Jan 14 Tue
What can the devil do to us?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus went into the Synagogue and began to teach. If anyone had a message from God to give, the natural place he would turn would be the church where God's people met. That is precisely what Jesus did. He began his campaign in the synagogue.
The synagogue was primarily a teaching institution. The synagogue service consisted of only three things: prayer, the reading of God's word, and the explanation of it. There was no music, singing, or sacrifice.
The synagogue was by far the most influential, for there was only one Temple. But the Law laid it down that wherever there were ten Jewish families there must be a synagogue.
The synagogue had certain officials. There was the Ruler of the synagogue, responsible for the administration. There were the distributors of alms. There was the Chazzan, described as the minister, responsible for taking out the sacred scrolls on which scripture was written, and for the elementary education of the children.
The synagogue did not have a permanent preacher. The Ruler would call any competent person to give the exposition. There was no professional ministry whatsoever. That is why Jesus was able to begin to instruct, and appeal.
Jesus did not teach like the scribes, the experts in the law. The scribes had the duty of giving judgment in individual cases.
Why did Jesus' teaching differ so much from the teaching of the Scribes? He taught with personal authority. No Scribe ever gave a conclusion on his own. He would always begin, "There is a teaching that..." Jesus’ authority rang out and captured the heart of every man.
If Jesus' words had amazed the people in the synagogue, his deeds left them thunderstruck. In the synagogue, a man was in the grip of an unclean spirit. He created a disturbance.
The Jews believed strongly in demons. In many ancient cemeteries, skulls were found that had been drilled to allow the demon to escape. The collective word for demons is mazzikin, which means one who does harm.
One demon spoke in the name of all, because Jesus came to eliminate the power of all. They knew that people believed Jesus was the Messiah; they knew that the reign of the Messiah was the end of the demons. Jesus silenced the demon and healed the man.
Satan and Jesus are in opposite positions. Whoever sins, is a slave of Satan. Jesus gives us his grace to avoid that slavery.
Let us not dialog with the devil but often invoke the Name of Jesus to be free from the devil’s snares.
The devil went out without causing any material harm to the afflicted. Likewise, when we abandon ourselves to Jesus, then, the devil may bark, but cannot bite us.
There are three enemies of man: the devil, the worldly lifestyles, and the flesh. The devil is the strongest, but Jesus can deliver us from his power.
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