Resident evil- Tuesday, 22^nd Week in ordinary time – Lk 4:31-37

Jesus is back in Capernaum, an important trade city (polis) with a population of fifteen thousand which was located on the north western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is here that he had previously worked ‘some miracles’ and would have by now most certainly be known to its inhabitants. His near death experience by a half crazed mob in his hometown of Nazareth is now behind Him and He is undeterred in His mission to liberate all those who are oppressed by the powers of evil.

On a Holy day, the Sabbath, the ‘Holy One of God’ confronts an evil spirit in the synagogue. It is interesting to note that this man was sitting in the synagogue, perhaps every Sabbath, with a demon in him. It would be foolishness to believe that the evil one stays out of a holy place or a holy person. The child sex abuse in the Catholic Church is evidence enough of the ‘demons’ in many men who dedicated their life to holiness. The devil spares none!

It is the presence of Jesus that disturbs the demons (there were many demons in him, as in us) who begins to shriek. Simply put it, when we open the doors of our life to Jesus, the devil in us is confronted by the presence of the Holy one and he who was silently ruling in our life even as we occupy places in Church, is now unsettled by the presence of Jesus.

It is interesting to see how Jesus exorcises this man who may have not even realised that his life was taken over by demons.  Jesus does so gently, for scripture tells us that though the demon ‘threw the man down before them, no harm is done to the man.’ When we are being released from the power of evil, the Lord is ever near, protecting us from harm.

We are told that amazement swept the synagogue and then the city. This happened not merely because there stood in their midst a wonder working Messiah but because this Holy One of God not only worked marvels but spoke with authority. Luke presents Jesus as not merely a healer but also ‘the teacher’.

The words of Jesus, spoken with authority are packed with a punch. He obviously teaches from His authority as the Holy one of God, a title that Luke repeats again and again in his Gospel.  When he teaches, Jesus does not have to quote others, for He is the teacher par excellence; perhaps a point of reflection for those of us who rely less on His divine words and more on human wisdom.

Fr Warner D’Souza