Luke chapter 4
English Standard Version
1And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." 4And Jesus answered him, "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’" 5And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." 8And Jesus answered him, "It is written, "‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’"
9And he took him to Jerusalem and 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 will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’
12And Jesus answered him, "It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’" 13And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
14And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord 's favor." 20And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." 22And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph 's son?" 23And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘"Physician, heal yourself." What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’" 24And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." 28When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30But passing through their midst, he went away.
31And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, 32and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. 33And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34"Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God." 35But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!" 37And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
38And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon 's house. Now Simon 's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.
40Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who 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, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
42And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43but he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose." 44And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
New International Version
1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7If you worship me, it will all be yours."
10For it is written: " ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ "
14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."
20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
24"Truly I tell you," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian."
28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
31Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.
33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34"Go away! 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!"
36All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!" 37And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
38Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
40At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
42At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43But he said, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." 44And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
New American Standard Bible
1Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness 2for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. 3And the devil said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.' 4And Jesus answered him, 'It is written: ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’?'
5And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6And the devil said to Him, 'I will give You all this domain and its glory, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I want. 7Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.' 8Jesus replied to him, 'It is written: ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE Lord YOUR God AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’?'
10for it is written: ‘HE WILL GIVE HIS ANGELS ORDERS CONCERNING YOU, TO PROTECT YOU,’ 11and, ‘ON their hands they will lift YOU UP, SO THAT YOU DO NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’?'
14And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding region. 15And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.
16And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18'THE SPIRIT OF THE Lord IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE Lord.'
20And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. 21Now He began to say to them, 'Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.' 22And all the people were speaking well of Him, and admiring the gracious words which were coming from His lips; and yet they were saying, 'Is this not Joseph’s son?' 23And He said to them, 'No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done in Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’?' 24But He said, 'Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a severe famine came over all the land; 26and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.' 28And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. 30But He passed through their midst and went on His way.
31And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee; and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32and they were amazed at His teaching, because His message was delivered with authority. 33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34Leave us alone! What business do You have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have 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 down in the midst of the people, it came out of him without doing him any harm. 36And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another, saying, 'What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!' 37And the news about Him was spreading into every locality of the surrounding region.
38Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her. 39And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and served them.
40Now while the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He was laying His hands on each one of them and healing them. 41Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, 'You are the Son of God!' And yet He was rebuking them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ.
Christian Standard Bible
1Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry. 3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
5So he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6The devil said to him, "I will give you their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. 7If you, then, will worship me, all will be yours."
10For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you, 11and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
14Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity. 15He was teaching in their synagogues, being praised by everyone.
16He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:
18 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 release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
20He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21He began by saying to them, "Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled."
24He also said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25But I say to you, there were certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great famine came over all the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them except a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27And in the prophet Elisha’s time, there were many in Israel who had leprosy, and yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."
28When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged. 29They got up, drove him out of town, and brought him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl him over the cliff. 30But he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.
31Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath. 32They were astonished at his teaching because his message had authority. 33In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean demonic spirit who cried out with a loud voice, 34"Leave us alone! What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
36Amazement came over them all, and they were saying to one another, "What is this message? For he commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out!" 37And news about him began to go out to every place in the vicinity.
38After he left the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. 39So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and began to serve them.
40When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to him. As he laid his hands on each one of them, he healed them. 41Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.
42When it was day, he went out and made his way to a deserted place. But the crowds were searching for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. 43But he said to them, "It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose." 44And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
New Living Translation
1Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
3Then the devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.'
5Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,' the devil said, 'because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7I will give it all to you if you will worship me.'
10For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. 11And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ '
14Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come. '
20He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21Then he began to speak to them. 'The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!'
23Then he said, 'You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’ — meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.
25Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner — a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.'
28When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.
31Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.
33Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon — an evil spirit — cried out, shouting, 34Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!'
36Amazed, the people exclaimed, 'What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!' 37The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.
38After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. 'Please heal her,' everyone begged. 39Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.
40As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. 41Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, 'You are the Son of God!' But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.
42Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43But he replied, 'I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.' 44So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.
King James Version
1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6And 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. 7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8And 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.
