Luke 4NKJV
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Luke4

New King James Version

1Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

2being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

3And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

4But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”

5Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

7Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

8And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

9Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.

10For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’

11and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

12And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

13Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

14Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.

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

16So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

17And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

19To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

20Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

21And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

22So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

23He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ ”

24Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.

25But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;

26but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

28So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

29and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.

30Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

31Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.

32And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.

33Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice,

34saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

35But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.

36Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”

37And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

38Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.

39So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.

40When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.

41And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

42Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them;

43but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”

44And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Luke 4.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: 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).

vv1-13

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, Ge 3:15. Though Satan depart for a season, we shall never be out of his reach till removed from this present evil world.

vv14-30

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.

vv31-44

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.

Cross References

Luke 4
v4Deuteronomy 8:3quotation

Jesus quotes this verse to defeat Satan's first temptation to turn stones into bread.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin

v8Deuteronomy 6:13quotation

Jesus quotes this command to worship God alone, soundly rejecting Satan's offer of the kingdoms.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v10Psalms 91:11quotation

Satan quotes and misapplies this promise of angelic protection to tempt Jesus to presumption.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v12Deuteronomy 6:16quotation

Jesus quotes this command to rebuff Satan's invitation to test God's protection by jumping.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v18Isaiah 61:1quotation

Jesus directly reads and quotes this passage as His prophetic manifesto, which is explicitly fulfilled in Him.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB

v261 Kings 17:9-24typology

Jesus cites Elijah being sent exclusively to the Gentile widow of Zarephath, prefiguring His own ministry.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v272 Kings 5:1-27typology

Jesus cites Elisha cleansing Naaman the Syrian to illustrate God's sovereign favor extending to Gentiles.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v1John 3:34thematic

Jesus is led as one 'full of the Holy Ghost,' whom God gives without measure.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v2Exodus 34:28typology

Jesus' forty-day fast typologically mirrors Moses' forty-day fast on Mount Sinai before giving the Law.

Supported by John Calvin

v13Genesis 3:15fulfillment

Satan's departure 'for a season' points forward to the bruising of Christ's heel at the Passion.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v18Acts 10:38thematic

Peter's sermon echoes Luke 4:18, summarizing Jesus' ministry as being anointed with the Holy Ghost.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v19Leviticus 25:10allusion

The 'acceptable year of the Lord' directly alludes to the liberty proclaimed during the Jubilee.

Supported by JFB

v22Psalms 45:2fulfillment

The crowd wonders at Jesus' 'gracious words,' fulfilling the Messianic prophecy of grace poured into His lips.

Supported by JFB

v24Matthew 13:57thematic

Parallel proverb regarding a prophet having no honor or acceptance among his own countrymen.

Supported by JFB

v29John 8:59thematic

Parallel escape where Jesus miraculously passes through a hostile crowd attempting to kill Him.

Supported by Matthew Henry