Luke 04

The Temptation of Jesus

4:1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,

Jesus began His ministry at His baptism. As soon as Jesus began His ministry, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to weaken Him so that He could be tested by Satan.

4:2 where for forty days he endured temptations from the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were completed, he was famished.

The Holy Spirit weakened Jesus by not allowing Him to eat for forty days.  

4:3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

 Notice that the devil has the power to appear visibly whenever he wants. The Greek word "if" is a first class conditional, meaning "since." (or if and it is true). The devil was saying to Jesus "Since you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread." This was a powerful temptation, because the humanity of Jesus was extremely hungry. He could have used His deity to turn the stone into bread. After all, it was Jesus who rained down manna on Moses and the Israelites in the desert.

4:4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone.”

Jesus was going through spiritual warfare. He answered the devil with Scripture. He quoted from Deuteronomy.

4:5 Then the devil led him up to a high place and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world.

Notice that the devil has the power of transportation. He transported Jesus and himself to one of the highest places in the world. In a flash, he showed Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world.  

4:6 And he said to him, “To you I will grant this whole realm – and the glory that goes along with it, for it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish.

The devil took sovereignty of the world away from Adam. God allowed Satan to take it. Notice also that the devil can give the kingdoms of the world to anyone that he desires and this is why Daniel wrote that the kingdoms of the world are run by "the basest of men." This is why the political leaders pass such anti-Blblical laws, such as Biblical censorship in public schools, abortion, same-sex marriage, pornography protection, socialism, and many other anti-Biblical laws.

The devil offered Jesus a short cut. The devil offered the kingdoms of the world without the cross. This was a powerful temptation for Jesus.

4:7 So then, if you will worship me, all this will be yours.” 

The price for the kingdoms of the world was Satan-worship. The devil was attempting to turn the Son of God against his own Father, just as he had turned the fallen angels against the Father

4:8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

Jesus answered again from Deuteronomy.

4:9 Then the devil brought him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,

Again, Satan used the power of mass transportation. He used the first class condition again, saying "Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here". 

4:10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’

Notice that the devil has the Bible memorized also. He used the Bible against Jesus. The Psalms recorded that the angels would not allow the Messiah to die before His time.

4:11 and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

The devil misquoted Psalm 91:11-12. He misquoted the Scriptures against Eve as well.

4:12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’” 

Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy a third time. The devil hates Deuteronomy, because Jesus used this sword against him three times and defeated him. Deuteronomy is one of the most attacked books by modern liberal scholars.

4:13 So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time.

Notice that Jesus did not use the name of Jesus, walk around seven times, and bind Satan. He did not argue or debate about science or evolution or human philosophy. He did not bring up any apologetic arguments. He just simply quoted Scripture and the devil fled from Him.

Spiritual warfare was won by knowing and applying Scripture. Many know (Greek gnosis) Scripture, but they cannot apply (Greek epignosis) it. This type of knowledge without application puffs them up. 

The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee

4:14 Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and news about him spread throughout the surrounding countryside.

After the devil had tested Jesus, the angelic world knew that Jesus was deity and could not be deceived by even the devil himself.  Jesus left the wilderness and returned to Galilee to begin his teaching ministry. 

4:15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by all.

Jesus began teaching in the synagogues. He was becoming a very popular teacher. His message was to leave Judaism and receive Him as the Messianic King so that He could bring in the Messianic Kingdom. Jesus knew this message would be rejected, but He was still to offer the Kingdom to the Jewish nation. 

Rejection at Nazareth

4:16 Now Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,

Jesus returned to His hometown. He went into the synagogue to preach. It was the Jewish custom for the rabbi to stand up and read the written Scriptures, but then to sit down when interpreting it. Jesus followed this tradition.

4:17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

The Old Testament was divided into 55 different weekly Sabbath readings. On this day, Jesus was to read Isaiah 61. According to tradition, He was to read at least three verses so that the verse could not be twisted and taken out of context.

4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,

Jesus stood up and read the first verse of Isaiah 61. This first verse stated that the Holy Spirit of Jehovah would come upon the Messiah to lead and guide him. The Holy Spirit would anoint the Messiah to proclaim the gospel to the poor. The Messiah was to proclaim a release to the captives. Those of the Jewish believing Remnant who had died were still being held captive in Abraham's Bosom. The Messiah was to set them free. The Messiah was to give sight to the blind. The Messiah was to set free those who were oppressed.

4:19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus was still standing. He read the first half of the second verse.  In this verse, the Messiah was to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. He was to proclaim the year that all of these captives would be set free. 

4:20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him.

Jesus stopped in the middle of the passage and sat down. This was a break from Jewish tradition, because He was supposed to read at least three verses. He only read a verse and a half.

4:21 Then he began to tell them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”

As Jesus was sitting down, He gave His interpretation of this verse. He told the Nazareth synagogue that He Himself was going to fulfill this prophecy. He was claiming to be the Messiah in Isaiah 61:1-3.

Notice that Jesus did not read the last part of this prophecy. The first half of the prophecy deals with the Messiah at His first coming. The second half of the prophecy deals with the Messiah at His second coming. Since Jesus was not yet ready to fulfill the complete prophecy of the second coming at this time, then He simply sat down. He proclaimed that He was going to fulfill only the first half of this prophecy at this time.

4:22 All were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth. They said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

Those in the Nazareth were amazed at the interpretation of Jesus, but then they remembered that this was Joseph's son. They knew Him since He was a little baby! How could Joseph's son fulfill this prophecy?

4:23 Jesus said to them, “No doubt you will quote to me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ and say, ‘What we have heard that you did in Capernaum, do here in your hometown too.’”

