axm

JIofu.er of t4.e
JIr.eadfing of m.esus
Luke 4:31-44
The Point of This Incident
The Amazing Authority
and Power of the
Word of Christ
His word, written and
preached, is still the instrument
He uses as the exalted Christ, to
control and overcome evil in the
world. He
speaks through
the mouth of
His church as
His church
faithfully
expounds and
bears
testimony to
His Word. His
Word still
overcomes evil
and the
demonic in
your life, as
you believe it,
obey it and
bear witness to it.
The Triumph of Jesus Christ
Over the Power of Satan
"Because Jesus Christ has
defeated and overcome Satan, so
also shall CHRIST'S PEOPLE gain
the victory over Satan (and the
demonic). His work is no real
threat to the progress of God's
kingdom. Satan has been bound
by Christ, and now his house is
being plundered." - Bahnsen, pg.
39. Christians do not have to fear
Satan and his demons, but we
must take them and their activity
seriously. And here is why:
(a). Jesus gave power over the
demons to His disciples, Mat.
10:1; Mk. 6:7; 9:38; Lk. 10:17;
Acts 5:16; 8:7; 16:16f; 19:12. "He
never meant for the victory to be
His alone; He shares His mighty
power with believers so that they
too defeat the devil and destroy
his works. The kind of power
which Jesus gives is not something
of which the unbelieving world
can partake; even the professional
sorcerers do not have the power
which is bestowed on Christ's
apostles, Acts 8:9, 19, and when
they try to imitate it, dreadful
results rebound upon them, Acts
19:13.. .. -- This EXCLUSIVE
POWER OVER DEMONS which
Jesus has delegated to His
followers means two things:
FIRST, believers cannot be demon
possessed. There is an utter
antithesis between the Holy Spirit
and an unclean spirit, Mk. 3:29f,
just as their respective
descriptions indicate, I John 4:4 ....
SECOND, because of the power
which accompanies the preaching
of the gospel, where the good
news of Christ's kingdom has
penetrated and taken root, it
scatters the darkness and
subsequently reduces the
occunence of demon possession
in a sodety."- Bahnsen, pg. 39.
(b). The New Testament is full
.. THE COUNSELof Chalcedon August,1995
of indications that Christians have
the ASSURANCE OF ETHICAL
VICTORY in their encounters with
Satan and demons. See John
17: 15; James 5:16;james 4:7;
Eph. 6:10-18; I John 4:3-4; IJohn
5:18, which says: " ... He who was
bam of God keeps him and the evll
one does not touch him."
(c). Even in the face of severe,
physical persecution, the believer
wins in his war with Satan, I Pet.
4:11; 5:11; Rev. 9:H; Lk. 10:19;
Rom. 8:35f; Rev. 12:1Of. "Victory
over sin and preservation from its
power and
deadly effects
are assured
us. Satan
cannot gain
an upper
hand over us
even through
physical
fureatening .... "-
Bahnsen, pg.
40.
(d). Not
only is the
Christian's
victory over
Satan and the demonic evident
with respect to demon-possession,
temptation to sin, and
persecution; it is also clearly
evident with respect to the success
of evangelism, Mat. 12:28f. ---
The power of the proclaimed
gospel can shatter Satan's
attempt to lead people astray
from the truth. Thus the church
is assured of great power and
success when it faithfully
proclaims the whole counsel of
God, Rev. 19: IH. Because
CHRIST NOW RULES the
nations, Psa. 2:8; Rev. 12:5;
19:15f, SATAN is unable to
DECEIVE the nations, Rev. 20:2f.
A missionary door of utterance
has been opened to the nations for
faith which no man can shut, Rev.
3:7f; Acts 14:27; Col. 4:3. The
Great Commission shall be
accomplished, and all nations
shall be made disciples of Christ,
Mat. 28:18f; Rev. 7:9; 11:15;
15:4, since ALL power in heaven
and earth have been granted to
Him and He is ever present with
this power in His church. Thus
the gospel is the POWER of God
unto salvation, Rom. 1: 16.
Evangelism and doctrinal
edification are activities which the
believer can FORCEFULLY AND
SUCCESSFULLY engage in as God
brings all nations to serve His Son,
Acts 2:34f; Psa. 72; Rom. 1:5;
15: 11; 16:26; I Cor. 15:25f; Col.
11:27f; IITim. 4:17. The
believer's victory over Satan,
therefore, is clear from the fact
that Satan cannot prevent the
proclamation of the gospel from
being prosperous in this age."-
Bahnsen, 40f.
