Luke 4
Jesus is tempted in the wilderness for forty days. He reads from Isaiah in the Nazareth synagogue, declaring the Scripture fulfilled, but is rejected and nearly thrown off a cliff. He demonstrates His authority by casting out demons and healing the sick throughout Galilee.
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Jesus full of the Holy Spirit, led into the wilderness
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Read Matthew 4 ›where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.
Fasted forty days and forty nights
After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.
Read Matthew 4 ›The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
First temptation: turn stones into bread
The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Read Matthew 4 ›But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
Man shall not live on bread alone — Luke's temptation account
He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Read Deuteronomy 8 ›Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
Kingdoms of the world temptation
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
Read Matthew 4 ›“I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,” he said. “For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish.
So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.”
But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
Worship the Lord your God and serve him only — Luke
Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
Read Deuteronomy 6 ›Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here.
Temple pinnacle temptation — different order in Luke
Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.
Read Matthew 4 ›For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You carefully,
and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
They will lift you up in their hands — Satan quotes Psalm
They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Read Psalms 91 ›But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Do not put the Lord your God to the test — Luke's account
Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.
Read Deuteronomy 6 ›When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding region.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit
When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.
Read Matthew 4 ›He taught in their synagogues and was glorified by everyone.
Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,
the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,
'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.' Jesus reads Isaiah in His hometown synagogue and says: 'Today this is fulfilled.'
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
Read Isaiah 61 ›Spirit of the Lord is on me — Jesus in Nazareth synagogue
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
Read Isaiah 11 ›The Spirit of the Lord is on me — Jesus reads in Nazareth synagogue
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
Read Isaiah 61 ›The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
Read Isaiah 61 ›David anointed with oil — Jesus anointed with the Spirit
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
Read 1 Samuel 16 ›to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor — Jesus stops mid-verse
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn,
Read Isaiah 61 ›To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn,
Read Isaiah 61 ›Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,
and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus reads Isaiah's servant song in the Nazareth synagogue and says: 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.' The most dramatic mic-drop moment in history.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
Read Isaiah 61 ›All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.
Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”
Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.
Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.
And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
Naaman the leper healed — Jesus mentions this typological parallel himself
So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored and became like that of a little child, and he was clean.
Read 2 Kings 5 ›On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged.
They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.
But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way.
Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people.
They were astonished at His teaching, because His message had authority.
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in a loud voice,
“Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
But Jesus rebuked the demon. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!” At this, the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without harming him.
All the people were overcome with amazement and asked one another, “What is this message? With authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
And the news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding region.
After Jesus had left the synagogue, He went to the home of Simon, whose mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever. So they appealed to Jesus on her behalf,
Peter's mother-in-law healed of fever
When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever.
Read Matthew 8 ›and He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and began to serve them.
At sunset, all who were ill with various diseases were brought to Jesus, and laying His hands on each one, He healed them.
People brought the sick at sunset for healing
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
Read Matthew 8 ›Demons also came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked the demons and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Christ.
At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place, and the crowds were looking for Him. They came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving.
But Jesus told them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because that is why I was sent.”
And He continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.
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