Bible Study series: Luke 4:31-37. The crowd marveled because he commanded unclean spirits.
Friendly greetings and a warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together.
I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click here:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 4:31-37
31 Then he went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee. He was teaching them on the Sabbath. 32 And they were astonished at his teaching because his message was with authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man having an unclean demonic spirit, and he cried out with a loud voice: 34 “Yah! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus the Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are! The Holy One of God!” 35 And Jesus rebuked it, saying, “Silence! Come out of him!” And throwing him right in the middle of them, it came out of him without harming him in the slightest. 36 A fear came upon everyone, and they spoke amongst themselves, saying, “What is this message? With authority and power he commands unclean spirits and they leave!” 37 And the news about him went out throughout every part in the region. (Luke 4:31-37)
Comments:
31:
Jesus was a Sabbath keeper in these early days, in order to be a good witness to his fellow Jews. Soon he will proclaim that the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5). He owns it; it does not own him. Jesus came to set people free from the demands of ritual law (and Sabbath keeping is a ritual and not moral law). But even throughout his ministry he still kept it, as this summary, representative verse spells out. His witness would have been destroyed if he flouted his liberty by gathering wood on the Sabbath. A man in the time of Moses was stoned to death for doing exactly that (Num. 15:32-36). But Jesus is about to walk on the border between Sabbath keeping and Sabbath breaking, as Jewish tradition defined the terms, by healing on that day (Luke 6:6-11; 13:10-16; 14:1-5). And he allowed his disciples, as they were going through a grain field, to pluck some grains and eat them. Pharisees objected (Luke 6:1-5). Luke’s mentioning this Lordly adjustment to the Sabbath may indicate that Luke came under the influence of Paul, who also proclaimed the liberty of humans over sacred days (Rom. 14:5).
32:
“astonished”: the verb is means to be so astonished or stunned that one is overwhelmed. Many consider that the authoritative NT Greek lexicon to be BDAG, and it says, “cause to be filled with amazement to the point of being overwhelmed, amaze, astound, overwhelm.” It would be amazing, stunning, and overwhelming to see such a powerful deliverance.
“teaching”: here it is the more formal didachē (pronounced dee-dah-khay), so Jesus spent some time teaching formally in the synagogues. It makes me wonder whether the church in the U.S. and the world get adequate teaching. In America many of the TV guys do a lot of yelling and shouting and displays of personality and shrieking and freaking and dancing and prancing. I wonder whether Jesus did any of that. I don’t think so. Yet he amazed the people with his teaching.
Let’s explore this Greek noun more thoroughly.
It is, as noted, the word didachē BDAG defines the noun as follows: (1) “The activity of teaching, teaching, instruction”; (2) “the content of teaching, teaching.” Yes, the word is also used of Jesus’s teaching: Matt. 7:28; 22:33; Mark 1:22, 27; 4:2; 11:18; 12:38; Luke 4:32; John 7:16, 17; 18:19. And it is used of the apostolic teaching: Acts 2:42; 5:28; 13:12; 17:19; Rom. 6:17; 16:17; 1 Cor. 14:6, 26; 2 Tim. 4:2; Ti. 1:9; Heb. 6:2; 2 John 9 (twice), 10; Rev. 2:14, 15, 24.
Renewalists need much more instruction and doctrine than they are getting. Inspirational preaching about God fulfilling their hopes and dreams is insufficient. We need to discern the signs of the times or seasons (Matt. 16:3). We live in the time or season of the worldwide web. The people are getting bombarded with strange doctrines, on youtube (and other such platforms). These youtube “teachers” know how to edit things and put in clever colors and special effects, but they have not been appointed by God. They do not know how to do even basic research. They run roughshod over basic hermeneutical (interpretational) principles. These “teachers” do not seem to realize that they will be judged more severely (Jas. 3:1) and will have to render an account of their (self-appointed) “leadership” (Heb. 13:17). If they destroy God’s temple, God will (eventually) destroy them (1 Cor. 3:17).
Further, my impression is that the main platform speakers on TV whose budgets are big enough to put them on TV every day don’t even know the basics about doctrine. Why not? They are too busy being corporate managers and even Chief Executive Officers over large churches. They are not turning over the practical side of church leadership to their elders and deacons. They do not spend hours a day—all day, every day—studying nothing but Scriptures, with good ol’ commentaries. (Maybe this one can help.) They do not spend hours a day reading up on theology and doctrine. (Maybe my website can help, a little.)
