Luke 4

1 And Jesus full of the Holy Ghost turned again from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into desert

2 forty days, and was tempted of the devil, and [he] ate nothing in those days; and when those days were ended, he hungered.

3 And the devil said to him, If thou art God's Son [If thou be God's Son], say to this stone, that it be made bread.

4 And Jesus answered to him, It is written, That a man liveth not in bread alone, but in every word of God.

5 And the devil led him into an high hill, and showed to him all the realms of the world in a moment of time;

6 and said to him, I shall give to thee all this power, and the glory of them, for to me they be given, and to whom I will, I give them;

7 therefore if thou fall down, and worship before me [therefore if thou shalt worship before me], all things shall be thine.

8 And Jesus answered, and said to him, It is written, Thou shalt worship thy Lord God [Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God], and to him alone thou shalt serve.

9 And he led him into Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, If thou art God's Son, send thyself from hence down;

10 for it is written, For he hath commanded to his angels of thee, that they keep thee in all thy ways,

11 and that they shall take thee in hands, lest peradventure thou hurt thy foot at a stone. [and for in hands they shall take thee, lest peradventure thou hurt thy foot on a stone.]

12 And Jesus answered, and said to him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt thy Lord God. [And Jesus answering saith to him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.]

13 And when every temptation was ended, the fiend went away from him [the devil went away from him] for a time.

14 And Jesus turned again in the virtue of the Spirit into Galilee, and the fame went forth of him through all the country.

15 And he taught in the synagogues of them, and was magnified of all men.

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he was nourished, and he entered after his custom in the sabbath day into a synagogue [into the synagogue], and rose to read.

17 And the book of Esaias, the prophet, was taken to him; and as he turned the book, he found a place, where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, for which thing he anointed me; he sent me to preach to poor men, to heal contrite men in heart, and to preach remission to prisoners, and sight to blind men [+he sent me to evangelize to poor men, to heal contrite men in heart, and to preach remission to captives, and sight to blind], and to deliver broken men into remission;

19 to preach the year of the Lord pleasant, and the day of yielding again [to preach the year of the Lord accepted, or pleasant, and the day of retribution, or yielding again.]

20 And when he had closed the book, he gave [it] again to the minister, and sat; and the eyes of all men in the synagogue were beholding into him.

21 And he began to say to them, For in this day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears.

22 And all men gave witnessing to him, and wondered in the words of grace, that came forth of his mouth [that came out of his mouth]. And they said, Whether this is not the son of Joseph?

23 And he said to them, Soothly ye shall say to me this likeness, Physician, heal thyself. The Pharisees said to Jesus, How great things have we heard done in Capernaum, do thou also here in thy country. [And he said to them, Soothly ye shall say to me this likeness, Leech, heal thyself. How great things have we heard done in Capernaum, make thou and here in thy country.]

24 And he said, Truly I say to you, that no prophet is received in his own country. [Soothly he saith, Truly I say to you, for no man prophet is accepted, or received, in his own country.]

25 In truth I say to you, that many widows were in the days of Elias, the prophet, in Israel, when heaven was closed three years and six months, when great hunger was made in all the earth [when great hunger was made on all earth, or every land];

26 and to none of them was Elias sent, but into Sarepta of Sidon, to a woman a widow.

27 And many mesels were in Israel, under Eliseus, the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, but Naaman of Syria.

28 And all in the synagogue hearing these things, were filled with wrath.

29 And they rose up, and drove him out [and cast him out] without the city, and led him to the top of the hill on which their city was builded, to cast him down [that they should cast him down].

30 But Jesus passed, and went through the middle of them; [Soothly Jesus passing went through the middle of them;]

31 and he came down into Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and there he taught them in [the] sabbaths.

32 And they were astonished in his teaching, for his word was in power.

33 And in their synagogue was a man having an unclean fiend, and he cried with great voice, [And in the synagogue was a man having an unclean fiend, and cried with great voice,]

34 and said [saying], Suffer, what to us and to thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us [to lose us]? I know thee, that thou art the holy of God.

35 And Jesus blamed him, and said [saying], Wax dumb, and go out from him. And when the fiend had cast him forth into the middle, he went away from him, and he harmed him nothing.

36 And dread was made in all men, and they spake together, and said [saying], What is this word, for in power and virtue he commandeth to unclean spirits, and they go out?

37 And the fame was published of him into each place of the country.

38 And Jesus rose up from the synagogue, and entered into the house of Simon [Forsooth Jesus rising of the synagogue, entered into the house of Simon]; and the mother of Simon's wife was holden with a great fevers, and they prayed him for her.

39 And Jesus stood over her, and commanded to the fever, and it left her; and at once she rose up, and served them [and anon she rising ministered to them].

