Jesus left his home town of Nazareth. Folks there didn't really like what he had to say. Now, we find him in Capernaum. It's only about 40 miles away from home. Google maps say we can drive it in 47 minutes today. Back then, though, it would take more like 9 hours to walk from home to this town on the edge of the sea of Galilee. It only took a days walk to find people who liked his teachings again. To them, his words had authority.
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, "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!" "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. 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!" And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area. (Luke 4:33-37 NIV)
Well, it seams the people of Capernaum aren't the only ones who recognize the authority of Jesus' words. The demons recognize his authority as well. They even recognize that he is the "Holy One of God." They feared him, obeyed him, and ran from him. What kind of person has the authority to cast out demons and stop them from talking? It's authority that comes from God, and Jesus has it.
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. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them. (Luke 4:38-39 NIV)
Now people and spirit beings aren't the only ones recognizing the authority of Jesus. Illness can be added to the list of ones listening to Jesus. He somehow has the authority to command bacterium, viruses, and anything else that stops our bodies from functioning in the way they were designed to work. The power to heal people physically also comes from God. Jesus has this as well.
At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 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. 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. 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." And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4:40-44 NIV)
Healing the sick and casting out demons tend to be crowd-pleasers. That's why Jesus did them. He gathered large crowds so he could do what he was really sent to do: proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. Don't get me wrong. The miracles were important. They helped us recognize Jesus as a prophet of God. (All prophets had to perform miracles as signs that they were sent by God.) His specific miracles even helped us identify him as the Savior/Messiah. (The blind would see and the lame would walk.) In the end, though, we needed to hear him teach...with authority.
We needed to understand God's plan to save us. We needed to know what Jesus was doing and why. We needed to hear His explanation of everything that was about to happen. That's why Jesus didn't just stay in one town and heal everyone there. Instead, he went from town to town, healed people, drew crowds, and then taught them the things that would really heal them. He taught them how to have life more abundantly and life eternally.
What about you? Have you listened to Jesus' teachings? Do they speak to you with authority? Do you get frustrated because he doesn't fix what ails you physically, or do you recognize the real reason he comes? He wants to give you life abundantly and life eternally. Do you listen to His teaching and receive it?
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