A man angry at Jesus' authority (Luke 4:31-37)

The Byzantine-era synagogue at Capernaum (Photo: Gene Brooks)

In our last post, we saw anger in Nazareth's synagogue at Jesus' authority. In this post, we see anger in Capernaum's synagogue, but the outcome is different.

Anger flared a second time in a synagogue in Luke 4, this time at the village of Capernaum Luke 4:31-37; || Matt 4:13-16). This time it came from just one man and the spirit resident in him. Literally, he was “having a spirit of an unclean demon”[1] (Luke 4:33-34). In a dramatic display of the fulfillment of Isaiah 61 in their hearing, a demon cried out, “Ha, What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

A congregation angry at Jesus' authority (Luke 4:21-30)

Jesus teaching in the synagogue

Just after the "Temptation of Jesus" passage in Luke 4, there is the tale of two synagogues. The first is Nazareth, found only in Luke, and the second Capernaum. 
 
The Nazareth synagogue was where Jesus learned Torah as a boy, a poor Jewish village of between sixteen hundred and two thousand inhabitants. Nazareth's residents referred to him as "Joseph's son," not with the grand hospitality feted on a visiting rabbi, indicating that the small town was not open to thinking about him as more than a carpenter's son (Luke 4:22).[1] Still, Luke says that the congregation “spoke well of him” and were “amazed at his gracious words” (Luke 4:22). They were polite. They were properly religious. 
After reading from the scroll at Isaiah 61 in his hometown synagogue, Jesus explained the passage, pointing to something controversial, albeit true. What was it?

Luke Sermon Series: All in one place

The front side of folios 13 and 14 of a Greek papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of Luke containing verses 11:50–12:12 and 13:6-24, P. Chester Beatty I (Gregory-Aland no. P 45 ). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Life of Luke the Physician

Luke 1:1-25 - Birth of John Foretold

Luke 1:26-56 - The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Luke 1:26-38 - The Virgin Birth 
Luke 1:26-33 - What the Virgin Birth Did
Luke 1:34-38 - What the Virgin Birth Was

Luke 1:57-80 - The Birth of John and the Benedictus

Luke 2:1-12 The Infant is Sovereign
Luke 2:1-20 - The Birth of Jesus

Luke 2:8-20 - What Child is this?

Luke 2:21-40 - The Presentation of Jesus

Luke 2:41-52 - The Boy Jesus

Luke 3:1-20 - John the Baptizer

Luke 3:21-38 - The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus

Luke 4:1-13 - Jesus' Temptation

Luke 4:14-30 - Jesus Rejected

Luke 4:16-37 - A Tale of Two Synagogues

Luke 4:31-44 - Jesus' Authority

Luke 5:1-11 - Jesus' First Disciples

Luke 5:12-26 - Up on the Housetop

Luke 5:27-32 - Levi's Party

Luke 5:27-39 - Common Sinners & New Wine

Luke 6:1-16 - Lord of the Sabbath

Luke 6:17-49 - Sermon on the Plain

Luke 7:1-10 - The Centurion's Faith

Luke 7:11-17 - The Widow's Faith

Luke 7:18-35 - John's Doubts

Luke 7:36-50 - A Sinful Woman's Faith

Luke 8:1-15 - Parable of the Sower

Luke 8:16-39 - Listening Faith

Luke 8:40-56 - Healing and Resurrection

Luke 9:1-17 Sending Out and Gathering In

Luke 9:18-27 - The Christ of God

Luke 9:28-36 - The Transfiguration
Luke 9:37-50 - True Greatness
Luke 9:51-62 - The Cost of Following Jesus
Luke 10:1-24 - Jesus Sends out the Seventy

Luke 10:25-37 - The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:38-42 - The Priority of His Presence

Luke 11:1-13 - The Priority of Prayer
Luke 11:14-28 - Jesus on Unclean Spirits

Luke 11:29-36 - The Sign of Jonah

Luke 11:37-54 - Dead Religion

Luke 12:1-12 - The Right Kind of Fear

Luke 12:13-21 - The Wrong Kind of Focus

Luke 12:22-34 - The Wrong Kind of Fear

Luke 12:35-59 - The Right Kind of Focus

Luke 13:1-9 - The Right Kind of Religion

Luke 13:1-9 - Why do tragedies happen?

