Luke Chapter 4

From The Open Bible Project

4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness

• (1) Christ, being carried away (as it were out of the world) into the desert, comes suddenly as if from heaven, having fasted for forty days and overcoming Satan three times, and thus begins his office.

4:2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry.

4:3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."

• (2) Christ, being tempted by Satan, first to distrust in God, secondly to the desire of riches and honour, and lastly to a vain confidence in himself, overcomes him three times by the word of God.

4:4 Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"[7]

4:5 The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

4:6 The devil said to him, "I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.

• (a) By this word "power" are meant the kingdoms themselves which have the power: and so this is said using the figure of speech metonymy.
• (b) This is surely so, for he is prince of the world, but not absolutely, and is the sovereign of it only by permission and request, and therefore he does not truly say that he can give it to whom he will.

4:7 If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours."

• (c) Out of a high place, from which would be seen a good and first-class country, and thus the devil showed him all countries.

4:8 Jesus answered him, "Get behind me Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.'"[8]

4:9 He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here,

4:10 for it is written, 'He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you;'

4:11 and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.'"[9]

4:12 Jesus answering, said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"[10]

4:13 When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.

4:14 Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area.

4:15 He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

4:16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

• (3) Who Christ is and for what reason he came he shows from the prophet Isaiah.

4:17 The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written,

• (d) Their books in those days were rolled up as scrolls upon a ruler: and so Christ unrolled or unfolded it, which is here called "opened".

4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me [11] to heal the brokenhearted, [See Luke Footnotes 11] to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,

4:19 and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."[12]

4:20 He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.

4:21 He began to tell them, "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

4:22 All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, "Isn't this Joseph's son?"

• (4) Familiarity causes Christ to be condemned and therefore he often goes to strangers.
• (e) Approved those things which he spoke with common consent and voice: for this word "witness" signifies in this place (and many others) "to allow and approve a thing with open confession".
• (f) Present at this meeting of the scriptures were not only the learned, but also the common people: and besides that, their mother tongue was used, for how else could the people have wondered? Paul appointed the same manner for doing things in the Church at Corinth; (1 Corinthians 14:1-40).
• (g) Words full of the mighty power of God, which appeared in all his doings, and as well allured men marvellously unto him; see (Psalms 45:2), "grace is poured into thy lips".

4:23 He said to them, "Doubtless you will tell me this parable, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.'"

4:24 He said, "Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

4:25 But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land.

• (h) Land of Israel; See Geneva.

4:26 Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

4:27 There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian."

4:28 They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things.

• (5) The more sharply the world is rebuked the more it openly rages: but the life of the godly is not always subject to the desires of the wicked.

4:29 They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff.

4:30 But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way.

4:31 He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. He was teaching them on the Sabbath day,

4:32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority.

4:33 In the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,

4:34 saying, "Ah! what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!"

• (6) Christ astonishes not only men, be they ever so stupid, but even the demons as well, whether or not they want to be.

4:35 Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" When the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.

4:36 Amazement came on all, and they spoke together, one with another, saying, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!"

4:37 News about him went out into every place of the surrounding region.

4:38 He rose up from the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a great fever, and they begged him for her.

• (7) In that Christ heals the diseases of the body with only his word, he proves that he is God Almighty, sent for man’s salvation.

4:39 He stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her. Immediately she rose up and served them.

4:40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

4:41 Demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!" Rebuking them, he didn't allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

• (8) Satan, who is a continual enemy of the truth, ought not to be heard, not even when he speaks the truth.

4:42 When it was day, he departed and went into an uninhabited place, and the multitudes looked for him, and came to him, and held on to him, so that he wouldn't go away from them.

• (9) No zealous response on the part of the people ought to hinder us in the race that God has appointed unto us.

4:43 But he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other cities also. For this reason I have been sent."

4:44 He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.