XVI

FIRST SABBATH IN CAPERNAUM

Luke 4:31-32. "And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath day; and they were astonished at his teaching; for his word was with authority."

(Matthew 4:13-18; Mark 1:21-34; Luke 4: 31-41.)

W

HEN Jesus was rejected at Nazareth he came to Capernaum, and it was known afterwards as "his own city" (Mat. 9:1). In order to have a correct knowledge of this history it should be borne in mind that Jesus had, up to this time, only five disciples. Three of these disciples, Peter, John and Andrew, lived in Capernaum; Philip lived in Bethsaida, and Nathanael in Cana. It is probable that these five disciples, who had been with him when he was in Judea and in Samaria, did not go with him to Nazareth, but went to their homes, while he went to his home. His mother and other members of his family either left Nazareth with him after he escaped from the angry mob, or followed him afterwards, for, when they are again mentioned by the evangelist, they are at Capernaum.

Jesus' distress on account of being driven from his home would be greatly intensified by the thought that his mother and kindred would suffer with him and on his account. Luke does not attempt to describe the emotions of Jesus as he escaped from his enemies and took his last look at the many hallowed associations of his youth

and early manhood. He does, however, present a striking contrast, when he tells of the intense wrath of the people as they cast Jesus forth from the synagogue and attempted to hurl him from the precipice or brow of the hill, and then adds, "but he passing through the midst of them went his way." The people were mad with rage, but Jesus seemed the embodiment of peace, the peace of God that could not be disturbed.

Whether Jesus went directly from Nazareth to Capernaum is uncertain, but Luke's words, "he came down to Capernaum," indicate that he did not stop on the way at Cana or elsewhere, but spent the next Sabbath in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Capernaum was less than twenty miles from Nazareth and reports of what had taken place at Nazareth would interest the people at Capernaum and would attract a large congregation. Some of Christ's disciples lived in Capernaum, and the nobleman, whose son he had healed, dwelt there, and he may have had other friends and acquaintances in the place. These facts explain his being invited to act as a teacher in the synagogue on the Sabbath. The people heard with astonishment and with approval, "for he taught them as having authority, and not as the Scribes." It was not a formal, perfunctory service. His words aroused, convinced and controlled his hearers, and they realized that truth was not a dead letter but a living power.

There was in the synagogue that morning a demoniac possessed by an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, "Ah! what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God."

It requires no effort of the imagination to picture this The congregation were intensely interested in

scene.

what Jesus was saying. All their emotions had been stirred by him who spake as never man spake. As they listened with rapt attention to the living truths and breathing words that fell from the lips of the Great Teacher, this cry of the demoniac would produce more than an electric shock and would test the strongest nerves. Before the excitement could manifest itself, except by breathless silence, Jesus answered the demoniac's cry and, recognizing a dual personality, distinguishing the man from the demon that possessed him, said to the demon, "Hold thy peace and come out of him." The demon obeyed, and, when he had thrown the man down, he came out of him, leaving the man unharmed. This turned the excitement into awe and amazement and the people began to say one to another, "What is this word? for with authority he commandeth the unclean spirits and they come out."

In the synagogue at Nazareth the people sought for signs and did not get them, but in the synagogue at Capernaum, where the congregation were so interested in the Master's words as to not think of signs, he gave this evidence of supernatural power, and his fame went abroad throughout all that part of Galilee.

This first account of Christ's casting out a demon or evil spirit suggests the following questions: What is the meaning of the word daimon, when it is used in the Scriptures? Wherein does the demoniac, or one possessed by the demon differ from one who is merely insane? Do men in this age have such demons or evil spirits as possessed this man whom Christ healed in the synagogue at Capernaum?

These are hard questions, and neither the physiologist nor the psychologist can give any satisfactory answer. All that the wisest can do at present is to humbly use the light

that the Scriptures throw on these dark problems. Between the material and the spiritual world, between the physical, mental and spiritual realms there lies a dark and unexplored region into which no ray from the lamp of science has ever penetrated; and, when we stand on the borders of this unknown land, we can but realize that there are things between heaven and earth that are not dreamed of in our philosophy. How disembodied spirits can influence men and women while there are living in this world, no one can say with absolute certainty; nor can the wisest express more than his own opinion when he asserts that the daimon of Christ's day was, or was not, essentially different from anything that exists amongst men in these days.

When we turn to the Bible for light we find a very definite revelation of two kingdoms in this world, a kingdom of light and a kingdom of darkness, a kingdom of God and a kingdom of Satan. For the establishing of his kingdom, God sent forth his own Son, the Prince of Peace, and he sent also his angels as ministering spirits to minister to his people. The prince of darkness also sends his angels or evil spirits, and, either individually or in legions, they seek the injury and destruction of men. This idea of demons or evil spirits did not come into Jewish. thought from their contact with polytheistic nations. It has a prominent place in the first book of the Old Testament in the story of man's fall through temptation by the serpent. It had its fullest development in the time when Jesus Christ was on the earth. More clearly and more constantly than any other teacher of religion, Jesus recognized the existence and power of Satan and of subordinate evil spirits. There had not been so great manifestation of the presence and power of evil spirits before Christ's coming as there was when he was in the world

and there has not been so great manifestation since that time. That was the time when the powers of good and evil met in this world as they never had met before in all this world's history. No one can read the New Testament intelligently and believingly without coming to the conclusion that there was an essential difference between one who was possessed by a demon and one who was suffering from any mere physical or mental disease, or from a combination of physical and mental diseases. Demoniacs were essentially different from sick or insane, or sick and insane persons. When Jesus healed demoniacs, he recognized a dual personality, rebuking and exercising the evil spirits while saving and helping their victims. (Mark 1:25, and 5: 8, and 7: 29.)

The most important teachings of the Bible on this subject may be summed up in this way. First, what is unholy in mankind has its root, not in men, but in a higher region of existence. Second, these evil influences from this higher region may be received or rejected by men. They were received by the first Adam, and the consequences may be seen in the prevalence of sin and suffering. They were rejected by the second Adam, and in him men may be redeemed from the consequences of the act of the first Adam, and may be perfectly protected against all the influences of Satan and his demons.

From the synagogue Jesus went to the home of Simon. Peter, where he found Simon's mother-in-law sick, and, taking her by the hand, he healed her. The healing was instantaneous and complete, for she rose from her bed and ministered to them. Regard for the Sabbath would give our Lord a quiet afternoon in Peter's home, though his healing the demoniac in the synagogue does not seem to have been criticised as a violation of the Sabbath. His healing on the Sabbath day was one of the most serious