Luke 4
OGC**Butler’s Comments
Chapter Four
(Luke 4:1-44)**
TESTING THE SON OF MAN
IDEAS TO INVESTIGATE:
What was the point in Jesus going forty days and nights without food (Luke 4:1-2)?
Since Jesus was Divine, perhaps temptation was not really a problem for Him (Luke 4:1-13)?
Isn-’t it too simplistic to deal with temptation by only quoting scripture (Luke 4:1-13)?
Why did the people of Nazareth become enraged enough to kill Jesus over a couple of stories about old prophets (Luke 4:16-30)?
How did Jesus get away from this enraged mob (Luke 4:30)?
Isn-’t it possible that demon possession was just mental illness (Luke 4:31-43)?
Why didn-’t Jesus let the demons continue to say who He was (Luke 4:41)?
**Applebury’s Comments
CHAPTER FOUR
Outline**
A.
Luke told about Christ’s victory over the devil’s temptations (Luke 4:1-13).
The circumstances under which the temptations were presented (Luke 4:1-2).
a)
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan. He had just been baptized; the Spirit had descended upon Him; and God had said, This is my Son.
b)
He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness during forty days.
c)
He was tempted by the devil.
d)
He ate nothing during the forty days and was hungry at the end of the period.
The three temptations (Luke 4:3-12).
a)
The temptation to change the stone into bread (Luke 4:3-4).
(1)
The devil’s challenge: If you are the Son of God.
(2)
The devil’s proposition: Command the stone to become bread.
(3)
Jesus-’ answer based on what is written in the Word of God, Man shall not live by bread alone.
b)
The temptation to worship the devil (Luke 4:5-8).
(1)
The devil’s offer: He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and offered their authority and glory to Him.
(2)
The devil’s terms: If thou wilt worship before me, it shall all be thine.
(3)
Jesus-’ answer: It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.
c)
The temptation to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple (Luke 4:9-12).
(1)
The devil’s challenge: If you are the son of God.
(a)
The devil had led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.
(b)
The devil quoted from the Psalms about the care exercised by the angels (Psalms 91:11-12).
(2)
The devil’s proposition: Cast yourself down.
(3)
Jesus-’ answer: It is said, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God.
The devil’s activity after Jesus-’ victory over him ((Luke 4:13).
a)
He had completed every temptation.
b)
He departed from Jesus for a season.
B.
Luke told about the beginning of Jesus ministry in Galilee (Luke 4:14-30).
A general statement about the Galilean ministry (Luke 4:14-15).
a)
He returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.
b)
His fame spread throughout the whole region.
c)
He taught in the synagogues and was glorified by all.
The rejection at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30).
a)
Jesus went to the synagogue at Nazareth ((Luke 4:16).
(1)
He had been reared at Nazareth.
(2)
His custom was to go to the synagogue on the sabbath.
(3)
He stood up and read from the book of Isaiah.
b)
It was the passage that told about His ministry (Luke 4:17-19).
(1)
The Spirit of the Lord was upon Him.
(2)
The Lord had anointed Him to preach good tidings to the poor.
(3)
He had sent Him to:
(a)
Proclaim release to the captives.
(b)
Recovering of sight to the blind.
(c)
Set at liberty them that are bruised.
(d)
Proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
c) He explained that the prophecy was fulfilled that day in their hearing (Luke 4:20-21).
d)
He answered their objections (Luke 4:22-27).
(1)
They wondered at His words and asked, Is not this Joseph’s son?
(2)
His answer:
(a)
Physician, heal thyselfreferring to what had been done in Capernaum.
(b)
No prophet is acceptable in His own country.
i)
He reminded them of Elijah and the widow at Zarephath.
ii)
He reminded them of Elisha and the healing of Naaman the Syrian.
e)
He escaped from the mob that tried to kill Him (Luke 4:28-30).
(1)
They were filled with anger at His words.
(2)
They led Him to the brow of the hill, intending to cast Him down to His death.
(3)
Luke says, But he passing through the midst of them went his way.
C.
Luke told about His ministry in Capernaum and other parts of Galilee (Luke 4:31-44).
A general statement about Jesus going down to Capernaum (Luke 4:31-32).
a)
Capernaum was a city of Galilee.
b)
Jesus taught the people on the sabbath day.
c)
They were astonished at the authority with which He taught them.
Healing the man with the spirit of an unclean demon (Luke 4:33-37).
a)
The demon possessed man said:
(1)
What have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene?
(2)
Are you come to destroy us?
(3)
I know who you are, the Holy One of God.
b)
Jesus commanded the demon to come out of him.
c)
People were amazed at what happened, and the report of Jesus-’ work spread to all the region.
The healing of Simon’s mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39).
The healing of many sick and demon possessed people as the sun was setting at the close of the sabbath day (Luke 4:40-41).
The plea of the people for Him to remain with them (Luke 4:42-44).
a)
Jesus had gone to a desert place; the crowds came and asked Him to remain with them.
b)
He explained that He had been sent to preach good tidings of the kingdom of God to other cities also.
c)
He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
Summary
The chapter begins with the account of the complete victory of Jesus over the devil. With it, Luke completes the first part of his Life of Christ. In it he gives sufficient evidence to prove that Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man. Not even the devil with his three-fold temptation could destroy this evidence. The temptations presented a choice between God’s instructions and the propositions of the devil. Jesus could have turned the stone into bread, but without hesitation He said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone. When the devil had completed every temptation, he left Jesus for a season. But it is quite evident that he returned many times during Jesus-’ ministry to renew his efforts to defeat Him. One such instance may be seen in the effort of the people to make Him king after the feeding of the five thousand. God had led Jesus through the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted. Then Jesus returned to Nazareth to begin His public ministry in the little village where He grew up. He came with power performing miracles through the Holy Spirit to prove that His message came from God. In the synagogue at Nazareth, He read from the prophet Isaiah the passage that outlined the ministry He was to undertake. When He finished reading, He said to the people, Today this Scripture is fulfilled before you. But they said, This is Joseph’s son, for they didn-’t know the facts in the case. It was for people like them that Luke made a careful research of the facts and reported them to Theophilus that no one may ever need to fall into that error again. The irate people of Nazareth would not let this One, whom they had known since He was a boy, compare them unfavorably with Gentiles. They took Him to the cliff at the edge of the city to hurl Him down to His death. But He walked through that mob as one would swim through a turbulent stream and went on His way. Jesus went down to Capernaum which became the center of His activity for the greater part of His ministry. There He taught the people. They were astonished at the authority of His words. There He healed a demon possessed man. The report of His work spread throughout the whole district, He healed Peter’s wife’s mother. The people brought their demon possessed and sick to Him and He healed them all. He withdrew to a lonely place, but the crowds followed and begged Him to stay with them. But He said, I must preach good tidings of the kingdom of God to other cities also, for it was for that purpose that I was sent. He continued preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
Questions
What is meant by full of the Holy Spirit when it refers to John? to Jesus?
What is meant by led in the Spirit?
What is temptation?
What is the difference between temptation and sin?
What did Jesus say about the longing desire for the thing God has forbidden?
Why was changing a stone into bread a temptation to Jesus?
Why did the devil say, If you are the Son of God?
What proof is given to show that Jesus overcame temptations as a man?
What did He use to defeat the devil?
How is the Christian equipped to defeat the devil?
Were other temptations presented to Jesus later?
What does John say about all that is in the world?
What are the three temptations in the wilderness?
What does Matthew say about the ministry of angels after the temptation of Jesus?
What is the significance of the fact that the temptation followed immediately after the baptism of Jesus?
What is the significance of the evidence presented in the first section of Luke’s Gospel?
What is meant by in the power of the Spirit as it relates to Jesus-’ ministry?
What does Luke say about the fame of Jesus at this point?
Why did Jesus and the apostles preach in the synagogues?
What was the order of service in the synagogue?
Why did He read from Isaiah?
What was the response of the people to His reading? to His explanation?
