Chapter 4 Luke 4
The Temptation of Jesus (vv. 1-13)
1 Jesus returned from the Jordan a full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the desert, b 2 where he was tempted by the Devil c for forty days. d In all that time he ate nothing, e so that he was hungry when it was over.
3 The Devil said to him, “If you are God’s Son, f order this stone to turn into bread.”
4 But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Man cannot live on bread alone.’ ” g
5 Then the Devil took him up and showed him in a second all the kingdoms of the world.
6 “I will give you all this power and all this wealth,” the Devil told him. “It has all been handed over to me, and I can give it to anyone I choose. 7 All this will be yours, then, if you worship me.” h
8 Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’ ” i
9 Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down j from here. 10 For the scripture says, ‘God will order his angels to take good care of you.’ 11 It also says, ‘They will hold you up with their hands so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’ ” k
12 But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” l
13 When the Devil finished tempting Jesus in every way, he left him for a while. m
Interesting Stuff:
a This refers to the River Jordan where Jesus was baptised by John.
b This is the area between the central part of Judea where most of the towns were and the Dead Sea. It was a place of dusty hills, limestone and rocks.
c The Devil is one of the main titles used for Satan, the archenemy or chief enemy of God and man. It is believed that Satan was once an angel who rebelled against God and led a group of angels to rebel together with him. Although it may seem that the Devil is everywhere, he is not omnipresent like God. He sometimes uses evil spirits or demons to carry out his work. The Bible has many other names for him – ‘Beelzebub, the prince of demons’, ‘that ancient serpent’, ‘the god of this age’, ‘the ruler of the kingdom of the air’, etc.
d This ‘forty days’ probably parallels Israel’s 40 years in the desert after the exodus from Egypt. In the Bible there are many incidents that happen over a 40-day period – Moses fasted 40 days on Mount Sinai, waiting to receive the Ten Commandments (Dt 9:9); Elijah travelled 40 days to reach Mount Horeb (1 Ki 19:8); God sent rain for 40 days and 40 nights during the time of Noah (Ge 7:4); etc.
e Luke states that Jesus was tempted for the 40 days he was fasting, and the three temptations recorded in Matthew and Luke seem to have occurred at the end of this period, when Jesus’ hunger was greatest and his resistance lowest.
f The devil was not casting doubt on Jesus being the Son of God but was tempting him to use his supernatural powers as the Son of God for his own ends.
g This is a partial quotation from Dt 8:3. Here Moses was reminding the Israelites of how God had tested them during the forty years in the desert. He had never failed in His promises to provide for them, and He had provided manna for them to eat.
h The devil was tempting Jesus to avoid the sufferings of the cross. The temptation offered an easy shortcut to rule over the world.
i This is taken from Dt 6:13.
j Satan was tempting Jesus to test God’s faithfulness.
k Here Satan quotes Ps 91:11-12 out of context. We cannot take Bible verses out of context to make them mean what we want.
l Jesus quotes Dt 6:16 where Moses reminded the Israelites not to test God as they did in the desert.
m Satan continued his testing of Jesus throughout his ministry (see Mk 8:33), culminating in the final test at the Garden of Gethsemane.
Questions:
- Where did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus to after he returned from the Jordan (vv. 1-2)?
What happened to him there?
2. How did Jesus feel at the end of 40 days (v. 2)?
Why did he feel this way?
3. Describe the three temptations that Jesus faced from Satan (vv. 3-12).
4. How did Jesus overcome the temptations each time? Comment on his replies.
Summary of Section:
- After his baptism, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. He returned from the River Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert where he was tempted by the devil for 40 days.
- During all that time, he did not eat anything and so he was hungry when it was over.
- The Devil tempted him three times:
a) He told Jesus to turn a stone into bread if he were the Son of God. Jesus resisted by quoting Scripture that man shall not live by bread alone. A man’s real life does not depend on the satisfaction of his physical appetites but on obedience to God’s Word.
b) He took Jesus up and showed him in a second all the kingdoms of the world which had been given to him. He offered Jesus all power and wealth if Jesus would worship him. Jesus resisted again by quoting another verse that says man is to worship God and serve Him only.
c) He took Jesus to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the Temple. Then he told Jesus to prove that he was the Son of God by throwing himself down and letting God send His angels to take care of him. Again Jesus resisted by quoting Scripture that no one is to test God’s promises to suit his own convenience. - When the devil had finished tempting Jesus in every way and lost, he left Jesus for a while.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Luke points out that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit when he was led into the desert. We are to assume that it was the presence and empowerment of the Holy Spirit in Jesus that enabled him to win the battle against the Devil.
