I recently finished reading Carl Trueman’s book, Luther on the Christian Life (Crossway, 2015). It is a wonderful introduction to a man that the Lord was delighted to use for the well-being of His church. In fact, if you’re looking for a book to read at this time of year, then I recommend it highly. The pinnacle of the book for me was Luther on the Word of God. Trueman points out that for Luther; the absence of God’s word meant the absence of God. Thus, when commenting on Amos 8:11 and the famine of the word that God would bring upon the land, Luther bursts forth, “[this] is absolutely horrible.”
But something struck me while reading that section. Satan knew the very point at which to attack God and His new creation. In Luther’s comments on Genesis 3:1, he writes, “Accordingly, Moses expresses himself very carefully and says: ‘The serpent said,’ that is, with a word it attacks the Word.”[1] A paragraph later Luther explains why this is the case, “For when the Gospel is preached in its purity, men have a sure guide for their faith and are able to avoid idolatry.”[2]
So, if this is the case it’s not surprising to discover that when Jesus came, the Apostles saw it as a new creation (e.g. the genealogy of Matthew’s gospel compared with Genesis 1:1-2:9) and so did Satan and he attacked. In fact, in chapter five of Mark’s gospel we find a demoniac rushing toward the beach where Jesus and His disciples just landed. The demoniac ran to Jesus and we expect him – because of his superhuman strength – to pick up the Lord and try and do Him bodily harm. But instead, the demoniac ran to Jesus and fell before Him and cried out saying, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” This demoniac knew who he was battling. He knew that if Jesus was to be defeated, He must be defeated by a word and so the demoniac spoke.
But he didn’t simply speak, the demoniac attempted to bind Jesus with his words. Look at what he said, “I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” Notice the word “adjure.” He commanded Jesus as though he had placed the Son of God under oath. It’s as if he had said, “I command you as one under oath do not torment me.” He was attempting to bind the Son of God by his own authority.
Now, look at verse 8. Often translations will render these words, “For he (that is Jesus) said to him…” But the verb is in a tense that suggests that Jesus had been saying to the man, “Come out of the man you unclean spirit.” Do you understand what is happening here? As the man approached, Jesus immediately assessed the situation and He said to the demon, “Come out of the man…” But the demon in the possessed man is strong. So, while Jesus was speaking, the demoniac was also saying, “I command you as one under oath, do not torment me!” We are witnessing a terrific and terrifying battle here! A battle of words.
This is a lesson for us. Luther said that Satan attacked “Adam and Eve in this way to deprive them of the Word and to make them believe his lie after they have lost the Word and their trust in God.”[3] Again, Luther reminds us that “Satan imitates God. Just as God preached to Adam, so he himself also preaches to Eve.”[4] The Lesson is clear. The Word of God must be preached, read, heard, and held in the highest regard by the Church. According to Luther, “The source of all sin truly is unbelief and doubt and abandonment of the Word.”[5] Thus, may the Church ever cling to the Word of her only Savior, Jesus. Amen.
[1] Martin Luther, Lectures on Genesis 1-5, vol. 1 (St. Louis, Concordia Publishing House, 1958), 146.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid., 147.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid., 149.