Filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the Word with authority—I pray that we may carry out our mission under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
“Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He taught the people. They were amazed at His teaching, because His words had authority” (Luke 4:31–32), meditating on the passage, I desire to receive the lessons God gives through it.
(1) Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, about 40 kilometers northeast of His hometown of Nazareth where He grew up (Lk. 4:16), and He taught there on the Sabbath (v. 31) [The phrase “went down” indicates that the Sea of Galilee lies about 200 meters below the Mediterranean Sea level, and thus the route from higher-elevation Nazareth to the lakeshore descends (Hochma)].
(a) As I reflected on this passage, I connected it to the earlier verses where Jesus—already filled with the Holy Spirit—returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. There He was tempted by the devil for forty days and overcame by the written Word of God, the Old Testament Scriptures (vv. 1–13). Afterward, empowered by the Spirit, He returned to Galilee (v. 14), taught in their synagogues (v. 15), and went to His hometown of Nazareth where, as was His custom on the Sabbath, He entered the synagogue and read from the Scriptures (v. 16).
(i) As I pondered this, two observations captured my attention:
· First, I found it interesting that Luke writes in 4:1 that Jesus “returned” from the Jordan, and in 4:14 that He “returned” to Galilee—both using the same Greek word: ὑπέστρεψεν (hypestrepsen).
- This led me to reflect on the fact that Luke uses this Greek term frequently throughout both the Gospel of Luke and Acts [over three-quarters of its total occurrences (Internet)], and that he shows particular interest in how the Holy Spirit guided Jesus’ journey and ministry (Ref.: Internet).
n This renewed in me the conviction that Victory Presbyterian Church, which the Lord is establishing, must pursue a Spirit-led mission. For this to happen, I believe that both I—the senior pastor and member of the session—and Elder Yoon must be filled with the Holy Spirit, exercising spiritual discernment and sensitivity to understand how the Holy Spirit desires to use Victory Presbyterian Church for the evangelization of the world. We must obey the Spirit faithfully. This is a solemn responsibility entrusted to us.
· Second, I was struck by how Jesus taught in the synagogues throughout Galilee (vv. 14–15), how He entered the synagogue in Nazareth as He always did on the Sabbath and read the Scriptures (v. 16), and how He likewise taught in the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath (v. 31). This reminded me once again of the central role of teaching in the public ministry of Jesus. “Public ministry” refers to the approximately 3 to 3½ years from His baptism by John at about age 30 until His crucifixion (Internet)].
- I was especially drawn to the statement that “His words had authority” (v. 32), and that “the people were amazed” (v. 32). Luke first records that Jesus was “about thirty years old” when He began His ministry (3:23), and then in 4:32 declares, “They were amazed at His teaching, because His words had authority.” Later, in Acts 13:12, when Spirit-filled Paul (v. 9) proclaimed the Word of God to Sergius Paulus, the intelligent proconsul (v. 7), the sorcerer Elymas opposed him and tried to turn the proconsul away from faith (v. 8). But in the end, Sergius Paulus “was amazed at the teaching about the Lord and believed” (v. 12). As I meditated on this, I realized why people were astonished by the teaching of Jesus and by the teaching about Jesus delivered through Paul: the Lord is the One who possesses absolute authority. Therefore, the words spoken by the Lord—who had received “the power of the Holy Spirit” (Lk. 4:14)—could not help but be authoritative (v. 32). And when Spirit-filled Paul (Acts 13:9) taught the proconsul about the Lord, the proconsul was not only amazed but inevitably came to believe (v. 12).
n In the same way, every Lord’s Day as I proclaim the Word of God, I earnestly pray that I may be filled with the Holy Spirit and, with faith in the Lord who holds absolute authority, proclaim the “authoritative Word” (Lk. 4:31) just as it is. Here is Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow; and it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” [The Living and Active Word of God: https://vpcla.org/index.php/ministry/english-ministry/em-meditation/16536-the-living-and-active-word-of-god]