- The temptations were all directed against the divine Sonship of Jesus. Satan wanted Jesus to fail even as he was about to start on the work of redemption that God had planned for His people.
- Satan tried to encourage Jesus to misuse his divine powers, to fulfil his purpose in the world by following Satan instead of his Father, and to doubt the reality of his Father’s love and ability to provide for him. But each time Jesus remained obedient and faithful to God and His Word.
- The testing or tempting of Jesus was intended by God for him. Mt 4:1 also says that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert. In the OT, faithfulness and obedience to God was proven in the midst of testing and Jesus passed the test. Jesus had thus demonstrated his qualification to become the Saviour of all who receive him. Now he was ready to begin his public ministry to proclaim God’s Good News as God’s Son. The Devil had to leave defeated but only for this period of time.
- Throughout these temptations, there were no special resources open to Jesus other than having the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in him. He met temptations in the same way that we must, by using God’s Word that we have stored up in our hearts which the Holy Spirit would bring to our minds.
- Numbers in the Bible do not always indicate exact totals. They sometimes have literary or symbolic uses. The Bible and other ancient literature commonly use round numbers to indicate approximate, traditional or symbolic totals. The most commonly used round number in the Bible is 40. 40 days was a typical period for ritual observance, e.g., Jesus’ 40 days in the desert. The number ‘40’ has also the sense of a relatively long period of time and is the traditional number of years in a generation, e.g., Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness where one generation died out and was replaced by a new one. A sense of completeness or maturity is also attached to the number, e.g., Saul, David, and Solomon all reigned for 40 years.
Jesus Is Rejected at Nazareth (vv. 14-30)
14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, and the power of the Holy Spirit was with him. The news about him spread throughout all that territory. 15 He taught in the synagogues n and was praised by everyone.
16 Then Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures o 17 and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll p and found the place where it is written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has chosen me to bring good
news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed
19 and announce that the time has come
when the Lord will save his people.” q
20 Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. r All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, 21 as he said to them, “This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read.”
22 They were all well impressed with him and marvelled at the eloquent words that he spoke. They said, “Isn’t he the son of Joseph?”
23 He said to them, “I am sure that you will quote this proverb to me, ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You will also tell me to do here in my home town s the same things you heard were done in Capernaum. 24 I tell you this,” t Jesus added, “a prophet is never welcomed in his home town. 25 Listen to me: it is true that there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah, when there was no rain for three and a half years and a severe famine spread throughout the whole land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to anyone in Israel, but only to a widow living in Zarephath in the territory of Sidon. u 27 And there were many people suffering from a dreaded skin disease who lived in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha; yet not one of them was healed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” v
28 When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were filled with anger. 29 They rose up, dragged Jesus out of town, and took him to the top of the hill on which their town was built. They meant to throw him over the cliff, 30 but he walked through the middle of the crowd w and went his way.
Interesting Stuff:
n The synagogue (a Greek word that means ‘place of assembly’) was a very important Jewish institution of that day (refer to ‘The Synagogue’, p. xii). It probably originated during the exile when all the Jews were taken from Jerusalem and sent away to Babylon. It was a place where the Jews could be instructed in the Scriptures besides being a place for public worship of God.
