Rebuked


Luke 4:38-44
38And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. 40Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. 42And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

As I read through the text for today it feels almost casual. I don’t mean that the events were not important. Clearly they were – especially for those who were relieved of their sickness or demons. But it seems that Jesus is just going from place to place being Jesus and doing His miracle thing; rebuking a fever, rebuking a demon, teaching a lesson about the Kingdom of God. All in a day’s work. But it is so much more than that!

I was rather captivated by the word “rebuke” since it is used in reference to both sickness and demon possession. (Later Jesus will also “rebuke” the weather.) So I looked up the Greek to see if there was any differentiation between rebuking a fever or a demon. There isn’t. It’s the exact same word.

The word for “rebuke” (ἐπιτιμάω) is used three times in this section. Jesus makes no distinction between body and soul. Demon possession, sickness, sin, and death are all manifestations of creation’s bondage in its fallenness. Jesus frees those in bondage by rebuking that which binds them. He rebukes the demon, and it comes out after a violent struggle (4:35). He rebukes the fever of Peter’s mother-in-law, and it leaves her (4:39). He rebukes demons who call him “the Son of God” because they know him to be the Christ, and those demons come out (4:41). This word ties together not only demon possession and sickness, but also sin, for Jesus encourages his disciples to rebuke those who sin, and if they repent, to forgive them (17:3)
Just, A. A., Jr. ©1996. Luke 1:1–9:50 (p. 201). St. Louis, MO: CPH.

Dr. Just is right. The consequences of sin upon the creation are vast, encompassing our bodies and our spirits. Even the “earth groans” under the burden of our sin (Romans 8:22). Even in the casting out of a demon or the healing of a feverish woman we find that Jesus is dealing with the consequences of our sin. That was His mission and ministry. Right up to and including the cross, He stays focused on the goal – the redemption of the world from the ravages of sin. What He does in the individual (Peter’s mother-in-law and the demon possessed) He does on the grand scale for us all.

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