While Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum, a man with an evil spirit shrieks out, “What do you want with us?”, or in a more literal sense, “What have we in common?”

Even with the evil spirit, the man knew the truth. He readily admitted Jesus to be of God, and to have power over him. Yet, he by his spirit did not submit readily to Jesus, but challenged him.

Jesus being the Truth incarnate, knew the truth and spoke the truth of God in the synagogue. He submitted to his Father’s will.

Whilst this man is more than just a man – he is a man with an evil spirit, and Jesus is more than just a man – he is man and God. The effect of having two spirits is markedly different on each person.

The man has to contend with the evil spirit within him. He is made in the image of God, and so this evil spirit is not compatible with him. Even though the man has original sin, this evil is not working with him. It causes him to do things he would not want to do, it crushes him, it works against him. The evil spirit causes the man to shriek and convulse, it causes him to lack control of himself.

Jesus’ humanity and deity however work in perfect harmony. As with all humanity, his manhood is in the image of God. As he is perfect, he shows how it is possible for a man to live in accordance with God’s Spirit. God’s Spirit doesn’t crush the man, but rather enhances it and works with it. The Spirit of God works in such harmony, that Jesus is calm and collected. He has complete self-control.

The major difference was that Jesus had power over the evil spirit, and was able to command the spirit to leave the man. This was the Son of God showing his authority and power over all things.

Most of us will not have an evil spirit in us, but we all have original sin. As we are made in the image of God, we also find this sinful nature contends with us. This sinful nature causes us to do things we wouldn’t necessarily want to do, although sometimes it causes us to want to do things which are not good for us – We don’t have self-control.

Jesus is not only able to change us, but he will put his Holy Spirit in us. For this to happen, we must put aside our sinful nature, we must die to self and submit to him. We must trust him with our lives and worship him as our saviour and king. With the Holy Spirit working in us, there will be a growth in self-control, a growth in joy and a gradual death of sin.

To trust Jesus is not just to believe the truth, but to believe in the truth. To believe in Jesus Christ, to put our faith in him, to trust him to forgive our sins through what he has done on the cross.

Only through losing our lives will we save it.

After Joshua had passed over the Jordan, he was told by God to set up a stone landmark by the Jordan.

This was done so that the Israelites might know who God is, remember what he had done for them, and that none of them would be ignorant of their history.

They were told to pass this information onto their descendants, that future generations would be aware of their God and their history.

So it is with us today. We have been given the word of God so that everyone might know who God is, that they might remember what God has done for them and that none of them would be ignorant.

We have been given this information not just for ourselves, but that we might pass it on so that others would also benefit from it.