Why did they say, This is Joseph’s son?
Why did they try to kill Him?
How did He escape from the violence of the mob?
What place did Capernaum have in the ministry of Jesus?
What was the response of the people of Capernaum?
What is a demon?
What distinction does Luke show between the technique used by Jesus in casting out a demon and in healing a sick person?
What forms did demon possession take?
Is there demon possession today?
Why is there no record of a demon possessed person confessing that Jesus is the Christ?
What was the response of the people to the reports of His healing ministry?
Why did Jesus withdraw to a lonely place?
What did He say when the people begged Him to stay with them?
**Butler’s Comments
SECTION 1
Victory of the Son of Man over Temptation (Luke 4:1-13)**
4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit 2for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. 3The devil said to him, If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. 4And Jesus answered him, It is written, -Man shall not live by bread alone.-’ 5And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6and said to him, To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours. 8And Jesus answered him, It is written, -You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.-'
9And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; 10for it is written,
-He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,-'
11and
-On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone,-'
12And Jesus answered him, It is said, -You shall not tempt the Lord your God.-’ 13And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
**Luke 4:1-8 Over Appetite and Ambition: **The Son of Man came to defeat the devil. He came to do so in a fleshly body, subject to the tests and trials all men know. He not only defeated the devil in the flesh, He also established forever the strategy that will enable mankind to defeat the devil. First, one must realize the devil is a real being. The devil is not a creation of man’s imagination. We must trust only what the Bible says about the devil, To trust any other data about him is to risk being deceived by the very one we are trying to escape:
a.
He fell from heaven (Luke 10:18).
b.
He pretends to rule the world (2 Corinthians 4:4).
c.
He rules a kingdom of rebellious demons (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6).
d.
He is called tempter, adversary, accuser.
e.
He may fashion himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
f.
He is able to work lying signs and wonders through human helpers (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:13-14).
g.
He is bound to some limitations by God and Christ (Job 1:12; Job 2:6; Matthew 12:29).
h.
He is feared by angels of God (Jude 1:6).
i.
He seeks to destroy the church of Christ (Revelation 12:13-17).
j.
Pride was his snare (1 Timothy 3:6).
k.
He is the father of liars and murderers (John 8:44).
l.
He prowls around like a roaring lion seeking those who will stray so that he may devour them (1 Peter 5:8).
This is some of the biblical data which keeps us from being ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). Here in the temptations of Jesus we have an exposé of the devil’s basic strategems. There are three fundamental vulnerabilities of man which Satan attacks. Man was created by God to have these vulnerabilities, If man had no vulnerability between right and wrong, he could not believe, love, enjoy or be in the image of his Creator, The first of these is human appetite. All men need food, clothing, shelter, sex, rest, work, life and health. Satan takes advantage of these needs and tries to get men to make these human needs first in priority.
Jesus had a human body. His body needed food. He had fasted for forty days and nights. Fasting was not dietingit was for the specific purpose of clearing the mind and concentrating it wholly on spiritual matters. Jesus had His priorities right. Food was secondary to His communion with the Father. But the devil attacked the physical part of Him which undoubtedly cried out for satisfaction after forty days of deprivation. But Jesus trusted in the Father’s word: Man shall not live by bread alone. In other words, a man’s life does not consist in the things he possesses (cf. Luke 12:15). There is a food which perishes (cf. John 6:27); those who trust God are to labor for the food which does not perish. Jesus was tempted to distrust the Father’s promise to provide everything necessary. Jesus had the power to provide for Himself. Why didn-’t He? Had He done so He would have provided no way for victory for uswe do not have such power. We may think we do, but we don-’t. We must trust God. It is through trust in His very great promises that we escape the corruption in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). There is no other escape than to trust God’s Word; which means to put itto practice in our daily living. Temptations must come (Matthew 18:7; Luke 17:1); they come through man’s own desires (James 1:14); God will not allow any man to be tested beyond his strength to overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13); God provides the way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Peter 2:9); self-control helps guard against temptation (1 Corinthians 7:5) and so does prayer (Matthew 6:13; Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; Luke 11:4; Luke 22:40; Luke 22:46). Remember, the next time you are tempted to satisfy a God-given physical appetite above and beyond the guidelines of the Scriptures that you do not have to. God’s Word has given man principles and precepts within which he may satisfy his physical nature to its greatest potential and most profitable use. The body is a means to an end. Man should use it to glorify God for in glorifying God man lives! Jesus proved the flesh did not have to have first priority! Jesus proved there was something higher. Jesus proved that by trusting God’s Word, the flesh need not be vulnerable to Satan’s attempts to control it. The life of the Christian does not consist in making provisions to gratify the desires of the flesh (Romans 13:14).
The next attack of the devil was upon ambition or the vulnerability of the human ego. Now human ego is God-given but it is intended to be held in check. Man needs an ego to give the initiative, creativity, correct amounts of ambition and the drive to find satisfaction in a job well done. Without the drive to do and be man would be a listless, lethargic driftertotally passive. The crucial issue is whether man will surrender that God-given ego or ambition to divinely revealed goals. God has a purpose for all the drives and aspirations of the human ego. That purpose is to aspire to goodness, righteousness, truth, faithfulness and love. God’s great ambition for all men is that they be conformed to the image of His Son (cf. Romans 8:28-30; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:8-16). He wants us to have the drive and ambition to seek after that. But the devil will attack us at this point and try to convince us that our ambitions should be for ourselves and not for God. The devil will tempt us with human fame and human power to get us to direct our loyalty toward him and away from God. The devil will try to convince us that we can be kings of certain areas or portions of that which God created. He tempts us into believing that we can actually usurp God’s sovereignty in some areas where we seem to have special expertise or charisma. What the devil really means is that he will help us deceive ourselves that we can be kings if we will follow his way and do obeisance to him. Of course, it was a great temptation to Jesus. He knew He was a king, but He knew most of His subjects would not acknowledge His kingship because they were looking for a king of power, fame and political-mindedness. The devil was tempting Jesus to establish God’s kingdom on the same basis as worldly kingdoms. The enticement was to conduct God’s business like the world conducts its business. This is still a strong temptation for leaders in the church today. The way of God’s kingdom is servanthood, suffering and persuasionnot in being served in ease and comfort and worldly fame. Once again, Jesus overcame the temptation by trusting in God’s Word. The greatest of all must be servant of all. If we are faithful and suffer with Him, we shall reign with Him. For the glory that was set before Him, Jesus endured defamation, persecutions, misunderstanding and the cross. There is nothing physical, incomprehensible, emotional, esoteric or impossible in Jesus-’ parry of the devil’s thrust. He simply said, It is written.. Only total commitment to God’s Word will furnish the power to survive the deceitful power of the devil.
**Luke 4:9-13 Over Audacity: **The devil’s final attack was upon the tendency of man to be audacious. Audacity is a daring that shows contempt for restraints of common sense and law; it is effrontery. It is the tendency to be proud and arrogant. The devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and dared Him to throw Himself down. The devil even quoted Scripture to Jesus (see Psalms 91:11). Satan is urging Jesus to do what seems to be the quickest, most spectacular way to accomplish His purpose. Jesus wants to be recognized as the Messiah. Jewish tradition said the Messiah would come suddenly in a spectacular way, to the temple. This would seem to be a plausible (at least spectacular) way to get the attention of the masses. Furthermore, says the devil, God’s word says, … He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone (Psalms 91:11-12). But Satan misquoted Scripture by omitting one very important phrase, … to keep thee in all thy ways. Jesus-’ way was God’s way. To have done what Satan suggested would have put Him out of the Messiah’S way into the devil’s way. The Messiah’s way was the humble, serving, slow, painstaking way. For Jesus to have cast Himself down from the temple would have been to show contempt for the will of God concerning His mission. This was the old end justifies the means temptation. To do as Satan suggested would have been to audaciously go beyond the guidelines of God’s way and put Him on trial. The way of the Messiah was to be suffering (Isaiah 53:1-12).
