the professional teachers of the Law—especially, the Torah—the first five books of the Old Testament Scriptures. They were supposed to expound Scripture. But no scribe ever rendered a personal teaching based upon his own study. He would begin by saying, “There is a teaching that ...” and then he would quote (ad infinitum ad nauseam) from a list of past rabbinical authorities. That is, he would quote endlessly from the great Jewish teachers of old.

   Instead of teaching what God’s Word said, the scribes developed a convoluted set of rules and moral laws. They set forth elaborate rules about the way the Jews had to offer up such things as spices to God.6 The result was a huge code of moralisms.7 By the time of Jesus, this set of moral laws gave rise to greatest heresy of all, namely, salvation on the basis of good works and human merit. Oh how Satan must have smiled when Judaism’s professional teachers perverted the Word of Life and fed the people the doctrines of death!8

   But on that day in the synagogue, Jesus taught them something they hadn’t heard in a long time, viz., what the Scriptures really meant. He taught on the basis of his own personal authority, for he was God and knew all things, especially the truths of Holy Scripture. And, surely, he taught them the Gospel, the free gift of salvation to all who trust in him. They probably felt as if they were being freed from an eternal dungeon. His teachings enabled them to see that the light of his righteousness casts out the darkness of their sin. What a relief that must have been!

   Indeed, Jesus’ word was a strong word. It still is. But what would you think of me if I were to go to a cemetery and start to preach the Gospel to one of the dead? What if I should say at one of the gravesites, “Mr. Dead Man, cease and desist from your sins and trust in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ to save you! Yes, repent and believe and the kingdom is yours!” What if I did that? You would look at one another and say, “What’s wrong with Pastor Grassley? Has he lost it? Should we call 911?

   Please, not so fast! Consider that all of us Christians were, by birth, dead in our trespasses and sins.9 How dead? As dead as a corpse is dead! Even now, all unbelievers are the same and are children of wrath.10 But the Holy Spirit does the greatest miracle in the world when, through Holy Baptism, he works saving faith in a dead soul and raises it to new life in Christ!

   He does the same thing through the Word. By the Law, he terrorizes the dead soul with the prospect of damnation, and, by the Gospel, (i.e., by Christ’s strong Word) he engenders saving faith and raises up the dead soul to life in Christ.

   So, you see, every Christian pastor who is faithful to the Word has preached to dead people. Is there an infant here this morning who has not been baptized? Is there someone here who does not trust in Christ? If so, the Lord is preaching to the dead through my lips. His strong Word has the power to make a dead soul alive!

   And we who trust in Christ are gloriously alive. We are saints in Christ. But we are still sinners. Hence, the Lord is not done with us yet. Even now, the Holy Spirit works to mature us in the faith. Since we are still sinners, he kills us with the Law when he says, “What have you done? What have you done . . .

• by bowing down to cash and currency,
• by bowing down to the impulses and desires of the flesh, and
• by neglecting my strong Word?”

By the Law, he makes us repentantly hungry for the Gospel, i.e., for forgiveness, life, and salvation. And he delivers that forgiveness to us through the Word and through the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood. Indeed, Christ’s strong Word makes and keeps us alive! His strong Word bespeaks us righteous!

II. Christ’s Strong Word has the Power to Cast out Demons
   Our text lets us see another example of Christ’s strong Word in action. In the same synagogue service, he encountered a man possessed by an unclean spirit, i.e., by a demon or evil angel. Some people think that demon possession is just a myth. They say that what the ancients called demon possession was really nothing more than a mental or emotional illness. They say that modern people know better than to believe in such old–fashioned fairy tales.

   Really? C.S. Lewis, one of the brightest minds of the 20th century, once said, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils [demons]. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”11 He is right.

   Moreover, no less an authority than Jesus knew that demonic possession was real. When he encountered people who were so afflicted, he cast the demons out. Even today, demon possession happens. It can happen anywhere. But it is especially seen in places where the Gospel is despised or has not been heard.

   No sooner had Jesus finished teaching in the synagogue than a demon spoke through the lips of a possessed man. The situation is tense. The unclean spirit says to our Lord, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”12

   Notice that this demon recognizes who Christ is, the man who is also the “Holy One of God,” i.e., the Son of God. Yes, the demon knows that Jesus is God in human flesh. But at once the spirit is frightened of Jesus. He shutters with fear and says to him, “Have you come to destroy us? Hence, we see that Satan and the forces of darkness know they are powerless against Jesus and his strong Word.

   How powerless? See what happens. Jesus utters one brief sentence, “Be silent and come out of him!”13 And, behold, the demon vanishes. To paraphrase an old brokerage firm commercial, “When Jesus talks, demons listen!” But they do more than listen. They obey! The people in the synagogue were astonished and they said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”14

   Once again we see the power of Christ’s strong Word. Satan cannot win the battle of words. He and his demons may not be able to possess us, but they try to steal the truth of God’s Word out of our hearts.

   But, beloved, do not despair. Christ’s strong Word of truth is far more powerful than Satan’s lies. In Divine Service, God is present to keep you in the one, true faith. He channels all of his gifts (forgiveness, life, and salvation) through the means of grace. Through his Word (heard, sung, and preached) the Holy Spirit strengthens your faith and preserves you in it. In Holy Communion, Jesus comes to you personally in his body and blood to forgive your sins and nourish your faith in him.

   Maybe you feel at times like your faith is nothing but a little spark about to go out. What then? Ah, run to the Word and make haste to the Lord’s Supper!

   In the Word, God says to us sinners, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him [Christ] the iniquity of us all.”15 If our sins are on Christ, they are not on us! And in the Lord’s Supper, Jesus says, “Take, eat, this is my body”; “take drink, this is my blood.” And of these he says, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Such is Christ’s strong Word for you!

   Thus, we say with the hymnwriter:

Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous;
Bright with Thine own holiness,
Glorious now, we press toward glory,
And our lives our hopes confess.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise to Thee who light dost send!
Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia without end!16

   May God grant this confession to us both now and forevermore. In Jesus’ name,
   Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Endnotes

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