An alternative and probably better translation of Eph. 4:11 reads: “Apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teaching pastors,” not pastors and teachers. Do we have teaching pastors or management or corporate pastors who specialize in organizational leadership? Or do we have psychology pastors? These areas should be turned over to a team. The teaching pastors should do nothing but study Scripture and should have the bulk of the teaching time on Sunday morning and in other services.
We need to change our ways and follow Scripture, or else much of the church will spiritually diminish and be swept away by strange teachings. Yes, good ol’ fashioned theology and even a little apologetics about difficult passages is what the global Church needs. They need the basics—even on Sunday morning, delivered by teaching pastors, not corporate, inspirational pastors.
“message”: this is again the noun logos, and see v. 22 for more comment. There was a rational and logical side to Jesus’s teaching. It was not all wild-eyed and frantic, as so many prominent pastors and evangelists in the Renewal Movements are today.
“authority”: it is the noun exousia, and vv. 6-7 for more information. When Pharisees and teachers of the law entered a synagogue to teach, they must have discussed why ritual baths were important and how exactly to keep the Sabbath. You may walk only so far, but no more! They enforced the law of Moses. Jesus’s formal teaching was not like that. For hints of what it was like at this stage, read the early chapters of the Gospel of Luke. He did not get his authority from belonging to a religious sect like the Essenes or the Pharisees, but from God and his Messianic anointing and Spirit empowerment. “More is caught than taught,” and the people were able to catch his authority.
33:
“unclean demonic spirit”: Luke piles on the words because his larger audience in the Greek-speaking world would have believed that some demonic spirits were good ones, as opposed to malevolent ones (Garland, comment on 4:33). The demon also makes the man unclean.
In contrast, Jesus is the Holy One of God, says the unclean spirit demon.
In this passage Luke will zigzag between plural (spirits) or singular (spirit). This may indicate a “spokesman demon” or an upper-ranked demon that was leading the other lower-ranked spirits, but that’s speculation.
See verse 2 for my posts on Satan and demons for a more developed theology and evidence of a demonic hierarchy.
Bible Basics about Satan and Demons and Victory Over Them
“having an unclean spirit”: the Greek really does read “having.” “Demonized” is not the only verb to express a demonic attack (see Mark 3:22, 30; 7:25; 9:17; Luke 4:33; 7:33; 8:27; Acts 8:7; 16:16; 19:13). But I see no substantive difference between the two verbs and are used interchangeably in Luke 8:27, 36. What is more relevant is the soul of the person being attacked and how deep the attack goes because the person gives the demon access.
34:
Yah!” One possibility: It’s just a yell. But was it to intimidate? Probably not, because they knew who he was. Was it a yell of surprise and defeat? Both. “Oh no!” Second possibility: some scholars say that the word could be the imperative of “permit” or allow” (see v. 41). So the demon yelled, “Permit us (to remain)!” I think the shout of surprise and defeat is the better translation. But you can decide.
“Why are you interfering with us?”: It is an idiom that can be translated literally, “What to us and to you?” It may point to an expression in the Septuagint (pronounced sep-too-ah-gent and is the third to second century B.C. Greek translation of the OT), which could be rendered as I have it here: “Why are you interfering with us?” (Josh. 22:24; Judg. 13:12; 2 Sam. 16:10; 19:22; 1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 3:13). And that’s what I chose, because the more I thought about it, the more I believe the Septuagint should be authoritative and decisive in this verse. Alternatively, however, the phrase may emphasize the distance between Jesus and the demon. Therefore, it can also be translated, “What do we have to do with you?” Or “What do we have in common?” Or “leave us alone!” (Culy, Parsons, Stigall, p. 144). Or I could add this alternative: “Are you going to cross over into our jurisdiction, from you to us?” You can decide which translation is best.
“Have you come to destroy us?” It could be translated not as a question, but words of defeat: “You have come to destroy us!” This accords with 1 John 3:8 that says, “And the Son of God has appeared in order to loosen the works of the devil” (my translation). The verb “loosen” could also be translated as “destroy,” but they are different Greek verbs:
One major purpose why Jesus came was to destroy the influence, power, and authority of the devil in people’s lives. This is the first passage where a demonic deliverance is mentioned in this Gospel, so it serves as a foreshadowing of the rest of Jesus’s ministry of the kingdom. Take it as paradigmatic.
