Luke 4:31-44
Good morning, RTB’ers!
Today we see Jesus leaving Nazareth and going “down” (in elevation) to Capernaum, some 40 miles to the northeast. I’ve imbedded a map below showing much of the Galilee region. (BTW, Galilee is a Jewish region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Samaria on the south and Lebanon on the north.) The dark lines show a route between Cana (where Jesus turned water into wine, John 2:1-12) and Nazareth (Jesus’ hometown), and then from Nazareth to Capernaum. We will find Capernaum to be a major city in Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. Peter was from Capernaum, along with his brother Andrew and another set of brothers, James and John. They were all fishermen, fishing in the Sea of Galilee. Eleven of Jesus’ twelve apostles were from Galilee, the exception being Judas, who was from a small town south of Jerusalem.
The demons that Jesus cast out in today’s reading referred to Him as the “Holy One of God” (v. 34) and the “Son of God” (v. 41). He silenced them both, not wanting them to broadcast to onlookers as to Who He was. Mark’s gospel makes a big deal of Jesus’ “Messianic Secret”, so we see a bit of that here in Luke. Another phrase that we see for the first time today is the “kingdom of God” (v. 43). My Study Bible noted that this phrase occurs more than 30 times in Luke’s gospel. We might ask ourselves what exactly is the “kingdom of God”? Is it some “heaven” place, from where Jesus had come to be born, where the Father “resides”? Is it some future heaven or Earth, which will be Jesus’ Kingdom when He returns? Or is it some “location” or “presence” wherever Jesus is, in His earthly person? What exactly does Jesus mean by the “kingdom of God”? Another good question for discussion on the 14th!
Blessings!