Lucas 4
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 4
MacArthur - Luke 4:1-2 The Invincibility of the Messiah Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Acts 6:3 “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full (pleres) of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. Acts 6:5 The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full (pleres) of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full (pleres) of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. Acts 7:55 (THE FIRST CHURCH MARTYR STEPHEN WAS A SPIRIT FILLED MAN!) But being full (pleres) of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; John the Baptist's Ministry - click to enlarge From Holman Bible Atlas (available for purchase in digital or Hardcover) © 1998 B&H Publishing Group used by permission. Please do not reproduce. Judean Wilderness (the area in red) See Wikipedia Article THE WILDERNESS TEMPTATION: JESUS FULL OF AND LED BY THE SPIRIT Matthew and Luke record the same temptations but in different order - both of them put the first temptation (turning stones into bread) first, but Matthew has the devil leading Jesus’ to the pinnacle of the Temple second and to a high mountain third, while Luke reverses the order.. Reasons are proposed as to why the difference but they are somewhat conjecture. Both records are the inspired word of God and that is what matters. All three versions of the temptation of Jesus (including Mk 1:12-13+) are strategically placed after His baptism by John and before He began His 3 year of mission culminating in to the Cross. Luke of course does insert His genealogy on Mary's side (Lk. 3:23–38+) before the temptation narrative. But even this genealogy appears strategically placed because it follows His lineage back to the first Adam ("the son of Adam, the son of God" Lk 3:38+), who failed when tempted by the serpent! And so it is fitting that then God gives us the perfect pattern of Jesus showing us how we can respond victoriously to temptation. Matthew - see commentary Stones to Bread - Mt 4:1, 2, 3, 4 Test God's Protection - Mt 4:5, 6, 7 Kingdoms of the World - Mt 4:8, 9, 10, 11 Luke Stone to Bread - Lk 4:1, 2, 3, 4 Kingdoms of the World - Lk 4:5, 6, 7, 8 Test God's Protection - Lk 4:9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Steven Cole introduces Luke 4:1-13 noting that "To live in this world means that you will encounter temptation. Some, like playwright Oscar Wilde, don’t even try to fight it. He said, “I can resist anything except temptation.” Others want to be delivered from temptation, but they would like it to keep in touch from time to time. But if we want to be godly people, we must learn to resist the temptations that come at us from the world, the flesh, and the devil.JESUS CHRIST IS OUR GREAT EXAMPLE AND TEACHER WHEN IT COMES TO RESISTING TEMPTATION. He was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). If we want to be like Jesus, we will be eager to learn from Him how He resisted the devil. This account of Jesus’ temptation must have come down to the disciples and to us from Jesus Himself, since it was a private encounter. Luke uses the incident both to confirm Jesus as the righteous Son of God at the outset of His public ministry and to teach us how to FOLLOW HIM in obedience to the Father." (Luke 4:1-13 The Temptation of Jesus) John MacArthur introduces the Temptation of Jesus writing "Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, temptation has been a constant, unrelenting part of human life. Men have tried to avoid and resist it with self-inflicted pain to make themselves uncomfortable and presumably humble, or by isolating themselves from other people and from physical comforts. But no person has ever found a place or a circumstance that can make him safe from temptation. Throughout the history of the church much has been written and spoken about overcoming temptation. A fifth-century Christian wrote, Fly from all occasions of temptation, and if still tempted, fly further still. If there is no escape possible, then have done with running away and show a bold face and take the two-edged sword of the Spirit. Some temptations must be taken by the throat as David killed the lion; others must be stifled as David hugged the bear to death. Some you had better keep to yourselves and not give air. Shut them up as a scorpion in a bottle. Scorpions in such confinement die soon, but if allowed out for a crawl and then put back into the bottle and corked down, they will live a long while and give you trouble. Keep the cork on your temptations, and they will die of themselves." Benedict of Nursia (c. 480–543) sought an increase of grace and exemption from temptation by wearing a rough hair shirt and living for three years in a desolate cave, where his scant food was lowered to him on a cord. Once he threw himself into a clump of thorns and briars until his body was