During His ministry, Jesus performed more than 40 miracles including healing the sick, changing the natural elements of nature and even raising people from the dead. A miracle is considered an event that occurs outside the bounds of natural law. Each month, we will take a closer look at one of His miracles to understand the depth of His love for us.
Understanding the miracles of Jesus can change your life, and it all begins with believing through faith.
The fourth documented miracle of Jesus was recorded in Mark 1:21-28 and Luke 4:33-37. Jesus had been preaching in Nazareth for a while, and by Luke’s account, He traveled to Capernaum to teach in the synagogue. The people of Capernaum were new to Jesus but hearing Him preach impressed them. However, His preaching was abruptly and loudly interrupted by a man that was possessed by a demon.
Luke 4:31-37 states, “Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath, He taught the people. They were amazed at His teaching, because 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!’”
Jesus responded, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
The demon immediately came out of the man as the man fell to the floor, but was not hurt. The people who witnessed this were astounded. But why did the demon confirm in the temple that Jesus was, in fact, the Holy One of God? Perhaps the demon was attempting to make Jesus the next best roadside attraction, calling attention to Jesus in a negative way.
Jesus intended to teach humility to His disciples and practice kindness. And now He had to use His authority to cast out a demon in front of a large group of people. Jesus knew that this phase of His earthly ministry was short and there was much work to do. Having to cast out demons in such a dramatic way drew more attention to the scene and less for the glory of the message that Jesus was preaching.
It is a common phrase in our society to refer to our personal demons. We may be consumed by demons of our past mistakes or of hate, anger or resentfulness. If we have conquered our own demons through God’s love, then how do we react to others who are still struggling?
When Jesus called out the demon, He didn’t call out the man; He called out the spirit. We must do the same. We must learn to love the person but not love the behavior. We all certainly have displayed unlovable behaviors, but as Christians, we search for forgiveness. This miracle of casting out the demon demonstrates that God loves us, even if He doesn’t love what we are doing. Jesus sets people free and wants us to love others as He loves us.