Luke 13:10-21 - The Gracious Kingdom
Luke 13:22-35 - The Narrow Door

Luke 14:1-24 - The Great Banquet

Luke 14:25-35 - The Cost of Being a Disciple

Luke 15:1-10 - The Lost Sheep and Lost Coin
Luke 15:11-32 - The Prodigal Son

Luke 16:1-18 - The Shrewd Manager

Luke 16:19-31 - The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31 - The Uncomfortable Reality of Hell

Luke 17:1-19 - Forgiveness and Thanksgiving
Luke 17:20-37 - The Coming of the Kingdom
Luke 18:1-17 - The Secret to Prayer 
Luke 18:18-43 - Rich Ruler, Blind Beggar: What faith looks like

Luke 19:1-10 - Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
 Luke 19:11-27 - Parable of the Minas / Pounds

Luke 19:28-44 - The Triumphal Entry

Luke 19:45-20:8 - Jesus' Authority Questioned
Luke 20:9-26 - Jesus' Authority Revealed
Luke 20:27-21:4 - Jesus' Questioners Questioned

Luke 21:5-38 - Signs of the Times
Luke 22:1-38 - The Last Supper

Luke 22:39-65 - Jesus Arrested

Luke 22:66-23:25 - Jesus on Trial

Luke 23:26-56 - Jesus' Crucifixion

Luke 24:1-12 - Jesus' Resurrection
Luke 24:1-12 - An Unexpected Ending 

Luke 24:13-35 - The Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:36-53 - Jesus Appears to His Disciples

Luke 5:27-32 - Levi's Party

Veronese (d. 1588), Banquet in the House of Levi (Prof. Mortel)

The first four books of the New Testament are called the Gospels. They tell the story of Jesus, His life and work. The third Gospel is called Luke, named after the author. Throughout his Gospel, Luke emphasizes the importance of walking in faith and avoiding unbelief. He has made it clear that every individual who meets Jesus Christ must make a decision about Him. 

The passage before us today teaches us that commitment to Jesus is marked by joy! We meet a man who is a government contract worker. He is a customs agent, a Jew, and his name is Levi. Levi will not only respond to Jesus with belief and follow Him, but he will throw a party to introduce all his friends and co-workers to his new master, Jesus.

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 5:27-32 to tell people that Jesus is the life-changing hope they want to know and to teach believers that Jesus is the life-changing hope they want others to know (Luke 5:29-32).

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about knowing Jesus.

Pray and Read:  Luke 5:27-32

Sermon Points:

1.   Jesus is the life-changing hope that you want to know (Luke 5:27-28).

2.   Jesus is the life-changing hope you want others to know (Luke 5:29-32).

Luke 24:36-53 - Jesus Appears to His Disciples

The Resurrection of Christ (Kinnaird Resurrection) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was Easter Sunday afternoon, the end of a horribly confusing few days for Jesus’ followers. After watching their Lord endure betrayal, arrest, lies, insults, beatings, and death by nailing, they saw Him die and His body buried. Then Sunday morning the women say His tomb was empty and that angels had told them He was alive. Peter and John rush to find an empty tomb, too, but none of it made sense – until the Lord Himself appeared to Peter. Then two came in from Emmaus claiming they had walked with the risen Lord, that He had taught them from the Scriptures, and they only recognized Him when He broke the bread. Suddenly everyone saw a Presence in the locked Upper Room . . .

Luke’s account of the Resurrection is more than a recounting of events. He interprets those events in light of Old Testament teachings about the Messiah (Luke 24:6-7, 19-27) and in view of Christ’s own statement of His mission (Luke 24:45-47). But Luke’s account does not end with the Resurrection, but the Ascension, reminding us that the risen Christ is to be worshiped (Luke 24:50-53). The Resurrection is God’s seal on the promise of salvation.

