Luke 4

1 Then Yeshua, filled with the Ruach HaKodesh, returned from the Yarden and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

2 for forty days of testing by the Adversary. During that time he ate nothing, and afterwards he was hungry.

3 The Adversary said to him, "If you are the Son of God, order this stone to become bread."

4 Yeshua answered him, "The Tanakh says, `Man does not live on bread alone.'"

5 The Adversary took him up, showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world,

6 and said to him, "I will give you all this power and glory. It has been handed over to me, and I can give it to whomever I choose.

7 So if you will worship me, it will all be yours."

8 Yeshua answered him, "The Tanakh says, `Worship ADONAI your God and serve him only.'"

9 Then he took him to Yerushalayim, set him on the highest point of the Temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, jump from here!

10 For the Tanakh says, `He will order his angels to be responsible for you and to protect you.

11 They will support you with their hands, so that you will not hurt your feet on the stones.'"

12 Yeshua answered him, "It also says, `Do not put ADONAI your God to the test.'"

13 When the Adversary had ended all his testings, he let him alone until an opportune time.

14 Yeshua returned to the Galil in the power of the Spirit, and reports about him spread throughout the countryside.

15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone respected him.

16 Now when he went to Natzeret, where he had been brought up, on Shabbat he went to the synagogue as usual. He stood up to read,

17 and he was given the scroll of the prophet Yesha`yahu. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,

18 "The Spirit of ADONAI is upon me; therefore he has anointed me to announce Good News to the poor; he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the imprisoned and renewed sight for the blind, to release those who have been crushed,

19 to proclaim a year of the favor of ADONAI."

20 After closing the scroll and returning it to the shammash, he sat down; and the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him.

21 He started to speak to them: "Today, as you heard it read, this passage of the Tanakh was fulfilled!"

22 Everyone was speaking well of him and marvelling that such appealing words were coming from his mouth. They were even asking, "Can this be Yosef's son?"

23 Then Yeshua said to them, "No doubt you will quote to me this proverb -- `"Doctor, cure yourself!" We've heard about all the things that have been going on over in K'far-Nachum; now do them here in your home town!'

24 Yes!" he said, "I tell you that no prophet is accepted in his home town.

25 It's true, I'm telling you -- when Eliyahu was in Isra'el, and the sky was sealed off for threeand-a-half years, so that all the Land suffered a severe famine, there were many widows;

26 but Eliyahu was sent to none of them, only to a widow in Tzarfat in the land of Tzidon.

27 Also there were many people with tzara`at in Isra'el during the time of the prophet Elisha; but not one of them was healed, only Na`aman the Syrian."

28 On hearing this, everyone in the synagogue was filled with fury.

29 They rose up, drove him out of town and dragged him to the edge of the cliff on which their town was built, intending to throw him off.

30 But he walked right through the middle of the crowd and went away.

31 He went down to K'far-Nachum, a town in the Galil, and made a practice of teaching them on Shabbat.

32 They were amazed at the way he taught, because his word carried the ring of authority.

33 In the synagogue there was a man who had an unclean demonic spirit, who shouted in a loud voice,

34 "Yaah! What do you want with us, Yeshua from Natzeret? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of God!"

35 But Yeshua rebuked it: "Be quiet, and come out of him!" The demonic spirit threw the man down in the middle of the crowd and came out of him, having done him no harm.

36 They were all astounded and said to one another, "What kind of teaching is this? Why, he gives orders with power and authority to the unclean spirits, and they come out!"

37 And reports about him went out through the whole surrounding district.

38 Leaving the synagogue, he went to Shim`on's house. Shim`on's mother-inlaw was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him to do something for her.

39 So, standing over her, he rebuked the fever; and it left her. She immediately got up and began helping them.

40 After sunset, all those who had people sick with various diseases brought them to Yeshua, and he put his hands on each one of them and healed them;

41 also demons came out of many, crying, "You are the Son of God!" But, rebuking them, he did not permit them to say that they knew he was the Messiah.

42 When day had come, he left and went away to a lonely spot. The people looked for him, came to him and would have kept him from leaving them.

43 But he said to them, "I must announce the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns too -- this is why I was sent."

44 He also spent time preaching in the synagogues of Y'hudah.

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.