#30. Luke 4:40-41 BRINGING OTHERS TO JESUS

Introduction:

Our text today speaks of the events that took place at the close of the

sabbath day and beginning with the setting of the sun. However, in order to

better understand our text I would like to back up to an earlier time of the

day. Let us back up to the synagogue services which took place on the

sabbath day in the city of Capernaum. Jesus had become a regular speaker in

the synagogue services at Capernaum. While He was speaking on this

particular sabbath a man who was possessed with demon spirits yelled out and

interrupted His message. The result was that Jesus cast the demons out of

the man and the man was made whole. Needless to say, the people were all

excited about what had taken place. They marveled that Jesus had such great

power and authority that even the demons obeyed His command.

Then when Jesus left the synagogue services He went home with the

Apostle Peter. When they got there they found that Peter's mother-in-law

was sick with a high fever. Jesus went right in and her of the fever.

I. The spreading of the news

It did not take long for the news of this event to spread throughout the

city of Capernaum and to the outlying areas immediately around the city.

This added tremendously to the excitement that already existed there. The

people were already excited about what had taken place at the synagogue when

Jesus cast the demons out of the man. Now they were doubly excited by the

news that Jesus had healed Peter's mother-in-law.

You might expect that immediately the people would start bringing their

sick folks to Peter's home hoping that Jesus might heal them, but they

didn't. They wanted to, but they didn't. This was the sabbath day. There

was a law which provided that one could walk but a short distance on the

sabbath day. The great majority had already used up most of their allowable

travel going to the synagogue services and back home again.

Furthermore there was another law of the sabbath which forbid an

physical labor on the sabbath day. They could not carry their sick folk to

the home of the Apostle Peter without exerting manual labor. If they should

chose to break this law, they would be in big trouble with the Jewish

authorities.

There was one more thing that kept them from immediately rushing over to

Peter's house with their sick folk. The scribes and Pharisees highly

disapproved of any kind of healing of the sick on the sabbath day. The

common people were not in the least afraid that Jesus would object to

healing the sick on the sabbath, but they did not want to antagonize the

scribes and Pharisees who would bitterly oppose such a move.

II. The gathering of the people at sunset

There was one thing they which could do. According to Jewish marking of

time, their day ended with the setting of the sun and the beginning stages

of darkness. In other words the sabbath day ended at dusk dark. Our day

ends at midnight, but their's ended at dusk dark. So during the afternoon

they got everything in readiness so that when the sun started to set they

would head off toward the home of the apostle Peter with their sick loved

ones and friends. They could then come without breaking any law of the

sabbath and without offending the scribes and Pharisees.

It was a mass movement. Throughout the whole city and outlying areas it

was the same. The people were chomping at the bits waiting for the sun to

set.

Therefore when the sun did set, the people began to come in. I can

imagine that when the first arrived that they were invited into Simon

Peter's home and Jesus healed their sick right there in the home where He

had healed Peter's mother-in-law. But soon there were so many people

present that they could not possibly all crowd into the house. Therefore

they gathered out in front of the house and Jesus went out to meet them.

V. 40, "Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with

divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of

them, and healed them." Note the word, divers. The word, divers, is akin

to our modern word, diverse (d-i-v-e-r-s-e). It means "different of

different kind." The people whom they brought to Jesus had many different

kinds of diseases. They had all manner of sickness and afflictions. Some

of them were afflicted with demon spirits and Jesus cast the demons out of

these. But it should be noted that not all who were sick were possessed of

demons. Not all physical afflictions are caused by demon possession. In

fact, the great majority of physical illness is not caused by demon

possession. But no matter what the illness was, Jesus healed every person

who was brought to Him. Jesus is a heart specialist. Jesus is a head

specialist. Jesus is a head specialist. Jesus is a hand and leg

specialist. Jesus is a foot specialist. Jesus specializes in healing all

manner of disease. I guess you could call Him a general practitioner

specializing in all fields.

