Luke 4

Luke 4:1

D. Preparation by Testing (4:1-13) 4:1 There was never a time in our Lord’s life when He was not full of the Holy Spirit, but it is specifically mentioned here in connection with His temptation. To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be completely yielded to Him and to be completely obedient to every word of God. A person who is filled with the Spirit is emptied of known sin and of self and is richly indwelt by the Word of God. As Jesus was returning from the Jordan, where He had been baptized, He was led by the Spirit into the wildernessprobably the Wilderness of Judea, along the west coast of the Dead Sea. 4:2, 3 There He was tempted for forty days by the devildays in which our Lord ate nothing. At the end of the forty days came the threefold temptation with which we are more familiar. Actually they took place in three different placesthe wilderness, a mountain, and the temple in Jerusalem. The true humanity of Jesus is reflected by the words He was hungry. This was the target of the first temptation. Satan suggested that the Lord should use His divine power to satisfy bodily hunger. The subtlety of the temptation was that the act in itself was perfectly legitimate. But it would have been wrong for Jesus to do it in obedience to Satan; He must act in accordance with the will of His Father. 4:4 Jesus resisted the temptation by quoting Scripture (Deu_8:3). More important than the satisfaction of physical appetite is obedience to God’s word. He did not argue. Darby said, A single text silences when used in the power of the Spirit. The whole secret of strength in conflict is using the word of God in the right way.4:5-7 In the second temptation, the devil … showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. It doesn’t take long for Satan to show all he has to offer.

It was not the world itself but the kingdoms of this world he offered. There is a sense in which he does have authority over the kingdoms of this world. Because of man’s sin, Satan has become the ruler of this world (Joh_12:31; Joh_14:30; Joh_16:11, the god of this age (2Co_4:4), and the prince of the power of the air (Eph_2:2). God has purposed that the kingdoms of this world will one day become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ (Rev_11:15). So Satan was offering to Christ what would eventually be His anyway. But there could be no short cut to the throne. The cross had to come first. In the counsels of God, the Lord Jesus had to suffer before He could enter into His glory. He could not achieve a legitimate end by a wrong means. Under no circumstances would He worship the devil, no matter what the prize might be. 4:8 Therefore, the Lord quoted Deu_6:13 to show that as a Man He should worship and serve God alone. 4:9-11 In the third temptation, Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem, to the pinnacle of the temple, and suggested that He throw Himself down. Had not God promised in Psa_91:11-12 that He would preserve the Messiah? Perhaps Satan was tempting Jesus to present Himself as Messiah by performing a sensational stunt. Malachi had predicted that the Messiah would suddenly come to His temple (Mal_3:1). Here then was Jesus’ opportunity to obtain fame and notoriety as the promised Deliverer without going to Calvary. 4:12 For the third time, Jesus resisted temptation by quoting from the Bible. Deu_6:16 forbade putting God to the test. 4:13 Repulsed by the sword of the Spirit, the devil left Jesus until an opportune time. Temptations usually come in spasms rather than in streams. Several additional points should be mentioned in connection with the temptation:

1. The order in Luke differs from that in Matthew. The second and third temptations are reversed; the reason for this is not clear.
2. In all three cases, the end held out was right enough, but the means of obtaining it was wrong. It is always wrong to obey Satan, to worship him or any other created being. It is wrong to tempt God.
3. The first temptation concerned the body, the second the soul, the third the spirit. They appealed respectively to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
4. The three temptations revolve around three of the strongest drives of human existencephysical appetite, desire for power and possessions, and desire for public recognition. How often disciples are tempted to choose a pathway of comfort and ease, to seek a prominent place in the world, and to gain a high position in the church.
5. In all three temptations, Satan used religious language and thus clothed the temptations with a garb of outward respectability. He even quoted Scripture (vv. 10, 11). As James Stewart so aptly points out: The study of the temptation narrative illuminates two important points. On the one hand, it proves that temptation is not necessarily sin. On the other hand, the narrative illuminates the great saying of a later disciple: In that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted (Heb_2:18). It is sometimes suggested that the temptation would have been meaningless if Jesus was not able to sin. The fact is that Jesus is God, and God cannot sin. The Lord Jesus never relinquished any of the attributes of deity. His deity was veiled during His life on earth but it was not and could not be laid aside. Some say that as God He could not sin but as Man He could sin. But He is still both God and Man, and it is unthinkable that He could sin today. The purpose of the temptation was not to see if He would sin but to prove that He could not sin. Only a holy, sinless Man could be our Redeemer.

