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Chapter 4

The Temptation of Jesus.[a] (A)Filled with the holy Spirit,[b] Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,[c] to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry.(B) The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”(C) Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish.(D) All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written:

‘You shall worship the Lord, your God,
    and him alone shall you serve.’”(E)

[d]Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written:

‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    to guard you,’(F)

11 and:

‘With their hands they will support you,
    lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”(G)

12 Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’”(H) 13 [e]When the devil had finished every temptation,(I) he departed from him for a time.

IV. The Ministry in Galilee

The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry. 14 (J)Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread[f] throughout the whole region.(K) 15 He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

The Rejection at Nazareth.[g](L) 16 He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom[h] into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read 17 and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,[i]
    because he has anointed me
        to bring glad tidings to the poor.(M)
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,
19 and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

20 Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. 21 He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”[j] 22 And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”(N) 23 He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”[k] 24 And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 25 [l]Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land.(O) 26 [m]It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath(P) in the land of Sidon. 27 Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”(Q) 28 When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. 29 They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

The Cure of a Demoniac. 31 [n]Jesus then went down to Capernaum,(R) a town of Galilee.(S) He taught them on the sabbath, 32 and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority.(T) 33 In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,(U) and he cried out in a loud voice, 34 “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?[o] I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”(V) 35 Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. 36 They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 37 And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

The Cure of Simon’s Mother-in-Law. 38 (W)After he left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.[p] Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. 39 He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them.

Other Healings.(X) 40 At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. 41 [q]And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”(Y) But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Messiah.

Jesus Leaves Capernaum.(Z) 42 [r]At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. 43 But he said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.”(AA) 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.[s]

