Truth Twisting

Luke 4:31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 

This chapter is full of accounts where those who encountered Christ tried to twist the truth. First, when he was out in the wilderness(desert area), Satan tried to tempt Jesus, using as justification Old Testament truths taken out of context and twisted to make sin sound good.  Next Jesus went to Nazareth, where He had been raised, and preached an amazing message.  People twisted the "fact" that Jesus was the son of Joseph to mean that He could NOT be a prophet, let alone the Messiah.  Finally, in the above passage, He came to what would become his headquarters for ministry, when he is taunted by this demon-possessed man.  The demon rightly identified Jesus as "the Holy One of God," but twisted Jesus' intentions, accusing Him of coming only to destroy.  But Jesus did not. Instead He healed many and proclaimed the news all around the region. Yes, Jesus is the Judge, but He also came to seek and save the Lost. The response to truth-twisting is important: Jesus could have chosen second-best; the people of Nazareth could have become the home-base for the ministry of the Messiah; Capernaum could have missed out on the same opportunity and many there would not have heard His message or received His miracles.  Beware of truth-twisting; you never know what you will miss by accepting it.