Human beings are still vulnerable to such a suggestion by the devil today. Man is constantly enticed with the idea that he can fulfill God’s purpose in his life by doing it his own way. Men still do not want the humble, serving, painstakingly slow way of God. Jesus warned that His kingdom must be built slowly and gradually like the planting of a seed and bringing it painstakingly to fruition first through the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear (Mark 4:28). The devil tempted Jesus to audaciously circumvent the way of the Cross and take matters into His own hands and gain His following by the quick, spectacular, showy way. Followers of Christ are vulnerable to the same temptation. The only defense against it is to know what God has revealed about His way, trust God that His way is the only way to life, and walk in it. To walk any other way is to go beyond the patience of God. Luke quotes Jesus-’ reply to the devil and uses the Greek word ekpeiraseis which literally means, overtempt. This is the same Greek word used in the Septuagint version of Deu 6:16. God wants us to trust His goodness, but He does not want us to overtempt Him and go beyond His goodness. God’s patience is not inexhaustible (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:6-13; Hebrews 3:7-19, etc.). Because God is patient and long-suffering, not wishing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), man grows audacious and arrogant. Jesus, in the flesh, tempted strongly to dare God’s way, resisted. We can resist that temptation too!
Jesus-’ temptations were strong. They were stronger than any other human will know. A shrewd man once said: The man who has no problems with temptations is the man who always yields! Temptation in the Lord’s case was strengthened from the very fact that He possessed the supernatural powers the devil tried to get Him to misuse. Having failed to seduce Jesus into sinning against God, the devil left Him. Luke notes that the devil’s intention was to resume his attack. The Greek word kairou means literally season but is translated in the RSV, an opportune time. In season means opportune time. Jesus was constantly tempted throughout His human existence. One of the most crucial hours of temptation came in the Garden of Gethsemane (cf. Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:35; Luke 22:41). His own disciples became channels through which the devil tempted Him (cf. Matthew 16:23).
The devil is malicious, hateful, evil and murderous. He will use our emotions, our physical nature, our friends, even our sub-consciousness to tempt us to disobey or distrust God. The only protection we have is to deeply engrave the word of God on our thresholds (our conscious minds), so that he cannot slip inside our houses (our hearts, our subconscious minds) and rob us of our souls.
Luke 4:1-13
Applebury’s Comments
Victory of Jesus Over Temptation Scripture
Luke 4:1-13 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led in the Spirit in the wilderness 2 during forty days, being tempted of the devil. And he did eat nothing in those days: and when they were completed, he hungered. 3 And the devil said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command this stone that it become bread. 4 And Jesus answered unto him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, 5 And he led him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, To thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship before me, it shall all be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9 And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 for it is written,
He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard thee:
11
and,
On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12
And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God.
13 And when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him for a season.
*Comments
full of the Holy Spirit.*John was also said to be full of the Holy Spirit, meaning dedication to the service of the Lord. See Luke 1:15. It probably means the same when referring to Jesus, for He was also dedicated to His Father’s business. John as a prophet was also inspired by the Holy Spirit (John 3:34). Jesus was the Prophet; what He said and did were by the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:2; Matthew 12:28.
*led in the Spirit.*God through the Holy Spirit led Him from the baptism where He acknowledged Him as Son to the wilderness where the devil tempted Him because He was also Son of Man.
*tempted of the devil.*He was tempted by the devil. Temptation is a trial that presents an opportunity to choose between good and evil, between God and the devil. Man was tempted in the Garden because God said he was not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but the devil said that it was good and would make man wise. To do what the devil says is to break the law of God, and that is sin. The temptation in itself is not sin; it is the submission to the devil’s proposition that is sin. The submission need not go as far as the actual committing of the act; the longing desire for the evil thing is also sin. James says, Each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lustlonging desire for eviland enticed. James 1:14. Jesus said the same thing. Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28).
When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He did not hesitate one fleeting moment to reject the evil suggestion.
*he hungered.*He had been without food for forty days; He was really hungry; thought of food presented a challenge. The devil wouldn-’t try to tempt a man with the thought of food just after he had eaten. He always strikes at the weakest place. Judas-’ love for money made the thought of thirty pieces of silver a real temptation and it became his downfall.
Paul said, Let him who thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). Remember that Peter denied His Lord in a few short hours after boasting that he would be true even if all the other disciples should fail.
*If you are the Son of God.*Jesus was tempted as man; He could not be tempted as God, for God cannot be tempted of evil (James 1:13). He also met temptation as man and overcame it as a man. He said, Man shall not live by bread alone, quoting what God had caused to be written for man’s direction (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Why then did the devil say, If you are the Son of God? He knew He was; God had just acknowledged Him from heaven saying, You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased. The devil’s proposition to change a stone into bread that a hungry man might eat was real because as Son of God He could have done it. Otherwise there would have been no temptation at all. Then why didn-’t He do it? Because it would have violated what God had said, and that would have been sin!
The writer of Hebrews says that He was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15. Then let no one when he is tempted say that he must submit because he is just human; rather, let him use the same weapon that Jesus used, the Word of God, and with it overcome the devil.
*command this stone that it become bread.*The devil presented three temptations in the Garden: (1) The tree was good for food; (2) it was a delight to the eyes; (3) it was to be desired to make one wise, like God. The same three temptations are seen in the propositions which the devil presented to Jesus: (1) food; (2) the sight of the worlds with their glory and authority; (3) be like God and defy God’s law for man. John mentions the same three issues when he writes about all that is in the world of sin: (1) the lust of the flesh; (2) the lust of the eyes; (3) and the vainglory of lifeman’s reckless disregard for God. See 1 John 2:15-16.
The devil’s ability to tempt man is limited. Man’s ability to withstand temptation depends on doing what God had commanded (1 Corinthians 10:13). The victory of Jesus proves it, Paul said to put on the whole armor of God in order to withstand the devil. Take the shield of faith, for with it you can quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. Ephesians 6:10-18.
*To thee I will give all this authority.*The devil said it had been given to him to give to whomsoever he would. But he lied in the Garden, and Jesus said he is a liar and the father of liars (John 8:44). Why should anyone believe him? Jesus certainly didn-’t for He answered, It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.
*the pinnacle of the temple.*Some high point on the temple in Jerusalem. The devil suggested that Jesus use His divine power for self-glory and disregard God’s law for man. He even attempted to use Scripture to support his evil suggestion. He seems to say, Just jump off; you won-’t fall. God will take care of you. How many foolish things men have attempted to do because they have not considered all that God has said! But Jesus was not caught unawares, for He knew the whole Word of God. He said, It is written, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God.
*when the devil had completed every temptation.*This may refer to the three temptations which he had just presented to Jesus, or it may mean that every temptation of the devil can be put into these three categories.
*he departed from him for a season.*The devil had been defeated in in each attempt to lead Jesus to sin. He left Him for a season, but returned again and again in many situations that presented temptations.
Matthew says that when the devil left Jesus, angels came and ministered unto him (Matthew 4:11).
The Beginning of Jesus-’ Ministry in Galilee
Luke 4:14-30
**Butler’s Comments
SECTION 2
Visitation of the Son of Man in Time (Luke 4:14-30)**
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; 17and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
20And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. 22And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? 23And he said to them, Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, -Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own country.-’ 24And he said, Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. 25But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; 26and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow, 27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian. 28When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. 30But passing through the midst of them he went away.
Luke 4:14-20 Text: The victory Jesus won over the flesh and the devil gave Him great spiritual power. He left Judea and returned to Galilee where He went from village to village teaching in the synagogues. His wisdom and holiness were recognized by all who heard and observed Him and He became increasingly famous throughout Galilee. His name was on the lips of people wherever they gathered.
