Luke 4

Luke 4:1

The child grew. He was a child, and a child that grew in heart, in intellect, in size, in grace, in favor with God. Not a man in child’s years. Filled with wisdom. The body advances in stature and the soul in wisdom. The divine nature revealed its own wisdom in proportion to the measure of the bodily growth (Cyril). In “the mystery of godliness: God manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16), one of the inscrutable things that was that the Divine man should become a babe, not only in body, but in mind and wisdom.

Luke 4:2

Went to Jerusalem. The law of Moses required that the adult males of the Jewish nation should appear before the Lord, at the place of his altar, three times every year–at the great festivals, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Though females were not required to attend, they often did from religious devotion.

Luke 4:3

When he was twelve years old. At the age of twelve a boy was called by the Jews “son of the law”, and first incurred legal obligation. Henceforth it would be his personal duty to keep the law.

Luke 4:4

Fulfilled the days. The seven of the passover week. Jesus tarried behind. Luke neither tells us that Jesus remained behind at Jerusalem intentionally, nor that Joseph and Mary lost sight of him through want of necessary care. A circumstance must here have been omitted, and we may safely suppose that Joseph and Mary joined their fellow-travelers in the persuasion that Jesus, who knew of the time and place of departure, was among the younger ones.

Luke 4:5

In the company. The caravans, in which the passover companies went, for the purpose of protection against beasts and robbers, must have each been large, composed of many parties, clans and kindreds. Jesus might easily, therefore, have not been missed until the end of the first day.

Luke 4:7

In the temple. Probably in one of the porches of the court of the women, where the schools of the rabbis were held, and the law regularly expounded. In the midst of the teachers. The learned rabbis. Some of the greatest doctors of Jewish history lived about this period–Hillel, Rabbi Simeon and Gamaliel. Asking them questions. It was the custom in Jewish rabbinical schools for scholars to ask questions.

Luke 4:10

How is it that ye sought me? Did ye not know that I must be in my Father’s house? That is, in the temple, where they did find him. They ought to have come there at once. These words are the first in which he reveals his consciousness of his supernatural birth.

Luke 4:11

Understood not. Did not comprehend all he meant in speaking of his Father’s house.

Luke 4:12

He went down with them. If his heart drew him to the temple, the voice of duty called him back to Galilee, for the law required obedience to parents.

Luke 4:13

Jesus increased. Jesus grew up among a people seldom and only contemptuously named by the ancient classics, and subjected at the time to the yoke of a foreign oppressor in a remote and conquered province of the Roman empire; in the darkest district of Palestine; in a little country town of proverbial insignificance; in poverty and manual labor; in the obscurity of a carpenter’s shop; far away from universities, academies, libraries, and literary or polished society; without any help, as far as we know, except the parental care, the daily wonders of nature, the Old Testament Scriptures, the weekly Sabbath service of the synagogue at Nazareth (Lu 4:16), the annual festivities in the temple of Jerusalem (Lu 2:42), and the secret intercourse of his soul with God, his heavenly Father (Schaff).

Luke 4:15

Jesus Anointed by the Holy Spirit SUMMARY OF LUKE 3: John’s Preaching and Baptism. John’s Witness of Christ. Herod and Herodias. Jesus Baptized. The Anointing and the Voice from Heaven. The Genealogy of Christ. In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Tiberius, the second Roman emperor, was the step-son and successor of Augustus Caesar. See PNT Lu 2:1. Tiberius was raised to the throne A.U.C. 764 (after the founding of Rome), and the fifteenth year would be A.U.C. 779. Counting back thirty years from this, brings us to A.U.C. 749, which is about four years earlier than the common date of the birth of Jesus and before the death of Herod the king. See PNT Matthew 2:1. Pilate being governor of Judaea. Archelaus, the son of “Herod the king”, was deposed after ten years of rule, and Judea made a province under the rule of a Roman governor. Pontius Pilate was the fifth of these. See PNT Matthew 27:2. Herod being tetrarch of Galilee. See PNT Matthew 2:1, on the Herods. It was this Herod, Herod Antipas, who murdered John the Baptist. His brother Philip. This was not the husband of Herodias, but another brother Philip. Abilene. North of Palestine.

Luke 4:16

Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests. The Jews recognized but one high priest, who held his office for life, but Annas was removed from the office by the Roman governor, Pilate, and his son-in-law, Caiaphas, appointed in his place. Hence, both were called high priests at the same time. The word of God came unto John. He was called to begin his work.

Luke 4:17

Came into all the country. Compare Matthew 3:1-12, on which see notes; also Mr 1:1-8.

Luke 4:21

O generation of vipers. Spoken of the Pharisees (Matthew 3:7).

Luke 4:24

What shall we do? Note, (1) Those that are baptized must be taught; and those who have baptized them are concerned, as they have opportunity, to teach them (Matthew 28:19,20). (2) In John’s answer we have his moral system. His morality differs from that of the Lord, inasmuch as the former lays more stress upon the regulation of the external conduct, while Jesus lays more upon that of the inner life.

Luke 4:26

Publicans. The gatherers of the Roman tax.

Luke 4:28

And the soldiers. Whether these were Jews or Romans cannot be ascertained. It is not improbable that, as Judea was a Roman province, they were Jews or Jewish proselytes in the service of Herod Antipas or Philip, and so were really in the Roman service.

Luke 4:33

But Herod the tetrarch. See notes on Matthew 14:1-12 Mr 6:14-18.

Luke 4:35

Jesus also being baptized. See notes on Matthew 3:13-17 Mr 1:9-11.

Luke 4:37

The Genealogy. For a comparison of the genealogies given by Matthew and Luke, see notes on Matthew 1:1-17. In these notes I have followed Godet, Van Oosterzee, and others in the view that Luke gives the line of Mary, and therefore the line of Christ. Jesus was only “supposed to be the son of Joseph”, but was “the son” (i.e, descendant, grandson) “of Heli”, the father of Mary.