"The fact is that while Satan is
alive, he is NOT WELL! His
power and kingdom have fallen,
and presently he frantically
thrashes out his short remaining
time. Christ has deposed him,
crushed him, and shaclded him;
Christ's followers continue to
spoil his house. The only lordship
he retains is over the despicable
elements oflife symbolized by
dung."- Bahnsen, pg. 42.
(4:38-40) The Amazing
Authority and Power oj
Jesus' Word Over Sickness
The Reality and Purpose oj
Miracles in the MinistJy ofJesus
The Reality oj Miracles
Three words in the New
Testament designate the
miraculous works of God in the
Bible, "miracle," "wonder," and
"sign," Acts 2:22; II Thes. 2:9;
Heb. 2:4. "Miracle" is dynamis in
Greek, pointing to the divine
omnipotence operative in the
event. "Sign" is semeion, pointing
to the goal of the miracle---it is "a
work of God which functions as a
word of God," which
simultaneously reveals the
presence and power of the
Kingdom of God and
authenticates and witnesses to the
fact that the Kingdom has come.
"Wonder" is teras, pointing to the
attention -compelling character of
the miracle. Putting the meaning
of these three words together, we
could define a miracle biblically as
"an observable phenomenon
effected by the direct operation of
God's power, an arresting
deviation from the ordinalY
sequences of nature, a deviation
calculated to elicit faith-begetting
awe, a divine inbreaking which
authenticates a revelational
agent."- Vernon Grounds in
Baker's Dictionary oj Theology, pg.
357f.
The Purpose oj MiJ'acles
in the Ministry ofJesus
In jesus' power to work
miracles, the coming of the
Kingdom of God is realized and
its presence is made evident. (See
notes below for proof.) The
Kingdom makes its triumphant
advance in the world through the
word ofJesus Chlist. And His
preaching of the kingdom is with
words and deeds, including
miracles. Therefore, jesus'
miracles reveal the coming of the
Kingdom of God.
'(For a special insight into the
purpose of miracles, see:
Appendix: C.S. Lewis on
"Miracles" on page nf.)
The Cessation of Miracles
jesus gave His apostles the
power to perf amI miracles in
order to AUTHENTICATE THEIR
APOSTOLIC MESSAGE, Le., to
confirm that His apostles, under
the inspiration of the Spirit of
Christ, spoke and wrote the word
of Christ inerrantly, so that to
accept their words is to accept
Christ's words, and to reject their
words is to reject Christ's words,
Heb. 2:4. This is the reason Paul
calls this apostolic ability to
perform miracles as "the mark of
an apostle," II Cor. 12:12. As B.B.
Warfield has written: "These
(miraculous) gifts ... were part of
the credentials of the Apostles as
the authoritative agents of God in
founding the church. Their
function thus confined them
distinctively to the Apostolic
Church, and they necessarily
passed away with it." (Counteljeit
Miracles, London, Banner of Truth
Trust, reprint 1972).
Robert Reymond explains the
last sentence of Warfield: "If the
apostles possessed special signs
which authenticated their claim to
authority, II Cor. 12: 12; Rom.
15:18-19, they necessarily passed
from the scene with the passing of
the apostles. --- Clearly, miracles
selved here, (in Acts 14:3), not as
ends in themselves but as
'authenticating means' to an
'authority end,' Heb. 2:3-4."-
What About Continuing Revelation
and Miracles in the Presbyterian
Omrch Today?, pg. 43, (Nutley,
N.j., Presbytelian and Reformed
Publishing Company, 1977).
The reason miracles were the
signs of the apostles was because
miracles had a revelatory character
and the apostles were vehicles of
divine revelation. Therefore,
because of this inseparable
connection of miracles with
revelation, as we saw in the role of
miracles in the ministry ofJesus,
miracles were the mark and
credential of Christ's apostles, and
August, 1995 l' THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon f. 5
of His prophets in the Old
Testament.' The reason miracles
passed off the scene with the
apostles, is that with the passing
of the apostles, the completion of
the revelatory process which
produced the Bible had ,taken
place. When verbal revelation
ceased, and the all-sufficient Bible
was completed, there reTllained no
further need' for those signs that
bore wimeSs to revelation taking
place.
