Summer Reading: Lessons from Luke (part 1)
Introducing Interruptions
I needed to work. I was far behind on a project. A friend of a friend called to ask if I could baby sit for a little while. It ended up being for eight hours! The child used the time to tell me over and over again about the same movie. He drew pictures of the movie. He would reenact key scenes. He would use elaborate gestures. He was sure to use direct quotes from the movie in as many conversations as possible. But after four hours, I must admit, I was sick of hearing about the movie.
I finally decided to escape by going to the kitchen to make dinner, but the boy followed me with another drawing he had made about the movie. Everything within me wanted to say “I hate that movie! No more drawings, no more stories, no more acting it out! Four hours is my limit!”
Before I regressed to sitting in a corner and sucking my thumb, God intervened. “I am patient with you, child, when you pray about the same things over and over. Will you be patient with him as well?”
Instantly, I was convicted. I was seeing only the way my day was being inconvenienced instead of capturing the opportunity to minister to someone else. I was looking only at myself and my needs, not what that little boy needed from me. I confessed my selfishness and asked the Lord for help. His answer was immediate and not lacking with humor! As I pulled off the packaging for the frozen pizza, an advertisement for the movie came out it! With a smile, and a “thank you God”, I gave it to the little boy. You would have thought I had handed over my life savings. “For me? I will hang it up in my room.” His eyes glowed as he looked as his treasure. A small thing from me meant the world to him. An inconvenience became a divine interruption where two lives were changed!
While I may only deal with pizza and movies, Jesus dealt with far more serious interruptions. He was interrupted all the time. People were always coming to Him to get their needs met one way or another. Yet, He never yelled at them, rolled His eyes at them, sighed heavily, or regressed to sitting in the corner. He was never inconvenienced. Instead, He accepted each interruption as a divine appointment from God Himself.
We will look at a few of these “divine interruptions” as we study the book of Luke. I picked the one-on-one encounters that Jesus had with various people. Sometimes no one was around; other times a crowd surrounded the two. But in each event, Jesus affected one life in a dramatic way. The person was never the same.
Through my study, I have changed as well. I know that is hard to believe after I just recounted the “continuous movie incident”! However, the words of Scripture have both convicted and inspired me. My hope is that the same will happen to you. Hey, I figure if I had to be convicted, others should be, too.
As I share these lessons with you, I hope more than anything that your love for studying the Bible will begin or be renewed or will be pursued with even more diligence. It would be wonderful that a time in Bible study would no longer be considered an “inconvenience” but instead be viewed as a wonderful interruption in our day, a divine encounter with the One who is never inconvenienced by you.
Let us begin this journey with Luke. He did all the research for us. I’m glad for that, since research was never my strong suit. I prefer to have someone else do all the work, and I get all the credit. Just joking.
Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you…so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:3,4)
Let’s begin with the first interruption. I am warning you, it is not very pretty.
Dropping Demon
Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “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!” “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 is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!” And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area. (Luke 4:31-36)
I was asked to tutor a high school student in algebra. It was a beautiful day outside so we went to a local park to study. She and I were sitting at a picnic table, amongst beautiful trees. We noticed two young men in suits setting up a sound system on the pavilion. I wondered if a music concert was scheduled. There were only four other people in the park, so I concluded the show must not be until later. Suddenly, I heard a man screaming into the microphone. He began shouting about the judgment of God and people going to hell. The young girl and I looked at each other, startled. We listened as these young men went back and forth yelling about Satan and the end of the world. I assumed this tirade would not last long since there were only a handful of people who could hear their verbal abuse, but after ten minutes, I had decided that enough was enough. I walked over to the stage and explained to the two men that if they wanted people to respond to the loving and graceful God, that the medium of screaming was probably not the route to go. Yes, the Lord is the Judge on the throne, but the amazing truth is the One Who will judge is the One Who sent Jesus to earth to die a cruel death on the cross to atone for our sins. Mercy is available to those who will receive. We need to extend grace to others in proclaiming the gospel and leave our personal judgment out of the picture. The guys just looked at me and then said, “Thank you.” As soon as I walked back to the table, my hopes of having stifled their twisted gospel were quickly dispelled. They began to yell things like, “Sometimes Satan comes against you in other people. He wants to stop the message of the truth by using people to try to make us stop speaking. We rebuke you, Satan, and the person you use to try to get us to be quiet. We will continue speaking the truth. We will not be silenced. For the one who tries to stop us is being used by hell.” I began laughing and realized that I had just been accused of being the agent of evil. They were so mixed up; they did not realize what was right or wrong. Needless to say, we did not accomplish much algebra that day.
