The Gospels · New Testament
Luke 4
Luke 4: the wilderness temptation and the first days of teaching
General context
Jesus returns from Jordan full of the Holy Ghost and is led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he is tempted forty days and eats nothing. The devil proposes bread from a stone, offers the kingdoms of the world for worship, and sets him on a pinnacle of the temple quoting a promise about angels; each time Jesus answers from what is written, and the devil departs for a season. Jesus returns to Galilee and teaches in the synagogues. At Nazareth he reads from Esaias about the Spirit of the Lord and preaching to the poor, then says, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. The hearers wonder and ask whether this is Joseph's son; when he speaks of Elias sent to a widow of Sarepta and Eliseus cleansing Naaman the Syrian, they are filled with wrath and try to cast him down from the hill, but he passes through their midst. At Capernaum he teaches with power, rebukes an unclean devil out of a man, and heals Simon's wife's mother of a fever. At sunset many sick are brought and healed, devils are silenced, and he leaves to preach the kingdom of God in other cities, preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
Cited passages: Luke 4:1, Luke 4:2, Luke 4:3, Luke 4:4, Luke 4:5, Luke 4:6, Luke 4:7, Luke 4:8, Luke 4:9, Luke 4:10, Luke 4:12, Luke 4:13, Luke 4:14, Luke 4:15, Luke 4:16, Luke 4:17, Luke 4:18, Luke 4:21, Luke 4:22, Luke 4:26, Luke 4:27, Luke 4:28, Luke 4:29, Luke 4:30, Luke 4:31, Luke 4:35, Luke 4:38, Luke 4:39, Luke 4:40, Luke 4:41, Luke 4:43, Luke 4:44
Luke 4 (KJV)
1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
10For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
14And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
15And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
22And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
23And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
24And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
25But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
30But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
31And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
33And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
35And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
36And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
37And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
38And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
39And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
40Now 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.
41And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.
42And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.
43And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
44And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.
Historical context
The claim that the kingdoms and their glory are delivered to the devil is the devil's own speech, not a statement of the narrator. Scripture is quoted on both sides of the exchange: the devil cites the promise that angels shall bear thee up, and Jesus answers each time with it is written or it is said. The places named are Nazareth, where he had been brought up, Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and Jerusalem for the pinnacle of the temple. The examples of the widow of Sarepta and of Naaman the Syrian are spoken by Jesus, drawing on the accounts of Elias and Eliseus, and the text gives no further comment on them. Simon is named here at his own house, before the chapter or any earlier chapter has described his call. The narrator says the devils knew that he was Christ, while the crowds ask only, Is not this Joseph's son? The wilderness has no location and the forty days no date.
Cited passages: Luke 4:2, Luke 4:6, Luke 4:8, Luke 4:9, Luke 4:10, Luke 4:11, Luke 4:12, Luke 4:16, Luke 4:22, Luke 4:26, Luke 4:27, Luke 4:31, Luke 4:38, Luke 4:41
Literary context
Three temptations follow one pattern: a proposal, a scripture or a claim, and an answer that begins it is written. Two of them open with the same condition, If thou be the Son of God, set against the voice heard at the end of the previous chapter. The Nazareth scene is built around a reading: the book is opened, the words about the poor and the captives are read, the book is closed and given back, and every eye is fastened on him before he says the scripture is fulfilled. Reaction turns in a single conversation, from wondering at the gracious words to wrath at the mention of a widow outside Israel and a Syrian leper. Nazareth and Capernaum are set against one another, rejection in the town where he was brought up and astonishment in the next city. Recognition comes from the unclean spirit and from the devils, and is refused a voice.
Cited passages: Luke 3:22, Luke 4:3, Luke 4:4, Luke 4:7, Luke 4:8, Luke 4:9, Luke 4:12, Luke 4:17, Luke 4:18, Luke 4:20, Luke 4:21, Luke 4:22, Luke 4:26, Luke 4:27, Luke 4:28, Luke 4:32, Luke 4:34, Luke 4:35, Luke 4:41
Key moments
- Led into the wilderness (Luke 4:1). Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness after Jordan.
- Offer of all the kingdoms (Luke 4:6). The devil claims the power and glory are his to give.
- The reading at Nazareth (Luke 4:18). Jesus reads the words of Esaias about preaching to the poor.
- Fulfilled in your ears (Luke 4:21). He tells the synagogue the scripture is fulfilled this day.
- Driven out of the city (Luke 4:29). The crowd leads him to the brow of the hill to cast him down.
- An unclean spirit rebuked (Luke 4:35). Jesus commands the spirit out and the man is unhurt.
- Healings at sunset (Luke 4:40). The sick are brought at evening and he lays hands on each.
For reflection
At Nazareth the same hearers move from wonder to wrath within one scene. What in the words Luke records accounts for the change?
People in this chapter
Also indexed here: