Luke continues to introduce us to the public ministry of Jesus. We have followed his narrative from Jesus’ consecration at His baptism (3:21-22), to the wilderness for 40 days (4:1-13), and then the onset of His public ministry in Nazareth and Capernaum of preaching, casting out demons and healing (4:14-37). The emphasis has been on the authority of Jesus’ spoken word. Through His word the gospel is preached, the devil is chased away, demons are cast out, and the sick are healed. His word is a powerful, saving, healing word. As the narrative continues and the scene shifts from the synagogue to a private setting, the emphasis continues to be placed on proclamation, mighty works playing a confirming role, verifying Jesus’ identity and message. Jesus has come to preach. His message is to proclaim the kingdom of God, and to call all who hear to “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15).

Healing

And He arose and left the synagogue, and entered Simon's home. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever; and they made request of Him on her behalf. (Lk 4:38)

It would appear that Jesus was invited to Simon’s (Peter’s) house for the main meal of the day following the synagogue service.[1] No doubt Jesus, like any preacher, is weary following a service. He’s ready to rest and enjoy His meal. Yet He immediately encounters needs. Simon’s mother-in-law is sick. She was suffering from a “high fever,” that is, she was very sick. What does Jesus do? He heals her.

And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately arose and waited on them. (Lk 4:39)

Jesus “rebuked” the fever even as he rebukes the demons (cf. v 35, 41). Luke uses this word in both places in order to emphasize the authority and power of Jesus’ spoken word. “The use of the word,” claims Marshall, “stresses that both miracles are wrought by the word of Jesus (cf. 18:42; Acts 3:7).”[2] The point throughout Luke 4, as Gooding explains, is that “in the fight for man’s deliverance from the power of Satan, the first and foremost tactic is the proclamation of the supremely and absolutely authoritative Word of God.”[3]

Luke says that the fever “left her,” and “she immediately arose . . .” Her recovery was instantaneous and complete.[4] Even post-fever weakness did not linger. Her strength was restored. She had the energy immediately to begin serving her guests. Her response is an authentic response to Jesus. She doesn’t respond merely with “wonder” as did others, some of whom ultimately turn away from Jesus (vv 22, 36). She begins to serve. She shows hospitality.

And while the sun was setting, all who had any sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on every one of them, He was healing them. (Lk 4:40)

 Luke mentions the “sun was setting” to indicate that it was the end of the Sabbath day. Sabbaths then and now were observed among the Jews from sundown to sundown. Prior to sunset the sick were not allowed to be carried. So at sundown “people lost no time,” says Morris.[5] “All” the sick and demon possessed were brought to Jesus and He healed them.

In addition to His healing word Jesus was “laying His hands on every one of them.” Perhaps this was a “personal touch” or means of communicating His “tender concern,” as Matthew Henry suggests.[6] Marshall sees it as “symbolic of the flow of divine power from Jesus to the person healed.”[7] It would function, then, to strengthen the faith of those to be healed.

Sickness is a manifestation of the fall. If there had been no fall there would be no sickness in the world. Sickness points to the greater problem of the sickness of our souls. Scripture encourages to pray for healing, though note, we are to do so in connection with the confession of our sin (Jas 5:14,16). Yet we will all one day weaken, our bodies will fail, and we will die. All healing, natural and supernatural, is temporary, a pause on the road to death. The greater issue is the spiritual sickness that lies behind the physical and of which the physical is a reminder. The physical healing points to Jesus’ power to heal us permanently, spiritually. Above all it is this for which we are to pray. Our souls are sick with pride, sick with lust, sick with selfishness, sick with anger, sick with hatred, sick with covetousness, and sick with idolatry. Jesus is the Great Physician. He calls us to repent and believe that we might be healed. He is able to rebuke our sickness and deliver us. He is able to restore our strength for life and service, by His touch of compassion and His powerful word.

Exorcism

And demons also were coming out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Son of God!" And rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. (Lk 4:41)

The demons cry out, “You are the Son of God.” Luke adds, “they knew Him to be the Christ.” They knew that Jesus was the Messiah. The disciples didn’t, but the evil spirits did. “The Galileans may have thought Jesus no more than a man, but the evil ones did not make that mistake,” observes Morris.[8] Why do they cry out? It “represents an attempt by the demon to demonstrate superiority to the exorciser by knowledge of his name,” explains Marshall.[9] It could also be an attempt to frighten. If we place ourselves at the scene, helping one who is demon-possessed, and imagine a horrid voice calling out, “I know who you are; you are . . .” (v 34), and then calling out our names, we understand: It’s a frightening scene.

