Be Quiet 

It looks like the process of becoming a follower begins with shutting up and listening. That’s how we get the bad stuff out of us. 

Luke 4 31-37 31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 35 “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. 36 All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area. 

Once a week. Only on the Sabbath; that’s when he taught and they were amazed. Like Celine Deion in Vegas or Billy Joel in Atlantic City or Jerry Seinfeld in Madison Square Garden. Regular. Structured. He spoke with authority not like Cartman screaming “Respect my authority!” but with the words, the content that would eventually spread all over.

But it wasn’t just the words; there were the deeds, like this one. Now, I don’t know if the man who yelled at Jesus was truly possessed, I wasn’t there. For all I know, he could have been just common, garden variety nuts. Look at the scripture though. Look at what Jesus said, “Be quiet! Come out of him.” Simple. Stern. Straightforward. His words carried power and they make the impression you would expect.

We’re not all possessed (maybe some of us have a little of the devil in them) and we’re not all nuts (again, same aside) but don’t tell me we don’t need someone who speaks to us with authority, with power and maybe at times a little sternly. I know I can use a little wake-up call every once in a while. I get it most often in the events or miss-steps of my life but that’s another story for another day.

The deal is that if we’re going to follow someone why not this guy? He was a man but not just any man. It’s clear he made an impact. It’s clear he did good things and it’s clear he had some things to teach the people of his time and those things still carry weight, still ring true today. So, be quiet and get that bad stuff out of you (I know I’ll be trying to) and follow Him.

We all deal with this stuff. What’s the noise in your life right now? What are the bad things? What will it take for you to get rid of both and forever get them out of your life? Won’t you please leave a comment below? It might really help someone out.

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