Being screamed at in a park is not what you expect on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. But imagine if this incident had taken place in the middle of a church service. The preacher is in the middle of an incredible sermon when suddenly you hear someone yelling. As you visualize this, you are set up for the scenario that took place in the religious building in Jesus’ day, the synagogue.
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of His voice, “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!” “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out with out injuring him. (Luke 4:33-35)
A demon-possessed man is in the synagogue. Does that not make you sad? A person obviously tortured spiritually and emotionally was in the religious center of that day. He walked by countless devout Jews, many religious leaders, yet he was not changed. He was still plagued by the warfare within him. No one helped him. Maybe they felt powerless. What could they do? Who were they to interfere? Maybe they were frightened, fearful of getting hurt if they got involved. Possibly they were hoping someone else would help. They may have justified themselves with saying, “We will pray for him.” Or could it be the lay people blamed the priests for not changing him, for that is “their” job? Of course, everyone might have been just too busy to notice, to take the time to help, to risk being rejected. The person, possessed by evil, was not even challenged by the people supposedly possessed by good.
This demon-filled man comes across a crowd listening to Jesus. It was the Sabbath, so a good number of people would have been gathered in the synagogue. The people were listening intently, in awe of His teaching style.
Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at His teaching, because His message had authority. (Luke 4:31-32)
Authority: people are drawn to it. He was not speaking his opinion or hearsay. He was telling people what the Word of God means for He knows; He wrote it. They were eating it up. They were drawn into His visual images. Suddenly, a scream pierces the air.
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of His voice, “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!” (Luke 4:33-34)
Have you ever heard anyone yell at the top of his voice? Children do this often. I love it when a child realizes a room is too quiet for his liking so he decides to shout. Then, I enjoy watching the parent’s face as the horror is mixed with a look that lets the child know they will be in trouble later. But the child can rest in the fact that with all these other people around, he is safe for now. If you have never experienced this, it means that you are not volunteering in the nursery department in your church. And why not?
But there was nothing cute or amusing about this man’s scream. His yell was accusatory, belittling, and sarcastic. It was like a cruel joke meant to destroy the reputation of the innocent. But he picked the wrong target for his game.
Middle school students are masters at sarcasm. I believe it is a class taught in their curriculum. I watch sweet elementary school children turn into sarcastic monsters. Parents of middle school youth can attest to the torture of sarcasm.
Let us name the demon “Middle School Kid.” So, imagine the tone of a thirteen-year-old child as he says, “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”
The demon was stabbing where it hurts. For we discover in the verses before that Jesus had just left Nazareth, His hometown. You can read the full account in Luke 4:14-30 but let me summarize it here.
Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Nazareth, the place where He grew up. He stood up and read a portion from the book of Isaiah that prophesied about the coming Messiah. After He read it, he told the people “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21b) Well, the people began to question that. They reminded each other that he was just the son of Joseph; and they felt He was being arrogant. Jesus rebuked them and said that a prophet is not accepted in his hometown. He used examples from the Old Testament of how the prophets Elijah and Elisha helped outsiders, the Gentiles, over the chosen people, the Jews. Whoa! That started the uproar. The people were furious. A riot developed. They drove Jesus out of town and tried to throw Him over a cliff. “But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way.” (Luke 4:30). And what was His way? He went to Capernaum, the town He was preaching in when the demon-filled man made his sarcastic comment.
The demon-possessed guy was trying to accuse “Jesus of Nazareth” of being a failure in his hometown. But Christ knew He did what was right and not what was easy. Yes, His friends and family had rejected Him and even tried to kill Him, but He had only spoken truth to them. He had no regrets.