How does Jesus deal with them? He rebukes them. There’s that word again (cf. v 35,39), “and rebuking them.” Jesus silences the demons with a word and casts them out. Jesus “would not allow them to speak.” Jesus doesn’t want their testimony for a number of reasons. Think of a political candidate receiving the endorsement of the American Nazi Party or the Muslim Brotherhood. Does it help or hurt his candidacy? The endorsement of the discredited and evil is unsolicited and unwanted. In addition, Jesus must first teach what being Messiah means before He can accept the title. His audiences were thinking of a conquering political king. He of a suffering servant. Matthew Henry points out that their affirmation was “confession upon the rack,” and so of no value anyway.[10]

As was the case in the synagogue, Jesus demonstrates His power over the forces of evil. As we have noted before (see comments on 4:1-13, 33-37), the whole world may not be demon possessed; lurid demon possession may be strange and even bizarre to Westerners. Yet the Bible teaches the “whole world” is “under the power of the evil one” (1 Jn 5:19). Unredeemed humanity walks “according to the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2). The devil is the “god of this world” who blinds the “minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor 4:4). The kingdoms of this world are his “domain.” “It has been handed over to me,” the devil told Jesus in the wilderness (4:6). We may think that we are self-determining, autonomous, free agents, doing what we want to do. I’m my own person, we think. The reality is we are the devil’s captives, doing his will (2 Tim 2:26). The reality is we are completely self-deceived. Our decisions, our outlook, our priorities are all shaped by the devil. We may not be possessed by demons but we are controlled by supernatural evil. We may think, “I’m my own man,” or “I do my own thing” – “I make my own lifestyle choices” – “I live as I want to live and do what I want to do.” But it amounts to vanity and delusion. Humanity is self-deceived. Our vision of life is seen with eyes blinded by the devil. He distorts all that we see. Our “walk,” our way of life, follows a course mapped out by the prince of darkness. Why else would a civilization so devoted to freedom in principle produce masses of people who are slaves of fashion? Why, in the end, are we all making the same decisions? Why is conformity to styles and trends so prevalent?

We need deliverance. We need the demons cast out and the devil chased away. We need One to bind the strong man and spoil his goods (Mk 3:27). We are controlled by powerful, enslaving habits and addictions, desires, and passions. Jesus has the power not only to heal us of sin’s diseases, but free us from sin’s power. No longer are we slaves of unrighteousness, but freed that we might be enslaved to God (Rom 6:18-22).

Preaching

And when day came, He departed and went to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them. (Lk 4:42)

Jesus went to a “lonely” or “desolate” (ESV) or “solitary” (NIV) place. Mark tells us it was to pray (Mk 1:35). This is significant in itself. Jesus prays. Jesus wants to pray and needs to pray. Jesus seeks communion with the Father and seeks the help of the Father. This is why we pray as well. If Jesus is committed to prayer, should we not be as well?

Be that as it may, the “multitudes” search for Jesus and find Him. They “tried to keep Him from going away.” The crowds want Jesus to stay in Capernaum. They want a continuation of His healing ministry and His exorcisms. But Jesus says He “must” (dei) continue preaching the “kingdom of God.”

But He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." (Lk 4:43)

Jesus was “sent” to preach. Jesus’ central task is proclamation of the kingdom; healing and exorcisms are subordinate to and supportive of that primary mission. This is why Jesus must leave. “It was a sense of the supreme importance of preaching the word to as many as possible, says Luke . . . that made Christ leave Capernaum in spite of His popularity there, in order to preach elsewhere,” explains Gooding.[11] Jesus’ mission is to preach the gospel. The “kingdom of God” is the “rule” of God, or even “God’s rule in action,” says Morris.[12] It refers both to the establishment of God’s authority as well to “the community and practices” created by that rule.[13] As God saves through His gospel, people come out from under the power and rule of the devil (4:5,6) and come into a community under God’s authority. Where is the kingdom of God? Wherever God’s rule is established, whether in the hearts of individuals or in entire realms.

And He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Lk 4:44)

Mark mentions that Jesus also cast out demons as He preached in the synagogues throughout the region (Mk 1:39). Luke omits this reference “so that all the stress lies on the preaching through which the good news of the kingdom comes to men,” observes Marshall.[14] Preaching is Jesus’ priority. Jesus came “to give His life a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45). He came to die. His death saves disciples. But His preaching makes disciples. Preaching is Jesus’ mission, leading to His death. Likewise it is the church’s mission flowing from His death. “In every age of the Church,” says J. C. Ryle, “(preaching) has been God’s principal instrument for the awakening of sinners and the edifying of saints.”[15] The ministry of the church rises and falls with the state of its preaching. “According to the state of the pulpit will always be the state of a congregation and of a church,” insists Ryle.[16]

Our message is Jesus’ message. Our mission is Jesus’ mission. Preach. Repent and believe. Submit to the rule, the kingdom of God. Turn to Jesus and be saved. He heals our diseases. He frees us from captivity. Through the cross he atones for our sin and breaks the power of sin.