covered with bleeding wounds. But he found no escape from temptation. It followed him wherever he went and in whatever he did. Others have tried to overcome temptation by, in effect, denying it. Jovinian, a heretical fifth-century monk, taught that after a person was baptized he was forever free of the devil’s power and from temptation. Jerome, his most outstanding opponent, wisely commented that baptism does not drown the devil." (See Matthew Commentary) In Luke 4:1-13, Matthew 4:1-11 and the summary in Mark 1:12-13+, the Holy Spirit gives us the pattern for victory over temptation. So as we ponder these passages, may God's Spirit enable us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith. Amen (Heb 12:2+). Given the fact that Jesus was alone in the wilderness with His adversary the Devil, it is clear that this revelation to the Gospel writers is in as sense Jesus' personal testimony in which He reveals the "secret" of how saints can experience victory over temptation whether it comes at us from the world, the flesh (the usual source according to James 1:14+) or the devil. One could outline Jesus' wilderness experience into the preparation (Lk 4:1-2), the temptation (Lk 4:3-12) and the triumph (Lk 4:13). THOUGHT - This outline naturally leads to three points of application: Am I prepared? I will be tempted! Will I emerge triumphant? The truths in Jesus' temptation clearly provide the template for victory in our times of temptation/testing! Therefore it behooves all God's children to meditate often (even memorizing) Jesus' response to temptation in Luke and Matthew, so that we might be equipped and enabled (by the Spirit Who will use the sword we have memorized and meditated upon Eph 6:17+) to experience victory when (not if) we are tempted in the "wilderness" of this world! Notice that several translations begin this verse with either and or then which is absent in the NAS, which has chosen not to render the Greek conjunction "de" which is present in the Greek text. The translations which begin with and or then are more accurate as they indicate continuity with the previous event in Jesus' life, His baptism, which MacArthur says was "His commissioning." Mark's version emphasizes this continuity even more poignantly, stating " Immediately (euthus) the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness." (Mk 1:12+). THOUGHT - Notice the word “immediately” in Mark's version. There is no lag time between the triumph and the temptation. You are never more vulnerable than when you are coming out of a great victory. Sometimes (often) after we experience some of our greatest spiritual victories, we face our greatest challenges. Adrian Rogers said “Be prepared. As soon as God opens the windows of Heaven to bless us, the devil will open the doors of Hell to blast us.” That's a principle we find throughout the Word of God. First, the blessing, then the battle – that's always the way it is. Right after the moment of blessing is the moment of testing. Heaven had opened; now Hell opened. Satan loves to attack us when we think we are the strongest. "After a high time often comes a hard time; on the heels of a triumph, trouble often follows." God’s Word gives clear warning declaring “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12+). Elijah experienced this. He saw the fire of God consume the sacrifice on the top of Mount Carmel. 450 prophets of Baal are put to death. He prayed and it rained for the first time in three and a half years. He outran the chariot of King Ahab. Everything’s going great. Less than 24 hours later, he runs away from Jezebel, he becomes depressed and asks God to let him die. He went from the mountain of victory to the valley of mourning. (Read 1 Ki 18:1-46, 1 Ki 19:1-4) So Jesus had just been baptized by John (Luke 3:21-22+) and received the Father's approval (“You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”) and the Spirit's anointing ("the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove") for ministry. Peter refers to this in his "summary" of Jesus' 3 year ministry in Acts 10 You yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and (THUS ANOINTED WITH POWER) how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:37-38+) John MacArthur adds that "One of the great truths of life, from which even the Son of God was not exempt on earth, is that after every victory comes temptation. God’s Word warns, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). When we have just succeeded in something important, we are invariably tempted to think that we made the accomplishment in our own power and that it is rightfully and permanently ours. When we are most exhilarated with success we are also most vulnerable to pride-and to failure....At other times success causes us to feel invincible and to let down our guard, and when testings come we are not prepared for them....No sooner had Israel been delivered