When Jesus performed miracles they were not just selfish exercises in gratification.  Jesus did not whip up a frenzy of excitement and then add a miracle to work a crowd.  Jesus brought peace and evidenced authoritative power when he cast out demons, healed the sick preached the good news of The Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom of God is a state of affairs where the effects of sin and the Fall are reversed.  Miracles and the casting out of demons still happen, although not in the same way as when Jesus was walking through Israel.  The greater objective for followers of Jesus is to see the Kingdom of God work its effect in all Creation.  What is your role?

Luke 4: 31-44

 ³¹Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. ³²They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.

 ³³In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil^[a]spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, ³⁴“Ha! 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.

 ³⁶All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!” ³⁷And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.

Jesus Heals Many

 ³⁸Jesus 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. ³⁹So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

 ⁴⁰When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. ⁴¹Moreover, 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 Christ.^[b]

 ⁴²At 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. ⁴³But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” ⁴⁴And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.^[c]

Questions

1. What kind of man was in the synagogue of Capernaum?
2. What does Jesus say sternly?
3. What do the people around comment about?
4. How is today’s biblical teaching authenticated through powerful acts of compassion?
5. How is your life an integration of the powerful working of the Spirit and the word of God?

Going Deeper

Observation

1. Who does the demon declare Jesus to be?
2. What two things does Jesus possess that the people believe give him the ability to cast out demons?
3. Who does Jesus heal from a fever?
4. What did Jesus do when demons declared who he was?
5. When Jesus went to preach, where did he go?

Interpretation

1. Why does Jesus do much of his work in synagogues?
2. Why do demons keep declaring who Jesus is?
3. What is the purpose of Jesus’ miracles?
4. How do we know that Simon Peter and some of the disciples were married?
5. What does this passage teach about the nature of the Kingdom of God?

Application

1. What do Jesus’ actions in this passage teach us about attending formal religious services?  If Jesus found it necessary to attend synagogue why don’t we attend church in the same way?
2. How should the church reinforce its message with an active compassion ministry of deliverance and healing?
3. Should miracles be performed by God’s people in the same way that Jesus did?
4. Jesus practiced solitude.  How can your family be organised in such a way that each person is enabled to spend time alone with God?
5. How is the fact that Jesus’ disciples were married a personal challenge to many married people?