"Miracles do not appear
(SOTERION or SOTERIA in
Greek), is not used in Matthew
and Mark, and it, (SOTERIA),
occurs only once in John. In
Luke, however, SOTERIA, is used
four times, 1:69,71,77; 19:9),
and SOTERION is used twice,
2:30, 3:6. The word "savior,"
SOTER, occurs twice, 1:47; 2:11,
and the verb, "to save," SODZO, is
used more times by Luke than any
other gospel writer, 6:9; 7:50;
point of view. "The healing
process is subordinated to a
higher purpose, and this higher
purpose furnishes the chief reason
why the occurrence is so
denominated. What is this higher
idea that stands in the
background? It is that of the
transference out of the sphere of
death into the sphere of life: - G.
Vos, pg, 260. "It is exactly in the
delivery from death that the
':.Jesus Christ came to
on the pages of Scripmre
vagrantly, here, there, and
elsewhere indifferently,
without assignable reason.
They belong to revelation
periods, and appear only
when God is speaking to
His people through
raise His people from the
dead, spiritually in the new
birth and physically at the
second coming of Christ."
salvation of the kingdom
reaches its climax. 'Dead
persons are raised,
because in Jesus' action
that Kingdom is beginning
to be realized in which
there will no more be any
death,' Rev. 21:4; 20:14.
... the kingdom of God
revealed in miracles
signifies the redemption
accredited messengers,
declaring His gracious purposes.
Their abundant display in the,
Apostolic Church is the mark of
the richness of the Apostolic Age
in revelation; and when this
revelation period closed, the
period of miracle-working had
passed by also, as a mere matter of
course. :--... when this historic
process of organic revelation had
reached its completeness, and
when the whole knowledge of
God designed for the saving
health of the world had been
incorporated into the living body
of the world's thoughts---there
remained, of course, no further
revelation to be made, and there
has been accordingly no further
revelation made: - Warfield,
Counteifeit Miracles.
(4:38-39) The Healing of Peter's
Mother-in-Law by Jesus
The Relation of
Physical Healing and Salvation
According to Luke
The word, "salvation,"
8:12,36,48,50; 9:24, 56; 13:23;
17:19,33; 18:26,42; 19:10;
23:35,37,39. Luke also uses
"salvation" seven times and
"savior" two times in Acts.
Therefore, it becomes apparent
that "salvation' is the key to the
theology of Luke. His focus is on
the Divine-human SAVIOR,Jesus
Christ, Who is "God my Savior"
incarnate, Lk. 1 :46f.
Luke emphasizes the fact that
Jesus brings a complete salvation
to the whole man in his whole
world; and he makes this point by
using the Greek verb, SODZO,
with reference to miraculous
physical healings He perfonns.
Our English versions translate the
verb in these miracle stories as
"heal." For Luke the Greek word,
SODZO, has two predominant
meanings: to deliver and to heal,
or to make whole. However,
when "save" is translated "heal,"
Luke is not merely depicting the
healing act from a purely medical
6 THE COUNSELof Chalcedon August,1995
from all evil and the
restoration of the whole of life."-
Ridderbos, The Coming of the
Kingdom, pg. 68. See Luke 6:9;
Mark 3:4; Mark 5:23; Matthew
16:25-27; Mark 8:35-38; Luke
9:24-26. Jesus Christ came to
raise His people from the dead,
spiritually in the new birth and
physically at the second coming of
Christ, As Jesus said to His
Fathet, .... . even as Thou gayest Him
authority over all mankind, that t1J
all whom Thou hast given Him, He
may give eternal life, "In. 17:2.
And in John 10:10 He said: "I
came that they might have life, and
might have it abundantly."
The Healing of Peter's
Mother-in-LqwZ'
"The brief narrative of the
healing of Peter's mother-in-law
conveys the impression of
unpretentiousness .... --- In
response to the disciples' request,
Jesus stood beside the bed, seized
the woman's hand and lifted her
up. The fever was removed and
there was no trace of the weakness
which could be expected under
normal circumstances. The
woman immediately stood up and
ministered to her guests, (Le., she
fixed dinner for them).... Then
notice that the WOman
'ministered, (or served) to them'
confirms the mercy and
compassion extended toward her
by Jesus and indicates that the
figures in the background of the
gospel narrative are affected by
the power of this mysterious
Galilean."- lane. (In the
The Reason Multitudes Crowded
AroundJesus
We must not get too excited
about the "success" ofjesus'
minisny in the initial phase of His
Galilean minisny. The crowds
were coming to Jesus, not because
they recognized and submitted to
His saviorhood and lordship, but
because mmors were flying that a
miracle worker had come into
their vicinity. 'jesus had come to
preach repentance and the
sovereignly willed for them to take
place. The healings were not
caused by His touch, but by His
omnipotent word, which was the
expression of His sovereign will.
