Luke 4:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath,

NIV: Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people.

NASB: And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee; and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;

CSB: Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath.

NLT: Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day.

KJV: And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

NKJV: Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.

Luke frequently begins segments of his gospel with a Greek word most often translated as "and." This doesn't necessarily imply the same thing as words such as "then," or "afterward." It can mean something happening later in time, but in many instances, it does not. That means when Luke introduces a new segment of this gospel with the word "and," it shouldn't be seen as a direct statement about the order of events. This helps explain why similar events in the four Gospels are not in identical order in all books.

In this case, the last passage described Jesus' disastrous visit to His childhood hometown (Luke 4:16). That ended with a mob trying to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:28–30). Whether this section describes where Jesus went from there, or gives more detail about His preaching prior to His return to Nazareth, is not clear.

Jesus' pattern during this phase of His earthly ministry is to participate in Sabbath meetings in the local synagogue, teaching and preaching, as well as performing acts of healing.

Luke 4:31–44 contains examples of Jesus healing as He teaches in Capernaum. These events include exorcising demons and curing diseases. Jesus' work is so popular that He finds it hard to be alone; the people demand He stay and continue. However, His mission includes other cities and towns. Jesus leaves to preach elsewhere, and the next passages record His calling of the disciples.

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.

Chapter 3 explained how John the Baptist preached to prepare others to receive Jesus Christ. Luke then provided Jesus' earthly ancestry. Chapter 4 begins with Jesus in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. He returns to preach and perform healing miracles in Judea and Galilee. Chapter 5 shows Him calling disciples and demonstrating further proofs of His authority.

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 1:49:59 AM