Luke 4
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
In The Wilderness, Jesus Is Tempted By Satan To Act Contrary To His Father’s Will
4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan. And He was being led in the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days while being tempted by the devil. And He did not eat anything during those days. And they having been completed, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are[a] God’s Son, say[b] to this stone that it should become bread”. 4 And Jesus responded to him, “It has been written [in Deut 8:3] that ‘Mankind[c] shall not live on bread alone’”. 5 And having led Him up, he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this authority and their glory, because it has been handed-over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore if You worship before me, it will all be Yours”. 8 And having responded, Jesus said to him “It has been written [in Deut 6:13], ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only’”. 9 And he led Him into Jerusalem and stood Him on the pinnacle of the temple. And he said to Him, “If You are God’s Son, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it has been written [in Ps 91:11] that ‘He will command His angels concerning You that they might protect You’, 11 and [in Ps 91:12] that ‘They will lift You up on their hands that You may not ever strike Your foot against a stone’”. 12 And having responded, Jesus said to him that “It has been said [in Deut 6:16], ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’”. 13 And having completed every temptation, the devil departed from Him until an opportune-time.
Jesus Returns To Galilee And Begins Teaching In Their Synagogues
14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. And news about Him went out throughout the whole surrounding-region. 15 And He was teaching in their synagogues, while being glorified by all.
Jesus Comes To Nazareth And Reads Isaiah 61:1-2 In The Synagogue
16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought-up. And in accordance with the thing having become-a-custom with him, He entered into the synagogue on the day of the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. And having unrolled the scroll, He found the place where it had been written [in Isa 61:1-2]: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because of which He anointed Me to announce-good-news to poor ones. He has sent me out to proclaim a release to captives and recovery-of-sight to blind ones, to send-out with a release ones having been broken[d], 19 to proclaim the acceptable[e] year of the Lord”. 20 And having rolled up the scroll, having given it back to the attendant, He sat-down[f]. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were looking-intently at Him.
Jesus Says: Today This Scripture Is Fulfilled In Your Ears. They Drive Him Out
21 And He began to say to them that “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears”. 22 And they all were[g] testifying concerning Him, and marveling at the words of [h] grace proceeding from His mouth. And they were saying, “Is not this One Joseph’s son?” 23 And He said to them, “You will surely speak this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, cure yourself’. Do also here in your hometown all-that we heard having taken place in Capernaum”. 24 But He said, “Truly I say to you that no prophet is acceptable[i] in his hometown. 25 And I say to you in accordance with [God’s] truth— there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heaven was shut for three years and six months, when a great famine took place over all the land. 26 And Elijah was sent to none[j] of them, except to [the village of] Zarephath of-Sidon, to a widow woman. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. And none of them was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian”. 28 And they were all filled with fury in the synagogue while hearing these things. 29 And having arisen, they drove Him outside of the city, and led Him up to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built so as to throw Him down the cliff. 30 But He, having gone through the middle of them, was proceeding.
Jesus Goes To Capernaum And Teaches. They Are Astounded At His Authority
31 And He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And He was teaching them on the Sabbath. 32 And they were astounded at His teaching, because His message was with authority.
Jesus Orders a Demon To Leave a Man. They Are Astonished At His Power
33 And in the synagogue there was a man having a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried-out with a loud voice, 34 “Let-us-alone[k]! What[l] do we have to do with You, Jesus from-Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know You, Who You are: the Holy One of God!” 35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silenced and come out from him”. And the demon, having thrown him down into their midst, came out from him, not having hurt him at all. 36 And astonishment came over everyone. And they were talking-with one another, saying, “What is this message? Because He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out!” 37 And the news about Him was going out into every place of the surrounding-region.
