Luke 4:1-30
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,10 for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,’
11 and
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry
14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
What does the passage say?
| This passage begins after Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist and God affirms Him to be the beloved Son with whom He is well pleased.
Now filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus is led into the desert wilderness to be alone with God for a period of forty (40) days. During this time he fasted and prepared himself for ministry, communing with God. In this barren and dangerous land He also learned to depend solely on God as His source of strength. During this same time Jesus was tempted by Satan, the devil (verses 3-13). Each of the devil’s three temptations began with the question, “If you really are the Son of God…” challenging Jesus’ God-given identity. The devil tempted Jesus to give into his immediate hunger (bread), to settle for worldly riches by worshipping the devil, and to question His dependence on the Lord. Jesus refutes the devil, quoting passages from the Mosaic law in the book of Deuteronomy. At the end of these temptations, Jesus returns to Galilee to begin spreading the good news of the Gospel. Verse 14 describes Him as operating in the “power” of the Holy Spirit such that everyone He encounters spreads the news about Him!! Finally Jesus comes to His home town of Nazareth (Verses 16-30). He is asked to speak in the local synagogue on the Sabbath. Here Jesus first begins to reveal to them who he really is, by reading from the prophet Isaiah (Is 61:1-2). This reading anticipates the time of the Messiah, the “year of the Lord’s favor”. Jesus states that this prophecy has now been fulfilled in their hearing! At this point, the joy-filled acceptance Jesus had received in His hometown begins to change, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” At their question, Jesus reminds them that often the prophets of Israel are not accepted in their hometown and that non-Jews were often the beneficiaries of the prophet’s power in the Old Testament history. The passage concludes (verses 28-30) with the enraged hometown folks attempting to do away with Jesus by hurling Him off a cliff. But Jesus walks through their midst and leaves Nazareth to bring His ministry to others.
|
Devotion contributed by Larry Dickenson
What are your thoughts?
Click to subscribe to our Daily Devotion.
You will receive a devotion in your inbox every morning.