''The touch of the hand was
merely symbolical of the blessing
bestowed. No power flowed out
from the hands and physically
entered the patient. The power
was in the volition ofjesus, and
the miracle was wrought in a
supernatural way." - Lenski.
Gospels, discipleship is
defined by service, Mk.
9:33f; 10:43f.)
(4:40-41) The Healing of
Many People With
Various Diseases and the
Casting Out of Many
Demons
" The crowds were coming to Jesus,
not because they recognized and
submitted to His saviorhood and
lordship, but because rumors were
The Casting Out of
Many Demons
Notice the clear
distinction Luke makes
between sickness and
demon-possession. Once
again he muzzles their cry
and silences their shrieks,
flying that a miracle worker had
come into their vicinity,"
for they are powerless
before Him. "Jesus "'Ibis summary report
reflects the point of view of a
narrator who was excited with
what he witnessed."- Lane.
The Time of the Healings
The people came to Jesus for
healing in the early evening, after
sunset, which brought the sabbath
day to a close.
The Large Number
of Healings
What an evening! Countless
numbers of people coming to
Jesus! Miracle upon miracle
performed by Jesus! It was as if
the entire city was gathered at the
door of the house where Jesus
was, (the home of Peter and
Andrew, Mk. 1:29). The verb in
Mk. 1:33 indicates that the
crowds were continually
increasing in size. "All" kinds of
people brought "all" kinds of
personal relations to be healed by
Jesus of "all" lands of diseases and
sicknesses.
'nearness of the kingdom but the
people think only of relief from
pain and affliction. They fail to
perceive the significance ofJesus'
conflict with demonic power. In
compassion and grace Jesus
extends to them authentic healing,
but it is not primarily for this
purpose that he has come."-lane.
The Method of Jesus' Healing
Jesus' method of healing
people was flexible and varied.
He "rebuked'" the fever in Peter's
mother-in-law, 4:39, (while Mark
adds that Jesus "grasped her
hand"), and He "laid His hands"
on other sick people brought to
Him, 4:40. In one instance He
used His own saliva in the
healing, Mk. 7:33; 8:23. One of
the reasons for this flexibility is to
help people see that the
miraculous healings took place,
not because Jesus cOlTectly
perfOlmed some magicahite or
symbol, but because He
forbids the demons to speak, for .
they know who he is; they
recognize him as their adversary
in a conflict which has cosmic
proportions." - lane.
The Relation of the
Miracles and Preaching
ofJesus Christ
The powerful and authoritative
preaching ofjesus is no less proof
than the mighty miracles of Jesus
that the Kingdom of God has
come to earth in all its saving and
life-giving power. This is the
reason for Luke's emphasis in this
section of the AUTHORITY and
POWER ofthe teaching ofjesus.
"His word is not only a sign, it is
charged with power; it has the
disposal of the matter, the
salvation which it defines; it is not
merely a word, but 'it shall
accomplish that which He pleases'
Who speaks it. That is why at
bottom there is nb difference
between the word with which
August, 1995 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon $ 7
Jesus casts out demons, (and heals
the sick) and His preaching of the
gospel. In both cases the word
and what it indicates go together.
Nowhere does this connection
come to light more clearly than in
the story of the healing of a
palsied man, Mk. 2:1-12 and
parallels."- Ridderbos, The Coming
of the Kingdom, pg. 72f. "
Jesus' preaching of the
Kingdom confirmed by His
miracles is at the same time the
manifestation of the Kingdom, the
vehicle through which the
. Kingdom comes, the sign that the
Kingdom has come. This is the
reason for the many expressions
of "amazement," "astonishment,"
"confusion," "bewilderment," etc.,
which describe the frame of mind
of those who heard Jesus'
preaching and saw His miracles.
"They are not intended, however,
onlyashistorical-psychological
descriptiOns of the impression that
Jesus made on the multitude. The
evangelists, (Gospel-writers), want
to indicate that Jesus' word and
work revealed the absolute, the
supernatural, and the divine in
such a way that even the
multitude could not but be aware
of it. As has been said, this
amazement is not only caused by
their witnessing of His miracles,
but also by their listening to His
preaching, Lk. 4:22; Mt. 22:22.
They are not merely amazed at
Jesus' knowledge or wisdom or
ability in speaking, but at bottom
they respond to the powers and
the authority revealed in His
word. In this respect there is no
difference between Jesus'
preaching and His miracles:-
Ridderbos, pg. 75.