The Jewish Synagogue probably originated during the Babylonian Exile (606-536 B.C.). It was never really intended as a substitute for their Temple, but it did provide every Jewish community in exile a place to meet, hear their scriptures read, and pray. The Synagogue remains today as the strongest factor in the preservation of Jewish culture and religion. Synagogues could be found in Jesus-’ day in every city of the world where there were enough Jews to support them. The chief purpose of the synagogue was not public worship but instruction in the scriptures and the regulation of Jewish social and civil life (insofar as the country in which they lived might allow civil control by the synagogue). In Jesus-’ day the Temple in Jerusalem was the chief place of worship. The Pharisees and the Scribes controlled the synagogues in the first century A.D. Each synagogue was ruled by the elders of the community but they usually appointed a president or chief ruler in each one who was responsible for its properties and services, and presided at its meetings. A minister or attendant was also appointed to carry out the rulings of the president and acted as his subordinate. The attendant handled the scrolls, instructed the children, administered the scourgings, sounded the trumpet on Sabbath, etc.
Services were held every Sabbath. The congregation filed in and the men seated themselves on one side of the building while the women took seats on the other side. Prominent members of the community, especially the elders, took seats at the front of the building facing the audience. Jesus characterized the Pharisees as hypocrites who competed with one another for the best seats in the synagogues in order to be seen of men (Matthew 23:6). The best historical information available indicates the synagogue service probably went as follows:
a.
Service began with a congregational recitation of the Shema (shema means, hear or obey) which was the Jewish confession of faith quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
b.
This was followed by a congregational prayer called the Tefillah.
c.
A scripture lesson from the Law (the Pentateuch) was read. (Any member or visitor could be called upon, even a lad of 12 or more, to read the Law.)
d.
Next a scripture lesson from the Prophets was read (again any Jewish male could be asked to do so). The lesson from the Prophets was always restricted to less verses than the one from the Law.
e.
A sermon was preached on the scriptures read. Again any adult Jewish male could give the sermon although that was usually reserved for the elders, rabbis or rulers of the synagogue. Visiting rabbis were often invited to preach.
f.
A blessing was pronounced or a prayer was recited and the service was concluded.
g.
The congregation gave alms for the poor as they filed out of the meeting house.
Attendance at synagogue was not legislated in the Law of Moses. It was custom and tradition. It was a good custom and Jesus made it His custom to attend synagogue on the Sabbath. It afforded Jesus (and later the apostles) ready audiences assembled for the very purpose of religious pursuits. Jesus observed the customary ritual of the synagogue in standing to read and sitting down to preach.
Jesus took the scroll of Isaiah from the attendant and began to read. His text was Isaiah 61:1-2. He rolled up the scroll and returned it to the attendant and sat down. To understand why there was such expectation and anticipation by the audience as they stared at Jesus, one should read the entire 61st chapter of Isaiah. Undoubtedly most of the adult men present knew the whole context from which Jesus had read only two verses. The whole 61st chapter of Isaiah is gloriously messianic. It predicts the messianic era as one of freedom, fortune and fame for the messianic people (cf. comments in Isaiah, Vol, III, by Butler, College Press). The intent of Isa 61:1-11 is spiritual, as Jesus plainly indicates, but it is replete with highly figurative language describing the victorious vengeance, superfluity of wealth, subjugation of aliens, and national renown God’s messianic people are to have. For centuries Jewish rabbis in their apocryphal writings and traditions had been interpreting the messianic prophecies literally and physically. This Sabbath-day audience anticipated some such literal and materialistic rendering from Jesus, the widely acclaimed hometown boy.
Luke 4:21-30 Teaching: They heard more than they expected. Rather than give the usual rabbinical interpretation of this passage, Jesus made a startling claim, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. The Greek text makes it emphaticthis day, this scripture. The Greek word peplerotai, translated fulfilled, is in the perfect tense. Greek perfect tense denotes an action accomplished with a continuing result. A good translation would be, This day this scripture stands fulfilled in your presence.
Jesus was the Servant of Jehovah (Isaiah 61:1-11) anointed by the Holy Spirit to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to those bound, The Hebrew word used in Isaiah 61:1-11 for liberty is deror and is also used in connection with the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:10; Ezekiel 46:17) when bond slaves were set free and land taken in payment for debts was returned to its original owners. The Mosaic Year of Jubilee was intended to typify the messianic liberation. Christ came to bind our jailor (the devil) and free us (cf. Matthew 12:25-30; Hebrews 2:14-15;1 John 3:8-9; Revelation 20:1-6).
Jesus was also anointed to bring recovery of sight to the blind. He did physically heal a few blind people, but that was not the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy from Isaiah. He came to give all who believe in Him the recovery of spiritual sight! (cf. John 9:39-41).
He came to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. In Isaiah 61:1-11, the Hebrew word ratzah is translated favorable or acceptable. It means literally, delightful, pleasurable, gracious. The Servant (Jesus) came to announce the precise time God chose in His divine schedule of redemption to accomplish His graciousness toward man. God, through Jesus Christ, summoned all men to His pleasurable, conciliating time. The messianic age is the age of God’s grace. Now is the acceptable time, today is the day of salvation (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2). (See our comments, Isaiah, Vol. III, College Press, pgs. 409-413).
The Jews in this synagogue at Nazareth expected Jesus to interpret Isaiah 61:1-11 physically and materially. When Jesus talked of food the Jews wanted bread and fish; when He talked of wholeness (peace) they wanted limbs restored; when He talked of freedom they wanted foreign rulers driven from their land. But physical circumstances are not what constitute the kingdom of Godit is character which does (Romans 13:14; Romans 14:17). Jesus intended the prophecy to be understood as having a spiritual fulfillment. His audience was momentarily caught up in dreams and reveries of a physical fulfillment. They all complimented Jesus on His masterful exposition of the prophet Isaiah. He aroused the feelings of national pride and eagerness for the messianic age in their hearts. Emotion welled up inside the listeners. Suddenly someone said, Is not this Joseph’s son? Abruptly it dawned on them they had known this young man for thirty years as he grew up in Nazareth and he had not done one great thing there.
Jesus anticipated their reasoning. He knew they wanted to shout at him the proverbial, Physician, heal yourself. They were reasoning, If this son of Joseph is the Messiah, charity begins at home! He speaks eloquently to us, they thought, but he does his great beneficent miracles in other places; his own home town folks should come first. Their reaction graphically exposes the unbelief of their hearts. Jesus was offering them Himself; they clamored for things! They also betray themselves as greedy, jealous and prejudiced. They should have rejoiced that Jesus had done miracles and helped needy people in other places, but they were envious.
The Lord had a proverb of His own, It is a truth proven by history that one generation persecutes and slays its prophets, and the next builds monuments to them. Their forefathers killed the prophets of old and these people of Nazareth adorned their tombs (cf. Matthew 23:29-36). It is the tragedy of one generation after another that so many wilfully reject opportunities to know God through His messengers. Now these faithless people are rejecting the One of whom all the other prophets spoke. They do not see and would not see even if a miracle were worked in their midst.
Thank God, there are those who will receive God’s messengers and trust their word in spite of unpleasant circumstances. Jesus cites two cases from the sacred history of Israel itself to bring the people of Nazareth to their senses. Israel rejected Elijah, but a woman of Sidon who suffered through the same three and one-half years of drought, and was about to starve, believed the prophet, took him in and fed him and received a great blessing (cf. 1 Kings 17:9 ff). The lepers of Israel did not believe Elisha, but a Syrian army captain named Naaman did and was cleansed (cf. 2 Kings 5:1 ff).
Jesus got His point across. God is no respecter of persons, but men and women of every race, culture, generation or social level who trust God and receive His messengers will, in turn, receive His approval. But the people of Nazareth would have none of this doctrine! Jewish apocryphal traditions held that God had created the Gentiles to be fuel for the fires of hell. Here this son of Joseph, a local boy who does nothing for his own home town, spouting messianic promises and claiming their fulfillment in Him, has the audacity to infer that God might favor Gentiles above Jews. Their reaction simply proves the people did not believe the prophet Isaiah either. Isaiah predicts in many places in his writings that God is going to bless men of all nations in the messianic age. In addition to the doctrine of the cross, the doctrine of the universality of the gospel was a stumbling-block to the Jews.