from Egypt than Pharaoh came pursuing her with his army. No sooner had Hezekiah left the solemn Passover than Sennacherib came against him. No sooner had Paul received an abundance of revelations than he was assaulted with vile temptations." (See Matthew Commentary) Jesus (Iesous) full (pleres) of the Holy (hagios) Spirit - Wuest paraphrases it "Jesus, in the control of the Holy Spirit." Wuest does not mean Jesus controlled the Spirit but that the Spirit controlled Jesus! The classic Jesus Amplified version has "full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit" and the revised Amplified has an interesting translation "Jesus, full of [and in perfect communication with] the Holy Spirit." As discussed below, these translations emphasize a vitally important truth for every follower (imitators) of Christ to fully comprehend -- the idea that one who is filled with the Spirit is controlled by (and empowered by) the Spirit (cp the phrase in the power of the Spirit in Lk 4:14+). The corollary is when we as believers are not filled with/controlled by the Spirit and His supernatural power, the only source of power is our natural strength. Little wonder that many Christians are failing to experience the abundant life in Christ! Ignorance (of the Spirit's role) is definitely not bliss! Kevin Zuber summarizes Jesus' temptations as "(1) Serve Yourself (Lk 4:3-4); (2) Honor Yourself (Lk 4:5-8); (3) Be spectacular (be presumptuous and prove Your self-importance; Lk 4:9-12). Jesus countered each temptation with an appeal to Scripture (cf. Dt 8:3; 6:13; 6:16). These events proved Jesus was the right man, with the appropriate background, with the proper credentials, and with the desirable experience for the ministry He was about to begin." (The Moody Bible Commentary) The chapter break from Luke 3 to Luke 4 tends to make us forget the immediate context. Luke had just recorded that Jesus is the Son of Adam, the Son of God. (Lk 3:38+). Stated another way these two descriptions emphasize that Jesus is fully Man (Son of Adam) and fully God (Son of God). For 3 chapters Luke has recorded the testimony of numerous witnesses testifying that Jesus Christ is the long expected Messiah, the Savior of the world. The "witnesses" have included the angel Gabriel, Zacharias and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, another angel and angelic hosts, the shepherds, Simeon, Anna, John the Baptist, the Spirit of God (descending), God the Father (declaring) and finally the genealogy authenticating Jesus as in the lineage of the Messiah. Luke leaves no stone unturned to substantiate that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus (Iesous) full (pleres) of the Holy (hagios) Spirit - Beloved, this is a very important verse because it marks the beginning of Jesus' 3+ year ministry culminating in the Cross. The first Adam sinned and failed to fulfill his purpose. The Last Adam, Jesus, did not sin and fulfilled His purpose as a Man. Clearly Jesus was always fully God, but for a time, He chose to "empty" Himself of His divine prerogatives (something we cannot fully grasp or explain), and thus lived His life as an example of the perfect life Adam should have (and could have) lived and the "ideal life" which all believers should seek to imitate (1Cor 11:1+; Walking Like Jesus Walked!). But you say "He was Jesus. He was God. It was no problem for Him to live a holy life." Yes, He was God, but what Luke alludes to is that Jesus relied on the same Source of power, the Holy Spirit, that you and I have access to today, for the Spirit of Christ indwells every believer (Read Ro 8:9+). Every believer has all of the Spirit that he or she will ever have (and I personally believe He will inhabit us forever in eternity - cf Jn 14:16) for we are complete (pleroo in the perfect tense - speaks of the permanence of this state) in Christ (Col 2:10+). The issue is not how much of the Spirit we have, but how much of "us" He has (our heart, our will, our submission, our obedience etc)! Luke says Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit" indicating Jesus, the God-Man was fully surrendered to the Spirit's control. THOUGHT - While the truth that Jesus was fully Man and fully empowered by the Spirit is mysterious, it is Biblical. His perfect life provides the perfect pattern for all of His followers so that we too might live the abundant life (Jn 10:10b), the Spirit-filled life, the victorious Christian life, fully "saturated" with and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Compare Luke 4:14+ where "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power (dunamis) of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district." In short, the Spirit provided the supernatural power for Jesus from beginning to end and this same Spirit provides the supernatural power for every Jesus follower forever and ever. Hallelujah! Amen! One of my favorite (older) choruses is Jesus, Name Above All Names - YouTube Jesus, Name above all names, Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord. Emanuel, God is with us, Blessed Redeemer, Living Word. It is instructive to compare the temptation of Adam with the temptation of Jesus... ADAM JESUS First Adam Last Adam In the Garden In the Wilderness Feasted in the Garden Fasted in the Wilderness Tempted by the Serpent Tempted by the Devil Tempted 1 day, ONE TIME Tempted 40 days CONTINUALLY Tempted in a perfect environment The best of circumstances Tempted in a horrid environment The worst of circumstances Yielded to the first temptation and sinned Resisted repeated temptations without sin Brought death through sin Brought life through sinless death First Adam brought eternal death Last Adam brought eternal life Ro 5:15, 21 Paul contrasts this theme of Adam's disobedience and Jesus' obedience in Romans 5:12-19, concluding with the statement "So then as through one transgression (ADAM) there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness (JESUS) there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience (ADAM) the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One (JESUS) the many will be made righteous." (Ro 5:18-19+) A T Robertson on full (pleres) of the Holy (hagios) Spirit - (This is evidently an) allusion to the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at His baptism (Luke 3:21,22+). The distinctness of the Persons in the Trinity is shown there, but with evident unity. One recalls also Luke’s account of the overshadowing of Mary by the Holy Spirit (Lk 1:35+). Pleres is used to describe Barnabas as a Spirit filled man... "Then when he had come and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for (explaining His previous actions) he was a good man, and full (same word used in Lk 4:1 = pleres) of the Holy Spirit and of faith. (THOUGHT - What is the result of Barnabas' being filled with the Spirit?) And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord." (Acts 11:23-24+) In Acts 13 Luke records "negative filling" writing... "But Elymas the magician (for thus his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled (pleroo) with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him, and said, "You who are full (pleres) of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?" (Acts 13:8-10+) And so we see that pleres is repeatedly associated with the Holy Spirit - Lk 4:1, Acts 6:3+, Acts 6:5+, Acts 7:55+, Acts 11:24+). Clearly the state of being filled with the Spirit was of great import in the life of Jesus and the lives of the disciples in the Book of Acts. When pleres is used in this figurative sense, it conveys something more than simply "filling up to the brim" so to speak.The idea is to be saturated with or to to be permeated thoroughly with. The point is that what fills a person, controls the person. For example, as we noted above Elymas the magician (Acts 13:8+) in Acts 13:10 was filled with "all deceit and fraud." And what was the "effect?" He made "crooked the straight ways of the Lord." (Acts 13:10+). As an aside notice how Paul was "enabled" to confront this man who seems in essence to be enabled or to be even demonically controlled and empowered ("you son of the devil" Acts 13:10+) -- "Paul, filled with (controlled by, enabled by, supernaturally empowered by) the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him." (Acts 13:9+). The upshot is that to be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit and thus be supernaturally empowered to accomplish what cannot be accomplished naturally (by relying on my human "power"). This is a vital truth for modern believers to grasp because this was the example (pattern) Jesus left us to follow (Read 1Co 11:1+, 1 Jn 2:6+, 1Pe 2:21+) This is why Eph 5:18+ is so critical to the Christian life (Memorize and Meditate on this verse! - memorization, meditation), for there is simply no other way to live the "Christ life," a supernatural life, then the way Jesus lived it--filled with the Holy Spirit, controlled by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, "leaving us an example for to follow in His steps" (1 Pe 2:21+) As further support of the truth that what fills you, controls you, note that the pagans in Ephesus were "filled (pleres) with rage, they began crying out, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" (Acts 19:28+) Rage filled them and rage controlled them. Mark it down - Every believer is either being controlled by the Spirit or the fallen flesh. There is NO MIDDLE GROUND! These two forces are continually in opposition, and like oil and water they DO NOT MIX! (study Gal 5:17+). And because of this principle, believers are commanded to continually walk (present imperative) by the Spirit, for then (and only then) we will absolutely not (as emphasized by a strong double negative in Gal 5:16+!) fulfill the desires of our