Luke 4:41Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But in what follows, And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak, mark the humility of Christ, who would not let the unclean spirits make Him manifest. For it was not fit that they should usurp the glory of the Apostolical office, nor did it become the mysteries of Christ to be made public by impure tongues.

Because, “praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner.” Or, because He did not wish to inflame the envy of the Jews by being praised of all.

But although as God He was able to drive away diseases by His word, He nevertheless touches them, shewing that His flesh was powerful to apply remedies, since it was the flesh of God; for as fire, when applied to a brazen vessel, imprints on it the effect of its own heat, so the omnipotent Word of God, when He united to Himself in real assumption a living virgin temple, endued with understanding, implanted in it a participation of His own power. May He also touch us, nay rather may we touch Him, that He may deliver us from the infirmities of our souls as well as the assaults of the evil spirit and pride! For it follows, And devils also came out.

The Lord himself revealed the truth to the demons, who acknowledged Him rightly by declaring You are the Son of God. However, He instructed them to be silent and prohibited them from speaking, ensuring that they would not mix their own malevolence with the truth. This teaches us to be wary and to refrain from heeding even when they appear to speak the truth.

Let us consider the reason why He commands the impure spirits to be silent. Scripture provides us insight into this, as the Lord inquires of the sinner, ‘Why do you declare my statutes?’ (Psalm 49:16). This is communicated so that anyone who hears the preacher may not be led astray by his deceptions. The adversary is an unsuitable guide, often replacing truth with falsehoods to mask lies as if they were genuine.

He prohibited them, not allowing... The term ‘prohibited’ is utilized in place of ‘restricting speech.’ However, in the third chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we find the explanation of this passage: ‘and prohibiting He did not permit the demons to speak.’

Notes: * The term ‘prohibited’ replaces ‘not allowing’ (Elizav.); “forbade” (Syn.); “addressing them with all strictness, He did not allow” (Ep. Cassian). We provide a literal translation for clarity in conveying the interpretation. * The term ‘prohibited’ does not appear in this context in Mark's Gospel, according to either the printed editions of the Greek text or our translations. * Mk. 1:34.

It was ordered about sun-set, that is, when the day was gone, that they should bring them out, either because during the day they were employed about other things, or because they thought that it was not lawful to heal on the sabbath. But He healed them, as it follows, But he laid his hands upon every one of them.

The devils confess the Son of God, and as it is afterwards said, they knew him to be Christ; for when the devil saw Him distressed by fasting, he perceived Him to be truly man, but when he prevailed not in his trial he doubted whether or not He were the Son of God, but now by the power of Christ’s miracles he either perceived or suspected Him to be the Son of God. He did not then persuade the Jews to crucify Him because he thought Him not to be Christ or the Son of God, but because he did not foresee that by this death he himself would be condemned. Of this mystery hidden from the world the Apostle says, that none of the princes of this world knew, for if they had known they would never have crucified the Lord of Glory. (1 Cor. 2:8.)

In the evening of that same day, following the conclusion of the Sabbath, a crowd gathered at Simon's home, bringing with them those who were afflicted, having heard about the events in the synagogue. Perhaps there were individuals who had not seen the light of day for some time or who, upon waking, had doubted they would live to witness the evening. They now sought compassion from Jesus. Among them were those suffering from various ailments as well as those tormented by evil spirits. The compassionate Lord stepped outside to meet them and, moving from one to another, He laid His hands on each, providing healing. He only instructed those who were possessed to refrain from declaring Him as the Messiah, just as He had done previously. Oh, how abundantly His blessings flowed to all, undeterred by the wickedness and doubt of mankind! What boundless love He demonstrated in that moment!

All three Gospel writers recount that on the evening of the same day, individuals suffering from various ailments throughout the city were brought to Jesus, who then laid His hands on them and healed them. This day coincided with the Sabbath, leading the Jews to view the act of bringing the sick to Jesus as a disruption of the holy day. Consequently, they refrained from doing so until the sun had set, marking the start of the new day. Furthermore, Matthew interprets the multitude of healings performed by Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah regarding the Messiah’s afflictions on behalf of humanity's sins (Isaiah 53:4).

The report of the extraordinary occurrence in the synagogue spread rapidly throughout the city. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Sabbath day came to an end, during which the misguided teachings of the Pharisees dictated that acts of compassion, including healing the ill, were not allowed (Matthew 12:10; Mark 3:2; Luke 6:7; 13, 14; John 6:1; 5, 10). A wave of activity swept through Capernaum; both the healthy and the suffering rushed to the doorway of the house where Jesus was. They brought with them those afflicted by various ailments, as well as those possessed by demons, all united by the same joyful aspiration: to find relief and restoration. The Lord stepped outside to meet the throng and placed His hands upon them, signifying the healing authority of God (Luke 13:13).