Casting Out Demons – Luke 4:31-37

Are you scared to consider casting out demons?  I have been and can still feel some angst when I think about it, but we really shouldn’t be afraid.  Demons are eager to make us fearful.  That is one of their major tools.  But they must submit to Jesus.  I like this message by pastor David Hernandez of Spirit Church on how to cast out demons.  He points us to how to have Jesus’ power to cast out demons.  Jesus’ ministry to demon possessed people was amazing, his authority over demons unquestionable, and he has given us this authority.

And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! 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.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.  (Luke 4:31-37 ESV)

Jesus goes to one of the shore towns of Galilee that sits on the north side of the Sea of Galilee.  It had a well-established synagogue and he is again given invitation to teach there on Saturdays when the congregation meets.  The authoritative quality of his insight and understanding when he handles the Scriptures is matched by his authority over unclean spirits.

Demons are spirit-beings, likely angels who once served God but rebelled with Satan and now serve him.  They desire to control and feed off humans but when they are confronted by Jesus they acknowledge that they are destined for destruction and that Jesus is the holy one of God.  Jesus does not permit them to utter any more words and requires them to release the man, which they do only after causing him to experience a great fit.

The crowd was not surprised that the man had a demon because they were used to seeing this kind of thing.  Demon oppression is also common experience in many other parts of our world today, but in more “sophisticated” societies it is often considered superstitious to believe in demons.  It is hard to deny when you have seen their work firsthand.