“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 4:33–37, NIV84)
Who is this guy? That was the question on everyone’s mind, and I believe it is the most important question to be asked of anyone, even today. Can I believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be? Now understand, we are not being forced to contend with what others believe about Him. Jesus said enough things about Himself to keep the whole world wondering whether He could possibly be who He said He was. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God who came to earth to redeem and save humanity. In our text for today, even the demon knew who Jesus was. Listen to what the demon said: “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!”
Today we question who Jesus really was when He Himself clearly proclaimed it, and even His enemies knew who He was. Even the people of Nazareth, after experiencing Jesus exorcize the demon from this man, asked, “What is this teaching? Who is this man who has the authority and power to tell evil spirits what to do?” As Christians we need to be confident about who this Jesus was and is. He is more than a great prophet. He is who all prophets point to. He is more than a messenger of truth. He IS the Truth. He doesn’t just point us to the Way. He IS the Way. Do you get my point? Jesus isn’t just another human being. He is God in the flesh who came to save and redeem His people.
May we today and every day be able to answer the question, “Who is this man?”
Peace!
Pastor Tom
www.firmlyrooted.church
