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Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. 32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. 36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 37 And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region. 38 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. 39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them. 40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. 42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

Have you ever heard the expression, “It’s not the suit; it’s the man in the suit”? It’s a reminder not to judge a book by its cover—or a person by their clothes. Sometimes, though, all people see is the suit.

The people in our text completely failed to see the man behind the words, but they did notice the words. In verse 32, we read how they were astonished at Jesus’ teaching. They didn’t understand why, but they recognized that Jesus’ words had authority. Later, when Jesus rebukes the demon and it comes out, their astonishment grows, and they ask, “What word is this?” Notice they don’t ask, “Who is this man?” Instead, they ask, “What word is this that has authority to cast out unclean spirits?” In their blindness, they missed the fact that the Son of God, the Messiah, was standing before them. They saw the suit but not the man in the suit.

Let’s not make the same mistake. Jesus’ miracles were meant to help people see Him as God incarnate and as their Savior. Jesus’ disciples saw this (poorly but they saw it), but the multitudes generally did not. They saw the miracles but failed to see the God-man behind the signs. In our text, they noticed the words of Jesus were special but failed to see the God-man behind those words. Let’s not make that mistake. Let’s ask ourselves: What word is this?

What was so different about the words Jesus spoke? What makes the words we hear in Scripture so different from the words we read in the news, hear in the classroom, or study in books? The difference is this: the words of Scripture are God’s words, with God’s power behind them. They are the truth, and they are the power of God for salvation. No wonder the people felt the power behind Jesus’ words. Even unbelievers sensed it. Though they rejected the Word, they still perceived its authority.

This is so different from the world. Human-made religions and philosophies often speak vaguely, arbitrarily, and frivolously. Consider the Amish, who won’t put electricity on their property but will rent land from a neighbor and have electricity installed there. Or Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, who banned hot drinks. Or the rabbis who created rules allowing only a certain number of steps on the Sabbath, then carried tents to set up as “temporary homes” so they could keep walking.

Or think of psychiatry and humanism. In the 19th century, French and German psychiatrists mocked Freud’s psychoanalysis, calling him “wool-headed.” They claimed that anger, lust, pride, greed, avarice, and sloth were simply chemical imbalances that could be corrected with the right medications. While medicines have proven helpful for some conditions like schizophrenia and depression, they haven’t made a dent in sins like pride, lust, or greed.

Scripture, unlike human opinions, speaks with the weight of eternal truth. It declares the human heart is evil from its youth. There are some things chemicals can help with, but they cannot change the sinful heart.

Scripture is absolute regarding sin. It declares there is no gray area. Sin is sin, and we are guilty of it: “He who hates his brother is a murderer, and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” Scripture doesn’t sugarcoat our sinfulness: “There is no one who does good, no, not one. They have all gone astray.”

Scripture is also absolute regarding salvation. Scripture doesn’t leave us guessing about salvation. It says, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.” And, “He who confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the dead will be saved.”

Realize what you have in Scripture—you can find it nowhere else. Don’t be like the Jews in our text, who saw the signs and sensed the divine power in Jesus’ words but failed to see the Son of God behind them.

Tragically, we often make the same mistake. How often do we treat the Bible as a dusty book on a shelf, tune out Scripture readings, or forget sermons as soon as they’re done? When we do this, we treat the preaching and teaching of God’s Word as if they were mere words. Instead, we should treat them as Mary did—treasuring and pondering them in our hearts.

Come to Scripture asking yourself, What word is this? This is the Word of God, by which He created the heavens and the earth. This is the Word of the Father, who raised Christ from the dead. This is the Word of Jesus, the God-man, who cast out demons, healed the sick, and raised dead souls to life. These are the words of eternal life.

When Scripture declares something sinful, it is God Himself saying it. When Scripture tells you your sins are forgiven, it is God declaring that, in Christ, your sins are put away, and you will not be condemned.

Satan does everything he can to make you forget this. In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis describes how Satan leads us to dismiss the message by focusing on the flaws, annoyances, or shortcomings of the messenger—how dare the pastor tell me that is a sin, he isn’t perfect either. Satan also tempts us to despair over our sins. In those moments, we need to remind ourselves: Whose words are these that tell me I am forgiven? They are the words of Jesus, our Lord and God.

So, is it the suit or the man in the suit? With Jesus, it’s both. His words and signs had power, but their purpose was to reveal the God-man behind them.

There’s another time we need to ask ourselves, What word is this?—when we are afraid or ashamed to share God’s Word with others. Can you make someone who hates God love Him? Can you make the unrepentant sinner repent? Can you give hope to the hopeless? No, but Scripture can, because it isn’t mere words—it is the Word of God, with God’s power behind it.

As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:4: “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” When you share God’s Word, remember: it will do the work. Let that give you courage.

This is the Word of God. It can cast out demons and your sin or doubt. The Word of God first brought you to faith, and it continues to sustain your faith each day.

This is why Satan and his followers work so hard to interfere with the preaching of the Gospel. They don’t want you to see the God-man behind these words. But Jesus came to destroy their works. Through His death on the cross, He freed you from Satan’s grip. His sacrifice forgives your sin, and His Gospel keeps you in the faith.

So I ask again: What word is this? These are not just mere words. They are the words of salvation, the words of eternal truth and life.

Amen.

—Pastor Aaron Ude

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Rapid City, SD

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Ministry by Mail is a weekly publication of the Church of the Lutheran Confession. Subscription and staff information may be found online at www.clclutheran.org/ministrybymail.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.