Luke 4:14

E. Preparation by Teaching (4:14-30) 4:14, 15 Between verses 13 and 14 there is a gap of about one year. During this time the Lord ministered in Judea. The only record of this ministry is in John 2-5. When Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee to begin the second year of His public ministry, His fame spread through all the surrounding region. As He taught in the Jewish synagogues, He was widely acclaimed. 4:16-21 In Nazareth, His boyhood town, Jesus regularly went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, that is, Saturday. There were two other things which we read that He did regularly. He prayed regularly (Luk_22:39), and He made it a habit to teach others (Mar_10:1). On one visit to the synagogue, He rose to read from the OT Scriptures. The attendant handed Him the scroll on which Isaiah’s prophecy was written. The Lord unrolled the scroll to what we now know as Isaiah 61, and read verse 1 and the first half of verse 2. This passage has always been acknowledged as a description of the ministry of the Messiah. When Jesus said, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing, He was saying in the clearest possible manner that He was the Messiah of Israel. Notice the revolutionary implications of the Messiah’s mission. He came to deal with the enormous problems that have afflicted mankind throughout history: Poverty. To preach the gospel to the poor. Sorrow. To heal the brokenhearted. Bondage. To proclaim liberty to the captives. Suffering. And recovery of sight to the blind. Oppression. To set at liberty those who are oppressed.In short, He came to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lordthe dawning of a new era for this world’s sighing, sobbing multitudes. He presented Himself as the answer to all the ills that torment us. And it is true, whether you think of these ills in a physical sense or in a spiritual sense. Christ is the answer. It is significant that he stopped reading with the words … to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. He did not add the rest of the words from Isaiah … and the day of vengeance of our God. The purpose of His First Coming was to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. This present age of grace is the accepted time and the day of salvation. When He returns to earth the second time, it will be to proclaim the day of vengeance of our God. Note that the acceptable time is spoken of as a year, the vengeance time as a day. 4:22 The people were obviously impressed. They spoke well of Him, having been attracted to Him by His gracious words. It was a mystery to them how Joseph’s son, the Carpenter, had developed so well. 4:23 The Lord knew that this popularity was shallow. There was no real appreciation of His true identity or worth. To them, He was just one of their own home-town boys who had made good in Capernaum. He anticipated that they would say to Him, Physician, heal yourself! Ordinarily this parable would mean, Do for yourself what you have done for others. Cure your own condition, since you claim to cure others. But here the meaning is slightly different. It is explained in the words that follow: Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country, that is, Nazareth. It was a scornful challenge for Him to perform miracles in Nazareth as He had done elsewhere, and thus save Himself from ridicule. 4:24-27 The Lord replied by stating a deep-rooted principle in human affairs: great men are not appreciated in their own neighborhood. He then cited two pointed incidents in the OT where prophets of God were not appreciated by the people of Israel and so were sent to Gentiles. When there was a great famine in Israel, Elijah was not sent to any Jewish widowsthough there were plenty of thembut he was sent to a Gentile widow in Sidon. And although many lepers were in Israel when Elisha was ministering, he was not sent to any of them. Instead he was sent to the Gentile Naaman, captain of the Syrian army. Imagine the impact of Jesus’ words on Jewish minds.

They placed women, Gentiles, and lepers at the bottom of the social scale. But here the Lord pointedly placed all three above unbelieving Jews! What He was saying was that OT history was about to repeat itself. In spite of His miracles, He would be rejected not only by the city of Nazareth but by the nation of Israel. He would then turn to the Gentiles, just as Elijah and Elisha had done. 4:28 The people of Nazareth understood exactly what He meant. They were infuriated by the mere suggestion of favor being shown to Gentiles. Bishop Ryle comments: Man bitterly hates the doctrine of the sovereignty of God which Christ had just declared. God was under no obligation to work miracles among them. 4:29, 30 The people thrust Him out of the city … to the brow of the hill, intending to throw Him down over the cliff. Doubtless this was instigated by Satan as another attempt to destroy the royal Heir. But Jesus miraculously walked through the crowd and left the city. His foes were powerless to stop Him. As far as we know, He never returned to Nazareth.