Today in the 64^th and final sermon from Luke’s Gospel, we find a remarkable resurrection appearance. Nowhere in the records of the resurrection do we have a picture at all approaching in vivid reality this picture of the Risen Christ.

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 24:36-53 to encourage people to trust in the evidence of the Resurrection (Luke 24:36-44), learn from the witness of the Scriptures (Luke 24:45-49), and respond with a heart of worship (Luke 24:50-53).

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about trusting and worshiping the risen Jesus.

Key Verse: Luke 24:39

Pray and Read:  Luke 24:36-53

Luke 24:13-35 - The Road to Emmaus

The Way to Emmaus - Robert Zund

Indian summer is that period of warm weather days between summer and winter after a cold snap, kind of a second summer. It is a time of transition, but it has some kind of mystic glory about it so that it seems to belong to another place, another climate. We have before us today an incident on Easter Sunday afternoon that is like Indian summer. The simple story of the walk to Emmaus which Luke tells us provides a picture of the risen Christ unequaled by any other record of the resurrection. There is the sense among Jesus’ followers that something big has taken place, but the importance and effects of it have not sunk in. It just did not make sense to them.

Have you ever had something happen to you that just did not make sense? You were sure the Lord was in it. You were confident that things would turn out well. But then disaster struck. Then loss. Then confusion. Then your confidence evaporated. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Why is this not making sense? Why do I hurt so much? Was there something I missed? Did I get fooled?

That was the feeling among Jesus’ disciples and friends in the passage before us today.

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 24:13-35 to teach people that Jesus waits for you to invite His Presence and enjoy His fellowship.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about a relationship with Jesus.

Key Verse: Luke 24:26-27

Pray and Read:  Luke 24:13-35

Luke 24:1-12 - Jesus' Resurrection

Cemeteries and graves, as a general rule are not places people enjoy visiting, unless of course you are into genealogy or archaeology, looking for history or family connections. But most of us ordinary folks have had our experiences with graves and cemeteries – none of them very pleasant.

Tombs represent finality. Graves represent loss. Cemeteries represent death. We go there to bury those we love and to mourn. Everyone knows that, including those who buried Jesus after His crucifixion.

But the story of Easter morning visit to a tomb is a celebration of a greatest story twist in history, a great reversal that changes everything for all time. What those dedicated women were just realizing then is that this tomb was a source of unimaginable joy – because this tomb was empty.

Luke 23:26-56 - Jesus' Crucifixion

Joseph takes down Jesus' body for burial

Have you ever sat with someone, a loved one, who was dying? Remember all the flood of different emotions? The helplessness? The sinking as death came? That is what we must do today.

Jesus’ Crucifixion is the greatest paradox of all time. The justice of God came through the injustice of condemning an innocent Jesus. God’s most holy purposes were worked out through the cruel hands that whipped and nailed Him to the cross. The demonic plot to murder the Son of God became the way by which the world was delivered from Satan’s control. The brutal and fearful symbol of the cross became a beacon of hope for the world.

Everything was wrong with Jesus’ crucifixion – hatred, jealousy, greed. But out of all the wrong came everything that was right and eternal life to boot. As Jesus enters the Valley of the Shadow of Death, watch the Grace that marks every step He takes.

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 23:26-56 to teach people that Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and burial demonstrates that Jesus is a Man of Forgiveness, Righteousness, and Honor.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about Jesus in His Death.

Key Verse: Luke 23:43

Pray and Read:  Luke 23:26-56

Luke 22:66-23:25 - Jesus on Trial

Ecce Homo! (Pilate presents Jesus to the crowds)

Calvary is the greatest paradox of all time. The same injustice that condemned innocent Jesus accomplished the justice of God. The cruel hands that whipped and nailed were instruments of God’s holy purpose. The devilish plot to murder the Son of God became the means by which the world was delivered from Satan’s control. The cross, a symbol of brutality and fear, is now a beacon of hope for the world.