40 And when the sun went down, all that had sick men with diverse languors, led them to him; and he set his hands on each by themselves, and healed them. [Forsooth when the sun went down, all that had sick men with diverse languishings, or aches, led them to him; and he, putting hands to each by himself, healed them.]

41 And fiends went out from many, and cried, and said [crying, and saying], For thou art the Son of God. And he blamed, and suffered them not to speak [And he blaming suffered not them to speak], for they knew him, that he was Christ.

42 And when the day was come, he went out, and went into a desert place; and the people sought him, and they came to him [and they came unto him], and they held him, that he should not go away from them.

43 To whom he said, For also to other cities it behooveth me to preach the kingdom of God, for therefore I am sent [for thereto I am sent].

44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

Luke 4 Commentary

Chapter 4

The temptation of Christ. (1-13) Christ in the synagogue of Nazareth. (14-30) He casts out an unclean spirit and heals the sick. (31-44)

Verses 1-13 Christ's being led into the wilderness gave an advantage to the tempter; for there he was alone, none were with him by whose prayers and advice he might be helped in the hour of temptation. He who knew his own strength might give Satan advantage; but we may not, who know our own weakness. Being in all things made like unto his brethren, Jesus would, like the other children of God, live in dependence upon the Divine Providence and promise. The word of God is our sword, and faith in that word is our shield. God has many ways of providing for his people, and therefore is at all times to be depended upon in the way of duty. All Satan's promises are deceitful; and if he is permitted to have any influence in disposing of the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, he uses them as baits to insnare men to destruction. We should reject at once and with abhorrence, every opportunity of sinful gain or advancement, as a price offered for our souls; we should seek riches, honours, and happiness in the worship and service of God only. Christ will not worship Satan; nor, when he has the kingdoms of the world delivered to him by his Father, will he suffer any remains of the worship of the devil to continue in them. Satan also tempted Jesus to be his own murderer, by unfitting confidence in his Father's protection, such as he had no warrant for. Let not any abuse of Scripture by Satan or by men abate our esteem, or cause us to abandon its use; but let us study it still, seek to know it, and seek our defence from it in all kinds of assaults. Let this word dwell richly in us, for it is our life. Our victorious Redeemer conquered, not for himself only, but for us also. The devil ended all the temptation. Christ let him try all his force, and defeated him. Satan saw it was to no purpose to attack Christ, who had nothing in him for his fiery darts to fasten upon. And if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Yet he departed but till the season when he was again to be let loose upon Jesus, not as a tempter, to draw him to sin, and so to strike at his head, at which he now aimed and was wholly defeated in; but as a persecutor, to bring Christ to suffer, and so to bruise his heel, which it was told him, he should have to do, and would do, though it would be the breaking of his own head, ( Genesis 3:15 ) . Though Satan depart for a season, we shall never be out of his reach till removed from this present evil world.

Verses 14-30 Christ taught in their synagogues, their places of public worship, where they met to read, expound, and apply the word, to pray and praise. All the gifts and graces of the Spirit were upon him and on him, without measure. By Christ, sinners may be loosed from the bonds of guilt, and by his Spirit and grace from the bondage of corruption. He came by the word of his gospel, to bring light to those that sat in the dark, and by the power of his grace, to give sight to those that were blind. And he preached the acceptable year of the Lord. Let sinners attend to the Saviour's invitation when liberty is thus proclaimed. Christ's name was Wonderful; in nothing was he more so than in the word of his grace, and the power that went along with it. We may well wonder that he should speak such words of grace to such graceless wretches as mankind. Some prejudice often furnishes an objection against the humbling doctrine of the cross; and while it is the word of God that stirs up men's enmity, they will blame the conduct or manner of the speaker. The doctrine of God's sovereignty, his right to do his will, provokes proud men. They will not seek his favour in his own way; and are angry when others have the favours they neglect. Still is Jesus rejected by multitudes who hear the same message from his words. While they crucify him afresh by their sins, may we honour him as the Son of God, the Saviour of men, and seek to show we do so by our obedience.

Verses 31-44 Christ's preaching much affected the people; and a working power went with it to the consciences of men. These miracles showed Christ to be a controller and conqueror of Satan, a healer of diseases. Where Christ gives a new life, in recovery from sickness, it should be a new life, spent more than ever in his service, to his glory. Our business should be to spread abroad Christ's fame in every place, to beseech him in behalf of those diseased in body or mind, and to use our influence in bringing sinners to him, that his hands may be laid upon them for their healing. He cast the devils out of many who were possessed. We were not sent into this world to live to ourselves only, but to glorify God, and to do good in our generation. The people sought him, and came unto him. A desert is no desert, if we are with Christ there. He will continue with us, by his word and Spirit, and extend the same blessings to other nations, till, throughout the earth, the servants and worshippers of Satan are brought to acknowledge him as the Christ, the Son of God, and to find redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.