Luke 4:31-37
31He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. 32They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. 33In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34"Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." 35But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. 36They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, "What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!" 37And a report about him began to reach every place in the region.
1 comment:
The word that enters my mind when I read this passage is "shame". Simon Peter feels frightened, unworthy, and overwhelmed by Jesus' gifts. How often has this happened in my own life, that something I've longed for finally comes my way, and yet I push it away, feeling panicked, disoriented, and unequal to the task. Jesus cuts Simon Peter some slack and diverts his attention to the metaphor of fishing for men, something His disciple will be able to do soon enough. We know, however, how keenly aware Jesus is of the struggle we have to truly trust and to receive His ever-abundant, never-failing love. And it is this love, I believe, that is the antidote to that all-too-human feeling of shame that drives us inward, keeps us separate from one another, and causes us to consider His love with the taut ambivalence of longing and reluctance.
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