1
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness.
2
There He stayed forty days and was tempted by the devil. During that time He ate nothing, and afterward He was hungry.
3
Then the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4
Jesus answered him, “It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone.”
5
Then he led Jesus up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
6
The devil said to Him, “All this authority and its glory I will give You, because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7
So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.”
8
But Jesus answered him, “It is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve!”
9
Then he brought Jesus 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,
10
for it is written: Concerning You, He will command His angels to guard You,
11
and they will bear You up in their hands, so that Your foot will not strike against a stone.”
12
Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said: You shall not test the Lord your God!”
13
When the devil had finished all these temptations, he withdrew from Him and waited for an opportune time.
14
In the power of the Spirit Jesus returned to Galilee. And news about Him spread throughout all that region.
15
Meanwhile He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised Him.
16
He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and according to His custom on the Sabbath day He entered the synagogue and stood up to read from the Scriptures.
17
The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him, and when He had opened it, He 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; and He has sent Me
19
to proclaim release to the captives, and sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor has come.”
20
Then He closed the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21
Then He began to teach them, saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled as you hear it.”
22
And all bore witness to Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His mouth, and they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
23
Then He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself. Do here in your own hometown all that we have heard was done in Capernaum!’
24
And He said again, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is honored in his own hometown.
25
And I say to you, and this word of Mine is true: In the days of Elijah there were many widows in Israel, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months and when a great famine came over all the land.
26
Yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a widow in Zarephath, in the land of Sidon.
27
And in the days of the prophet Elisha there were many lepers in Israel, and none of them was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian.”
28
When they heard this, all the people in the synagogue were very angry.
29
They rose up, drove Jesus out of the city, and brought Him to the edge of the hill on which their city was built, so that they might throw Him down from the cliff.
30
But He passed through the midst of them and went away.
31
Then Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and taught there on the Sabbath days.
32
They were amazed at His teaching, because His word was with authority.
33
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, and he cried out with a loud voice:
34
“Ha! What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are: the Holy One of God.”
35
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the demon threw the man down in the midst of them and came out of him, without harming him at all.
36
And they were all amazed, and said to one another, “What a powerful word this is! For with authority and power He commands the evil spirits, and they come out.”
37
And news about Him spread everywhere throughout that region.
38
Then He left the synagogue and went to Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.
39
So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and the fever left her. Immediately she got up and served them.
40
When the sun was setting, all those who had sick people with various diseases brought them to Him. And He laid His hands on each one of them and healed them.
41
From many people also came out demons, crying out, “You are the Son of God.” Then He sternly forbade them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Messiah.
42
When day came, Jesus departed and went to a solitary place. But the crowd sought Him, and found Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them.
43
But He said to them, “I must also proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God in other cities, because for this purpose I was sent.”
44
And He preached the good news in the synagogues of Judea.
📖 Luke 4 – Jesus Is Tempted and Begins His Ministry
🧾 Summary of Luke 4
Luke 4 includes two important events in the early life of Jesus: the temptation in the wilderness and the beginning of His ministry in Galilee, including His first teaching in Nazareth.
Main Points:
Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness (verses 1–13):
After being baptized, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and led into the wilderness.
For 40 days, He was tempted by the Devil, yet without sin.
Three main temptations:
Turning stones into bread (tempting physical need).
Worshiping the Devil for worldly glory (tempting power).
Jumping from the top of the Temple (tempting spiritual pride).
Jesus rejected each temptation with the word of God.
Early Ministry in Galilee (verses 14–15):
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and began teaching in the synagogues.
His name began to be known.
Jesus Rejected in Nazareth (verses 16–30):
In His hometown, Nazareth, Jesus read the prophecy from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me… to proclaim good news.”
At first the people were amazed, but when Jesus spoke of how a prophet is often rejected in his hometown, they became angry.
They tried to throw Him from the cliff, but Jesus went away and escaped from them.
Jesus Casts Out an Evil Spirit and Heals the Sick (verses 31–41):
In Capernaum, Jesus taught with authority and cast out an evil spirit from a man.
He healed Peter’s mother-in-law and many who were sick.
The evil spirits acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of God, but He forbade them to speak.
Jesus Refuses to Stay and Continues to Proclaim the Gospel (verses 42–44):
The crowd wanted to keep Him, but Jesus said:
“I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to other towns also…”
He continued teaching in the synagogues.
📘 Main Teachings of Luke 4
- Jesus is an example in facing temptation: using the word of God as the chief weapon.
- Jesus’ call to ministry is for everyone, not only for one group.
- Jesus taught that fame is not the goal, but obedience to God’s mission.
- Jesus’ power overcomes the Devil and heals sickness and frees from the power of darkness.
- Rejection is part of ministry, but it does not stop the mission of the Kingdom of God.
✨ Spiritual Meaning of Luke 4
- Jesus’ victory over temptation is assurance that we too can overcome in Him.
- The word of God is protection and strength in every trial of life.
- Sometimes those closest to us (like the people of Nazareth) are the hardest to accept the truth.
- Miraculous signs were not the focus of Jesus’ ministry—but the proclamation of the gospel was the center of His mission.
- Jesus is the Messiah who brings restoration, deliverance, and salvation both spiritually and physically.
