Eradicating Evil
One of the ways to determine when Jesus was emphatic about something is when the translators of the scriptures put an exclamation point after Jesus' words. As I have been studying the New Testament recently, I have noticed many instances where an exclamation point has been used to demonstrate how emphatic Jesus was. As I categorized these exclamation points, I saw that several themes described what Jesus was passionate about.
One of them reveals that Jesus is emphatically passionate about eradicating evil. As he, through exclamation points, talks about this, He also gives us some very practical ways to fight it!
1) Get Away!
Firstly, Jesus is emphatic about telling the devil to “get away.” As Jesus was being prepared for his ministry, our enemy, the devil, tried to tempt Jesus in numerous ways. After these three temptations, Jesus emphatically shouts, “Get away!” (Matthew 4:1-10). If we want to eradicate evil, we must be emphatic about telling our enemies to “Get away!”
2) Get Behind Me!
Secondly, Jesus orders the actions of the enemy to get behind us. In Matthew 16, Jesus is sharing with the disciples the problematic news that to fulfill the plans God has for him; he will have to go to the cross. With all the good, yet misguided, intention in the world, Peter proclaims “never.” Jesus is only focused on doing the will of his Father and says to Peter (who had recently just affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah) that the enemy was speaking through him and the enemy needed to get out of the way. Those well-meaning people distract us from God's plans for us. Jesus is emphatic that such distractors need to “Get Behind Us!”
3) Get Out!
In Mark 1:21-27, Jesus has had enough of the work of evil, and while teaching, a demon speaks up, revealing who Jesus is and the purpose for which He has come. Jesus isn’t ready yet to go public and quickly rebukes the demon. “Get Out!” he says emphatically. Evil seeks to corrupt, pollute and destroy us in all kinds of ways. To such work, we need to exclaim, “Get Out!”
4) Get Close!
Finally, in Luke 13, Jesus gives some emphatic teaching, through a parable, about a challenging and scary incident that could happen to all of us at the end of time. Jesus says that there are some who he says he “will not know,” and he asks them to step aside because there can be no evil in heaven. What’s the solution? Get close to Jesus, stay close… and keep getting closer still. The most significant way to eradicate evil is to stay close to Jesus.
Jesus is emphatic about eradicating evil as we get close to him!
One of them reveals that Jesus is emphatically passionate about eradicating evil. As he, through exclamation points, talks about this, He also gives us some very practical ways to fight it!
1) Get Away!
Firstly, Jesus is emphatic about telling the devil to “get away.” As Jesus was being prepared for his ministry, our enemy, the devil, tried to tempt Jesus in numerous ways. After these three temptations, Jesus emphatically shouts, “Get away!” (Matthew 4:1-10). If we want to eradicate evil, we must be emphatic about telling our enemies to “Get away!”
2) Get Behind Me!
Secondly, Jesus orders the actions of the enemy to get behind us. In Matthew 16, Jesus is sharing with the disciples the problematic news that to fulfill the plans God has for him; he will have to go to the cross. With all the good, yet misguided, intention in the world, Peter proclaims “never.” Jesus is only focused on doing the will of his Father and says to Peter (who had recently just affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah) that the enemy was speaking through him and the enemy needed to get out of the way. Those well-meaning people distract us from God's plans for us. Jesus is emphatic that such distractors need to “Get Behind Us!”
3) Get Out!
In Mark 1:21-27, Jesus has had enough of the work of evil, and while teaching, a demon speaks up, revealing who Jesus is and the purpose for which He has come. Jesus isn’t ready yet to go public and quickly rebukes the demon. “Get Out!” he says emphatically. Evil seeks to corrupt, pollute and destroy us in all kinds of ways. To such work, we need to exclaim, “Get Out!”
4) Get Close!
Finally, in Luke 13, Jesus gives some emphatic teaching, through a parable, about a challenging and scary incident that could happen to all of us at the end of time. Jesus says that there are some who he says he “will not know,” and he asks them to step aside because there can be no evil in heaven. What’s the solution? Get close to Jesus, stay close… and keep getting closer still. The most significant way to eradicate evil is to stay close to Jesus.
Jesus is emphatic about eradicating evil as we get close to him!
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Excellent blog Pastor Andy! I read Luke 13 just now, amplified Bible. It made me think of a church in Mt Juliet TN (Global Vision Bible Church) which held "deliverance" services every Sunday night last year. Some in our family attended and there certainly was an eradication of evil! Actually, a documentary has been made of it and will be in theaters on March 13. You may want to get tickets. See the trailer below the scripture.
Luke 13:10-17
[10]Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
[11]And there was a woman there who for eighteen years had had an infirmity caused by a spirit (a demon of sickness). She was bent completely forward and utterly unable to straighten herself up or to look upward.
[12]And when Jesus saw her, He called [her to Him] and said to her, Woman, you are released from your infirmity!
[13]Then He laid [His] hands on her, and instantly she was made straight, and she recognized and thanked and praised God.
[14]But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd, There are six days on which work ought to be done; so come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day. [Exod. 20:9, 10.]
[15]But the Lord replied to him, saying, You playactors (hypocrites)! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it out to water it?
[16]And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?
[17]Even as He said this, all His opponents were put to shame, and all the people were rejoicing over all the glorious things that were being done by Him.
https://youtu.be/9wNiqbyOUFM