The service begins with a recitation of the Jewish confession of faith, followed by a prayer. The Scripture lesson that follows could be read by anyone and is done standing. A sermon follows and the person preaches sitting down. Anyone who is competent to teach could be invited to give the sermon for the day. This was what Jesus did when he taught in the synagogues.
o This was the day’s reading of the Scripture lesson and was done standing.
p The books of the OT were written on scrolls, kept in a special place in the synagogue, and handed to the reader by a special attendant. The passage Jesus read could have been the assigned passage for the day or one that Jesus chose Himself.
q In some versions, this verse reads ‘and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’. This is taken from Isa 61:1-2. The year refers to the Year of Jubilee (Lev 25:8-55), where once every 50 years
slaves were freed, debts were cancelled and family property was returned to its original owner. Here Isaiah was predicting the liberation of Israel from the Babylonian captivity. But Jesus here was referring to liberation from sin and its consequences.
r Jesus sat down, thus taking the posture for preaching.
s Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he was brought up in Nazareth in Galilee. He knew that his reputation had spread to his home town Nazareth and his people would want him to live up to his reputation. But because they did not believe (Mk 6:5), Jesus could not do any miracles there. He then quoted two examples to prove his point that God sent his prophets to two non-Israelites.
t In some versions, Jesus used the phrase ‘I tell you the truth’ before quoting the proverb. This phrase is used six times in Luke but in the Gospels of Matthew and John, it is often on Jesus’ lips. It appears that Jesus wanted to emphasise that the words that followed were specially significant.
u Refer to 1 Ki 17:1-16 for the story.
v Refer to 2 Ki 5:1-15 for the story.
w Luke does not explain whether Jesus escaped miraculously or simply because of his commanding presence. In any case, it was not yet Jesus’ time to die.
Questions:
- What happened when Jesus returned to Galilee (vv. 14-15)?
2. What did Jesus do when he went to Nazareth (vv. 16-21)?
3. How did he explain the passage that he read (v. 21)?
4. How did Jesus respond when they wondered how being Joseph’s son, he could teach with that kind of authority (vv. 22-27)?
What two examples did he give to support his words?
5. Why were the people in the synagogue angry with him (vv. 23-29)?
What did they do to Jesus?
Summary of Section:
- Jesus returned to begin his ministry in Galilee. The Holy Spirit was with him in great power and thus news about him spread throughout Galilee.
- He taught in the synagogues and was praised by everyone.
- Jesus then went to his own home town of Nazareth. Jesus went to worship in the synagogue on the Sabbath as was his usual practice.
- He stood up to read the Scriptures and was handed the book of Isaiah. He read from Isaiah 61:12 which prophesied about the Messiah’s ministry to people in distress – the poor, captives, blind and the oppressed.
- He sat down and began his teaching by saying that the prophecy he had just read was fulfilled in himself.
- The people were impressed by his gracious words and astonished that someone from their own town, one whom they knew as Joseph’s son, could speak like that. They wondered at his preaching but they did not take it to heart.
- They wanted him to perform miracles like what they had heard him do in Capernaum to prove that he was all he claimed to be.
- Jesus refused to bow to their demands and quoted a saying that a prophet was never accepted in his hometown.
- He quoted the examples of the two great prophets of Israel, Elijah and Elisha, who were sent by God to work His miracles among foreigners, and not the Jews.
- This proved too much for them. They got very angry and wanted to throw him down from the top of the hill. But Jesus walked through the crowd and went away. As far as is known, Jesus never returned to Nazareth.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Now Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee. Luke again makes mention of the Holy Spirit filling Jesus and empowering him for his ministry. The Holy Spirit had been an integral part of Jesus’ life beginning with his conception, his anointing and now with his ministry.
- He was probably invited to do the second reading (it was the custom to read first from the Law and then from the Prophets) and then to preach.
- The people were at first impressed by Jesus and the gracious words he spoke, thinking that God’s Good News which Jesus said was fulfilled that day was for them.
- The saying ‘Doctor, heal yourself’ probably meant that the people were insisting that Jesus must not refuse to do for his relations what he did to benefit others. They wanted Jesus to do in Nazareth what they had heard him doing in Capernaum. But Jesus knew in their hearts they did not believe him (see Mk 6:5). Thus he did not perform any miracles there but went on to affirm that prophets were not accepted in their own locality.
- Then when Jesus went on to illustrate how he was like the OT prophets Elijah and Elisha who were sent to an unimportant widow and a leper, both of whom were non-Jews, it proved too much for the people. Anger swept over the whole congregation and they wanted to stone him (throwing down the cliff would be the prelude to stoning).
Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit (vv. 31-37)
31 Then Jesus went to Capernaum, x a town in Galilee, where he taught the people on the Sabbath. 32 They were all amazed at the way he taught, because he spoke with authority. y 33 In the synagogue was a man who had the spirit of an evil demon z in him; he screamed out in a loud voice, 34 “Ah! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Are you here to destroy us? I know who you are: you are God’s holy messenger!”
