Luke 4:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

NIV: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

NASB: Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness

CSB: Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

NLT: Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,

KJV: And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

NKJV: Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

The passage before this explained Jesus' genealogy. That was a detour from Luke's narrative about Jesus' early life. The last event mentioned was Jesus' baptism by His cousin, John the Baptist (Luke 3:21–22). Here, Jesus returns from where John was baptizing in the Jordan river, heading alone into the wilderness. This refers to the uninhabited regions around Judea.

Jesus has just been with John the Baptist along the Jordan River where John baptized Him. The Jordan River runs from the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee to the northern shoreline of the Dead Sea providing the eastern border for southern Galilee, all of Samaria, and northern Judea. Matthew 3:1 says John taught "in the wilderness of Judea." This would be on the southern end, just east of Jericho which is east of Jerusalem. The word translated "returned" in Greek can also imply that Jesus was "withdrawing." Jesus stepped away from the Jordan, where the crowds were, and into the wilderness. "Wilderness" merely means an uninhabited area of land. After Jesus' temptation, Luke says Jesus "returned" to Galilee, so the wilderness wasn't in Galilee.

It's unclear if "filled with the Holy Spirit" is a technical state. The Holy Spirit did descend on Jesus when John baptized Him (Luke 3:22). Does this mean Jesus has reached a point so He is no longer increasing in wisdom (Luke 2:52)? Unlikely, since He "learned obedience through what he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). Does the filling of the Holy Spirit mark the beginning of Jesus' ability to perform miracles? We don't know. The comment that Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit isn't given to explain what Jesus can now do; it's given to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that when He goes into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, He is doing so by the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. He is neither fleeing a responsibility nor purposefully seeking Satan.

In Scripture, the wilderness is often described as the home of demonic forces (Luke 8:29; 11:24). That was due to their association with emptiness or a lack of civilization. Yet the same traits made it a good place to find solitude. Jesus often found the wilderness a temporary refuge where He could pray to His Father (Luke 1:80; 3:2; 5:16; 7:24).

Jesus is taken into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. While fasting there, He is tempted by Satan. These temptations share an element of ignoring God in favor of what seems easier or quicker. Jesus resists all of these, citing Scripture as He does. When Jesus returns, He preaches and heals to great publicity in Judea and Galilee. While His hometown responds with stubborn skepticism, others are eager to hear His teaching and experience His miraculous power.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.