Back around AD 29 in Galilee, Jesus had very recently been rejected in his hometown of Nazareth. Indeed, the synagogue folk there has attempted to throw him off a clifftop. This time, in Capernaum, things are different. They listen to him, “astonished”, and they see the “authority” of his “word”.
And, in the synagogue, there was a man having a spirit of an unclean mini-god, and he shouted out in a great voice, “Ah! What? Us and you, Jesus the Nazarene? You have come to destroy us. I perceive who you yourself are—the holy one of God.” And Jesus instructed him, stating, “Be muzzled! And come out of him!” And the mini-god, throwing him down into the midst, came out of him, having done him no harm.
Turmoil in church. The “spirit of an unclean mini-god” within a man had “perceived” the identity of Jesus and had “shouted” it out in horror. Jesus then “instructed him”. The man was freed and was unharmed.
And amazement came to be upon all and they were speaking to one another stating, “What word is this? Because with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” And reports about him were going out into every place in the surrounding area.
The synagogue congregation again are astonished about his “word”, about its “authority and power”. This became regional news.
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In fact, rising up from the synagogue, he came into Simon’s house. In fact, Simon’s mother-in-law was being held down in a high fever, and they asked him about her. And, standing up over her, he instructed the fever, and sent it away from her. In fact, rising up immediately, she was serving them.
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Having “instructed” “the mini-god” within the synagogue man, Jesus then “instructed the fever” which was “holding down” this woman. Both woman and man were released.
In fact, at the setting of the sun, all of them - whoever had disabling problems, diseases of various kinds - brought themselves to him. In fact, placing the hands upon every one of them, he cured them. In fact, mini-gods also were coming out from many, screaming and stating that, “You yourself are the Son of God.” And, instructing them, he was not allowing them to speak, because they had perceived that he himself is the Christ.
“Whoever had disabling problems … brought themselves to him.” Others did not do so. It wasn’t only “in the synagogue” that “mini-gods” identified Jesus as “the Son of God” and were then “instructed” by him. Luke carefully wrote: “they had perceived that he himself is the Christ.”
In fact, at the coming to be of day, coming away, he moved into a wilderness place and the crowds were pursuing him and came up to him, and were retaining him not to go from them.
These multiple cures were “at the setting of the sun”. Then Luke moves to “the coming to be of day”. How very strange that Jesus has gone away from them all.
And yet, it seems that those “seeking him” were able to “come up to him”. They wanted him to always be with them. Not possible at that time.
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In fact, he said to them that, “It is necessary that I announce good – the kingdom of God - to the other towns also because I was sent out for this.”
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What then was the primary purpose behind Jesus being “sent-out”? And what is this “kingdom of God”? Is it anouther country?
And he was proclaiming into the synagogues of Judea.
Judea, with its capital city of Jerusalem, was not left out of the "annouinced good". Jesus would be crucified there.
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