Luke 4
The Voice
While genealogies may seem tedious, for people in many cultures (including Luke’s), genealogies are important and meaningful because they give a sense of identity and history. Luke places Jesus in the mainstream of biblical history, connected to King David, Abraham, Noah, and Adam. By connecting Jesus with Adam, and ultimately with God, Luke shows how Jesus is connected to and relevant for all people, and he may also be suggesting that in Jesus God is launching a new humanity, with Jesus as the new Adam. Unlike the first Adam, though, Jesus will be completely faithful to God, as the next episode makes clear. Perhaps echoing Adam and Eve being tempted by the serpent in the garden (Genesis 3:1–7), Luke moves from the stories of Jesus’ beginnings to His temptation.
4 When Jesus returned from the Jordan River, He was full of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit led Him away from the cities and towns and out into the desert.
2 For 40 days, the Spirit led Him from place to place in the desert, and while there, the devil tempted Jesus. Jesus was fasting, eating nothing during this time, and at the end, He was terribly hungry. 3 At that point, the devil came to Him.
Devil: Since You’re the Son of God, You don’t need to be hungry. Just tell this stone to transform itself into bread.
Jesus: 4 It is written in the Hebrew Scriptures, “People need more than bread to live.”[a]
5 Then the devil gave Jesus a vision. It was as if He traveled around the world in an instant and saw all the kingdoms of the world at once.
Devil: 6 All these kingdoms, all their glory, I’ll give to You. They’re mine to give because this whole world has been handed over to me. 7 If You just worship me, then everything You see will all be Yours. All Yours!
Jesus: 8 [Get out of My face, Satan!][b] The Hebrew Scriptures say, “Worship and serve the Eternal One your God—only Him—and nobody else.”[c]
9 Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem, and he transported Jesus to stand upon the pinnacle of the temple.
Devil: Since You’re the Son of God, just jump. Just throw Yourself into the air. 10 You keep quoting the Hebrew Scriptures. They themselves say,
He will put His heavenly messengers in charge of You,
to keep You safe in every way.
11 And,
They will hold You up in their hands
so that You do not smash Your foot against a stone.[d]
Jesus: 12 Yes, but the Hebrew Scriptures also say, “You will not presume on God; you will not test the Lord, the one True God.”[e]
13 The devil had no more temptations to offer that day, so he left Jesus, preparing to return at some other opportune time.
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit, and soon people across the region had heard news of Him. 15 He would regularly go into their synagogues and teach. His teaching earned Him the respect and admiration of everyone who heard Him.
16 He eventually came to His hometown, Nazareth, and did there what He had done elsewhere in Galilee—entered the synagogue and stood up to read from the Hebrew Scriptures.
17 The synagogue attendant gave Him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and Jesus unrolled it to the place where Isaiah had written these words:
18 The Spirit of the Lord the Eternal One is on Me.
Why? Because the Eternal designated Me
to be His representative to the poor, to preach good news to them.
Luke’s audience doesn’t divide the world into sacred vs. secular or religious vs. political. For them, life is integrated. And for them, these “religious” words from Isaiah have a powerful and “political” meaning: because they see themselves as oppressed by the Roman occupation, Jesus’ words suggest that His “good news” describes a powerful change about to come—a change that will rescue the people from their oppression. His fellow Jews have long been waiting for a savior to free them from Roman oppression. Jesus tells them their hopes are about to be fulfilled. But then, just as people speak well of Jesus, He lets them know their expectations aren’t in line with God’s plans. He tells them not to expect God to fit into their boxes and suggests the unthinkable: that God cares for the Gentiles, the very people who are oppressing them! They aren’t too pleased by this.
He sent Me to tell those who are held captive that they can now be set free,
and to tell the blind that they can now see.
He sent Me to liberate those held down by oppression.
19 In short, the Spirit is upon Me to proclaim that now is the time;
this is the jubilee season of the Eternal One’s grace.[f]
20 Jesus rolled up the scroll and returned it to the synagogue attendant. Then He sat down, as a teacher would do, and all in the synagogue focused their attention on Jesus, waiting for Him to speak. 21 He told them that these words from the Hebrew Scriptures were being fulfilled then and there, in their hearing.
22 At first everyone was deeply impressed with the gracious words that poured from Jesus’ lips. Everyone spoke well of Him and was amazed that He could say these things.
Everyone: Wait. This is only the son of Joseph, right?
Jesus: 23 You’re about to quote the old proverb to Me, “Doctor, heal yourself!” Then you’re going to ask Me to prove Myself to you by doing the same miracles I did in Capernaum. 24 But face the truth: hometowns always reject their homegrown prophets.
25 Think back to the prophet Elijah. There were many needy Jewish widows in his homeland, Israel, when a terrible famine persisted there for three and a half years. 26 Yet the only widow God sent Elijah to help was an outsider from Zarephath in Sidon.[g]
27 It was the same with the prophet Elisha. There were many Jewish lepers in his homeland, but the only one he healed—Naaman—was an outsider from Syria.[h]
28 The people in the synagogue became furious when He said these things. 29 They seized Jesus, took Him to the edge of town, and pushed Him right to the edge of the cliff on which the city was built. They would have pushed Him off and killed Him, 30 but He passed through the crowd and went on His way.
