Luke 4:1

The Temptation of Jesus

1 1And Jesus, 2full of the Holy Spirit, 3returned from the Jordan and was led 4by the Spirit in the wilderness

Luke 4:1 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 4:1

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost
The Spirit of God having descended on him at his baptism, and afresh anointed, and filled his human nature with his gifts, whereby, as man, he was abundantly furnished for the great work of the public ministry, he was just about to enter upon; yet must first go through a series of temptations, and which, through the fulness of the Holy Spirit in him, he was sufficiently fortified against.

Returned from Jordan;
where he came, and had been with John, and was baptized by him; which, when over, he went back from the same side of Jordan, to which he came:

and was led by the Spirit;
the same Spirit, or Holy Ghost he was full of; (See Gill on Matthew 4:1)

into the wilderness;
of Judea, which lay near Jordan, and where John had been preaching and baptizing, namely, in the habitable: part of it: but this was that part, which was uninhabited by men, and was infested with wild beasts, and where Christ could neither have the comfort and benefit of human society, nor any thing for the sustenance of life, and where he was exposed to the utmost danger; and so in circumstances very opportune and favourable for Satan to ply him with his temptations, for which purpose he was led thither.

Luke 4:1 In-Context

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness
2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."
4 And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'"
5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,

Cross References 4

  • 1. For ver. 1-13, see Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13
  • 2. ver. 18; Luke 3:22; John 1:33; John 3:34; Acts 10:38; [Luke 1:15; Acts 6:5]
  • 3. Luke 3:3, 21
  • 4. ver. 14
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.