Luke tells us that when the Lord did cast demons out of people that the

demons would speak up and identify Him for who He really is. V. 41, "And

devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the

Son of God." Men may be in doubt as to whether or not Jesus is the Christ.

Men may be in doubt as to whether or not Jesus is the Son of God. But the

demon spirits have no doubt. They know beyond any shadow of doubt that

Jesus really is the Christ, the Son of God.

Likewise with me there is no doubt. I am absolutely certain that Jesus

is really and truly the Christ. I am absolutely certain that He is the Son

of God. But I do not have to depend on what demon spirits say in order to

know that Jesus is the Christ. I know it because God, Himself, has said of

Jesus, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." I know beyond

any shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the Son of God because the Holy Spirit

of God within me enables my own spirit to know. On one occasion the Apostle

Peter said to Jesus, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus

responded and said, "Blessed art thou Simon Barjona. Flesh and blood hath

not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven hath revealed it

unto thee."

(V. 41), "...And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they

knew that he was Christ." The demons had already spoken up and identified

Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. No doubt they would have continued to

say so, but Jesus stopped them. He rebuked them and would not allow them to

speak any further.

It was not that Jesus objected to people believing that He is the

Christ, the Son of God. He wanted people to get saved and to be assured

that He is the Son of God. But Jesus did not at this time want the masses

of unsaved people to identify His as the Christ. You see, the great

majority of the Jews were not looking for the Christ to be a Savior who

would save the souls of lost, hell-bound sinners. They were looking for the

Christ to be a king who would raise an army and drive the Roman soldiers out

of the kingdom of Israel and re-establish Jewish rule over the land. He did

not want the masses of people trying to crown Him as king and put Him on the

throne at this time. The time will come when He will sit on the throne as

King, but that time was not yet..

Furthermore, Jesus did not want to stir up the scribes and Pharisees

against Him at this time. He knew that the scribes and Pharisees had

already rejected Him as the Christ and that they would eventually demand

that He be put to death. So He did not want the great masses of common

people to proclaim Him as the Christ at this time because He knew that this

would just stir up the scribes and Pharisees against Him prematurely. It

was not yet time for that to happen. The time would come, but it was not

there yet.

Neither of the gospel writers tells us just how late into the night the

people stayed at Peter's home. I am convinced that the crowd was not sent

away until the very last sick or afflicted person was healed. Jesus did not

heal them all at once. It was not that He was unable to do so. He could

have healed them all at one time and He could have gotten to bed a lot

earlier that night. But Jesus waited for each person individually to be

brought to Him and He healed that individual.

Now let me look ahead and tell you that the very next morning a crowd

re-gathered at the home of the Apostle Peter and wanted Jesus to heal some

more sick folk, but Jesus was not there. He had already risen early in the

morning and had already gone out into a deserted place to be alone with God

the Father for awhile..

III. This same event as it would take place in a modern setting

Now what I have read to you from the Scripture is what a took place

there in Capernaum on that day. This is what really happened. But I would

like for us to re-examine that event and re-construct it into a modern

setting and let us see what might take place if Jesus were to come to a

church service in almost any modern American city. Let us suppose that

Jesus has been the featured speaker in a modern church service and that

Jesus has cast the demon spirits of a man in that service. This would be

the kind of event that should encourage anyone who has a sick or afflicted

family member or friend to bring that person to Jesus that he might be made

whole.

In a modern setting there would be a lot of people who would not know

that Jesus was in the church. At least they would not know anything about

it until some later time. They would not know that He had cast the demons

out of a man at church. At least they would not be present to witness it.

They might hear about it later, but they would not be present to witness it

You see a great many people simply would not be present. They could not be

bringing any of their sick folk to Jesus, because they would not know

anything about the whole event.

Now I am not talking about people who cannot come to church. I am not

talking about those who are truly circumstantially hindered. I am certainly

not talking about those who do not come because there is snow and ice all

over the highways. I am talking about those who simply do not come. They

could come and they know they ought to come, but they simply just do not

come. No matter what might take place at church on almost any given Sunday

they would know nothing about it until later. These people, of course,

would not at anytime soon be bringing any friends or relatives for Jesus to

heal because they would not know that He was around.