flesh (Notice that Paul does not say we won't have these sinful desires! He says they won't control us!) (Memorize and Meditate on this important passage! Gal 5:16+). Recommended Study - The following studies on "Make Disciples" go into detail on the importance of Eph 5:18+ and Gal 5:16+ in the walk of a disciple, emphasizing that we cannot follow Jesus in our "natural power" because Jesus walked in dependence on (reliance upon) the supernatural power of the Spirit, leaving us the perfect example to follow! These studies also discuss the FIVE MOST CRITICAL PASSAGES in the life of every follower of Jesus Christ. So take some time to go through the following notes slowly, memorizing and chewing the five great passages and walking in the Spirit energized transforming power of the Word of Truth! Make Disciples 1, Make Disciples 2, Make Disciples 3, Make Disciples 4, Make Disciples 5, Make Disciples 6, Make Disciples 7, Make Disciples 8 Darrell Bock notes that full of the Holy Spirit is a key phrase for Dr Luke as it "is used in the NT 16 times, yet 10 of those uses are in Luke-Acts. Often it is in association with the Spirit, indicating a person who operates in and is directed by God's Spirit (Acts 6:3, 5; 7:55; 11:24). A contrastive use is the description that someone is "full of rage" (Acts 19:28). Thus, the temptations occur after Jesus has been guided by the Spirit, a point emphasized in repeating the idea later in the verse. It was no accident he was in the wilderness fasting." (The Bible Knowledge Key Word Study: The Gospels) In his interesting book God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (borrow this book), Gordon Fee emphasizes the believer's need to be continually filled with the Spirit in his summary of the "Pauline Perspective" (page 896) writing that... Despite His key role in the realization of salvation in Christ, the Spirit’s major role in Paul’s view of things lies with His being the absolutely essential constituent of the whole of Christian life, from beginning to end (Ed: You may want to read that sentence again as this vital truth has been "jettisoned" by much of the mainstream evangelical church in America!) The Spirit thus empowers ethical life in ALL OF ITS DIMENSIONS—personal, corporate, and in the world. Believers in Christ, who for Paul are “Spirit people” first and foremost, are variously described as living by the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, bearing the fruit of the Spirit, and sowing to the Spirit. Ethics for Paul is likewise Trinitarian at its roots: the Spirit of God conforms the believer into the likeness of Christ to the glory of God (cp 2 Cor 3:18+). The Spirit is therefore the empowering presence of God for living the life of God in the present. For Paul, therefore, there is no Christian life that is not at the same time a holy life, made so by the Holy Spirit whom God gives to his people (1 Th 4:8+). At the same time, life in the Spirit also includes every other imaginable dimension of the believer’s present eschatological existence, including being empowered by the Spirit to abound in hope, to live in joy, to pray without ceasing, to exercise self-control, to experience a robust conscience, to have insight into God’s will and purposes, and for endurance in every kind of present hardship and suffering. To be a believer means nothing less than being “filled with” and thus to “live in/by the Spirit.” Finally, the Spirit is the key to all truly Christian Spirituality. At the individual level the life of the Spirit includes “praying in the Spirit” as well as with the mind." (Bolding added) (In a much smaller word by Fee he gives a summary of the role of the Spirit today on page 179 of Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God - borrow this book - or see here) Jesus...returned (hupostrepho) from the Jordan - This statement would seem to link the temptation of Jesus as directly following the baptism of Jesus (Lk 3:21-22+). Mark's account would support this premise for after describing Jesus' baptism in Mk 1:9-11+ Mark writes "immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness." (Mk 1:12+) And was led (ago) around by the Spirit in the wilderness (eremos) - Led is in the imperfect tense ("continuously led" says Robertson) and the passive voice which could be paraphrased "was continually being led." Jesus went, guided by the Holy Spirit, from place to place in the wilderness. And so to be led implies that there is Someone in front leading, clearly referring to the Spirit. Indeed, this truth is mysterious, for Jesus never ceased to be fully God, but He did voluntarily set aside His divine prerogatives. (Php 2:6,7+; see doctrine of kenosis; Scroll down to page 475 for Wayne Grudem's discussion "Scroll down to page 475 for Wayne Grudem's discussion Did Jesus Give Up Some of His Divine Attributes While on Earth?") And so in the case of our perfect Pattern, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Spirit was "in front" (so to speak) leading the way. The passive voice (divine passive) indicates that the leading was performed by an external Entity, the Holy Spirit. THOUGHT - Believers should follow Jesus' perfect example of wholly submitting to the leading of the Holy Spirit (1 Pe 2:21+, 1Jn 2:6+, cf 1Co 11:1+). Is the Holy Spirit "in front" of us each morning as we go out into the moral/ethical wilderness of this godless, Christ-hating world? Jon Courson on was led around by the Spirit - Notice that Jesus was led—or literally driven—by the Spirit into the wilderness, where Satan would tempt Him. Why? Was the Spirit trying to do Him in? Not at all. The Spirit led Him into the place of temptation not to do Him in, but to show Him off. Think of it this way: If you were to show some interest in a Jeep, the salesman would tell you to take it for a drive in the mountains or the dunes in order to show you its power and durability. So, too, the Spirit was able to show off the power and the ability, the holiness and tenacity of Jesus. The same is true for you. Why does the Lord allow hardship in your life? He's out to show His strength in your life that the devil might be defeated once again. (See Jon Courson's Application Commentary) Blight writes "Jesus was led in the desert, not into the desert, so that in his wanderings in the desert he was under the Spirit’s influence and guidance [ICC]. Jesus was continuously under the guidance of the Spirit [TH]. This gives the picture of Jesus being on the offensive as he was led by the Spirit to confront the devil [Alford, NAC]." (An Exegetical Summary of Luke ) Life Application Note - Sometimes we feel that if the Holy Spirit leads us, it will always be "beside peaceful streams" (Psalm 23:2). But that is not necessarily true. He led Jesus into the wilderness for a long and difficult time of testing, and he may also lead us into difficult situations. When facing trials, first make sure you haven't brought them on yourself through sin or unwise choices. If you find no sin to confess or unwise behavior to change, then ask God to strengthen you for your test (cf 1Cor 16:13-14+). Finally, be careful to follow faithfully wherever the Holy Spirit leads. The Holy Spirit...Spirit - Notice the double mention of the Spirit which serves to emphasize that the temptation was not accidental but intentional! The sovereign God was clearly in charge! Although the temptations were given by the Devil, they were a part of God’s perfect plan for the redemptive work of His Son. As alluded to above, it is clear that Jesus surrendered His will to the will of the Spirit, giving His followers the perfect example, for as John writes "the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." (1 John 2:6+) By the Spirit (en to pneumati) is literally "in the Spirit." Note that an identical phrase "in the Spirit" describes Simeon coming into the Temple where he would see the infant Jesus (Lk 2:27+). The Holy Spirit led both Simeon. Practically He will lead every believer, if we yield to His leading. This phrase by the Spirit emphasizes that Jesus was “guided by the Spirit” (NEB), not His own initiative. This is the perfect pattern in which God desires all His children to walk in the "wilderness" of this world led by His Spirit (cp the command to walk by the Spirit [present imperative] in Gal 5:16+). Matthew's version (Mt 4:1+) has "hupo tou pneumatos" which could be translated "under the Spirit," where the preposition hupo describes the Spirit as the cause or instrument. It is interesting to also consider that hupo in some contexts can mean "below, underneath" and thus can denote submission or subjection to authority, rule or power (in this case of the Spirit).
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MacArthur adds that "the wilderness of Judea, where Jesus was most likely tempted, was the most barren, desolate region in all of Israel. Scarred by precipitous cliffs, deep ravines, and tumbled boulders, it was a region so barren that animals could not be pastured in it. In this remote, largely uninhabited area, Jesus might be more alone than anywhere else in Israel." (Ibid) Eremos - 48v in NT - desert(2), deserts(1), desolate(6), open pasture(1), secluded(5), unpopulated(1), wilderness(32). Matt. 3:1; Matt. 3:3; Matt. 4:1; Matt. 11:7; Matt. 14:13; Matt. 14:15; Matt. 23:38; Matt. 24:26; Mk. 1:3; Mk. 1:4; Mk. 1:12; Mk. 1:13; Mk. 1:35; Mk. 1:45; Mk. 6:31; Mk. 6:32; Mk. 6:35; Lk. 1:80; Lk. 3:2; Lk. 3:4; Lk. 4:1; Lk. 4:42; Lk. 5:16; Lk. 7:24; Lk. 8:29; Lk. 9:12; Lk. 15:4; Jn. 1:23; Jn. 3:14; Jn. 6:31; Jn. 6:49; Jn. 11:54; Acts 1:20; Acts 7:30; Acts 7:36; Acts 7:38; Acts 7:42; Acts 7:44; Acts 8:26; Acts 13:18; Acts 21:38; 1 Co. 10:5; Gal. 4:27; Heb. 3:8; Heb. 3:17; Rev. 12:6; Rev. 12:14; Rev. 17:3 Vincent on The Wilderness. - The place is unknown. Tradition fixes it near Jericho, in the neighborhood of the Quarantania, the precipitous face of which is pierced with ancient cells and chapels, and a ruined church is on its topmost peak. Dr. Tristram says that every spring a few devout Abyssinian Christians are in the habit of coming and remaining here for forty days, to keep their Lent on the spot where they suppose that our Lord fasted and was tempted."