35 Jesus ordered the spirit, “Be quiet a’ and come out of the man!” The demon threw the man down in front of them and went out of him without doing him any harm.
36 The people were all amazed and said to one another, “What kind of words are these? With authority and power this man gives orders to the evil spirits, and they come out!” 37 And the report about Jesus spread everywhere in that region.
Interesting Stuff:
x Capernaum was a fishing village on the shore of the Lake or Sea of Galilee. It was also the village that Jesus chose to be the centre of his ministry to the entire region of Galilee. It was quite a big town with a lot of Greek influence.
y The majority of rabbis would base their teaching on tradition and the teachings of former rabbis. Jesus, however, amazed the people because not only was he not a rabbi but he also spoke on his own authority.
z Demon possession seemed to be a common phenomenon during that time. The Good News preached by Jesus and his very presence triggered off a confrontation with the forces of evil.
The demon knew who Jesus was and recognised his power and authority over them. In some versions, the demon is described as evil or unclean. It was unclean in contrast to the holiness of God.
a’ Jesus commanded the demon to be quiet. We see this pattern of Jesus not wanting people to know his true identity too early in his ministry. This was probably to prevent people from misunderstanding who he was and trying to make him a political Messiah. It could also be that he wanted his works themselves to show to his disciples who he really was.
Questions:
- Where was Jesus teaching (v. 31)?
2. Why were the people amazed at Jesus’ teaching (v. 32)?
3. How did the evil spirit react to Jesus and his teaching (vv. 33-34)?
4. How did Jesus respond to the evil spirit (v. 35)?
5. What did the people say about Jesus on this occasion (vv. 36-37)?
Summary of Section:
- Jesus went to Capernaum where he taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath.
- His teaching caused astonishment because he taught with authority.
- This was the first of five healings that took place on a Sabbath that are recorded by Luke. On this occasion, Jesus was interrupted by a man who was possessed by an evil spirit.
- The man screamed out at Jesus asking what he wanted with them and whether he was here to destroy them. This evil spirit recognised that Jesus was God’s holy messenger.
- Jesus performed the exorcism simply, without all the spells that were commonly used by his contemporaries. He ordered the evil spirit to be silent and to come out of the man. The evil spirit obeyed and although it threw the man down, it came out of the man without causing harm to him.
- The people were amazed at Jesus’ words and wondered about the power and authority that he had over the evil spirits. And the news about Jesus continued to spread throughout the region.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- From the hill country of Galilee, Jesus went down to Capernaum on the lakeside. As with his visit to Nazareth, Jesus entered Capernaum and began to teach on the Sabbath. Again, his teaching caused astonishment (but not faith) amongst his hearers because he taught with authority. The customary practice was for rabbis to cite other important teachers who had gone before them for their source of authority. Jesus was different because he taught with his own authority.
- One important feature in Jesus’ ministry as seen here is that his teaching and preaching could not be separated from the miraculous. Jesus did not only teach but he also healed or cast out evil spirits. Both were done, as described in this incident here, with authority and power (v. 36).
- The people were ignorant of who Jesus was, though they marvelled at him and the authority he had. They marvelled but they did not turn to him in faith. The demons, however, recognised him as Jesus of Nazareth, God’s Holy One, and they resisted his mission.
- The evil spirit here called out Jesus’ name. It was a common ancient superstition that using someone’s name would overpower the person. And it is probable that the evil spirit used Jesus’ name with that hope in mind. However, it had to submit to Jesus and left without harming the man.
Jesus Heals Many Others (vv. 38-44)
38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s home. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, and they spoke to Jesus about her. 39 He went and stood at her bedside and ordered the fever to leave her. The fever left her, and she got up at once and began to wait on them.
40 After sunset b’ all who had friends who were sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus; he placed his hands on every one of them and healed them all. 41 Demons also went out from many people, screaming, “You are the Son of God!”
Jesus gave the demons an order and would not let them speak, because they knew he was the Messiah. c’
42 At daybreak Jesus left the town and went off to a lonely place. d’ The people started looking for him, and when they found him, they tried to keep him from leaving. 43 But he said to them, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God e’ in other towns also, because that is what God sent me to do.”
