Jesus Rebukes the Unclean Spirit

On the shore of Galilee, Jesus tells Peter, who is washing his nets, to let them down once more. Peter has caught nothing all night, yet he obeys the word, and the catch is so great that the nets begin to tear. Later, in the synagogue at Capernaum, a man possessed by a demon recognizes Jesus and sets himself against him, but Jesus rebukes the spirit and drives it out of the man.

The miracle came when Peter laid aside his experience as a fisherman and his pride, and relied on the word. The demon, by contrast, shows that Satan does not seize control of people by force. When a person will not decide whether to serve the truth or what is false, that person gives up the ground of their own accord. Just as he did with Eve, Satan still leads people to doubt God and whispers lies as though they were truth, and so brings them down.

The word of God makes no compromise. The faithful must not fear Satan; they must discern by the word and fight boldly, leaning on the Holy Spirit. Those who do good and hold fast to the truth will dwell under God’s absolute protection.