Footnotes

  1. 4:1–13 See note on Mt 4:1–11.
  2. 4:1 Filled with the holy Spirit: as a result of the descent of the Spirit upon him at his baptism (Lk 3:21–22), Jesus is now equipped to overcome the devil. Just as the Spirit is prominent at this early stage of Jesus’ ministry (Lk 4:1, 14, 18), so too it will be at the beginning of the period of the church in Acts (Acts 1:4; 2:4, 17).
  3. 4:2 For forty days: the mention of forty days recalls the forty years of the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites during the Exodus (Dt 8:2).
  4. 4:9 To Jerusalem: the Lucan order of the temptations concludes on the parapet of the temple in Jerusalem, the city of destiny in Luke-Acts. It is in Jerusalem that Jesus will ultimately face his destiny (Lk 9:51; 13:33).
  5. 4:13 For a time: the devil’s opportune time will occur before the passion and death of Jesus (Lk 22:3, 31–32, 53).
  6. 4:14 News of him spread: a Lucan theme; see Lk 4:37; 5:15; 7:17.
  7. 4:16–30 Luke has transposed to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry an incident from his Marcan source, which situated it near the end of the Galilean ministry (Mk 6:1–6a). In doing so, Luke turns the initial admiration (Lk 4:22) and subsequent rejection of Jesus (Lk 4:28–29) into a foreshadowing of the whole future ministry of Jesus. Moreover, the rejection of Jesus in his own hometown hints at the greater rejection of him by Israel (Acts 13:46).
  8. 4:16 According to his custom: Jesus’ practice of regularly attending synagogue is carried on by the early Christians’ practice of meeting in the temple (Acts 2:46; 3:1; 5:12).
  9. 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me: see note on Lk 3:21–22. As this incident develops, Jesus is portrayed as a prophet whose ministry is compared to that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Prophetic anointings are known in first-century Palestinian Judaism from the Qumran literature that speaks of prophets as God’s anointed ones. To bring glad tidings to the poor: more than any other gospel writer Luke is concerned with Jesus’ attitude toward the economically and socially poor (see Lk 6:20, 24; 12:16–21; 14:12–14; 16:19–26; 19:8). At times, the poor in Luke’s gospel are associated with the downtrodden, the oppressed and afflicted, the forgotten and the neglected (Lk 4:18; 6:20–22; 7:22; 14:12–14), and it is they who accept Jesus’ message of salvation.
  10. 4:21 Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing: this sermon inaugurates the time of fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Luke presents the ministry of Jesus as fulfilling Old Testament hopes and expectations (Lk 7:22); for Luke, even Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection are done in fulfillment of the scriptures (Lk 24:25–27, 44–46; Acts 3:18).
  11. 4:23 The things that we heard were done in Capernaum: Luke’s source for this incident reveals an awareness of an earlier ministry of Jesus in Capernaum that Luke has not yet made use of because of his transposition of this Nazareth episode to the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. It is possible that by use of the future tense you will quote me…, Jesus is being portrayed as a prophet.
  12. 4:25–26 The references to Elijah and Elisha serve several purposes in this episode: they emphasize Luke’s portrait of Jesus as a prophet like Elijah and Elisha; they help to explain why the initial admiration of the people turns to rejection; and they provide the scriptural justification for the future Christian mission to the Gentiles.
  13. 4:26 A widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon: like Naaman the Syrian in Lk 4:27, a non-Israelite becomes the object of the prophet’s ministry.
  14. 4:31–44 The next several incidents in Jesus’ ministry take place in Capernaum and are based on Luke’s source, Mk 1:21–39. To the previous portrait of Jesus as prophet (Lk 4:16–30) they now add a presentation of him as teacher (Lk 4:31–32), exorcist (Lk 4:32–37, 41), healer (Lk 4:38–40), and proclaimer of God’s kingdom (Lk 4:43).
  15. 4:34 What have you to do with us?: see note on Jn 2:4. Have you come to destroy us?: the question reflects the current belief that before the day of the Lord control over humanity would be wrested from the evil spirits, evil destroyed, and God’s authority over humanity reestablished. The synoptic gospel tradition presents Jesus carrying out this task.
  16. 4:38 The house of Simon: because of Luke’s arrangement of material, the reader has not yet been introduced to Simon (cf. Mk 1:16–18, 29–31). Situated as it is before the call of Simon (Lk 5:1–11), it helps the reader to understand Simon’s eagerness to do what Jesus says (Lk 5:5) and to follow him (Lk 5:11).
  17. 4:41 They knew that he was the Messiah: that is, the Christ (see note on Lk 2:11).
  18. 4:42 They tried to prevent him from leaving them: the reaction of these strangers in Capernaum is presented in contrast to the reactions of those in his hometown who rejected him (Lk 4:28–30).
  19. 4:44 In the synagogues of Judea: instead of Judea, which is the best reading of the manuscript tradition, the Byzantine text tradition and other manuscripts read “Galilee,” a reading that harmonizes Luke with Mt 4:23 and Mk 1:39. Up to this point Luke has spoken only of a ministry of Jesus in Galilee. Luke may be using Judea to refer to the land of Israel, the territory of the Jews, and not to a specific portion of it.

The Temptation of Jesus

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

Then the devil[a] led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil[b] said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.’”

Then the devil[c] took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    to protect you,’

11 and

‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry

14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

16 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 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 bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers[d] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

The Man with an Unclean Spirit

31 He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. 32 They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Let us alone! 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.” 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. 36 They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, “What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!” 37 And a report about him began to reach every place in the region.

Healings at Simon’s House

38 After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. 39 Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.

40 As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. 41 Demons also came out of many, 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 Messiah.[e]

Jesus Preaches in the Synagogues

42 At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. 43 But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.[f]

Footnotes

  1. Luke 4:5 Gk he
  2. Luke 4:6 Gk he
  3. Luke 4:9 Gk he
  4. Luke 4:27 The terms leper and leprosy can refer to several diseases
  5. Luke 4:41 Or the Christ
  6. Luke 4:44 Other ancient authorities read Galilee

The Temptation of Jesus

(A)And Jesus, (B)full of the Holy Spirit, (C)returned from the Jordan and was led (D)by the Spirit in the wilderness for (E)forty days, (F)being tempted by the devil. (G)And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, (H)he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are (I)the Son of God, command (J)this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, (K)“It is written, (L)‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” (M)And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you (N)I will give all this authority and their glory, (O)for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, (P)“It is written,

(Q)“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
    and (R)him only shall you serve.’”