44 So he preached in the synagogues throughout the country.
Interesting Stuff:
b’ Sabbath was over at sundown. Until then, Jews could not travel more than two-thirds of a mile or carry a burden. Thus only after sunset could they carry the sick to see Jesus. Note that Jesus cared enough to lay his hands on every one of those who came to him and healed them.
c’ The Galileans might have thought of Jesus as a man but the evil sprits did not make that mistake. They recognised Jesus’ divinity early though it took Jesus’ disciples a long time to learn this lesson. Jesus forbade them from disclosing his identity probably because he did not want the people to see him as the wrong kind of Messiah.
d’ Mark (Mk 1:35) tells us that Jesus went off to pray by himself.
e’ This is the first time Luke mentions the term ‘Kingdom of God’. It occurs over 30 times in his Gospel. It was one of Jesus’ favourite themes in his teachings. It refers largely to the reign of God where His saving grace is seen in action. The Jews looked forward to the time when God would assert Himself as King over the nations. Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God had already come in him – God’s presence and rule had already come to His people in the person of Jesus.
Questions:
- What did Jesus do when he was told that Simon’s mother-in-law was sick (v. 39)?
2. How did Jesus respond when people brought those who were sick and demon-possessed to Simon’s home (vv. 40-41)?
Why did they come after sunset?
3. Where did Jesus go at daybreak (v. 42)?
What happened when the people could not find him?
4. How did Jesus answer those who wanted to keep him from leaving Capernaum (vv. 42-44)?
5. What is the significance of all these miracles that Jesus had been performing at the beginning of his public ministry?
Summary of Section:
- After leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to Simon’s home. They told Jesus that his mother-in-law was sick with a high fever.
- Jesus went and stood at her bedside and ordered the fever to leave her. The fever left her and she got up at once and began to serve them.
- After sunset, all who had friends who were sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus. The people came after sunset because once the new Jewish day had begun at sunset, the restrictions concerning Sabbath were lifted. The sick could now be carried to Jesus.
- He placed his hands on every one of them and healed them all. Demons also went out from many people, screaming that Jesus was the Son of God.
- Jesus ordered the demons not to speak about who he was because they knew he was the Messiah.
- Despite his hectic schedule that previous night, Jesus got up early the next day and went to a lonely place to pray.
- The people, however, started looking for him. They tried to keep him from leaving because they wanted him to continue with what he was doing among them.
- Jesus refused to stay with them. He told them that God had sent him to proclaim the good news that the Kingdom of God had come to other towns as well.
- So he went throughout the country, preaching in the synagogues.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Just as he ordered the evil spirit to leave the man in the synagogue, Jesus now ordered the fever to leave Simon’s mother-in-law and it did. Jesus’ ministry of ‘’bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming liberty to the captives and setting the oppressed free’ (vv. 18-19) had begun.
- By laying his hands on the people, Jesus showed that he was bestowing God’s power upon them. In his com- passion, he did this for everyone who came to him and healed all of them.
- Jesus ordered the evil spirits not to speak about him because he recognised that it was not yet time for people to know who he really was. They were not ready yet to accept a Messiah who had come to die for them. They were looking for a political Messiah who would deliver them from Roman rule and restore to them a kingdom like the kingdom of their ancestor David. Jesus did not want them in their excitement to see him as the wrong kind of Messiah.
- Although Jesus’ ministry had started, it had yet to lead to widespread faith in God. The crowds were still potential disciples but at the moment they were more intent on keeping Jesus to themselves.
- Because Jesus withdrew by himself to spend time to pray, he was able not to be side tracked from God’s call for him. This retreating to pray was something that was a repeated practice of Jesus throughout his ministry.
- Jesus was thus very clear as to what God was calling him to – he had to go throughout the whole country to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God. This is the first time the term ‘Kingdom of God’ appears in Luke and it would become one of the favourite themes in Jesus’ teaching.
- ‘The Kingdom of God’ refers in one sense to the rule of God as King. It also refers to the new community where the demonised, the sick, women and others living on the margins of society would all be accepted and embraced as equal in God’s sight.
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