(4:42-44) The Purpose
and Content of] esus'
Powerful Preaching
(4:42-43) The Need of Jesus for
Private Worship and Rest
Before daybreak Jesus left the
crowds of the city unnoticed to
seek some quietness after all the
strenuous work of the previous
day, The crowds, however,
continued to hound him crying
out for more miracles. However
much sympathy and compassion
He felt for these needy people,
Jesus refused to continue His
healing of them. "His task at
Capernaum was completed and
He had to obey the will of His
Father and to proceed to other
cities, there to p ~ c h by word
and deed the glad tidings of the
kingdom of God." - Geldenhuys.
"While]esus is here depicted
as the great Physician of the
human body as well as of the soul,
we must remember that NO ONE
HAS THE RIGHT TODAY TO
DEMAND THAT HE SHOULD
HEAL EVERY DISEASE and this
always, or in most cases, without
the use of medicine. He is still the
Almighty and Merciful Physician
who is able to heal any illness
without such aids where He so
desires. It is, however, clear from
God's Word that it is not always
His will to heal diseases. --- ".we
should never prescribe to God
how He is to act. The perfect
healing in soul and in body,
aChieved by Jesus for all believers,
will become full reality only at His
coming, when the faithful will live
and rule along with Him in risen
and glorified bodies. Before that
Day no believer has the right to
demand perfect healing just as he
has no right to expect that he will
be exempted from all other
amictions of life and from death."-
Geldenhuys.
The Return to the "Wilderness"
To describe the place where
8 ~ THE COUNSELof Chalcedon August,1995
Jesus went for prayer, Mark uses a
double tenn meaning literally,
"wilderness place: Mk. 1:35. "Its
reference is to a place of solirude
which in some sense recalls the
wilderness, Mk. 1:45; 6:31:-
Lane. Jesus withdraws to the
wilderness from the seeking
multirudes, with the result that
the multitudes pursue Him to the
"wilderness," i.e., the place of
solitude where He has gone to
pray. It appears that "Jesus
deliberately withdraws from the
people to rerum to an area which
has the character of the wilderness
where He encountered Satan and
sustained temptation. The nature
of the temptation in eaCh instance
may be related to the clamor of
the crowds, who are willing to
find in Jesus a divine-man who
meets their needs and so wins
their follOwing. The people,
however, have no conception of
what it means to go out to the
wilderness to bear the burden of
judgment, as Jesus has done. He
turns from their acclaim,
returning to a place which recalls
his determination to fulfill the
mission for which he has come
into the world." - Lane . .
The Needfor Prayer
Jesus often prayed alone at
night. "The siruation again recalls
the wilderness when Jesus
confronts the temptation of Satan,
and is sustained by help from
God. His strength is in prayer
through which He affirms His
intention to fulfill the will of God,
which means His submission to
the judgment of God" ,,"-Lane.
Jesus withdrew from the
crowds to this place of solitude for
a while "to hold communion with
His Father in heaven, and to pray.
Holy and sinless as His human
narure was, it was a nature kept
1
,
sinless in the regular use of means
of grace, and not in the neglect of
them. There is an example here
which all who desire to grow in
grace and walk closely with God
would do well to follow. We
must make time for private
meditation, and for being alone
with God. ---We live in hurrying,
bustling times. The excitement of
daily business and constant
engagements keeps many men in
a perpetual whirl, and entails
great peril on souls. The neglect of
this habit of withdrawing
occasionally from worldly
business is the probable cause of
many an inconsistency or
backsliding which brings scandal
on the cause of Christ. The more
work we have to do, the more we
ought to imitate our Master. --- If
the Master found the practice
necessary, it must surely be a
thousand times more necessary
for His disciples."- ].c. Ryle,
EXpOSit01) Thoughts on the Gospels,
St. Luke, Vol. 1, (NY: The Baker
and Taylor Co., ) pg. 127f.
lThe miracles of the Bible are largely
confined to four eras, each separated
from the other by centuries: (1). The
Exodus from Egypt under Moses and the
Conquest of Canaan under Joshua; (2).
The Ministries of Elijah and Elisha in
their war with Baalism; (3). The
Babylonian Exile; and (4). The Ministry
of Christ and His Apostles. Outside of
these eras, miracles are rare in the Bible.
Notice one thing these four periods had
in common: much divine verbal,
inerrant revelation was taking place in
each era; therefore, many miracles were
taking place as the means by which God
was bearing witness to His revelation.
2We learn from this incident that
Peter was married, and that his
mother-in-law lived in his home,
probably because her husband was dead.
