October 9

He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them, on the Sabbath-days. And they were astonished at his doctrine; for his word was with power. - Luke 4:31-32.

OBSERVE the place,-Capernaum. Capernaum shared much of the Saviour’s presence, for he was there nearly two years of his public ministry,-a longer period than he resided in any other place. Though it is here called a city, it was a poor insignificant fishing-town. Yet our Saviour says, “Thou art exalted unto heaven.” Why? How? Because he dignified the place by his presence, by his miracles, and by his teaching. But what says the Saviour in another place? “And thou, Capernaum, who art exalted to heaven, shalt be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee.” The reason is, because answerable to our privileges are our responsibilities; because the greater our means and advantages the greater our sin if we neglect them; and the greater our sin the greater our condemnation.

Let us notice, secondly, the season,-“The Sabbath-day.” Not that he forbore on other days: his lips always dropped like the honeycomb; and whether he was in a private house, or on the road, or by the seaside, or upon the mountain, we find his lips preserving and conveying knowledge. Yet he always paid a particular regard to the Sabbath, and he would lead us to do so by his example: he would lead us to do the same also by his command; and he does this, above all, by the influences of his Spirit. Dr. Haweis has observed, in his Church History, that there never was a revival of religion in any age or country which was not characterized by two things,-a peculiar fondness for psalmody, and a peculiar regard for the Sabbath-day.

Thirdly, We may consider the teaching. “We are not told what he taught, but we have a specimen of his teaching a few days before, when he was in Nazareth and in the synagogue, when he said, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.” He had the “words of eternal life;” and, his enemies being his judges, “never man spake like this man.”

And lastly, We may observe the impression produced. “They were, all astonished at his doctrine.” One of the first emotions which is ever produced by his word, when it enters the mind, is astonishment. Every thing seems wonderful. The things in themselves are not new, but our perception of them and our experience are new. The sun had shone before, but the blind man never saw it till his eyes were opened, and therefore it was now to him. But here, alas! the astonishment was a mere temporary excitement, an idle wonder, passing off “like the morning cloud and early dew, which soon pass away.”

“His word was with power.” Not the power of compulsion, dry official authority; not the power of paid eloquence, nor of mere reasoning and argumentation: no, but the power arising from influence, and this influence arising from his full knowledge, of the subject; from his felt acquaintance by the audience with the state of their hearts; from his “commending himself to every man’s conscience in the sight of God;” from the motives which he adduced, throwing back the veil of futurity, showing them a world in flames,.a descending Judge, and hell and heaven following; and the combination of dignity and simplicity, majesty and mildness, which he possessed. He was all feeling, and never failed to make others feel.

His word is still accompanied with power. The apostle says to the Thessalonians, “Our word came to you, not in word only, but in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.” The gospel is his word, and the gospel is “the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth.” What power is there in it to awaken, to comfort, to sanctify, and to preserve!