“Then He called the twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all the devils, and to cure diseases. And sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.” Luke 9:1-2
Dear Ones:
It has been asked many times since Jesus walked on this earth: “Who teaches like Him?” His methods and means of communicating to us the absolute truth of God, and how that truth applies to mankind, are filled with wisdom and compassion, mercy and grace. There is no doubt that it was necessary for us, that He should take upon human flesh, and dwell among us. How else could we have been willing to hear His gracious words, and see by His example, that He was indeed the Son of God. As Peter so eloquently declared: “To whom shall we go, You have the words of eternal life.”
In Luke’s gospel, the first two verses of chapter nine, we find where the Lord Jesus calls all twelve of His disciples together, and gives them power and authority to face, and put to route demons, and to heal diseases. Why does He do this at this time and in this way? The Lord Jesus, at His anointing in particular, when the Spirit came upon Him after His baptism, was equipped for His ministry…with the power and authority that He received from the Father. He was ever seeking to help men to believe that He had the “power and authority” to forgive sins (…as God), being proved by the healing of the paralytic. He was also seeking to communicate that He possessed the power and authority to deal with demons, spiritual darkness and bondage. As He put it, He would cast out the demons “…by the finger of God.” (Luke 11:20) Since the Lord Jesus KNEW His destiny, His calling, that He was the Lamb of God, He knew also that His physical ministry would be limited to some extent by the length of His physical life. That life was becoming shorter by the day. In giving the disciples His power and authority over demons, and that necessary for the healing of diseases, He would demonstrate to mankind that this power and authority was not an issue of just His physical presence, but the continuance of His eternal life, in and through the disciples. However, there was a problem, and here the disciples needed to be taught one of the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith: power and authority are given to those who are “poor in spirit.” Isaiah put it like this: “But to this man I will look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, who trembles at My word.” (66:2) What is the Lord seeking to teach the disciples? First, that they are beneficiaries of the grace and mercy of God, in that Christ “gives” them His authority and power for a time. They will indeed “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” But are they ready to exercise that power and authority effectively, under His direction and control, for His unique glory and purpose. It will take the abandonment of the Lord Jesus by ALL the disciples, the scattering of all the sheep at His trial and crucifixion, in order for the “gift” of Pentecost to be received by them. In other words, it will take them realizing that they were nothing, and could do nothing, with regard to being what they should be to Christ, for Him to give them all IN HIM. So, secondly, the disciples must learn that if they would be filled with Christ’s life and power, they must needs be emptied of themselves, and all trust in themselves.
Dear Father, give us grace to accept the circumstances of Your choosing, which are aimed at bringing us to an utter dependence upon Thyself for everything. Give us to BE as Isaiah wrote: “…poor (in spirit), and of a contrite spirit, trembling at Thy word.” Indeed, Lord Jesus, You alone have the words of eternal life. Strengthen our hearts to believe You fully, for the full outworking of Thy will in and through us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad