Luke 4:38-44

Colossians 1:1-8

Psalm 52:10, 11

Luke 4:38-44

After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.

Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,

and they interceded with him about her.

He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.

She got up immediately and waited on them.

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him.

He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.

And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.’

But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak

because they knew that he was the Christ.

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.

The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,

they tried to prevent him from leaving them.

But he said to them, “To the other towns also

I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,

because for this purpose I have been sent.”

And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are the source of life and have the power to heal me. When I am physically sick, help me to accept suffering and offer it up in union with your Son. When I am spiritually sick, bring me to repentance and reconciliation with you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Jesus and His Rebukes: The Gospel of Luke talks about two rebukes. Jesus “rebuked the fever,” and it left Simon’s mother-in-law. Jesus “rebuked” the demons and silenced them (Luke 4:35). What each one of these rebukes reveals is that Jesus truly has divine power and authority. He has power over sickness and even over demons. Because of this, the two miracles – the exorcism and the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law – should be considered together. “Illness, whether physical or psychological, is very different from demonic possession (see CCC, 1673). The oppression caused by evil spirits can, however, have harmful effects on the body, as indicated later in the story of the crippled woman (Luke 13:11, 16); see CCC, 395). Moreover, illness, with its ultimate consequence, death, is an evil from which Jesus the ‘physician’ (Luke 4:23) liberates human beings” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 106-107). Just as Jesus exorcized the demon and freed the man, so also Jesus exorcized the fever and freed Peter’s mother-in-law. Liberation leads to resurrection.

2. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God: When Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, he not only announced the inauguration of the Great Jubilee Year, but also the inauguration of the Kingdom of God. Jesus identified his message as the “Good News” or “Gospel.” In the Roman Empire, the term “Good News” usually referred in some way to the Emperor. It could refer to one of the Emperor’s military victories, to the ascension of a new Emperor, to the imminent arrival of the Emperor in a city, or to the celebration of the birth of the Emperor. And so, when Jesus proclaims the Gospel of the Kingdom, it refers to the Lord God, God’s victory over sin and the devil, and the coming of the Messiah. Jesus has come to establish God’s reign over all creation, within the human heart, and in the Church. The Church is only the seed and beginning of the Kingdom. It will grow throughout the centuries and reach its consummation at the end of time. The Good News is that our God reigns!

3. The Letter to the Colossians: Colossians was a letter written by Paul and Timothy from prison, likely during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome from A.D. 60 to 62. In his letter, Paul exhorted the Christians of Colossae to stay strong and grow in faith and love. They needed to avoid false worship and thinking that does not accord with the truth in Christ. “He extols Christ as the Lord over all and calls the Colossians to let their lives and thinking be shaped by the truth of Christ, in their homes, work, and worship” (Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letters, 201). Epaphras was the one who brought the Gospel to Colossae. Paul describes him as a “slave of Christ” (Colossians 1:7; 4:12) and a “faithful minister of Christ for your sake” (Colossians 1:7), who “fights in prayer” for believers in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:12-13) (see Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letters, 202). Epaphras was likely a convert to Christianity and a member of Paul’s mission team. Epaphras brought the Gospel to his hometown of Colossae and the surrounding cities in the Lycus valley. When he brought his report of the Churches to Paul, Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians and also one to the Laodiceans (a letter lost and not included in the Bible). In his letter to the Colossians, Paul encourages them and us in love and faithfulness to the Gospel. He hopes to steer them and us away from false teachings or temptations. 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I accept my role as your co-worker. Teach me the simple path of silence, prayer, love, service, and peace. I want to serve my brothers and sisters and be the servant of all.

Living the Word of God: We pray that today we may live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit through the Spirit’s gifts. How can I avoid “false worship and thinking” that does not accord with the truth of Christ today?