Authority and Power

Reading: Luke 4:31-37

31 Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32 There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority. 33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil spirit—cried out, shouting, 34 “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 35 But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further. 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!” 37 The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region. (Luke 4:31-37 NLT)

After Jesus was rejected in his hometown, Nazareth, he went to Capernaum, a village on the shore of Lake Galilee, and stayed at the home of Simon, a fisherman who before long would become Peter, “The Rock”! He began to preach and teach in their synagogue, in homes, and in the marketplace. The first comment people had about Jesus’ teaching is that he “spoke with authority”. The second notable comment came after Jesus confronted and expelled a demon, “What authority and power his words possess!” They were used to teachers who quibbled about details of ceremonial law and supported their teachings with quotes from other teachers who were as far from the realities of life as they were.

God’s spoken words have authority and power. God spoke creatively and brought the universe into being. God spoke prophetically and set in motion his redemptive plan of the ages. Jesus spoke with authority and power and Satan’s control was broken in a man’s life. Keep in mind that only a short while earlier Jesus had defeated Satan’s power in the wilderness temptation with words of authority from Scripture.

Jump ahead with me twenty centuries to right now! Jesus, who speaks with power and authority has given us the indescribable privilege of speaking into our world with his power and authority! We can speak faith-words of blessing, encouragement, healing, comfort, hope, and challenge into our world through our encounters with people and our prayers to our Father. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you opportunities to intentionally speak “God-Words” in your world today!

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for Jesus’ words and example.  Help my friends and me to graciously speak with authority and power into the life-situations we encounter today! Help us to speak words that make good things happen in our world. In Jesus’ Name.