vs 34
CS Lewis was the second person to introduce to me the idea Satan may be strong, and he may have demon minions, and he may be tempting and terrible, but that doesn't make him smart (Martin Luther was the first).
Well, I think in the temptation, we get this idea that Satan is going to be all stealthy and sneaky, and find the perfect time to backstab Jesus. Instead, he puts a demon into a guy in a synagogue, who then screams out that Jesus is the Holy One of God. Smart move?
vs 35
So for all the power that Satan and his minions might have, Jesus only actually needs to say "Shut up" and "Go away" to overpower them.
vs 36
Interestingly, the amazed people link Jesus' teaching to his power. I wonder if we'd do the same? I bet, in fact, we'd try to separate them, to explain one on its own terms separate from the other.
vs 37
Good news does travel, so it seems. I'm sure they heard about this even as far as Nazereth.
vs 38
When things like this happen, people tend to see what else will work too. So if Jesus has a powerful teaching authority, and can drive out demons, let's see if he can help a sick person too.
vs 39
And of course he can. So much so, that she doesn't even feel weak - she gets up and serves them.
vs 40
Jesus didn't turn them away and say "Ok, look, you can see I can heal people's sicknesses - let's talk about sin now." He healed them not just to show off his power (Luke might be writing it that way to show Jesus has that power) but because he loves them and doesn't want to them to suffer.
vs 41
So if these demons are backing him up and saying these things, why does he command them to shut up? I have heard people say that he didn't want the truth to be heard from the mouths of demons, because the witness of a demon is a bad witness. You really don't know if you can trust him if demons say it.
If that is so, then, why do the gospel writers record it? Wouldn't we face the same questions reading about it now?
The fact is that the whole question of the "messianic secret" as it's known is quite a complex one. Let's see how Luke unfolds it (every gospel treats it a little differently).
vs 42
If you had someone who could heal people, and teach with authority, and probably do other things too, you'd want to keep a hold of him. I mean, outback communities are hard pressed keeping doctors, let alone messiahs.
vs 43-44
But Jesus, although he is compassionate, also knows what the job at hand is, and that time is limited. Does he know this omnisciently? I honestly can't say. But what I can say is that we all know that too. If we feel God has a specific job for us, then while we may do some nice and gracious things on the way, we have to keep our focus on the job. Because time for us is limited too.
2 comments:
Hmm, the demon witness thing. Not that I have much theologically-sound commentary, but as I was reading it, I was kind of wondering just how much Satan the grand chessmaster was (or is) in control of his demons.
Like, sure, he's the boss and everything, and certainly the most powerful, but how much does that translate into a perfectly integrated evil empire acting in concert to do his will? It's just a quick speculation, since in no way do I want to sully myself by delving into the intricate workings of a demonic army - human corporations are bad enough - but I do imagine things could get quite unruly.
Reading it, I got the sense that the demons were just plain freaking out, possibly taking a stab at self-preservation, not necessarily acting under orders. But then, of course, I have no idea really - probably too much Lord of the Rings imagery going on in my head. All I can say is praise God that Satan (and Sauron for that matter, but that's getting too flippant) isn't omniscient.
And, ntrtwoo.
You've got to be careful of going between the sublime and the ridiculous here (not that you necessarily are, I'm just saying).
It is hard to have a good theology about Satan and demons (called, creatively, demonology) because the Bible says next to nothing about them. That leaves a lot of open territory, but it also means that we speculate a lot.
The whole unruly thing, for example - where does that come from? I think it comes from a long, long, long tradition of the chaos of the ocean being against the order of creation. It was there in Genesis 1. Still there in Revelation 21.
While demons tend to be portrayed as a little crude, I don't think it's necessary to think of them as chaotic. Perhaps I'm getting to D&D on the whole thing. But apparently, D&D is based entirely on truth and you learn the real magic and Satan eats your brain. Thank you, Mr Chick.
Glad to see you've caught up. Thanks for the effort.
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