“Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!” Luke 4:24 NABRE
Jesus is in Capernaum and is teaching in the synagogue. A man with an unclean spirit yells out, “What have you to do with us?” The unclean spirit inside the man is addressing Jesus, aware He is “the Holy One of God.” Jesus hasn’t spoken to the man or even looked at him as far as we know, but the unclean spirit is afraid when Jesus is present. The spirit knows Jesus has exorcism authority. So the spirt tries to avoid this unhappy occurrence for itself and challenges Jesus as well as identifying Him in front of the others, perhaps hoping they will distract Jesus. I wonder, if the spirit just kept quiet would it have been unaffected? We see an example of how guilt or bad conscious can trip us up when we have done something wrong. It is like a child first seeing their mom, after stealing a cookie, who says, it wasn’t me who took the cookie. We can learn a lot from the unclean spirits that Jesus and the gospel writers encounter in scripture. They often talk too much and they always know Jesus’ true identity as one sent by God. We shouldn’t be quick to speak, rather we should more often to listen, don’t be like an unclean spirit.
I recently heard it said, a true friend is someone who waits to be asked to help, rather than pushing help on someone who they think needs it. Sometimes as Christians trying to convince others life with Jesus is a better life, we need be silently present rather than talkative about all the good. It is never words that transforms people, it is experience. Don’t be one who speaks all the time, listen and wait to be asked about Jesus.
Do you witness more about Jesus or talk more about Him? Can you be silently present with others?
Sometimes as Christians trying to convince others life with Jesus is a better life, we need be silently present rather than talkative about all the good. Click To Tweet#bible #godisgreat #jesus #christianity #dailybibleverse @youversion #BeAnEncourager #unclean #speak #Luke #everybodyalways #god #jesuschrist #jesussaves #godisgood #dailydevotion #biblestudy #scripture #bibleverse #verseoftheday #cross #last #gospels #loveeachother #godisgreat #thisVineyard #youversion #everythingalways