In Simon’s Home That Night, Many Are Healed
38 And having arisen from the synagogue, He entered into the house of Simon. Now the mother-in-law of Simon was being gripped[m] with a high fever. And they asked Him concerning her. 39 And having stood over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her. And having stood up at-once, she was serving them. 40 And while the sun was setting[n], all who were having ones being sick with various diseases brought them to Him. And the One, laying His hands on each one of them, was curing them. 41 And demons also were coming out from many, shouting, and saying that “You are the Son of God!” And rebuking them, He was not allowing them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ.
Jesus Proceeds On To Announce The Kingdom of God To Other Cities
42 And having become day, having gone out, He went to a desolate[o] place. And the crowds were seeking-for Him. And they came to Him and were holding[p] Him back that He might not proceed from them. 43 And the One said to them that “I must also announce the kingdom of God as good news to the other cities, because I was sent-forth for this purpose”.
While Jesus Teaches The Crowds By The Lake of Gennesaret, He Uses Simon’s Boat
44 And He was proclaiming in the synagogues of Judea.
Footnotes
- Luke 4:3 That is, Assuming You are, as God said in 3:22.
- Luke 4:3 That is, prove it by exercising Your creative power.
- Luke 4:4 Or, The man, The person, Man, Humankind.
- Luke 4:18 Or, shattered, whether in spirit or body; and thus, oppressed.
- Luke 4:19 Or, favorable, welcome. It is the Lord’s favored year at last!
- Luke 4:20 That is, sat down facing them from the front. In that day, teachers stood to read and sat to teach.
- Luke 4:22 That is, up until this speech.
- Luke 4:22 That is, characterized by grace; gracious words.
- Luke 4:24 Or, welcome.
- Luke 4:26 Elijah and Elisha did not do the miracle for Israel. Jesus is putting His hometown people in the same class as unbelieving Israel in the days of Elijah and Elisha.
- Luke 4:34 Or, Ah! (a scream).
- Luke 4:34 Lit, What [is there] for us and for You?
- Luke 4:38 Or, held; and thus, afflicted.
- Luke 4:40 That is, after the sun went down, ending the Sabbath, but before dark.
- Luke 4:42 Or, deserted, solitary, lonely.
- Luke 4:42 Or, detaining Him.
Luke 4
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 4
Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil.[a] 1 Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert 2 for forty days, where he was tempted by the devil. During that time he ate nothing, and at the end of it he was famished.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to be transformed into bread.” 4 Jesus answered him: “As it states in Scripture:
‘Man does not live by bread alone.’ ”
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in a single instant all the kingdoms of the world, 6 saying to him, “To you will I give all this dominion with its accompanying glory, for it has been delivered into my power, and I can bestow it on whomever I choose. 7 All this will be yours if you worship me.” 8 Jesus answered him: “Scripture says:
‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him alone shall you serve.’ ”
9 Next the devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the summit of the temple. Then he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for according to Scripture:
‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,’
11 and:
‘With their hands they will raise you up
lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 Jesus answered him, “Scripture says:
‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
13 When the devil had ended all his tempting, he departed from him until an opportune time.
The Ministry of Jesus in Galilee[b]
14 Jesus Is Accepted throughout Galilee. Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and reports about him began to spread throughout the surrounding region. 15 He taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16 Jesus at Nazareth.[c]When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the passage where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed intently on him.
21 Then he began by saying to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All present spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that flowed from his lips. They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
23 He said to them, “Undoubtedly you will quote to me the proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself,’ and say: ‘Do here in your hometown[d] the deeds we have heard that you performed in Capernaum.’ 24 Amen, I say to you,” he went on, “no prophet is accepted in his own country.
25 [e]“I tell you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the skies remained closed for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet it was to none of them that Elijah was sent, but to a widow at Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 There were also many people with leprosy in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but not one of these was cleansed except for Naaman the Syrian.”
28 When they heard these words, all the people in the synagogue were roused to fury.[f] 29 They leapt up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the top of the hill upon which their town was built, intending to hurl him off the cliff. 30 However, he passed through the midst of the crowd and went on his way.