The people became violent. They rose up as one mob and took Jesus bodily and put Him out of the town. Outside the village they took Him to the brow of a steep hill upon which Nazareth was built and there tried to push Him off a cliff to His death. Jesus escaped. We are not told exactly how this was accomplished. John records similar escapes in Jerusalem (cf. John 7:30; John 10:39). Some think He simply walked through the crowd by the very power of His righteous personality. Others think something miraculous happened to allow Him to escape. Whatever the case, it was not His hour to die. He had full control of His destiny. He would lay down His life at the precise time appointed by God and He would take it up againnone would take it from Him!
Applebury’s Comments
Scripture
Luke 4:14-30 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and a fame went out concerning him through all the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the book, and found the place where it was written,
18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised,
19
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
20
And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down: and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21
And he began to say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears. 22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth: and they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? 23 And he said unto them, Doubtless ye will say unto me this parable, hysican, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in thine own country. 24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is acceptable in his own country. 25 But of a truth I say unto you, There were man widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; 26 and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian. 28 And they were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things; 29 and they rose up, and cast him forth out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, and they might throw him down headlong, 30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way.
*Comments
And Jesus returned.*Up to this point Luke has been concerned with the evidence that presents Jesus as the Son of God and the Son of Man. Now he begins to tell about His ministry in which both His deity and His humanity will continue to be emphasized.
Luke told about the baptism and temptation without mentioning other details of Jesus early Judean ministry. See John 4:45.
Jesus returned to Galilee after He heard that John had been put in prison. Matthew 4:12.
*in the power of the Spirit.*When He returned to Galilee, He began His ministry of teaching and healing in that district. He performed miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. These miracles were His credentials as Son of God. They were performed to help people believe His message. See John 20:30-31; Acts 10:38.
Peter said that God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power and that He went about doing good and healing those who were oppressed of the devil. See Acts 10:38. His first miracle was at Cana of Galilee, but He also performed miracles when He was in Jerusalem at the passover (John 2:13; John 2:23).
*a fame went out concerning him.*It was only natural the distressed people should come to Him when they heard about all the things he was doing. See Luke 4:40-41. This gave Him the opportunity to tell them about the kingdom of God.
*he taught in their synagogues.*Everywhere the Jews had built their synagogues where they could gather for religious instruction. See Acts 15:21. Both Jesus and the apostles went to the synagogues where Jews were gathered on the sabbath day, and being Jews, they spoke, to those assembled, the gospel message that fulfilled the law of Moses and the prophets. Romans 3:21. Luke describes the order of service in Luke 4:16-21 and also in Acts 13:14-43. It consisted in reading from the law and the prophets and the explanation of them for the benefit of the people.
*Nazareth, where he had been brought up.*Nathanael had raised the question with Philip, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? John 1:46. But in this humble village Jesus had grown to manhood and was known to the neighbors as Joseph’s son. In such a place, everyone would know just about everything about the rest of the people. Undoubtedly no one in the synagogue that day when they handed Him the book of Isaiah had the slightest notion that He was the Son of God and the Son of Man, the One who fulfilled what the prophet had written about the Messiah.
*as his custom was.*The synagogue was the center of the religious life of the community. Jesus had made it a habit to go to the synagogue on the sabbath day. He lived under the Old Covenant and kept the customs of the people who were under the Mosaic law. But Paul, whose ministry was of the New Covenant, went to the synagogue on the sabbath because there he found an audience that needed the gospel of Jesus the Savior.
*stood up to read.*Jesus stood while reading the Scriptures and sat down to teach. Paul, at Antioch, sat down while the Scriptures were being read and stood up when he addressed the audience. Apparently there was no fixed rule in the matter. Matthew says that Jesus sat down when He delivered the Sermon on the Mount to the disciples and the multitudes, but Luke says that He stood on a level place when He spoke similar wordsperhaps, on another occasion at another place. All these little sidelights tend to mark the genuineness of the sacred records.
*the book of the prophet Isaiah.*Isaiah had prophesied about the ministry of John the Baptist. Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah is an outline of Jesus-’ ministry.
*The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.*The ministry of Jesus was under the direction of God through the Spirit. The prophets and priests of the Old Testament were consecrated to their office by the ceremony of anointing with oil. Jesus, as Prophet, Priest and King, was anointed with the Holy Spirit as He began His ministry. That ministry consisted in preaching good tidings to the poor, proclaiming release to the captives, giving sight to the blind, and liberty to those broken in heart and body. His ministry that fulfilled this prophecy marked Him as the Messiah. See Luke 7:22.
*the acceptable year of the Lord.*that is, the season during which God’s approval is given to those who accept the deliverance which Christ brought.
*the eyes of all the synagogue.*Every eye was fixed on Him. He read the Scriptures with meaning that was genuine, for He was the fulfillment of the words He read. But they were not quite ready to accept it when He said, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
*the words of grace.*The words of Isaiah and the words of Jesus, as He explained that He was fulfilling them, were words about the grace of God that brought relief to the oppressed. Jesus spoke them with gracious concern for all who heard Him.
*Is not this Joseph’s son?*They didn-’t know the facts about Jesus-’ birth. What if Mary had tried to tell them? Who would have believed her then? But after the resurrection when God demonstrated that Jesus is His Son, the facts of His birth can be told as the only reasonable explanation of this One who is the Son of God and the Son of Man.
*Physician heal thyself.*Jesus recognized the problem and suggested this to them, for this is what they were thinking. They had probably heard of the miracle of healing the nobleman’s son at Capernaum while Jesus was at Cana (John 4:46). Why not do in His own home town whataccording to reportshad been done elsewhere? But, of course, they didn-’t believe that He had performed such a cure. He answered, No prophet is acceptable in his own country. That’s why He had come back to Galilee (John 4:44). In Judea there was a rising storm of opposition because they knew He was a prophet (John 3:2). But in Galilee, they thought He was just Joseph’s son and were not too concerned about His activities, even though the crowds followed Him wherever He went. In the end, He was to journey back to Jerusalem, for it was there that He was to suffer for the sins of the people (Luke 9:51; Luke 13:33-35).
*widows in Israel in the days of Elijah.*See 1 Kings 17:8-24. The one miracle that Elijah performed was sufficient to convince this Gentile woman, for she said, Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord that is in your mouth is true. The implied conclusion is that the one miracle Jesus had performed in Capernaum should have caused these who were Jews to believe Him.
*lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha.*See 2 Kings 5:1-27. This one miracle in Elisha’s time was sufficient to establish the fact that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel and that Elisha was His prophet. Again the implied conclusion is that Jesus-’ one miracle should have caused them to believe in Him instead of asking, Is not this Joseph’s son?
*they were filled with wrath.*What made them so angry? They had been defeated in the debate by this One who had been reared in their midst whom they had been accustomed to call the carpenter’s son. But more than that, He had drawn an unfavorable comparison between them and the two Gentiles who believed Elijah and Elisha. This was the unforgivable offense. Rather than consider the force of His argument, they determined to destroy Him.
*led him to the brow of the bill.*It was mob violence with intent to kill; no doubt about it. This nearby precipice met their need as a place of execution. It would be swift; and in their madness they no doubt thought it would be easy.
*he passing through their midst.*Instead of permitting them to cast Him headlong to His death, He simply passed through their midst and went on His way. Was it a miracle that delivered Him? Or was it the strength of this Person who, although He had grown up in their city, was beginning His ministry as the Lord’s anointed? We cannot answer the question. I prefer to believe that, although He could have used divine power, He walked through that mob as a Man dedicated to His God. He was surely one of the most forceful persons every to walk on this earth.
Luke 4:31-44
**Butler’s Comments
SECTION 3
Validation of the Son of Man’s Authority (Luke 4:31-44)**
31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath; 32 and they were astonished at his teachings for his word was with authority. 33And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, 34Ah! 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. 35But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent, and come out of him! And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36And they were all amazed and said to one another, What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out. 37And reports of him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
38 And he arose and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they besought him for her. 39And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she rose and served them.
