Capernaum: Part 4

Luke 4: 42-44

“42 At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. 43 But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.”

Jesus left the crowd at Capernaum at daybreak and went to a deserted place, probably to be alone, to pray, to recharge, and maybe even to sleep.  In needing this time away, we see that He is like us.  

Not only was He divine, but He was also human.

The crowd sought him out and when they found him they tried to talk him into staying with them.  But Christ’s primary mission on earth was proclaiming the good news.  

Healing was secondary to this mission, and was a sign of the good news, a sign that the promised Messiah was among them…

and that God’s gifts of forgiveness, salvation and eternal life were to be offered through His sacrifice to the world. \

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Capernaum: Part 3

Luke 4:40-41

“40 As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. 41 Demons also came out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah.”

If you've ever had a friend or loved one who suffered, you know what a miracle it is when they are healed or made better and what a terrible feeling it is when they cannot be helped at all.

Jesus could heal people, not just physically but also spiritually.  His words, the touch of his hand, and the power of his presence brought healing, deliverance, and comfort.

In Capernaum, Jesus had a busy day.  As the sun was setting, he was busy healing the sick.  

In my mind, I see a golden sunset, and silhouetted against this is Jesus and a long line of people.  I see Him walking from person to person, laying his hands on each, making the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk.  He even touches the lepers, who are at the end of the line, away from all the rest, and they too are healed.

Even the demons shouted His glory.

“Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people and will have compassion on His afflicted.” (Isaiah 49:13)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Capernaum: Part 2

Luke 4:38-39

“38 After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. 39 Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.”

We don’t normally think of the disciples having a life outside the tight circle of the twelve and Jesus.  But, according to the early church fathers, Clement of Alexandria and Eusebius, Simon Peter was married most of his adult life, including the full period of his apostleship.  Clement and Eusebius wrote that Peter’s wife travelled with him and died a martyr’s death around the same time as Peter.

In this scripture we read about Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, who apparently lived with Peter and his wife in a house in Capernaum.  She was suffering a high fever, and according to the Greek, the fever was life threatening.

Jesus, entering Peter’s home, was asked to look at her.  Jesus rebuked the fever and Peter’s mother-in-law was healed. Not only was she healed, but she was given enough strength and the desire to begin to serve Jesus and those who had come with him to Peter’s home.

When we are touched by Christ and we begin to experience God’s healing of our spirit, a great desire begins to stir in us to serve him;  a desire that burns in us for the rest of our lives.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Capernaum: Part 1

Luke 4:31-37

“31 He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. 32 They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. 36 They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, “What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!” 37 And a report about him began to reach every place in the region.”

The people of Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus, had rejected and attempted to kill Jesus.  For most of us, this would have shaken us to our core.  But in the scripture above, we find Jesus in Capernaum, preaching with authority.

Coming out of the wilderness, Jesus was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and this gave Jesus a clear sense of who He was, and His mission on earth.  For us, the type of rejection He received in Nazareth seems to run counter to God’s plan of redemption.  But it is worldly rejection that set God’s plan in motion.

In Capernaum, Jesus encountered a man with a demon in the synagogue. It is noteworthy that the demon knew who Jesus was. We think of evil forces as being ignorant of God, but in the Bible we find that they are very aware of God, and fearful of the power of God.

The unclean spirit asked, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”.  He knew the answer, since he knew who Jesus was.  

This is a question we all have to answer, once we meet Jesus. And after we answer this question, an even harder question waits to be answered….

“What have I to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth?”

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Nazareth: Part 5

Luke 4: 28-30

“28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.”

Jesus told the people of Nazareth, who were in the synagogue, that God had favored the gentiles over the Jews at different times in their history.  They reacted to this with rage and violence, even though Jesus was quoting stories from their own scriptures.

The words of Jesus are often hard to hear and harder to bear.  They make us look at ourselves in the light of God’s perfect love, His truth, mercy and forgiveness and we fall short.  Our need for a savior is laid bare.

It is at this point that we either fall weeping before Christ or we attempt to rid ourselves of Christ.   

The people of Nazareth attempted to throw Christ over a cliff.  But this is not how Christ would be lifted up.  

God had another plan.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Nazareth: Part 4

Luke 4: 25-27

“25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

The Jews in Jesus day had a dim view of the gentiles.  They believed that the gentiles were unclean and any association with them made Jews unclean.  Gentiles were regarded as unclean because of their lifestyle and eating habits.  Their lifestyle and eating habits also caused them to be sinners, and since they were sinners they had no hope of knowing the one, true God.

Yet, here was Jesus in the synagogue  preaching that, at different times in the history of Israel, God had favored the “unclean” gentiles over the Jews. 

The Jews of Nazareth thought they had God figured out.  Yet, Jesus used their own scriptures to show them that they did not know God.  

Jesus’ message was that God was willing to speak with and guide the Gentiles just as he did the Jews….

and that God’s love is for all people.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Nazareth: Part 3

Luke 4:22-24

“22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.  They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”  23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.  24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.”

Although his words are impressive, the people of Nazareth refused to believe that Jesus was who he said he was. To many Jews, the Christ would mysteriously appear and would be a man of power, education and credentials; not the boy who grew up down the street; not the son of a carpenter.

The people of Nazareth had a vision of who and what Christ would be and Jesus did not fit that vision.  Jesus read their doubts and knew they would ask him to perform miracles like he did in Capernaum, in order to prove that he was the Messiah.

The people of Nazareth were, in effect, asking the same thing of Jesus that Satan asked in order to tempt Jesus in the wilderness: “If you are the Son of God …” (Luke 4:3).

In our relationship with Christ, the conditional “if” is a sign of our unbelief.  

Let us approach Him in faith, without conditions… praying, “Your will be done.”

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)