Why do these people not go to church? There might be many reasons, but

the one most commonly offered is, "Sunday is my only day to rest." Oh, it's

true that during the week they work hard at the office or at the plant or at

the store for a full forty hours. That is a five day work week. It is also

true that on the sixth day they are very busy doing forty-eleven things that

keep them occupied well into Saturday night. Then after being up late on

Saturday night that they really are tired on Sunday morning and feel like

they need their rest. But you just let something happen that they are

interested in and they can drive all the way across Texas to be there and

that on Sunday, the only day they have to rest.

But be that as it may, let us go on with the modern event. Let us

suppose that in this modern church service after Jesus has cast the demons

out of a man in the congregation that Jesus is invited to the home of one of

the deacons. Then when He arrives at this home He is told that the deacon's

mother-in-law is very sick with a high fever. Jesus goes right in and heals

this woman and she is made completely well.

Can you imagine what would happen when the news is spread all around

throughout the whole area. Can you imagine this news going out to some

neighbor over the telephone. The voice on the other end says, "Jesus was in

our church services this morning and He cast the demons out of a man. Then

He went home with one of the deacons and He healed the deacon's mother-in-

law. If you will bring your sick family member over to the deacon's house

while Jesus is there, I think He might just heal your loved one for you.

Can you imagine what the answer might be? I would not at all be surprised

if somebody should answer, "I'd like to come, but the ball game is on right

now." Or, "My favorite program is on right now. The best programs are on

Sunday nights, you know."

So what I am saying is that if Jesus were to show up in person and heal

someone in our service or were to show up at the home of one of our deacons

and make Himself available for the healing of the sick folk around, there

would be a lot of people who would not even bother to bring their sick loved

ones to Him.

Now what makes me say that? Why would I even think that comparatively

few would bother to carry their loved ones and friends to Jesus to be

healed? Here is the answer. It is because those who are lost in sin a lot

worse off than those who are merely physically sick and there are an awful

lot of folk who are not in the least concerned about bringing their unsaved

loved ones to Jesus that they might be saved. Let me tell you that it is

not nearly as bad to be burning up with a fever as it is to burn in the

fires of hell. It is not nearly as bad to be diseased with a physical

ailment as it is to be diseased with in the soul with sin. If a father and

mother can sit idly by and do nothing to bring their children to Jesus so

that they might be saved, I cannot see that they would be interested in

bringing them to Jesus that they might be healed of an illness. The same

goes for a sister or brother or aunt or uncle or friend or neighbor. If you

do not care about the eternal destiny of their soul, why would you be

concerned about their physical body?

Listen, my friends, what I am saying to you is that it is high time that

we get really concerned about the lost souls about us. It is high time that

we do what we can to bring them to Jesus Christ that they might be saved.

It just may be that if you invite them to church that they will come and get

saved. It just may be that it will take more than just getting them to

church. It may be that you need to give them your testimony of what Jesus

has done for you. It may be that you can give them a tract that will show

them the Scriptures that tell them how to be saved. It may be that you may

need to call on your pastor and bring your loved one or friend to your

pastor that the pastor might talk to him about Jesus. But listen, try

something! Trying anything is better than doing nothing at all. I am sure

that if you really have this person on your heart that the Lord will guide

you and help you and bless your efforts to witness to him about Jesus

Christ.

Can you imagine the joy of someone who brought his loved one or friend

to Jesus on that night at the home of the Apostle Peter? When he brought

his friend to Jesus, that friend was all crippled and diseased or blind or

whatever. But when they leave to go home the disease is all gone and the

friend is completely whole. That is a joyous occasion, but not nearly so

joyous as bringing a lost friend to Jesus and leaving to go home with one

who is a born-again Christian. You bring him to Jesus a hell-bound sinner

and you leave with him a heaven-bound Christian. That is a joy indeed.