31-33 Next He went to Capernaum, another Galilean city. Again He was in the synagogue teaching on the Sabbath, and as before, the people were enthralled by His words. He had a way of saying things—a special authority, a unique power.
In attendance that day was a man with a demonic spirit.
Demon-Possessed Man (screaming at Jesus): 34 Get out of here! Leave us alone! What’s Your agenda, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are: You’re the Holy One, the One sent by God!
Jesus (firmly rebuking the demon): 35 Be quiet. Get out of that man!
Then the demonic spirit immediately threw the man into a fit, and he collapsed right there in the middle of the synagogue. It was clear the demon had come out, and the man was completely fine after that. 36 Everyone was shocked to see this, and they couldn’t help but talk about it.
Synagogue Members: What’s this about? What’s the meaning of this message? Jesus speaks with authority, and He has power to command demonic spirits to go away.
The essential message of Jesus can be summed up this way: the kingdom of God is available to everyone, starting now. When Jesus refers to the kingdom of God, He doesn’t mean something that happens after death, far off in heaven; He equates the kingdom of God with God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. So the kingdom of God is life as God intends it to be—life to the full, life in peace and justice, life in abundance and love. Individuals enter the Kingdom when they enter into a relationship with Jesus, when they trust Him enough to follow His ways. But make no mistake, the Kingdom is about more than individual lives; it is about the transformation and renewal of all God has created. It may start with individual responses, but it doesn’t stop there.
Jesus describes His purpose as proclaiming this message. But Jesus not only expresses His message of the kingdom of God in words, He also dramatizes it in deeds. Luke calls these amazing deeds “signs and wonders,” suggesting that these actions have symbolic meaning, which is significant, and are wonderful, which means they fill people with awe and wonder. In the coming chapters, the wonder that the original eyewitnesses feel is palpable, and Jesus’ actions are significant signs of the kingdom of God.
37 The excitement about Jesus spread into every corner of the surrounding region.
38 Picture this:
Jesus then leaves that synagogue and goes over to Simon’s place. Simon’s mother-in-law is there. She is sick with a high fever. Simon’s family asks Jesus to help her.
39 Jesus stands over her, and just as He had rebuked the demon, He rebukes the fever, and the woman’s temperature returns to normal. She feels so much better that she gets right up and cooks them all a big meal.
40 By this time, it’s just before nightfall, and as the sun sets, groups of families, friends, and bystanders come until a huge crowd has gathered. Each group has brought along family members or friends who are sick with any number of diseases. One by one, Jesus lays His hands on them and heals them. 41 On several occasions, demonic spirits are expelled from these people, after shouting at Jesus, “You are the Son of God!”
Jesus always rebukes them and tells them to be quiet. They know He is the Anointed One, but He doesn’t want to be acclaimed in this way.
42 The next morning, Jesus sneaks away. He finds a place away from the crowds, but soon they find Him. The crowd tries their best to keep Him from leaving.
Jesus: 43 No, I cannot stay. I need to preach the kingdom of God to other cities too. This is the purpose I was sent to fulfill.
44 So He proceeds from synagogue to synagogue across Judea,[i] preaching His message of the kingdom of God.
Footnotes
- 4:4 Deuteronomy 8:3
- 4:8 Many early manuscripts omit this portion.
- 4:8 Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20
- 4:10–11 Psalm 91:11–12
- 4:12 Deuteronomy 6:16
- 4:18–19 Isaiah 61:1–2
- 4:26 1 Kings 17:8–16
- 4:27 2 Kings 5:1–14
- 4:44 Other early manuscripts read “Galilee.”