40 Now when the sun was setting all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41And demons also came out of many, crying, 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 And when it was day he departed and went into a lonely place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them; 43but he said to them, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose. 44And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
**Luke 4:31 Pronouncements: **Luke has a different chronology of this early Galilean ministry than that of Matthew and Mark. Matthew and Mark list the healing of the demoniac, Peter’s mother-in-law, and the masses after the miracle of the fishes and the call to discipleship of the fishermen (cf. Matthew 4:13-22; Mark 1:14-20). Luke places the healing ministry before the call of the fishermen (cf. Luke 5:1-11) We believe Luke had some reason for varying from the chronological order. Perhaps Luke did so to offer an explanation for the basis of such ready acceptance of Jesus-’ call by the fishermen. Whatever the case, after leaving the unbelieving, murderous mob at the hills of Nazareth Jesus went down to the coast of the Sea of Galilee and the city of Capernaum. Jesus followed His custom of going to synagogue services on the Sabbath and finding opportunities there to teach. People were astounded at His teaching. The Greek participle exeplessonto is from the verb plesso which means to be struck. The people were exceedingly mentally stricken with His teaching!
In both manner and content Jesus continually astounded people by His teaching (cf. Luke 2:48; John 4:29; John 7:14-15; John 7:46; Matthew 7:29). Mark 1:21, parallel to Luke 4:31, adds, … for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. Prophets said, Thus saith the Lord. Rabbis and scribes said, Thus saith the Rabbis and the traditions. Jesus said, I say unto you! The endless human traditions and officious pronouncements of the rabbis, which they elevated above the Scripture (cf. Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23), were monotonously and wearily repeated. But rather than bring men the mercy and forgiveness of God such teaching bound on them a burden they were unable to bear. The practical heart-searching words of Jesus were in direct contrast with the pointless minutiae and hair-splitting arguments of the rabbis. When men listened to Jesus, they said: Yes, He is right, that is so! The truth Jesus uttered was authoritative and men knew it. This is still true! Even though this period of the ministry of Jesus is marked by the working of many miracles, it does not seem that His ordinary preaching and teaching needed any such supernatural testimony to enable it to stand on its own merits as being authoritative. Today, take any teaching of Jesus and proclaim it anywhere in the world, and the common consciousness of humanity knows the teaching is true. That is because the teachings of Jesus are absolute truth.
**Luke 4:32-41 Powers: **This is the first confrontation of Jesus and demons in the record of Luke. There are interesting things to learn from this event. First, it is significant that Luke, the physician, does not question the reality of demon possession. Next, we observe some interesting things about the demon: (a) he was attending synagogue service; (b) he was called an akathartou (unclean) demon which means religiously unclean or unholydemons are beings who wish to have nothing to do with holiness, purity, goodness or righteousness but whose sole desire is evil and hurtfulness; (c) he was compelled to acknowledge the fact that Jesus was God’s Holy One; (d) he was terrified of Jesusthe Greek expletive ea (Ah!) is an oath or shriek of fear; (e) he convulsed the man he possessedGreek, rhipto, meaning, throw with a sudden jerking motion (Mark 1:26, Gr. has sparaxan, from which we get the English words spasm and spastic); (f) the demon obeyed Jesus immediately.
Jesus-’ actions toward the demon manifest His complete sovereignty over evil spiritual beings: (a) Jesus charged (Gr. epetimesen, meaning literally, exercised His honorship upon) the demon to come out of the man; (b) Jesus forced the demon to be silent (Gr. phimotheti, be muzzled); (c) The people testified that with authority (exousia) and power (dunamei) Jesus commanded (epitasseithe same Greek word which may also be translated, subjected or subordinated) the evil spirit; Mark (Luke 1:27) adds testimony that the evil spirit obeyed Jesus. Reports (Greek, echos) of Jesus-’ fame echoed throughout all the surrounding region. The people said, This is a new teaching! (Mark 1:27). Jesus-’ absolute authority over demons was so superior to the ineffectual superstitions of the exorcists it was totally unique.
Exorcists of that day believed the air was populated by evil spirits, and that on certain occasions they entered into men through food and drink. The Egyptians held that there were thirty-six parts of the human body, any of which might be entered and controlled by evil spirits. Some of the rabbis believed that since demons were invisible if one put sifted ashes on the threshold of the house, their footprints might be seen in the morning, prints like those that a chicken might leave. One rabbi, in order to protect himself against demons, always took a lamb with him every time he went to the bathroom since they attacked animals as well as human beings. Such superstitions are used by modern critics to attack the credibility of the biblical record of demon possession. They say Jesus was a victim of these superstitions of His day. One of the following conclusions must be true concerning the reality of demons as mentioned in the Gospel accounts. No other possibilities exist, and only one of these may be true: Either,
a.
Jesus did cast out real demons as the texts represent, or,
b.
Jesus did no such thing and the accounts are entirely false, or,
c.
Jesus did go through the motions and the pretense of casting demons out, while He knew there were no real demonsHe was a charlatan, or,
d.
Jesus was as ignorant and superstitious on this subject as the people and honestly thought He cast out spirits in healing sicknesses.
Which of these views fits the facts and the testimony? Jesus never made a statement in connection with demons which has been discredited by the progress of human knowledge. Modern thought is now not so certain that demon-possession is a mere superstition. There is no apparent organic reason for many illnesses (as attested by psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine). We know far too little about the relationship between the spiritual and physical realms to arbitrarily deny the historicity of the Gospel accounts of demon possession.
The New Testament discusses demons under the following headings: (a) Demons are Satan’s messengers (angels), Matthew 25:41; 1 Corinthians 6:3; 2 Corinthians 12:7; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 9:11; Revelation 12:7; (b) Demons are unclean spirits Matthew 8:16; Matthew 8:28; Matthew 12:45; Matthew 10:1; Mark 5:1-2; Mark 5:13; Mark 1:23-28; Mark 3:11-30; Mark 6:7; Mark 7:25; Mark 9:14-20; Luke 8:27-30; Luke 4:33-36; Luke 10:17-20; Mark 9:17-25 (dumb spirit); Acts 16:16 (spirit of divination). Demons have these personality traits:
a.
They are knowledgeable; Matthew 8:29; Mark 1:34; James 2:19.
b.
They can speak; Luke 4:33-41; Mark 3:11-12; Mark 5:7.
c.
They are fierce; Matthew 8:28; Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43.
d.
They did great harm to people; Matthew 12:27 ff; Matthew 9:32; Mark 9:14-29.
e.
They did no good at all; John 10:21.
f.
They need a body to inhabit; Matthew 8:28 ff; Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43.
g.
They may be many in number; Mark 5:9.
h.
They fear Christ; Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34; Matthew 8:28-33; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39.
i.
They often lead men to indulge in speculations about demons and inspire division within Christianity; 1 Timothy 4:1; James 3:13-18; 1 John 4:1-3; 1 Corinthians 10:19-22; Revelation 16:14, etc.
We know from the divine record that demons abide:
a.
In heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).
b.
In the air (Ephesians 2:2).
c.
In the earth (Job 1:7).
d.
In the sea (Matthew 8:32).
e.
In bodies of men (Matthew 12:43; Ephesians 2:2).
f.
In kings and potentates of the world (Daniel 10:13-20; Revelation 16:14).
g.
In bodies of animals (Mark 5:13).
h.
In waterless places (Luke 11:24).
i.
Reserved in chains under darkness (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6).
j.
In the abyss (Luke 8:31).