Jesus had healed the royal official's son in Capernaum. He had healed many others as well. His fame as a healer was spreading all though Galilee. Those in Nazareth had heard by word of mouth about all of the miracles that Jesus has performed. Jesus read their minds. They desired for Him to do healings and miracles in Nazareth as well. They were not interested in His message, but they were interested in seeing His miracles.

4:24 And he added, “I tell you the truth, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

This is a divine principle. Man is so depraved and totally evil, that he will not accept a prophet, especially if it is in his own town. This is why churches want to find a pastor from California. They may have a man in their own congregation who knows the Word of God, the congregation, and the community, but he is not given the honor that he deserves. Immature elders who have not studied the entire counsel of the Word of God at a very deep level will pass him up and choose a man with less knowledge of the Scriptures, the congregation, and the community.

4:25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, when the sky was shut up three and a half years, and there was a great famine over all the land.

Elijah was a Jewish prophet who withheld rain from Israel for three and a half years. This caused a great famine in the land among people and animals.

4:26 Yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a woman who was a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.

There were many Jewish widows who needed relief from the drought. However, none of the Jewish widows believed that Elijah could help them, even though he had performed many miracles in Israel. Therefore, Elijah was sent to a Gentile widow at Zarephath in Sidon. She believed what the Jewish widows would not believe. Those in Nazareth were like the Jewish widows in Elijah's day.

4:27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, yet none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

Elijah could have healed all of the Jewish lepers, but these Jewish lepers did not believe that Elijah could have healed them. However, there was one Gentile leper named Naaman the Syrian. He believed what the Jewish lepers would not believe. The Gentile leper was the only one healed. Those is Nazareth were like the Jewish lepers in Elijah's day.

4:28 When they heard this, all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage.

Jesus was not a seeker-friendly pastor. He told those in the synagogue in His own town that they were just as foolish as the Jewish widows and lepers who had lived in the days of Elijah. This made them angry. They did not want to fire the preacher or attend a different church. They wanted to kill Him.

If a modern pastor is not making his congregation angry at times, then he is not doing his job.

4:29 They got up, forced him out of the town, and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.

They were going to throw Jesus off of the cliff, just because He was telling them the truth. If a pastor faithfully teaches the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level, then much of the congregation will have this same attitude. Modern laws will not allow them to kill the preachers. Therefore, they will either attempt to fire the preacher, or they will become church-bouncers. They will bounce around from church to church until they find a preacher who will tickle their ears or provide them with more shallow teaching.

4:30 But he passed through the crowd and went on his way.

Jesus was one man at the end of a cliff facing a violent mob who wanted to push Him off the cliff and stone Him for blasphemy.

The Greek word for "passed" is διέρχομαι (dierchomai), an aorist active participle, meaning to pass through, such as a thread passing through a needle, or an unclean spirit passing through the air in order to look for a new body to possess. The passing through was immediate and Jesus performed the action Himself. He simply passed through a crowd just as an unclean spirit would pass through the air to possess another body. 

This was a tremendous miracle to the people in Nazareth. Jesus had refused to perform a miracle at their request, but He proved that He was the Messiah by escaping death with a miracle. 

Ministry in Capernaum

4:31 So he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he began to teach the people.

The healing and miracle ministry of Jesus made Him a very popular speaker. All of the synagogues in Capernaum wanted to hear Jesus speak. However, Jesus did not always tell them what they wanted to hear.

4:32 They were amazed at his teaching, because he spoke with authority.

Jesus spoke with authority because He taught only from the written Word of God. The rabbi would teach from the Oral Law and quote other rabbi. 

4:33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,

Jesus would encounter many demons in His ministry. It seems as though all or most of the demons of the universe were concentrating upon Israel so that they could disrupt the ministry of Jesus.

4:34 “Ha! Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.”

It is interesting to note that the demons knew the identity of Jesus, but His own people did not. 

4:35 But Jesus rebuked him: “Silence! Come out of him!” Then, after the demon threw the man down in their midst, he came out of him without hurting him.

Jesus does not accept the testimony of demons.

4:36 They were all amazed and began to say to one another, “What’s happening here? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”

Jesus exorcised demons differently from that of the rabbi. The rabbi had a lengthy, showy, pompous, ritual that sometimes worked and sometimes did not work. Jesus just simply commanded the demons to leave, and they did.

4:37 So the news about him spread into all areas of the region.

Jesus became even more popular.

4:38 After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.

After the Sabbath synagogue, everyone apparently met at Peter's house to enjoy their post-Sabbath meal. However, Peter's mother-in-law was sick. Notice that the first Pope had a mother-in-law. Peter seems to be the only Pope who was married.

4:39 So he stood over her, commanded the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.

Jesus healed her instantly. The group was able to enjoy their post-Sabbath meal. 

4:40 As the sun was setting, all those who had any relatives sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus. He placed his hands on every one of them and healed them.

Jesus healed every single person who came to Him. The purpose of these healings was to authenticate that He was the Messiah.  These miracles authenticated that His message was from God.

Charismatics cannot heal every person who comes to them. They can only heal in their own auditorium in front of a large crowd where offerings take place. It is possible that Satan makes one sick and then heals them by a faith healer. The faith healer will then give a message which is filled with truth and error. 

4:41 Demons also came out of many, crying out, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

The demons knew what the Jewish leaders did not know. Jesus did not accept testimony from demons.

4:42 The next morning Jesus departed and went to a deserted place. Yet the crowds were seeking him, and they came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them.

Jesus was gaining extreme popularity.

4:43 But Jesus said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, for that is what I was sent to do.”

All of the people wanted Jesus to stay in their town. However, Jesus had other towns on His list to visit. He wanted to offer the Messianic Kingdom to all of Israel, knowing that they would reject it.

4:44 So he continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.

Jesus taught all through the synagogues in Judea.