路加福音 4
Chinese Standard Bible (Simplified)
耶稣受试探
4 耶稣充满圣灵，从约旦河回来，被圣灵带到旷野， 2 受魔鬼的试探四十天。在那些日子里，耶稣什么也没有吃，四十天结束的时候[a]，他就饿了。 3 魔鬼对他说：“你如果是神的儿子，就吩咐这石头变成食物吧！”
4 耶稣回答：“经上记着：‘人活着不是单靠食物[b]。’[c]”
5 魔鬼[d]就把耶稣领上高处[e][f]，在一瞬间给他看天下万国， 6 对他说[g]：“这一切权柄和荣耀我都将给你，因为这已经交给了我，我愿意给谁就给谁。 7 所以，你如果在我面前下拜，这一切就都是你的了。”
8 耶稣回答说：“[h]经上记着：
‘要敬拜主——你的神，
唯独事奉他。’[i]”
9 魔鬼又带耶稣到耶路撒冷，让他站在圣殿的顶端，对他说：“你如果是神的儿子，就从这里跳下去吧！ 10 因为经上记着：
‘他会为你吩咐他的天使保护你；
11 他们会用手托住你，
免得你的脚撞在石头上。’[j]”
12 耶稣回答说：“经上说：‘不可试探主——你的神。’[k]”
13 魔鬼用尽种种试探以后，就暂时离开了耶稣。
在加利利的服事
14 耶稣带着圣灵的能力[l]回到加利利，他的消息传遍了周围所有的地区。 15 他在他们的会堂里教导人，受到所有人的赞扬。
在拿撒勒被拒绝
16 耶稣来到拿撒勒，就是他长大的地方。在安息日那天，他照自己的习惯进了会堂，站起来要诵读经文。 17 有人就把先知以赛亚的书递给他。他展开书卷，找到一处，那里写道：
20 然后耶稣把书卷好，还给会堂助理，坐了下来。会堂里，众人的眼睛都注视着他。 21 耶稣开始对他们说：“今天，在你们耳中的这段经文，已经应验了。”
22 大家都赞许他，对他口里所发出的恩典的话语感到惊奇，又说：“这不就是约瑟的儿子吗？”
23 耶稣对他们说：“你们一定会用这句谚语对我说：‘医生啊，使你自己痊愈吧！’，‘我们听见在迦百农所发生的事，你在你的家乡这里也应该做！’”
24 耶稣又说：“我确实地告诉你们：没有一位先知在自己的家乡是受欢迎的。 25 我真的告诉你们：在以利亚的那些日子里，天空闭塞了三年六个月，遍地有大饥荒，那时，在以色列有许多寡妇； 26 可是以利亚并没有被派遣到她们中的任何一个人那里，只被派遣到西顿的撒勒法一个寡妇那里。 27 还有，在先知以利沙的时代，在以色列有许多麻风病人；可是除了叙利亚人奈曼以外，没有一个人被洁净。”
28 会堂里的人听了这些话，都满腔怒火。 29 他们就起来把耶稣赶出城外，拉到山崖上，要把他推下去。他们的城是建在山上的。 30 但耶稣从他们中间穿过去，走开了。
驱赶鬼魔
31 耶稣下到加利利的一个城迦百农去，在安息日教导人。 32 众人对他的教导都惊叹不已，因为他的话具有权柄。 33 在会堂里，有一个被污秽的鬼魔之灵附身的人。他大声喊叫： 34 “别管我们！拿撒勒人耶稣，我们与你有什么关系？你来毁灭我们吗？我知道你是谁，你是神的那位圣者。”
35 耶稣斥责污灵说：“住口！从他身上出来！”
鬼魔把那个人摔倒在众人中间，就从他身上出来了，但没有伤害他。 36 大家都惊讶不已，彼此谈论说：“这是什么事呢？他带着权柄和能力命令那些污灵，它们就出来了！” 37 于是耶稣的名声传遍了那一带所有的地方。
在迦百农治病
38 耶稣起身离开会堂，进了西门的家。西门的岳母正发高烧，他们就为她求耶稣。 39 耶稣就站在她旁边，斥责那高烧，烧就退了。她立刻起来，服事他们。
40 日落的时候，众人把患有各种疾病的人都带到耶稣那里。他按手在他们每一个人身上，使他们痊愈。 41 也有鬼魔从许多人身上出来，喊叫说：“你是[q]神的儿子！”耶稣斥责它们，不让它们说话，因为它们知道他是基督。
在加利利传道
42 天亮的时候，耶稣出去，走到一个荒僻的地方。众人寻找他，来到他那里，想留住他，不让他离开。 43 但是耶稣对他们说：“我还必须到别的城去传神国的福音，因为我是为此奉差派的。” 44 于是耶稣继续在加利利[r]地区的各会堂里传道。
Footnotes
- 路加福音 4:2 结束的时候——有古抄本作“结束之后”。
- 路加福音 4:4 有古抄本附“而是靠神的每一句话”。
- 路加福音 4:4 《申命记》8:3。
- 路加福音 4:5 魔鬼——有古抄本作“他”。
- 路加福音 4:5 高处——辅助词语。
- 路加福音 4:5 魔鬼就把耶稣领上高处——有古抄本作“魔鬼就把他领到一座高山上”。
- 路加福音 4:6 对他说——有古抄本作“魔鬼对他说”。
- 路加福音 4:8 有古抄本附“撒旦，退到我后面去！”
- 路加福音 4:8 《申命记》6:13。
- 路加福音 4:11 《诗篇》91:11-12。
- 路加福音 4:12 《申命记》6:16。
- 路加福音 4:14 带着圣灵的能力——或译作“在圣灵的能力中”。
- 路加福音 4:18 有古抄本附“使那些心灵破碎的人得痊愈，”。
- 路加福音 4:18 释放——或译作“赦免”。
- 路加福音 4:19 主所悦纳的禧年——指“通过基督而来的恩典时期”。
- 路加福音 4:19 《以赛亚书》61:1-2。
- 路加福音 4:41 有古抄本附“基督——”
- 路加福音 4:44 加利利——有古抄本作“犹太”。
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Copyright © 2011 by Global Bible Initiative