JESUS TRIUMPHS OVER TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS AND REVEALS HIMSELF AS THE ANOINTED PROPHET. The words ‘Of God' meaning ‘son of God' at the end of chapter 3 lead us straight into a narrative where Jesus as the Son of God is prominent, and where He is ‘full of the Holy Spirit'. He now has to conside... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led in the Spirit in the wilderness during forty days, being tempted of the Devil. And he ate nothing in those days, and when they were completed, he was hungry.' Now full of the Holy Spirit Jesus departs from the Jordan and led... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS GOES INTO THE WILDERNESS TO PREPARE FOR HIS LIFE'S WORK AND IS TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL (4:1-12). So as He contemplates His future ministry Jesus has to consider the way in which He will go about it, and for that purpose He goes into the wilderness as John had done previously. (Mark says that the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the Devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone that it become bread.”' The Devil (or as Matthew puts it, ‘the Tempter') then indicates one of the small white round stones that must have looked very much like bread and suggests that He command it to become bread. Note tha... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus answered him, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.” ' Jesus reply from Scripture is that man shall not live by bread alone (Deuteronomy 8:3). The point was twofold. Firstly that material things must not become such a consuming passion that they come in the way of doing God's... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he led him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.' The next temptation that we learn of is that of being ‘led up' and shown all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. Even if this merely means of the Roman Empire there is no place on earth where these cou... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the Devil said to him, “To you will I give all this authority, and the glory of them, for it has been delivered to me, and to whoever I will I give it. If you therefore will worship before me, it shall all be yours.” ' But there was a short cut available, a quick fix. The Devil has been allowed... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” ' It was not difficult for One who sought to be obedient to know what to do. For it was written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve' (Deuteronomy... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And 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, for it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge concerning you, to guard you', and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest haply you dash your fo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus answering said to him, “It is said, You shall not put to the test the Lord your God.” ' Jesus reply was unequivocal. ‘You shall not put to the test the Lord your God' (compare Deuteronomy 6:16). It is true that God promises His protection to His people, but only as they face the vicissitu... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DEVIL HAS TO ACKNOWLEDGE DEFEAT AND RETIRES TO LICK HIS WOUNDS WHILE JESUS ADVANCES TRIUMPHANTLY INTO GALILEE TO PREACH AND HEAL (4:13-15). ‘And when the Devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him for a season.' At length, defeated, Satan bowed out. Every temptation that he had... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and fame went out concerning him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.' Meanwhile Jesus, having sorted out in His own mind His future, returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.' This incident took place some time after Jesus commenced preaching, as in fact Luke 4:15 make clear. (Some argue that we find it in Mark 6:1 (very much abbreviated), but that is questionable. See above). Either way Luke apparently has knowledg... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS REVEALS HIMSELF AS THE SPIRIT ANOINTED PROPHET OF ISAIAH (4:16-21). In this next passage Jesus reveals that the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah concerning the coming anointed Prophet is to come about through Himself. It commences with His proclamation of Himself as such in the synagogue a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And there was delivered to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the book, and found the place where it was written,' The scroll handed to Jesus was the book of the prophet Isaiah. We do not know whether this was because the reading for the day had been fixed, or simply by the choice o... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To send forth those who are oppressed in deliverance (forgiveness), To proclaim the acceptable year (year of a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.' Having read the passage standing, a mark of respect for the Scriptures, He gave the scroll back to the Synagogue attendant and then sat down (probably in the special... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he began to say to them, “Today has this scripture been fulfilled in your ears.” ' There would have been a great stirring at His next words for He declared, “Today has this Scripture been fulfilled in your ears.” Here was a clear declaration that He was present among them as the Spirit anointe... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And all bore him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” They all took note of what He had said. This probably refers not only to His opening words, but also to words which followed. Luke is only giving us the gist of... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “Doubtless you will say to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself', whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your own country.” ' Thus Jesus chides them because of their attitude, and puts into their mouths the words that they wanted to say, ‘Physician, he... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country.”' Then Jesus explained quite firmly (‘truly') why He had performed so few healings in Nazareth (Mark 6:5). It was because no prophet was acceptable in his own area, and especially in his own home town. Thus they did not... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But of a truth I say to you, There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land, and to none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.' His second illustration was of the healing of the leprosy of the Syrian general Naaman. He pointed out that there had been many lepers in Israel, and yet it had only b... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things, and they rose up, and cast him forth out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, so that they might throw him down headlong.' So filled with anger as they listened to Him in th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But he passing through the midst of them went his way.' Their attempt to kill Him failed. We are not told why. Luke wants us to appreciate that God just would not let it happen, and that in this deliverance the words of Psalms 91:11, quoted by the Devil in the final temptation, had proved true for... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath day.' Having left Nazareth in a hurry Jesus now ‘came down' (from the mountainside to the lakeside) to Capernaum, on the shore of the Lake of Galilee. He had already been active there (one or two of His futur... [ Continue Reading ]
TEACHING WITH AUTHORITY, PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR (4:31-32)... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ANOINTED PROPHET MINISTERS IN CAPERNAUM AND ELSEWHERE (4:31-44). In this passage the work of the Spirit Anointed Prophet is seen as coming to fulfilment. Here we are given the essence of His activity. Primarily He teaches with authority. But He also frees a man from captivity by evil spirits, H... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority.' And as the people listened to Him they were astonished at His teaching because His word was with authority. He spoke with power in the Holy Spirit, and He did not just cite other authorities like the Rabbis did, for they c... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And in the synagogue there was a man, who had a spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,' In the synagogue at Capernaum where He was preaching there was a man who had an unclean spirit (or ‘demon'. This word would make clear to Gentiles what an ‘evil spirit' was) within him.... [ Continue Reading ]
DELIVERING ONE WHO WAS A CAPTIVE OF EVIL SPIRITS (4:33-36). Second to His work of preaching and proclaiming the Kingly Rule of God (Luke 4:43) is His work of defeating the Devil and all his minions. He has come to break the tyranny of darkness (Colossians 1:13) and to release the captives, and thus... [ Continue Reading ]
“Ah! what have we to do with you, Jesus, you Nazarene? Are you come to destroy us? I know you who you are, the Holy One of God.” It wanted Jesus to know that it had recognised Him. ‘What have we in common?' it cried? (Literally, ‘what is there to us and to you?'). In LXX this phrase is used to trans... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS REBUKES THE EVIL SPIRIT AND IT COMES OUT. ‘And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Hold your peace, and come out of him.” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no hurt.' And Jesus exercised that power. He rebuked the evil spirit, commanding it to be... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And 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.” What they had seen amazed the people who saw it. They had never seen anything like it. They knew of exorcisers who had... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WHOLE REGION IS NOW MADE AWARE OF JESUS AND HIS MINISTRY (4:37). ‘And there went out a rumour concerning him into every place of the region round about.' And the result was that the news about what He had done was spread around the whole region, improving as it went around (compare Luke 4:14).... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he rose up from the synagogue, and entered into the house of Simon. And Simon's wife's mother was gripped with a great fever, and they besought him for her.' Leaving the synagogue Jesus went to Simon's house to receive hospitality. Simon would shortly be renamed Peter and become an Apostle. He... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS, FREEING THE OPPRESSED AND AFFLICTED, REBUKES A FEVER AND IT LEAVES A FEVERED WOMAN (4:38-39). Having revealed His power to rebuke evil spirits, Jesus now revealed His power to rebuke disease. Even distorted nature was seen as responsive to His commands.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose up and ministered to them.' And Jesus responded to their plea, and standing over the woman rebuked the fever, and it left her, revealing that all disease had to respond to His word. And the woman then immediate... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS CONTINUES TO RELIEVE THE OPPRESSED AND AFFLICTED (4:40). ‘And when the sun was setting, all those who had any sick with different kinds of diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.' Once the Sabbath was over, and the sun was setting, many sick... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying, “You are the Son of God.” And rebuking them, he would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah.' And many evil spirits came out at His word, crying out, “(We know Who you are), You are the Son of God.” They too w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when it was day, he came out and went into a desert place, and the multitudes sought after him, and came to him, and would have stopped him, that he should not go from them.' The result of all this was increasing popularity. So desiring privacy in order to speak with His Father He went aside i... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But he said to them, “I must preach the good tidings of the Kingly Rule of God to the other cities also, for that is why I was sent.” ' The crowd pressed Him to remain. They were not like the Nazarenes. But He informed them that He could not stay. It was necessary for Him to proclaim the Good News... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judaea (some authorities say ‘Galilee').' The passage that we have been looking at now ends with a general comment about His activity as a Spirit-inspired Prophet. He was continually preaching in the synagogues of ‘Judaea'. This might at first appear strang... [ Continue Reading ]