Luke 4

Luke 4 describes the beginning of Jesus' ministry, highlighting His temptations in the wilderness, the rejection He faces in His hometown, and the authority He demonstrates over demons and diseases. After being baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus goes into the wilderness, where He is tempted by the devil. He then returns to Galilee and teaches in synagogues, but when He proclaims Himself as the Messiah in Nazareth, He is rejected by His townspeople. Moving on, Jesus performs many healings and exorcisms, demonstrating His power and authority over both physical and spiritual realms.

Luke 4:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

After His baptism, Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit and is led into the wilderness for a period of fasting and testing. The wilderness is a place of isolation and challenge, symbolizing both physical and spiritual hardship. His hunger reflects His humanity, and the forty days recall other significant biblical periods of testing, such as Israel’s forty years in the wilderness. Jesus prepares for His ministry through this intense spiritual encounter, aligning Himself with God’s will.

Luke 4:3-4 (NKJV)
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

The devil tempts Jesus to prove His identity as the Son of God by turning a stone into bread to satisfy His hunger after fasting for 40 days. This challenge targets both Jesus’ physical weakness and His divine authority, implying that He should use His power for self-serving purposes. Jesus counters by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, which teaches that life is sustained by every word from God, not by bread alone. This response emphasizes His reliance on God’s provision and refusal to misuse His divine power for personal gain. By rejecting the temptation, Jesus demonstrates that true obedience to God prioritizes faith and submission over satisfying immediate physical needs or seeking validation through miraculous displays.

Luke 4:5-8 (NKJV)
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

The devil tempts Jesus by offering Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory in exchange for worship. This temptation suggests a shortcut to authority and power, bypassing the suffering and obedience required in God’s plan for redemption. However, Jesus rebukes Satan, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve,” affirming that only God the Father is worthy of supreme worship, submission, and service. Jesus’ response underscores His absolute loyalty to the Father’s authority and plan, refusing to compromise or seek power on Satan’s terms.

Although Jesus rejects worshiping Satan, the Bible shows that worshiping Jesus is appropriate because it glorifies God the Father. For example, Philippians 2:9-11 reveals that God has exalted Jesus and given Him a name above every name, so that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Worshiping Jesus is not separate from worshiping God but honors the Father, who has appointed Jesus as Lord. This is further affirmed in John 5:23, where Jesus says, “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” Thus, Jesus rejects Satan's offer because it would involve rebelling against the Father’s will and seeking power apart from Him. Jesus remains faithful to God’s plan, demonstrating that true worship and servitude belong only to the Father and are expressed in obedience to His will through His Son.

Luke 4:9-12 (NKJV)
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.
10 For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’
11 and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

In the final temptation, the devil tries to get Jesus to test God by throwing Himself off the temple, citing Scripture to justify the act. Jesus refuses, pointing out that testing God’s protection is an act of unbelief. This response highlights His unwavering faith and commitment to follow God’s will without manipulation.

Luke 4:13-15 (NKJV)
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.
15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

After the temptations, the devil leaves, but only temporarily, indicating that challenges will come again. Jesus, filled with the Spirit’s power, begins His public ministry in Galilee. His teaching quickly gains attention, and He is praised by the people. This marks the beginning of His impact on the community as a teacher and prophet.

Luke 4:16-21 (NKJV)
16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Returning to Nazareth, Jesus reads from Isaiah in the synagogue, a passage that describes the Messiah’s mission. By declaring its fulfillment, He openly identifies Himself as the promised Savior. This bold proclamation stirs both amazement and controversy, as His townspeople struggle to accept that one of their own could be the long-awaited deliverer.

Luke 4:22-24 (NKJV)
22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’”
24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.”

After Jesus declares in the synagogue that He fulfills the prophecy from Isaiah, the people marvel at His words yet doubt His authority, wondering, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” Their skepticism stems from their familiarity with Jesus as merely the local carpenter’s son, which clouds their recognition of His divine mission. Jesus, foreseeing their doubt, addresses their expectations for Him to replicate the miracles performed in Capernaum, encapsulating their demands with the proverb, “Physician, heal yourself!” This reflects their insistence on tangible proof and personal benefits as prerequisites for belief. He rebukes this attitude by noting that a prophet is often rejected in his own country, emphasizing their lack of faith and sense of entitlement, which overshadow genuine trust in God’s work through Him. The specific prophecy Jesus refers to is from Isaiah 61:1-2, where the promised deliverer is anointed to preach good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to the captives, and set the oppressed free, indicating a messianic mission that Jesus claims to fulfill.

Luke 4:25-30 (NKJV)
25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;
26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.
30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Jesus references Elijah and Elisha to illustrate God’s tendency to reach outsiders, challenging the people’s assumptions about His mission. His message angers them, leading them to attempt to harm Him. However, Jesus miraculously escapes, symbolizing His unshakable purpose and divine protection.

Luke 4:31-37 (NKJV)
31 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.
32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.
33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice,
34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.
36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”
37 And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

Jesus’ authority extends over demonic powers, as demonstrated in this dramatic encounter with a demon-possessed man. The demon recognizes Jesus as “the Holy One of God,” showing the spiritual realm’s awareness of His identity.

Luke 4:38-39 (NKJV)
38 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.
39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.

After leaving the synagogue, Jesus goes to Simon Peter’s house, where He encounters Simon’s mother-in-law, who is ill with a severe fever. Responding to their request for help, Jesus heals her by rebuking the fever, which leaves her instantly. Her immediate recovery, shown by her getting up to serve, demonstrates the completeness and power of Jesus’ healing.

Luke 4:40-41 (NKJV)
40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.
41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

As the Sabbath ends, crowds bring their sick to Jesus, and He heals each one by laying hands on them, showing His compassion and personal care. Demons, aware of His divine identity, call out, but Jesus silences them, not wanting His mission to be revealed in this manner. His control over illness and evil spirits further establishes His authority and identity.

Luke 4:42-44 (NKJV)
42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them;
43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

Jesus seeks solitude but is followed by the crowd, who wish for Him to stay. However, Jesus explains that His mission is to preach the kingdom of God to other cities as well. This statement underscores the universality of His message and His commitment to fulfill God’s purpose, despite the people’s desire to keep Him in one place. He continues teaching across Galilee, focusing on spreading His message throughout the region.