you come to destroy us? I know who you are: you are the Holy One of God.” Then Jesus faced him and said with authority,
“Be silent, and come out of this man!” The evil spirit shook the man violently and, with a loud shriek, came out of him.
All the people were astonished, and they wondered, “What is this? With what authority he preaches! He even gives
orders to evil spirits and they obey him!” And Jesus’ fame spread throughout all the country of Galilee.
LECTIO DIVINA:
READ: Jesus was asked to teach in the synagogue on a Sabbath Day. His
authoritative teachings netted admiration among those present during that
day. He was challenged by a man with an unclean spirit who happened to be
inside the synagogue. Jesus expelled the bad spirit out of the man which further
strengthened His reputation as a good preacher and a miracle-worker.
REFLECT: Jesus was in a holy place (the synagogue) during a holy time (the
Sabbath) doing a holy act (reading the scriptures and expounding its meaning
to an audience rapt in attention). Yet the holiness of time, space and action
combined have not barred the entry of a man possessed of evil spirit in the
synagogue. This is a mystery since popular imagination portrayed evil spirits as
afraid of the sacred. Why is this man inside the synagogue then? This perhaps
give us a glimpse that evil can coexist with the sacred and it does not harm
them at all. It is only when a conscious act of expelling them happened that
they are driven away. No wonder therefore that evil men and women can come
and go inside places of worship, mingle with God’s representative and still act
normally. We need to consciously exorcise these evils that crept into our Church
by invoking God’s power.
RESPOND: The devil penetrates all level of society. We need to be vigilant to
fight its malevolent influence. Let this spiritual warfare be nourished by our deep
relationship with Jesus because this types of demons can only be expelled by
prayer and God’s power.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2021