Where does the Christian stand in relation to demons? First, Satan and his demons have been conquered by Christ (Luke 10:18; John 12:31; John 16:11; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8; Matthew 12:29). Satan and his angels have been bound and limited by Christ who brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. But, like an insane army general who is defeated but will not quit until he is slain, Satan and his messengers are still active in the lives of men who love darkness (Acts 10:38; Ephesians 4:27; Ephesians 6:11, 2 Timothy 2:26; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 3:8; 1 John 2:13-16; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Timothy 5:15; 1 John 4:1; 1 Timothy 4:1; James 3:15; Acts 5:16; Acts 8:7; Acts 16:16; Romans 8:15; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Corinthians 2:12; Ephesians 6:12; Ephesians 3:10; Romans 8:38). Demons do exist! They cannot live in Christians because the Holy Spirit dwells in them. Christians are engaged in a cosmic struggle with the hosts of wickedness and the kingdom of darkness from which they have been transferred. Christians need the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10 ff; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Greater is He that is in Christians than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:18-19; 1 John 2:14).
The New Testament is quite cleardemon possession was a reality. Ignorance on this matter is not in the mind of God or Christ but in ours. Immediately after the incident with the demon-possessed man Jesus left the synagogue and went to Peter’s home in Capernaum. Peter’s mother-in-law lay sick with a great fever (Greek, megalo puretopureto is the word from which we have the English, pyre or pyrotechnic, and means fire). Ancient physicians (including Galen, 130 A.D.) divided fevers into two classeslittle and great. Considering the total lack of insecticides and poor hygienic methods, becoming infected with some great fever (such as malaria, typhus, pneumonia, etc.) was an every day, possibility. Luke’s use of the imperfect Greek verb sunechomene (lit., was being seized with) may indicate that her fever had seized her for a long timeperhaps a chronic malady. Doctor Luke watches Jesus through the eyes of a physician and describes Jesus as going in, standing over the patient and taking her by the hand. But there the normal bedside manner ends. Jesus rebukes the fever. He charged the fever (epetimesen, as with the demon) exercising His honorship upon the fever and it left her. Immediately (with no time necessary to recuperate or regain strength) she arose and began to serve the house guests of her son-in-law. It was a miraculous healing.
That evening, as the sun began to set toward the Mediterranean Sea, literally hundreds of people (so many it appeared to be the whole city of Capernaum) gathered outside the door of Peter’s house with people ill from all kinds of diseases and those possessed of demons. They wanted Jesus to heal them. Luke uses the Greek adjective hekasto (each) to qualify the noun hen (one). He means to say that Jesus healed each and every single one there who had an illness or was demon-possessed. Christ’s healings contrasted with modern pseudo-healers reveals the following:
a.
Jesus did not heal for notoriety; Matthew 8:1-4; Matthew 9:27-31; Mark 3:7-12; Mark 7:31-37; Mark 8:22-26, etc.
b.
Jesus healed all sorts of afflictions. One so-called faith-healer is known to have selected through screening only forty out of seven hundred who came to him for healing.
c.
Jesus never indicated healing was to be universal. Four times He healed many; once He healed ten; three times He healed two at once; twenty-three times He healed one person; often He healed only one of many present who were ill.
d.
Jesus did not use auto-suggestion or hypnotism in His cures.
e.
Jesus did not indicate healing was to be appropriated by all who appropriate the atonement provided by His death,
f.
Jesus healed only Jews with two possible exceptions (Matthew 15:21-28; John 4:46-54).
g.
Jesus never discouraged the use of physicians and medicines.
h.
There was never a question about the affliction of anyone Jesus healed.
i.
There was never any question, even from enemies of Jesus, whether the afflicted were healed or not.
j.
There was never a case of relapse when Jesus healed a person.
k.
Jesus performed no partial healings.
l.
Jesus did not make faith a uniform condition for healing.
m.
There were never any failures by Jesus to heal anyone He intended to heal.
n.
Jesus specialized in extreme cases (even death).
o.
No one ever found Jesus guilty of fraud in His healings.
p.
Jesus never asked patients to ignore their symptoms.
q.
Jesus never failed to heal all in a group when He proposed to heal a group.
r.
Christ’s healings were invariably instantaneous.
s.
Compassion was not the ruling motive with the Lord.
Jesus refused to let the demons cry out that He was the Son of God. He did not want and did not need verification from demons that He was God’s Holy Son. The Greek text portrays Jesus being very emphatic in silencing the demons. All too soon the enemies of Jesus would be accusing Him of working miracles by the power of the devil.
Luke 4:42-44 Purposes: Mark tells us that after the crowds dwindled away from Peter’s door, Jesus slipped away in the very early morning hours (while it was still dark) (Mark 1:35) to a lonely place to pray. He is probably driven to seek solitude and prayer to resist the temptations that would come with such popularity. The crowds kept on seeking (epezetoun, Greek imperfect tense) and kept on trying to detain Him (kateichon, imperfect). It is evident that attending to people’s physical necessities made Jesus extremely popular. He could have been crowned king had He exploited. His miraculous power for this end (cf. John 6:14-15). But Christ’s primary purpose is not to heal and feed physical bodies which are ultimately doomed to dissolution and death. The primary purpose of His ministry and kingdom is the regeneration of the spiritual man. He makes that plain when He says, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.
Luke’s note, And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea, (Luke 4:44) seems to disagree with Matthew (Matthew 4:23) and Mark (Mark 1:39) who say Jesus went throughout Galilee. This disagreement may be due to scribal error. While the Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Ephraemi and Old Syriac manuscripts have Judea, the Alexandrinus, Bezae, Vulgate, and Peshitto Syriac (and others) have Galilee, for Luke 4:44.
STUDY STIMULATORS:
Do you think of the devil as a real person? What do you think of the powers he is said to possess? How much time do you think we should devote to studying about him?
Why did God create the human body with certain vulnerabilities?
What was the first vulnerability the devil attacked in Jesus? How did Jesus overcome the temptation? May we overcome the same way?
What human vulnerability did the devil attack next in Jesus? Are you subject to the same vulnerability? Have you ever been tempted in this? How did you overcome?
What human vulnerability did the devil attack last? Have you ever succumbed to the philosophy that the end justifies the means?
Why did Jesus seek out synagogues to proclaim His mission and message? What kind of service would be conducted in a synagogue?
How did Jesus interpret Isaiah 61:1-2 to the people of Nazareth? What kind of interpretation did they expect?
What did Jesus mean by the proverb, Physician, heal yourself.
How is Jesus-’ authority demonstrated in His teaching?
Do you believe demons are real? Why?
Why can-’t demons possess Christians?
What are some significant differences between the miraculous healings performed by Jesus and those of pseudo faith-healers today?
Was Jesus-’ primary purpose that of compassion in His healings? If not, why did He heal?
Applebury’s Comments
His Ministry in Capernaum Scripture
Luke 4:31-44 And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath day: 32 and they were astonished at his teaching; for his word was with authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man, that had a spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 Ah! what have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene? are thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no hurt. 36 And amazement came upon all, and they spake together, one with another, saying, What is this word? for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. 37 And there went forth a rumor concerning him into every place of the region round about.
38 And he rose up from the synagogue, and entered into the house of Simon. And Simon’s wife’s mother was holden with a great fever; and they besought him for her. 39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she rose up and ministered unto them. 40 And when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. 41 And demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying, Thou art the Son of God. And rebuking them, he suffered them not to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. 42 And when it was day, he came out and went into a desert place; and the multitudes sought after him, and came unto him, and would have stayed him, that he should not go from them. 43 But said unto them, I must preach the good tidings of the kingdom of God to the other cities also: for therefore was I sent, 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
*Comments
And he came down to Capernaum.*Capernaum became the center of Jesus-’ ministry in Galilee (John 2:12). It was located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was thus situated more than six hundred feet below sea level; that’s why Luke says He came down to Capernaum. Jesus taught in the synagogues of Capernaum and performed miracles there. It became the object of His wrath because of the stubborn rejection of the evidence that should have led to repentance. He said, And thou Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt go down unto Hades: for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee, it would have remained unto this day (Matthew 11:23). See also Luke 10:13.
*astonished at his teaching.*Matthew calls attention to this same reaction after the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:28-29). Jesus was unlike other teachers who had to rely on other sources for their authority; He spoke from His own authority, for He spoke the words of God.