Pilate questions Jesus

Jesus was crucified for all the wrong reasons – hatred, jealousy, greed. But out of this polluted soil God grew the tree of eternal life. As Jesus enters the Valley of the Shadow of Death, watch the Grace that marks every step He takes.

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 22:66-23:25 to teach believers that Jesus’ purpose in coming is not to threaten us, but to assume His Throne; not to entertain us, but to take away our sin; and not to please us, but to save us.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about why Jesus came.

Pray and Read:  Luke 22:66-23:25

Luke 22:39-65 - Jesus Arrested

Jesus, being arrested, heals Malchus' ear

It is an epic tale of tragedy, courage, and noble triumph – Luke’s account of Jesus’ last two days. While Jesus and His disciples celebrate the Passover, night falls on Jerusalem. Listen and you can hear families in their homes singing and laughing as they eat the Passover meal together in their homes. The full moon’s pale light makes the Temple walls glow fluorescent, and the light pours into the Kidron Valley and splashes up onto the Mount of Olives.

In the Upper Room, the oil lamps flicker was the Lord and His disciples drink the final cup of praise, sing a song of praise from the Psalms, and then go out into the chilly spring night.

Meanwhile, Judas hurries like a nervous cat to the high priest’s house. As he ducks inside, a curtain of evil descends upon the city, the darkest night the world has ever known, as all the powers of darkness gather to snuff out the Light of the World.

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 22:39-65 to teach believers that in time of testing, pray; in time of betrayal, be gracious; and in time of trial, stand firm.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about handling tough times.

Pray and Read:  Luke 22:39-65

Luke 22:1-38 - The Last Supper

Jesus' Last Supper with His disciples

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 22:1-38 to teach believers that Jesus is our Passover Lamb and our Suffering Servant

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about Jesus our Redeemer.

Key Verse: Luke 22:37

Pray and Read:  Luke 22:1-38

Sermon Points:

1.   Jesus is our Passover Lamb (Luke 22:1-23)

2.   Jesus is our Suffering Servant (Luke 22:24-38)

Luke 21:5-38 - Signs of the Times

It was January 24, 1961. A B-52G jet with a crew of eight is 12 hours into a routine flight mission over the Atlantic seaboard. The plane is part of a fleet of a dozen bombers in the air, ready to defend the country against the Soviet Union as a part of the strategic air command. Without warning over Raleigh, North Carolina, the huge jet lost 19 tons of fuel pressure in two minutes. The pilots try to make an emergency landing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro. The crew levels out at 10,000 feet to see if they have enough fuel to land.

Then disaster. The right wing breaks loose. The plane nosedives and spins downward. The pilot unbuckles his belt, but the G-forces fling him 10 feet across the plane and pin him against the floor. He prays, “Lord, if I go, take me home to heaven.” The co-pilot opens the hatch and jumps out of the plane. The aircraft commander follows him. The pilot pulls himself off the floor and falls out of the hatch into the darkness over the farming communities of Faro and Eureka in Wayne County, NC. 

Spinning out of control, the plane explodes and crashes just north of Musgrave’s Crossroads. The Faro Volunteer Fire Department responds, led by Fire Chief Earl Lancaster, where the find the aircraft and surrounding area engulfed in flame. Within the hour, the US Air Force orders them to leave the area. “They told us to git, and we got, said Lancaster. Later the reason came out: On board were two hydrogen nuclear bombs, each one 500 times more powerful than the bomb that landed on Hiroshima. One bomb was found embedded 18 inches in the ground next to Shackleford Road. It was deactivated and taken to Texas for analysis. The other one burrowed 50 feet into C.T. Davis’ swamp.