31 Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon.[g]Jesus then went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and began to teach the people on the Sabbath. 32 They were astounded at his teaching because his message had authority.
33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he shrieked loudly, 34 “Leave us alone! 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.”[h] 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and emerged from him without doing him any harm. 36 The people were all amazed, and they said to one another: “What is this teaching? For with authority and power he gives commands to unclean spirits, and they come forth.” 37 And reports about him began to spread throughout the entire region.
38 Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law. On leaving the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they begged him to help her. 39 Jesus stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and began to serve them.
40 Jesus Ministers throughout Galilee. At sunset they brought to him all those who were sick with various diseases. He laid his hands on each of them and healed them. 41 Demons also emerged from many people, shouting, “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.
42 Jesus Is the Envoy of God for All Israel.[i] At daybreak he departed and made his way to a secluded place. But the crowds went forth in search of him, and when they located him, they tried to prevent him from leaving there. 43 However, he said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because this was the purpose for which I was sent.” 44 Thus, he continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.
Footnotes
- Luke 4:1 By means of images, we are shown the drama Jesus experienced in his conscience, his struggle to follow with determination the great options of his existence. He knows the temptations for immediate success, domination, and prestige, the temptations to which Israel succumbed during its sojourn in the desert and that remain the lot of the Church, every believer, and every person. Jesus refuses to use his powers for his own benefit but accepts poverty and destitution; he does not seek the glory of a political Messiah and does not yield to the idols of power. He turns away from the seduction of prestige; when he goes to Jerusalem it will not be to mount the pinnacle of the temple but to carry the supreme trial of the cross.
There is, in this choice without compromise, a radical recognition of God and the true values he is forever giving us to reflect upon. The victory of Christ over the forces of evil foreshadows the power of his mission (see Lk 10:18; 11:22; 12:16), which is achieved through patience on the cross and the triumph of the Resurrection after the final attacks of the spirit of evil (see Lk 22:3, 53). To live with Christ is to accept this struggle humbly and resolutely. - Luke 4:14 The Gospel does not try to reconstitute an exact chronology and geography of the life of Christ. Its intention is to present to us the sayings and actions of the Lord, to arouse and renew our faith in him, and to make us grasp the essential requirements of our existence. As in Matthew and Mark, the first stage of Jesus’ mission, which takes place in Galilee, leads to the recognition of Jesus as it moves from the first question about him to the profession of faith.
- Luke 4:16 By reading his own vocation and mission in the great passage from Isaiah (61:1), Jesus will direct the thinking of the Church and every apostle: God’s work is to proclaim salvation to the poor and the oppressed.
- Luke 4:23 Hometown: i.e., Nazareth, where Jesus was brought up. Capernaum: see notes on Mt 4:12-17; 4:12; and 4:13.
- Luke 4:25 These verses illustrate the theme of universal salvation, so dear to Luke, with allusions to the miracles of Elijah and Elisha (1 Ki 17; 2 Ki 5).
- Luke 4:28 The words of Jesus hinted at the rejection of the people of Israel and the election of the Gentiles. The people of Nazareth become infuriated, but Jesus escapes their fury in a mysterious manner.
- Luke 4:31 In the Gospel, the accounts of miracles are intended to attest, first of all, that God the Savior is present for people in Jesus Christ. There is a sensible and visible evil in the sickness, wherein we see hostile forces at work. Christ brings healing; he changes the condition of human beings and saves them from alienation. Demons are sharper than humans in penetrating the divine powers of him who frees humans from the grip of death. However, Jesus reduces them to silence, because he does not want people to regard him as a triumphant liberator but to discover, in his words and actions as man amidst his human brothers and sisters, the true visage of the Messiah, Son of God.
- Luke 4:34 See note on Mk 1:24.
- Luke 4:42 The good news of the kingdom, this announcement of the coming of God (Lk 4:18; 6:20-28), must reach all human beings.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