The demons shouted out Jesus’ true identity because they lived in the spirit world and understood, somehow, that Jesus the Nazarene, the Holy One of God, had come to earth and was appointed to bring the kingdom of God, demanding that Satan loosen his grip on humanity, and to doom his dark kingdom, destining his ultimate defeat. That’s why the demon shouted, “You have come to destroy us (in particular)!” Or, as noted, “Have you come to destroy us (in particular)?” In any case, they sized him up and saw their defeat and destruction. He was (and is) Lord; they were (or are) not, even over that one person they possessed.
“holy”: It means he was consecrated to God. But his holy consecration did not mean, however, that he was separated from the common people. He mixed in with them. That’s a lesson for us, too.
35:
“rebuked”: it is the verb means “rebuke, censure, warn,” and even “punish” (see Jude 9). In exorcisms it may have developed a specialized meaning, so one should use it, as Jesus did. Be authoritative. In any case, he has given us authority to tread on the devil (Luke 9:1 and 10:19).
“silence!”: the verb can mean to “muzzle,” as in a muzzled ox (1 Tim. 5:18; 1 Cor. 9:9); or figuratively “(put to) silence” (Matt. 22:34; 1 Pet. 2:15); passive voice: “be silenced, be silent” (Matt. 22:12; Mark 1:25; 4:39; Luke 4:35). And those verses are the only ones where this verb appears. Here it is in the command form. Command the demon. Another translation: “shut up!”
Some teachers say they can converse with demons, in order to find out why they refuse to go, why they have a root in the human, as Jesus asked the demon for his name (Luke 8:30). I would never say no to this part of deliverance. I believe the mature believer must not follow a formula or ritual. But do we have to take it so far and have a detailed conversation? No.
So the demon threw the poor man, soon to be a “rich” man because of his deliverance, right in the middle of the synagogue attenders. This must have shocked the audience, when they were used to Pharisees and teachers of the law coming in and talking in zealous tones about the law. “Do this, but don’t do that!” They had no real authority in their voice or demeanor or spirit, and they certainly did not have Jesus’s Spirit-anointing. This is a sign of his being the Messiah, not just another Rabbi or teacher.
Even though the man was thrown down by the power of the demon possessing him, the man was not physically harmed in the slightest or “at all” is another translation. One commentator says that when the demon hurled him and landed him in the middle of the people, the evil spirit was handing the man over to Jesus, the rightful Lord (Garland, p. 216). Sounds good to me.
It is good to know that when a person is delivered from demonic spirits, he suffers no bodily harm if the demon were to toss him on the floor. (I have heard of deliverances that do not harm the man or woman when they stiffened up and fell hard on the floor.) Therefore, I conclude that Luke got this (true) story from a reliable transmitter of these early stories about Jesus’ ministry (in this case Mark 1:21-28), but Mark just says the demon shook the man violently. No doubt he was thrown also.
36:
“fear”: it is the noun that combines astonishment and fear and is used only here and in Luke 5:9 and Acts 3:10, so it seems only Luke liked the word, but not very often. In the Greek older than the NT, it meant “astonishment” and “amazement” (Liddell and Scott), but it is easy to see that in this context, fear would come upon the synagogue goers, who were not used to wild displays.
“authority”: it is the noun exousia again, and see vv. 6-7 for more comments.
“power”: See v. 14 for more comments. Here Jesus was commanding the demon, and this impressed the synagogue attenders, particularly when the man was unhurt after being thrown down on the floor.
For nearly all the references of that word and a developed theology, please click on
What Are Signs and Wonders and Miracles?
“commands”: Jesus commands with authority on top of or from above or from a position over the thing being commanded. In other words, Jesus had total control and power and authority over the cluster of demons.
37:
“news”: The news of deliverance can travel fast, and the whole region was filled with the “noise” or “echo” of this wonderful miracle.
See my post Deliverance for how a mature believer can deliver someone oppressed of the devil.
Bible Basics about Deliverance
GrowApp for Luke 4:31-37
1. Do you unknowing allow Satan to attack you and your family, even, for example, when you drive to church? What should you do to prevent this?
2. Study Luke 9:1 and 10:19. You have authority and power over demons in Jesus’s name. What does this authority and power look like in your own mind and life?
RELATED
11. Eyewitness Testimony in Luke’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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