In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area. (Luke 4:33-37) In the days of Jesus, to speak someone’s name (outside the context of a good relationship), was a way of claiming power over them—showing yourself in some way to be superior enough to set yourself over them. So the demon cries out Jesus’ name, and then turns up the heat, reciting Jesus’ real name and identity: the Holy One of God! The demon shouts and grabs at some way of gaining power over Jesus, revealing intimate details of who Jesus is to everyone in earshot.

Obviously, it doesn’t work. Jesus does not so much as dignify the demon with a name in return. Jesus does not stoop to name-calling power-games as if he and this demon were remotely on the same plane. He gives a short, terse, but effective response. “Be quiet! Come out of him!” That’s all Jesus says, but it works.

Jesus did not need to prove anything to a demon or anyone else in the room, nor does he try.

But the people take note none-the-less. They had already noted how he spoke with authority, but now they caught a glimpse of just how far that power and authority spread.

Authority was a technical term in the rabbinic Judaism of Jesus’ day. It referred to the formal conferral of status to become a Rabbi in one’s own right and teach the Word of God. You can think of it like the seminary degree that one might expect a pastor to have today—a degree which means that some set of teachers have signed off on this person’s ability to minister the Word of God effectively: conferring authority by virtue of their authority. This is why the question of where Jesus’ authority comes from is such a big question in the Gospels. Everyone wants to know what Rabbis signed off on this guy. Show us your papers, Jesus!

Here though, is one of the answers. None other than divine authorization could cause a demon to flee without a fight. Jesus is not claiming that God has authorized him to proclaim the word. He doesn’t need to. His actions speak for him.

And that reality is not lost on the people. They recognize immediately Jesus’ authority and power by this action. What’s more, they see it as an authorization, not of Jesus’ ministry of exorcism, but of Jesus’ ministry of the Word of God. “What words these are!” they exclaim.

Jesus, the Son of God, still speaks his healing, redeeming word into our lives today. And it still comes with just as much authority and power as it ever did. Words like “I forgive you,” “I love you,” and “come to me and rest.” Will you let Jesus speak these words into your life today?