The Power of Jesus

Luke 11:14-36

A large portion of Jesus' earthly ministry was spent casting out demons and dealing with the dark side of life. To be demon-possessed means that you no longer control yourself or your choices. While today we do not typically talk about being possessed by demons in the same way of Jesus' time, I do believe this phenomenon does exist. Today we might use the language of mental health to discuss the forces which hold people captive and keep them from being themselves. Whether we are discussing the reality of addiction or mental illness, there are people whose lives are beyond their own control who need healing and transformation.

Jesus consistently has a heart for these people and casts out their demons and brings restoration to their lives. The power to cast out demons both attracted new followers for Jesus and raised fears about exactly who Jesus was and where he got his power. As Jesus healed a man from a demon which was keeping him mute, he was accused of possessing evil and dark powers: "he casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of demons. others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign from heaven." (Luke 11:15-16)  Some people believed in Jesus because he could cast out demons and others were fearful because he could cast out demons. Jesus' response is simply that the power of the Kingdom of God is much stronger than the powers of darkness and magic. "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his plunder." (Luke 11:21-22) Jesus is the strong man and has the power to overwhelm the demonic powers because God is stronger than Satan, good is more powerful than evil, life is stronger than death. The power of Jesus, the power to heal and redeem, is awe inspiring and deserving of respect. But the power of Jesus will be triumphant over all earthly powers because it is derived from God and God's power will be victorious. The powers of darkness may achieve temporary victories in the earthly realm, but Jesus' ministry of healing tells us that God is more powerful and his death and resurrection provide us hope that in the end darkness and evil will be defeated.