Rebuking

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

REBUKING

Luke 4:38-39

38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

NIV

We have read this account in Mathew and Luke several times. That is a slight difference in that Matthew records that Jesus touched her hand, and she got up to serve them. However, Luke makes the point that Jesus rebuked the fever. This gives us a clearer picture of what happened. Touching and rebuking are very different. We wonder as, again, over the years we have anointed people praying over them mostly for some infirmity rather than a sickness. Although we have prayed many times in the name of Jesus, and we have quoted Jesus about asking Him anything in His name and He would do it, with the expectation that infirmity would be healed. We are beginning to think that perhaps we need to rebuke that infirmity with the authority of Jesus, or rather the authority that Jesus gave us when he said that we would do even greater things than he has. It is not a matter that we do not have faith, we are filled with faith, as we live by faith and have since the first day we believed. God has done amazing work in and for us over the years, so much so that we could write a book of testimonies of what God has done for us. Therefore, we do not think it is a matter of our faith when we pray for others, anointing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Still, this narrative of Luke makes us wonder if we should rebuke with authority rather than ask in faith. What we want to see is that infirmity, whatever it is, to be instantly gone, so that person can get up take their mat, and walk, so to speak., but in this case, get up and begin to live completely healed.