Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.
Luke 4:31-32
Jesus went to Capernaum and began a weekly teaching series on life. He followed it with an exorcism. So the people knew He wasn’t just talk. Then He healed Peter’s mother-in-law and all the city’s sick that were brought to Him. Jesus, who had left Nazareth because of His inability to minister due to their unbelief, delivered all that were in bondage here. They were amazed by His authority instead of offended by familiarity.
They had heard many sermons before from the rabbis in the synagogues. We have specimens of these discourses preserved. They are some of the dullest, disjointed comments upon every conceivable subject in the history of mankind. The scribes quoted the rabbis before them and were afraid to express an idea without bolstering it up by some predecessor. Jesus spoke with the authority of truth, the reality and freshness of the morning light, and the power of God’s Spirit. They delivered their sermons like school boys giving a report while Jesus spoke like a judge giving the verdict. This “style” change astonished them.
His teachings were life-changing for the citizens of this region because they acknowledged His authority. Unlike those in Nazareth who wanted to stone Him, they accepted His power into their lives and allowed it to heal them. The same is true for us today. With the indwelling of the Spirit and the curriculum of Scripture we can experience His authority. We can bring the captive areas of our lives to Him for deliverance or we can reject Him. He will set us free if we bring our brokenness before Him in faith.
Under His Authority,
Pastor Jason
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