9And 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: 10For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
16And 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. 17And 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, 18The 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, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20And 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. 21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 22And 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? 23And 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. 24And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
25But 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; 26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29And 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. 30But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
31And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. 32And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. 33And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 34Saying, 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. 35And 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. 36And 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. 37And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
38And 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. 39And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. 40Now 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. 41And 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.
42And 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. 43And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. 44And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
What does Luke chapter 4 mean?
Before starting His public preaching and healing ministry, Jesus goes alone into the wastelands near Judea. He spends forty days fasting—nearly the limit of what a human body can survive without food. This experience is driven by the Holy Spirit, but also includes temptation. Satan appears, enticing Jesus in several ways. All three temptations involve turning away from God's plan, seeking something easier or quicker. In one instance, the Devil even cites Scripture, twisting the meaning. Jesus resists these attempts. He maintains obedience to God and quotes the book of Deuteronomy. Parallel accounts of this experience are found in Matthew 4:1–11 and Mark 1:12–13. Having failed, Satan leaves Jesus and goes elsewhere. (Luke 4:1–13).After enduring temptation and starvation, Jesus comes back to Galilee. This is the area north of Jerusalem, around the Sea of Galilee. There He teaches in synagogues, to great acclaim. At least one town does not approve His message: Nazareth, Jesus' childhood hometown. While visiting there, Jesus reads aloud from Isaiah. The prophecy indicates that Messiah will bring rescue, healing, and good news. When Jesus claims to be the fulfillment of this prophecy, His former neighbors react with skepticism. In their eyes, Jesus is nothing more than another Nazarene—He can't possibly be anything special (Luke 4:14–22).
Jesus knows where the Nazarenes' skepticism will lead. Critics who knew about Jesus' miracles often responded to His teaching by demanding a supernatural sign. Such ultimatums are insincere; those who won't accept the proof they've already been given aren't likely to respond to even more (John 2:18; 6:30; Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16). Jesus predicts the people want Him to repeat the same miracles He's done elsewhere. Instead, Jesus criticizes their stubbornness. He notes that at times God would withhold miracles from Israel, and instead perform them for Gentiles: non-Jewish persons (Luke 4:23–27).
At the time Jesus speaks these words, Israel was bitterly angry over being occupied by the Roman Empire. The Jewish people were deeply resentful of their national captors. When Jesus implies that the Lord is willing to speak to Gentiles—those outside of God's chosen people—the Nazarenes react with violent anger. A mob physically ejects Jesus from the synagogue and takes Him to a nearby cliff. Their intent is lethal, but Jesus can "pass through" the crowd. This is likely a miraculous escape (John 8:59; 10:39); similar events happen at other times in Jesus' ministry (Luke 4:28–30).
Luke's account is not always in order of occurrence—ancient writers often grouped events by topic rather than by timeline. At some point in Jesus' early ministry, He encounters a demon-possessed man in a synagogue. The demon recognizes Jesus as the Son of God, reacting in fear. Jesus issues a direct command, and the demon immediately leaves. The people have already been impressed by the authority of Jesus' words. Now they see the strength of His divine power. This adds even more publicity to His ministry (Luke 4:31–37).
Leaving directly from the synagogue, Jesus visits the home of Simon Peter (Mark 3:16; John 1:42). Peter's mother-in-law is so sick that she's bedridden. Luke, who knows something about medicine (Colossians 4:14), describes her fever as intense. Just as Jesus exorcized a demon with authority, He commands the woman's illness. She is instantly made well. There is no recovery process: she immediately attends to hosting duties. Since this happens on a Sabbath, people wait until sundown—which marks the start of the next day—to bring sick and afflicted people to Jesus. As Jesus heals, He explicitly forbids the demons from proclaiming Him as Christ (Luke 4:38–41).
Being fully human, Jesus needed occasional rest and refreshment. When He attempts to take a break from His ministry, the people living near Simon Peter follow Him. Though healing and preaching are good things, God's plans for Jesus involve much more than one small area. He recognizes the need to choose what is "best" over what is merely "good." Jesus plans to travel around the region, so He politely refuses to stay in one place for long (Luke 4:42–44).
