CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Luke 4
Chapter 4 of 24
Chapter Overview
What happens in Luke 4
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus faces Satan's three temptations in the wilderness and overcomes each with Scripture. He then launches His public ministry in Galilee, reads from Isaiah in the Nazareth synagogue declaring Himself the fulfillment of the prophet's words, and is rejected by His hometown. He proceeds to Capernaum where He demonstrates His authority through teaching, exorcisms, and healings.
Scripture
Luke 4
Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness
Study note
Led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, Jesus faces three temptations from the devil targeting His physical needs, His desire for power, and His trust in God's protection. Jesus counters each temptation by quoting Deuteronomy, demonstrating that obedience to God's word is the defense against temptation. The devil departs 'for a time,' signaling that spiritual conflict will continue throughout Jesus' ministry.
1 After his baptism, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. He left the Jordan River area and was guided by the Spirit out into the wilderness. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 He stayed there for forty days while the devil tried to get him to sin. He did not eat a single thing the whole time, and by the end he was starving. Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3 The devil challenged him, "If you truly are God's Son, tell this stone to turn into a loaf of bread." And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
4 Jesus answered, "The Scriptures say, 'People do not stay alive by food alone. They live by paying attention to every word from God.'" And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
5 Next the devil brought him up to a high place and in one instant showed him every kingdom in the entire world. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 The devil told him, "I will hand over all of this power and glory to you. It was given to me, and I can pass it along to anyone I choose." And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 "Bow down and worship me, and it is all yours." If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8 Jesus answered him, "Get away from me, Satan! The Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'" And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem and placed him on the very top of the temple. He said, "If you truly are God's Son, jump off this ledge." And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
10 "After all, the Scriptures say, 'He will order his angels to protect you and keep you safe.'" For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11 "'They will hold you up with their hands so you will not even stub your toe on a rock.'" And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12 Jesus answered, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not put the Lord your God to the test.'" And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13 After the devil had tried everything he could think of, he backed off and left Jesus alone for a while. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
Study note
Returning to His hometown synagogue, Jesus reads from Isaiah 61, proclaiming good news to the poor, freedom for captives, and the year of the Lord's favor. He then declares this Scripture fulfilled in their hearing. Initial admiration turns to murderous rage when Jesus cites Old Testament examples of God blessing Gentiles (the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian) over Israelites, foreshadowing His mission beyond Israel.
14 Then Jesus went back to Galilee, filled with the Spirit's power. Word about him traveled fast all through that region. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
15 He taught in the local synagogues, and everyone had great things to say about him. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16 Eventually he arrived in Nazareth, the town where he had grown up. Following his usual habit, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read. And 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 for to read.
17 Someone handed him the scroll of the prophet Esaias. He unrolled it and found the passage that says, And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 "The Spirit of the Lord rests on me because he has chosen me to bring good news to those who are poor. He has sent me to heal those with broken hearts, to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight back to the blind, and to release people who are being crushed." The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 "To announce that the time of the Lord's special favor has arrived." To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. Every person in the synagogue stared at him. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 He started speaking to them: "What you just heard me read has come true today, right here, right now." And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
22 People were impressed and amazed at the beautiful words coming out of his mouth. But then they started saying, "Wait, is this not Joseph's son?" And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
23 He told them, "I know you are going to throw this old saying at me: 'Doctor, fix yourself first! Do the same things here in your hometown that we heard you did over in Capernaum.'" And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
24 Then he added, "Truly, no prophet gets a warm welcome in his own hometown." And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
25 "Think about this: there were plenty of widows living in Israel during the time of Elias. The rain stopped for three years and six months, and a terrible famine hit the whole land." But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
26 "But God did not send Elias to help any of those Israelite widows. Instead, he sent him to a widow in Sarepta, a town near Sidon." But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
27 "And there were lots of people in Israel with leprosy during the days of Eliseus the prophet, but not one of them was healed. Only Naaman from Syria was." And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
28 When the people in the synagogue heard him say all this, they were furious. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29 They jumped up, forced him out of town, and dragged him to the edge of the cliff that the town was built on, planning to shove him off. And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
30 But he walked right through the middle of the angry mob and went on his way. But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
Authority Over Demons and Disease
Study note
In Capernaum, Jesus demonstrates the authority He proclaimed in Nazareth through action. He casts out a demon in the synagogue, heals Simon's mother-in-law, and cures many who are sick as the sun sets. The demons recognize Him as the Holy One of God and the Son of God, but He silences them. Jesus insists He must preach the kingdom of God to other cities as well, revealing that His mission extends beyond any single location.
31 He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee. He began teaching the people every Sabbath. And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32 His teaching left them stunned because his words carried real power. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
33 Inside the synagogue was a man controlled by an evil spirit. He screamed at the top of his voice, And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34 "Go away! What business do you have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come here to wipe us out? I know exactly who you are -- you are the Holy One of God!" Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
35 Jesus commanded the spirit, "Be quiet and get out of him!" The evil spirit slammed the man to the ground in front of everyone, then left without doing him any harm. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
36 The whole crowd was stunned. They kept saying to each other, "What is going on here? He gives orders to evil spirits with total authority and power, and they leave!" And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
37 The news about Jesus spread quickly to every part of the area around him. And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
38 After leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was burning up with a serious fever, and they begged Jesus to help her. And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
39 He stood right beside her bed and spoke firmly against the fever, and it disappeared. She got up instantly and started taking care of them. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
40 As the sun went down that evening, people brought everyone they knew who was sick with all kinds of illnesses. Jesus placed his hands on each person and healed every one of them. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
41 Evil spirits came out of many people too, shouting, "You are the Son of God! You are the Christ!" But he told them to stop talking because they knew he was the Messiah. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.
42 At sunrise the next morning, Jesus left and went to a quiet, empty place. The crowds went looking for him and caught up with him. They begged him not to leave. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.
43 But he explained to them, "I have to share the good news about God's kingdom with other towns too. That is the whole reason I was sent." And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
44 So he kept on teaching in synagogues all across Galilee. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
Key Themes
Themes in Luke 4
Victory over temptation through ScriptureThe Spirit's empowerment for ministryFulfillment of messianic prophecyGod's grace extended to the GentilesJesus' authority over spiritual and physical affliction
Prophetic Connections
How this chapter points to Christ
Luke 4:18-19 Isaiah 61:1-2
Jesus reads and claims fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy about the Spirit-anointed one who would proclaim good news to the poor, freedom to captives, and the year of the Lord's favor.
Luke 4:4 Deuteronomy 8:3
Jesus quotes Moses' instruction to Israel that man does not live by bread alone but by every word of God, applying the wilderness lesson of Israel to His own testing.
Luke 4:10-11 Psalm 91:11-12
The devil quotes Psalm 91 about angelic protection, and Jesus responds by refusing to test God, showing that Scripture must be understood in its full context.
Apply This Today
Living Luke 4
Jesus' response to temptation shows us the power of knowing and applying God's word in moments of testing. His declaration in Nazareth defines His mission as one of liberation and compassion, challenging us to extend grace beyond our comfort zones. When Jesus was rejected by those who knew Him best, He did not abandon His calling but moved forward. We too may face rejection for faithfully following God, but we can trust that His purposes will not be thwarted.
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