Does the enemy ever like to come back and remind you of your past? You may have had to make a tough choice; it cost you a lot, but it was the right thing to do. But does the enemy like to remind you of all you lost? Or maybe make you think what might have been. Or maybe you just miss life how it was. There is also the other side. Maybe unlike Jesus, you may have reasons to regret. You did not do the right thing. Now the enemy plagues you with the names of your past: Adulterer, Backstabber, Criminal, Gossip, Liar. The enemy may want to keep your past before you, but God never does. Listen to a quote from a murderer:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:13b-14)
The apostle Paul wrote those words. Before he became the greatest missionary for Christ, he worked hard to kill Christians. Yet, by God’s grace, he changed. Your past cannot haunt you unless you permit it to stay. You can choose in the name of Jesus to speak two heavenly words.
“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly.
The enemy has no right to speak over your life. Christ alone can tell you what you are in Him. When He looks at you, He has pronounced you clean. And when He is around you, He is not thinking about your past, but looking forward to your future with Him in the heavenly realms. So, when the enemy comes against you reminding you of your past, in the Name of Jesus tell the devil to “Shut up!” And then praise Jesus for the new name He will give you.
I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. (Revelation 2:17b)
Praise Jesus! He is so good to us. A new name never used in sarcasm, anger, or gossip. I cannot wait to find out what my new name is. But until then, let’s not allow the enemy the ability to give us his name for us. Our past is in the past. Leave it there.
After rebuking the enemy, don’t try to argue with him. He will try to lead you into a trap. Don’t fall for it!
“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!” (Luke 4:34)
A theological debate with a demon, does this seem a little odd to you? Look at the viewpoint. It is so twisted. “What do you want with us…? Have you come to destroy us?” The demon was twisting Christ’s objective in coming to earth. Was it to destroy Satan and his evil crew?
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John 3:17)
Mission of Christ: to save the world. That is why God sent Him. Is the focus of His mission the demons or the people? People. This egocentric demon thought he was the focus of the work of Christ. Dumb demon. Now, will evil be destroyed because of the work of God? Of course, that is not the question. The issue is the motive.
Imagine going to an action film. The enemy has captured hostages. There is only one man who is able to secure their release. Would you love this hero if his only objective was to kill the bad guy and yet could care less about the hostages? No. You want the guy to love the hostages so much that he willingly risks his life for them to be free. In the process, bad guys die in weird and cruel ways that only Hollywood could create, but the final scene is not a picture of death. The movie ends with life, with freedom, with hostages hugging the necks of their families because they are home.
The Son came to save the world. He knew His mission. He knew the cost. He knew the Hero would die in order to liberate the hostages bound by the evil one. But they would be free. He was not going to bypass the torture of Himself for then the hostages would never be released. He loved us too much to allow that to happen.
Love was what this demon was trying to undermine. He was trying to convince the crowd, “This is the Holy One of God. He could stop our evil work. But He is not willing. He does not really care.”
“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out with out injuring him. (Luke 4:33-35)
But once again, love prevailed. While others saw a disturbance, Jesus saw a man trapped by evil. While others were powerless to help, Jesus released the man with two sentences. When no one else interfered, Jesus dramatically intervened. When others were afraid, Jesus had no fear.
That day a man was saved. He was no longer gripped by evil, an evil that even tried to hurt him on the way out by throwing him to the ground. But Jesus did not allow him to be injured. No more harm would be done to this man who had been tortured by the demons for so long.
And the crowd? Well, they were in awe earlier by the authority of His words. Now they were confronted with Someone who was beyond just a good teacher.
All 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!” And the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding area. (Luke 4:36-37)
Authority. Power. That is the God we serve. He is not weak. He is not unable to save. He is not unwilling to intervene in your life right now. Tell him what plagues you. Are you regretting your past? Are you filled with doubts? Do you question His love for you? Are you afraid to help others? Whatever it is, tell Him. He knows. He is ready to speak Truth over your life. He is willing to silence the enemy. He wants you to be free.