*a spirit of an unclean demon.*Demons are spiritual beings without bodies. They have all the attributes of personality. They are under the control of Beelzebub, the prince of demons (Luke 11:15). They are unclean. They have a desire to be in a body and did actually take up residence in the bodies of living people. On one occasion, when driven out of the human body, they were permitted to enter the bodies of swine. They are thought by some to be evil angels, and by others, the spirits of the wicked dead.
Demon possession was manifested in at least three forms in biblical times: (1) extreme mental illness (Luke 8:26-27); (2) physical illness such as blindness, inability to speak, epilepsy (Matthew 17:14-18); and (3) soothsaying powers (Acts 16:16-18).
If there is such a thing as demon possession today, it cannot be claimed with real assurance, for no one is equipped to accurately diagnose such a case. Jesus, of course, was able to distinguish between the effects of demon possession and the symptoms of physical or mental illness. It is worthwhile to note the difference between His technique in handling cases of demon possession and in miraculous cures of those who were physically or mentally ill.
*he cried out with a loud voice.*This may suggest fear or a desire to be let alone. Coupled with the loud voice, this expression may indicate a symptom of mental illness, but there is insufficient evidence in this case of demon possession to classify it accurately.
*what have we to do with thee?*These spirits or demons knew that they had nothing in common with the Lord, for their prince was the devil. The plural we may suggest that more than one demon was using the speech organs of the possessed man. See Luke 8:30.
*I know thee.*Demons recognized Jesus of Nazareth. They knew that He, in contrast to their prince, was the Holy One of God. They knew that they were destined for destruction. They knew that Jesus is the Son of God and they knew that He was the Christ (Luke 4:41). It is not strange that there is no record of a demon possessed person confessing that He is the Christ, for that would mean that the demon was acknowledging Him as Lord whereas the prince of demons is the devil.
*Jesus rebuked him.*He rebuked the demon by saying, Be quiet and come out of him. This is an order given to a being capable of understanding and obeying. When Luke says that He rebuked the fever (Luke 4:39), there is no suggestion that he considered the fever in the same light. It was, of course, by miraculous power that he instantly stopped the fever and caused the temperature to return to normal. But in the case of casting out the demon, He ordered the unclean spirit or demon to leave and it did.
*demon had thrown him down.*Such convulsions seem to be common effects of demon possession (Luke 9:42). By the order from Christ, the demon came out, having done the man no injury.
*amazement came upon all.*The use of such divine power was intended to point out the deity of Jesus. In this case, Luke reminds us that those who witnessed the handling of the demon possessed man were amazed at what they saw. It also shows Jesus-’ concern for those unfortunate sufferers.
There is no indication that any demon possessed person was responsible for his condition. There was no word of condemnation for this man after the demon left him.
*with authority and power.*Jesus had defeated Satan in the wilderness temptation by using the Word of God. But by the exercise of His divine power and authority, He defeated Satan’s efforts to use demon possessed people to discredit Him before the crowds.
*there went forth a rumor.*The story of Jesus-’ power and authority to heal was repeatedly heard throughout the whole region. This explains why the people brought all their sick and demon possessed to Him to be healed (Luke 4:41).
*Simon’s wife’s mother.*Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a very high fever. By placing this account immediately after the miracle of casting out the demon, Luke shows the distinction between a miracle of healing and one dealing with demon possession.
*immediately she rose up.*Luke was a trained physician. He had investigated these accounts and did not hesitate to show that a genuine miracle had taken place. She was able to minister to those present immediately after Jesus healed her.
*when the sun was setting.*This was at the close of the sabbath day, and the people were free to bring their sick for Him to heal. But, of course, healing the sick on the sabbath was not breaking the sabbath as Jesus later proved (John 7:23).
*he suffered them not to speak.*Jesus did not permit the demons to speak for Him. That was what the devil wanted them to do in order to make people believe that Jesus was in league with Satan, and thus discredit Him in their eyes. See Paul’s attitude in a similar situation (Acts 16:17-18).
*the multitudes sought after him.*No wonder they followed Him into the lonely place where He had gone to rest and pray. In their distress, they begged Him to stay with them. But it was necessary that He preach the gospel in other cities also. The purpose of His ministry was to prepare for the kingdom of God.
*And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.*These providentially prepared places of meeting enabled Jesus to carry on His ministry of preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Luke did not have enough room on one papyrus roll to give all the details of all these incidents, but the ones he does tell about are sufficient to let us see what an important place preaching held in the ministry of Jesus.
Summary
The chapter begins with the account of the complete victory of Jesus over the devil. With it, Luke completes the first part of his Life of Christ. In it he gives sufficient evidence to prove that Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man. Not even the devil with his three-fold temptation could destroy this evidence. The temptations presented a choice between God’s instructions and the propositions of the devil. Jesus could have turned the stone into bread, but without hesitation He said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone. When the devil had completed every temptation, he left Jesus for a season. But it is quite evident that he returned many times during Jesus-’ ministry to renew his efforts to defeat Him. One such instance may be seen in the effort of the people to make Him king after the feeding of the five thousand. God had led Jesus through the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted. Then Jesus returned to Nazareth to begin His public ministry in the little village where He grew up. He came with power performing miracles through the Holy Spirit to prove that His message came from God. In the synagogue at Nazareth, He read from the prophet Isaiah the passage that outlined the ministry He was to undertake. When He finished reading, He said to the people, Today this Scripture is fulfilled before you. But they said, This is Joseph’s son, for they didn-’t know the facts in the case. It was for people like them that Luke made a careful research of the facts and reported them to Theophilus that no one may ever need to fall into that error again. The irate people of Nazareth would not let this One, whom they had known since He was a boy, compare them unfavorably with Gentiles. They took Him to the cliff at the edge of the city to hurl Him down to His death. But He walked through that mob as one would swim through a turbulent stream and went on His way. Jesus went down to Capernaum which became the center of His activity for the greater part of His ministry. There He taught the people. They were astonished at the authority of His words. There He healed a demon possessed man. The report of His work spread throughout the whole district, He healed Peter’s wife’s mother. The people brought their demon possessed and sick to Him and He healed them all. He withdrew to a lonely place, but the crowds followed and begged Him to stay with them. But He said, I must preach good tidings of the kingdom of God to other cities also, for it was for that purpose that I was sent. He continued preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
Questions
What is meant by full of the Holy Spirit when it refers to John? to Jesus?
What is meant by led in the Spirit?
What is temptation?
What is the difference between temptation and sin?
What did Jesus say about the longing desire for the thing God has forbidden?
Why was changing a stone into bread a temptation to Jesus?
Why did the devil say, If you are the Son of God?
What proof is given to show that Jesus overcame temptations as a man?
What did He use to defeat the devil?
How is the Christian equipped to defeat the devil?
Were other temptations presented to Jesus later?
What does John say about all that is in the world?
What are the three temptations in the wilderness?
What does Matthew say about the ministry of angels after the temptation of Jesus?
What is the significance of the fact that the temptation followed immediately after the baptism of Jesus?
What is the significance of the evidence presented in the first section of Luke’s Gospel?
What is meant by in the power of the Spirit as it relates to Jesus-’ ministry?
What does Luke say about the fame of Jesus at this point?
Why did Jesus and the apostles preach in the synagogues?
What was the order of service in the synagogue?
Why did He read from Isaiah?
What was the response of the people to His reading? to His explanation?
Why did they say, This is Joseph’s son?
Why did they try to kill Him?
How did He escape from the violence of the mob?
What place did Capernaum have in the ministry of Jesus?
What was the response of the people of Capernaum?
What is a demon?
What distinction does Luke show between the technique used by Jesus in casting out a demon and in healing a sick person?
What forms did demon possession take?
Is there demon possession today?
Why is there no record of a demon possessed person confessing that Jesus is the Christ?
What was the response of the people to the reports of His healing ministry?
Why did Jesus withdraw to a lonely place?
What did He say when the people begged Him to stay with them?