Luke 4:31

IV. THE SON OF MAN PROVES HIS POWER (4:31-5:26) A. Power Over An Unclean Spirit (4:31-37) 4:31-34 Nazareth’s loss was Capernaum’s gain. The people in the latter city recognized that His teaching was authoritative. His words were convicting and impelling. Verses 31-41 describe a typical Sabbath day in the life of the Lord. They reveal Him as Master over demons and disease. First He went to the synagogue and there met a man with an unclean demon. The adjective unclean is often used to describe evil spirits; it means that they themselves are impure and that they produce impurity in the lives of their victims. The reality of demon possession is seen in this passage. First there was a cry of terrorLet us alone! Then the spirit showed clear knowledge that Jesus was the Holy One of God who would eventually destroy the hosts of Satan. 4:35 Jesus issued a twofold command to the demon, Be quiet, and come out of him! The demon did so, after throwing the man to the ground but leaving him unharmed. 4:36, 37 The people were amazed! What was different about the words of Jesus that unclean spirits obeyed Him? What was that indefinable authority and power with which He spoke? No wonder the reports about Him spread throughout the surrounding region! All the physical miracles of Jesus are pictures of similar miracles He performs in the spiritual realm. For instance, the following miracles in Luke convey these spiritual lessons: Casting out unclean spirits (4:31-37)deliverance from the filth and defilement of sin. Healing Peter’s mother-in-law of fever (Luk_4:38-39)relief from the restlessness and debility caused by sin. Healing of the leper (Luk_5:12-16)restoration from the loathesomeness and hopelessness of sin (see also Luk_17:11-19). The paralyzed man (Luk_5:17-26)freedom from the paralysis of sin and enablement to serve God. The widow’s son raised to life (Luk_7:11-17)sinners are dead in trespasses and sins, and need life (see also Luk_8:49-56). The stilling of the storm (Luk_8:22-25)Christ can control the storms that rage in the lives of His disciples. Legion, the demoniac (Luk_8:26-39)sin produces violence and insanity and ostracizes men from civilized society. The Lord brings decency and sanity and fellowship with Himself. The woman who touched the hem of His garment (Luk_8:43-48)the impoverishment and depression brought on by sin. Feeding of the 5,000 (Luk_9:10-17)a sinful world starving for the bread of God. Christ satisfies the need through His disciples. The demon-possessed son (Luk_9:37-43 a)the cruelty and violence of sin, and the healing power of Christ. The woman with the spirit of infirmity (Luk_13:10-17)sin deforms and cripples, but the touch of Jesus brings perfect restoration. The man with dropsy (Luk_14:1-6)sin produces discomfort, distress, and danger. Blind beggar (Luk_18:35-43)sin blinds men to eternal realities. The new birth results in opened eyes.

Luke 4:38

B. Power Over Fever (4:38, 39) Next Jesus made a sick-call at Simon’s house, where Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever. As soon as the Lord rebuked the fever, it left her. The cure was not only immediate but complete, since she was able to get up and serve the household. Usually a great fever leaves a person weak and listless. (Advocates of a celibate priesthood find little comfort in this passage. Peter was a married man!)

Luke 4:40

C. Power Over Diseases and Demons (4:40, 41) 4:40 As the Sabbath drew to a close, the people were freed from enforced inactivity; they brought a great number of invalids and demoniacs to Him. None came in vain. He healed every one of those who were diseased, and cast out the demons. Many of those who profess to be faith healers today confine their miracles to pre-chosen candidates. Jesus healed every one of them. 4:41 The expelled demons knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. But He would not accept the testimony of demons. They must be silenced. They knew that He was the Messiah, but God had other and better instruments to announce the fact.

Luke 4:42

D. Power Through Itinerant Preaching (4:42-44) The next day, Jesus retired to a deserted place near Capernaum. The crowd sought till they found Him. They urged Him not to leave. But He reminded them that He had work to do in the other cities … of Galilee. So from synagogue to synagogue, He went preaching the good news about the kingdom of God. Jesus Himself was the King. He desired to reign over them. But first they must repent. He would not reign over a people who clung to their sins. This was the obstacle. They wanted to be saved from political problems but not from their sins.