(S)And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are (T)the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,

(U)“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    to guard you,’

11 and

(V)“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, (W)‘You shall not (X)put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him (Y)until an opportune time.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

14 (Z)And Jesus returned (AA)in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and (AB)a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And (AC)he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

16 (AD)And he came to (AE)Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And (AF)as was his custom, (AG)he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up (AH)to read. 17 And (AI)the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18 (AJ)“The Spirit of the Lord (AK)is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to (AL)proclaim good news to the poor.
(AM)He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and (AN)recovering of sight to the blind,
    (AO)to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 (AP)to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and (AQ)sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were (AR)fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today (AS)this Scripture (AT)has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at (AU)the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, (AV)“Is not this (AW)Joseph's son?” 23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, (AX)‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did (AY)at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, (AZ)no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when (BA)the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them (BB)but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And (BC)there were many lepers[a] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, (BD)but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and (BE)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. 30 But (BF)passing through their midst, he went away.

Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Demon

31 (BG)And he (BH)went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And (BI)he was teaching them (BJ)on the Sabbath, 32 and (BK)they were astonished at his teaching, (BL)for his word possessed authority. 33 And (BM)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![b] (BN)What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? (BO)I know who you are—(BP)the Holy One of God.” 35 But Jesus (BQ)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. 36 And (BR)they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? (BS)For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And (BT)reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

Jesus Heals Many

38 (BU)And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now (BV)Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39 And he stood over her and (BW)rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.

40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and (BX)he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 (BY)And demons also came out of many, (BZ)crying, “You are (CA)the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and (CB)would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was (CC)the Christ.

Jesus Preaches in Synagogues

42 (CD)And when it was day, he departed and went (CE)into a desolate place. And (CF)the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43 but he said to them, (CG)“I must (CH)preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching (CI)in the synagogues of Judea.[c]

Footnotes

  1. Luke 4:27 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
  2. Luke 4:34 Or Leave us alone
  3. Luke 4:44 Some manuscripts Galilee

The Temptation of Jesus

(A)Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, (B)returned from the Jordan and was led around [a]by the Spirit in the wilderness for (C)forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘(D)Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

(E)And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of [b](F)the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and [c]its glory, (G)for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I want. Therefore if You [d]worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Jesus replied to him, “It is written: ‘(H)You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

(I)And he brought Him into Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written:

(J)He will give His angels orders concerning You, to protect You,’

11 and,

(K)On their hands they will lift You up,
So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been stated, ‘(L)You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 And so when the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Jesus’ Public Ministry

14 And (M)Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and (N)news about Him spread through all the surrounding region. 15 And He began (O)teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

16 And He came to (P)Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, (Q)He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and (R)stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 (S)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,
19 (T)To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

20 And He (U)rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and (V)sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. 21 Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your [e]hearing.” 22 And all the people were [f]speaking well of Him, and admiring the [g]gracious words which were coming from His [h]lips; and yet they were saying, “(W)Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 And He said to them, “No doubt you will [i]quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done (X)in Capernaum, do here in (Y)your hometown as well.’” 24 But He said, “Truly I say to you, (Z)no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel (AA)in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a [j]severe famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to [k](AB)Zarephath, in the land of (AC)Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was [l]cleansed, but only (AD)Naaman the Syrian.” 28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and (AE)drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the [m]crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. 30 But He (AF)passed through their midst and went on His way.