"All this is rather inconvenient for
Roman Catholicism which regards Peter
as the first pope and demands celibacy
for its priests."- Lenski, Interpretation of
Luke, pg 270.
3Jesus "rebuked" the fever of Peter's
mother-in-law, 4:39, and He also
"rebuked" the wind, Lk. 8:24. The word,
urebuke," indicates 'jesus' absolute
authority in the natural kingdom over all
desttuctive influences operating in it as a
result of sin and of the curse on the
world. This is, however, also a
manifestation of the coming of the
kingdom of God. Christ penetrates into
the province of the plince of this world
and vanquishes the hostile powers which
devastate the creation. 'He is again the
Ruler, the Lord and the King ofnature."'-
Ridderbos, The Coming of the Kingdom,
pgs. 67f. (Nutley, N.j., Presbyterian and
Reformed Publishing Company, 1975).
Appendix:
C. S. Lewis on Miracles
"There is an activity of God displayed
throughout creation, a wholesale activity
let uS say whiCh melt refuse to recogItize.
The miracles done by God incarnate,
living as a man in Palestine, perform the
very same things as this wholesale activity,
but at a different speed and on a smaller
scale. One of their chief purposes is that
men having seen a thing done by personal
power on the small scale, may recognize,
when they see the same thing done on the
large scale, that the power behind it is also
personal- is indeed the very same
person who lived among us two thousand
years ago. The miracles in fact are a
retelling in small letters of the very same
story which is written across the whole
world in letters too large for some of us to
see. Of that larger script, parl is already
visible, part is still unsolved. In other
words, some of the miracles do locally
what God has already done universally;
others do locally what He had not yet
done, but will do. In that sense, and from
our human point of view, some are
reminders and others prophecies.
"God creates the vine and teaches it to
draw up water by its roots and, with the
aid of the sun, to turn that water into a
juice which will ferment and take on
certain qualities. Thus every year, from
Noah
1
s time till ours, God turns water into
wine. That, men fail to see. Either like
the Pagans they refer the process to some
finite spirit, Bacchus or Dionysus: or else,
like the modems, they attribute real and
ultimate causality to the chemical and
other material phenomena which are all
that our sense can discover in it. But
when Christ at Cana makes water into
wine, the mask is off, In. 2:1-11. The
miracle has only half its effect if it only
convinces us that Christ is God: it will
have its full effect if whenever we see a
vineyard or drink a glass of wine we
remember that here works He who sat at
the wedding party in Cana." (pgs. 336-
337).
U; the true miracles express not
simply a god, but God: that which is
outside Nature, not as a foreigner, but as
her sovereign. They announce not merely
that a King has visited our town, but that
it is the King, our King." (pg. 339).
"The second class of miracles, on this
view, foretell what God has not yet done,
but will do, universally. He raised one
man, the man who was Himself, from the
dead because He will one day raise all
men from the dead. Perhaps not only
men, for there are hints in the New
Testament that all creation will eventually
be rescued from decay, restored to shape
and subserve the splendor of re-made
humanity, Rom. 8:22. The Transfigura-
tion, Mat. 17: If, and the walking on the
water, Mat. 14:26, are glimpses of the
beauty and effortless power over all matter
which will belong to men when they are
really waked by God." (pg.339).
C.S. Lewis
'
comments on the miracle
of the incarnation are powerfu1. He
writes, "N 0 miracle is in fact more
significant. What happens in ordinalY
generation? What is a father
1
s function in
the act of begetting? A microscopic
particle passes, it may be, the color of his
hair and his great grandfather
1
s hanging
lip, and the human form in all its
complexity of bones, liver, sinews, heart,
and limbs, and prehuman form which the
embryo will recapitulate in the womb.
Behind every spermatozoon lies the whole
history of the universe: locked within it is
no small part of the world's future. That
is God's normal way of making a man-a
process that takes centuries, beginning
with the creation of matter itself, and
narrowing to one second and one particle
at the moment of begetting. - Once,
therefore, God does it directly, instanta-
neously; without a spermatozoon, without
the millenniums of organic history behind
the spermatozoon. There was of course
another reason. This time He was creating
not simply a man, but the man who was
to be Himself: the only true Man. The
process which leads to the spermatozoon
has carried down with it through the
centuries much undesirable Silt; the life
which reaches us by that normal route is
tainted. To avoid that taint, to give
humanity a fresh start, He once short-
circuited the process. 11 (pg. 338).
August, 1995 t THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon t 9