The military issued a statement saying both bombs were recovered and all is safe, but that wasn’t exactly true. The Air Force dug into the swamp, but at 20 feet down, the pumps could not keep up with the 20,000 gallons of water an hour coming into the hole. So they filled in the hole, and a half century later, a live nuclear device is still in the swamp in Faro, NC. The government still monitors and collects samples at the site, but it is still there. Why did those bombs not explode? Why didn’t the jet’s explosion in the air detonate the bombs? Why did they not explode on impact? Why did God spare eastern North Carolina from being instantly a nuclear wasteland with massive death and destruction and a radiological nightmare of birth defects and cancerous tumors and short life expectancies for centuries?

In the passage before us today, Jesus opens a veil on the future for His disciples, a veil that shows them God’s grace in the midst of a world headed for great destruction.

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 21:5-38 to teach believers to put your trust in Jesus who will return in power and glory; therefore, watch and pray for His Return.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about Christ’s Return.

Key Verse: Luke 21:27

Pray and Read:  Luke 21:5-38

Sermon Points:

1.   Trust in Jesus who will Return (Luke 21:5-28)

2.   Watch and pray until His Return (Luke 21:29-38)

Luke 20:27-21:4 - Jesus' Questioners Questioned

Icon of Jesus Christ (Wikipedia)

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 20:27-21:4 to teach believers that Jesus is our Resurrection, our Messiah, and our Provision.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about Jesus.

Pray and Read:  Luke 20:27-21:4

Luke 20:9-26 - Jesus' Authority Revealed

Jesus Christ - detail, Deesis mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (Wikipedia)

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 20:9-26 to teach believers to trust Jesus our Inheritance, our Cornerstone, and our Lord.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about Jesus.

Pray and Read:  Luke 20:9-26

Luke 19:45-20:8 - Jesus' Authority Questioned

Tissot: Jesus' Authority Questioned

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 19:45-20:8 to teach believers to trust Jesus because He stands by His Word with ultimate authority.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about Jesus’ authority.

Pray and Read:  Luke 19:45-20:8

Luke 19:28-44 - The Triumphal Entry

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 19:28-44 to teach believers to trust the King who sends us forth for He is worthy to be praised because He is the only Hope for a doomed world.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about trusting the King.

Pray and Read:  Luke 19:28-44

Luke 19:11-27 - Parable of the Minas / Pounds

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 19:11-27 to teach believers that Christ has given us an assignment until He returns and that He will demand an accounting when He returns.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about being faithful until His Return.

Pray and Read:  Luke 19:11-27

Luke 19:1-10 - Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

Jesus calls Zacchaeus

When Steven Spielberg filmed Schindler’s List, his penetrating film about the Holocaust, he wanted us to feel the intensity as if we were living it. So he refused to use anything other than natural angles. No shots from high above, nothing to detach the viewer. He wanted them in the middle of the action – just like Luke the Physician does in his Gospel.  He puts us today under a large tree on a dusty street in Jericho to see a remarkable sight, an impossible sight, that only the presence of Jesus could overcome – perhaps the hardest and most hopeless of all the forms of human sin: the love of money.

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 19:1-10 to teach believers that Jesus draws us to His Presence and His Purpose.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about Jesus’ Presence and Purpose.

Key Verse: Luke 19:10 (the key verse of the entire Gospel)

Pray and Read:  Luke 19:1-10

Luke 18:18-43 - Rich Ruler, Blind Beggar: What faith looks like

Frank came from a very well-to-do family. His father was a very successful businessman in the textile industry. Frank himself  loved the good life as a teenager. He wore the latest clothes. He had rich friends. He spent a lot of time partying and doing things he didn’t have any business doing. But hey, you only live one, right? 

But all that was about to change. 

Frank’s father had him out as a salesman on the textile market when he met a panhandler asking for small change. Frank told him to move on, and he finished his transaction with a customer. But he could not get that panhandler off his mind. He walked away from his booth in the marketplace and ran after the panhandler.

Luke 18:1-17 - The Secret to Prayer

Key Truth: Luke wrote Luke 18:1-17 to teach believers that the secret to prayer is persistence, humility, and simplicity.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about the secret to prayer.

Key Verse: Luke 18:14

Pray and Read:  Luke 18:1-17