31 And (AG)He came down to (AH)Capernaum, a city of Galilee; and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32 and (AI)they were amazed at His teaching, because (AJ)His [n]message was delivered with authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man [o]possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Leave us alone! [p](AK)What business do You have with us, Jesus [q]of (AL)Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—(AM)the Holy One of God!” 35 But Jesus (AN)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. 36 And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another, saying, “What is [r]this message? For (AO)with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And (AP)the news about Him was spreading into every locality of the surrounding region.

Many Are Healed

38 (AQ)Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was (AR)suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him [s]to help her. 39 And standing over her, He (AS)rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and served them.

40 (AT)Now while (AU)the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He was (AV)laying His hands on each one of them and (AW)healing them. 41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are (AX)the Son of God!” And yet He was (AY)rebuking them and would (AZ)not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the [t]Christ.

42 (BA)Now when day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and they came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them. 43 But He said to them, “I must also preach the kingdom of God to the other cities, (BB)because I was sent for this purpose.”

44 So He kept on preaching in the synagogues (BC)of [u]Judea.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 4:1 Or under the influence of; lit in
  2. Luke 4:5 Lit the inhabited earth
  3. Luke 4:6 Lit their (referring to the kingdoms in v 5)
  4. Luke 4:7 Or bow down before
  5. Luke 4:21 Lit ears
  6. Luke 4:22 Or testifying
  7. Luke 4:22 Lit words of grace
  8. Luke 4:22 Lit mouth
  9. Luke 4:23 Lit tell me this
  10. Luke 4:25 Lit great
  11. Luke 4:26 Gr Sarepta
  12. Luke 4:27 I.e., healed
  13. Luke 4:29 Lit brow
  14. Luke 4:32 Lit word
  15. Luke 4:33 Lit having a spirit
  16. Luke 4:34 Lit What to us and to you (an ancient idiom)
  17. Luke 4:34 Lit the Nazarene
  18. Luke 4:36 Or this word, that with authority...come out?
  19. Luke 4:38 Lit about her
  20. Luke 4:41 I.e., Messiah
  21. Luke 4:44 I.e., the country of the Jews (including Galilee)

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness(A)

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,(B) left the Jordan(C) and was led by the Spirit(D) into the wilderness, where for forty days(E) he was tempted[a] by the devil.(F) He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God,(G) tell this stone to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’[b](H)

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.(I) And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me,(J) and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[c](K)

The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[d](L)

12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[e](M)

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting,(N) he left him(O) until an opportune time.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

14 Jesus returned to Galilee(P) in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.(Q) 15 He was teaching in their synagogues,(R) and everyone praised him.

16 He went to Nazareth,(S) where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue,(T) as was his custom. He stood up to read,(U) 17 and 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,(V)
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news(W) 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.”[f](X)

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.(Y) The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled(Z) in your hearing.”

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.(AA)

23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown(AB) what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”(AC)

24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.(AD) 25 I 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.(AE) 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.(AF) 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy[g] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”(AG)

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town,(AH) and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.(AI)

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit(AJ)

31 Then he went down to Capernaum,(AK) a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching,(AL) because his words had authority.(AM)

33 In 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,(AN) Jesus of Nazareth?(AO) Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are(AP)—the Holy One of God!”(AQ)

35 “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly.(AR) “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

36 All the people were amazed(AS) and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority(AT) and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.(AU)

Jesus Heals Many(AV)(AW)

38 Jesus 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. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked(AX) the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one,(AY) he healed them.(AZ) 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!”(BA) But he rebuked(BB) them and would not allow them to speak,(BC) because they knew he was the Messiah.

42 At 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. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God(BD) to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.(BE)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 4:2 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested.
  2. Luke 4:4 Deut. 8:3
  3. Luke 4:8 Deut. 6:13
  4. Luke 4:11 Psalm 91:11,12
  5. Luke 4:12 Deut. 6:16
  6. Luke 4:19 Isaiah 61:1,2 (see Septuagint); Isaiah 58:6
  7. Luke 4:27 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.