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MacArthur - Luke 4:1-2 The Invincibility of the Messiah Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Matthew 4:1-2 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. JESUS' TEMPLATE FOR VICTORY IN TIMES OF TEMPTATION For forty days, being tempted (peirazo) by the devil (diabolos) - As discussed below, Jesus' temptation was ongoing for 40 days. In a similar way our temptations are ongoing daily because James says "each one is tempted (present tense) when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. (James 1:14+). THOUGHT - The point is that the verb tempted (peirazo) in the present tense indicates that our rotten, godless, wicked fallen flesh is continually seeking a weak spot in our armor to take us down! Beloved, be careful and don't be deceived by the fact that temptations seem quiet for the moment and letting your spiritual guard down! John MacArthur observes that "In this struggle of the Son of God with the son of perdition we are given clear and applicable insights into Satan’s strategy against God and His people and also into Christ’s way of victory over the tempter. Side by side we are shown the way of danger and the way of escape, the way that leads to defeat and death and the way that leads to victory and life-in short, the way of Satan and the way of God....When we face testing and temptation in the same way our Lord did, we too can be victorious over the adversary’s attempts to corrupt us and to usurp the Lord’s rightful place in our lives." (See Matthew 1-7 MacArthur New Testament Commentary) For forty days - This same time period is mentioned in several different contexts 22x in the NAS - Ge 7:4, 12, 17; 8:6; 50:3; Ex. 24:18; 34:28; Nu 13:25; 14:34; Deut. 9:9, 11, 18, 25; 10:10; 1 Sa 17:16; 1 Ki. 19:8; Ezek. 4:6; Jon. 3:4; Matt. 4:2; Mk. 1:13; Lk. 4:2; Acts 1:3. One thinks particularly of Moses who "was on the mountain forty days and forty nights" (Ex 24:18, Ex 34:28). The one symbolizing the Law was on the mountain and the One bringing grace was in the Wilderness. A T Robertson is right that for forty days, being tempted "is another instance of poor verse division which should have come at the end of the sentence....The devil challenged the Son of man though also the Son of God. It was a contest between Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, and the slanderer of men. The devil had won with Adam and Eve. He has hopes of triumph over Jesus....Mark does not give the fast. Matt. 4:2 has the aorist active participle nēsteusas (nesteuo "had fasted") which usually means a religious fast for purposes of devotion. That idea is not excluded by Luke’s words. The entrance of Jesus upon his Messianic ministry was a fit time for this solemn and intense consecration. This mental and spiritual strain would naturally take away the appetite (THIS STATEMENT IS TO SOME DEGREE CONJECTURE) and there was probably nothing at hand to eat. The weakness from the absence of food gave the devil his special opportunity to tempt Jesus which he promptly seized." Faith Life Study Bible - God led His people through the desert for 40 years due to their unfaithfulness. The Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days so that His fidelity might be set in contrast to the nation’s infidelity. J
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MacArthur adds that "Hunger (Ed: And, from personal experience, I would also add lack of adequate sleep) not only makes us physically weak but also tends to weaken our moral and spiritual resistance as well. When we are tired, hungry, or sick we are usually less concerned about other needs and dangers and tend to be vulnerable to anything that might provide relief from our present distress. Satan therefore usually attacks most fiercely in such times of weakness and unpreparedness. Temptations that have been anticipated, guarded against, and prayed about have little power to harm us . Victory over temptation comes from being constantly prepared for it, which, in turn, comes from constantly relying on the Lord (Ed: I.e, the enabling power of the Spirit = "God is working in" us - see Php 2:13NLT+). It is said that a person traveling in tiger country will not be attacked if he sees the tiger before the tiger sees him. Tigers attack from behind in order to surprise their victims, and therefore one of the best defenses against that vicious animal is to face it. (Ed: Reminds me of Jas 4:6,7+ and 1 Pe 5:8-9+) Jesus, though having fasted for over a month, was no less alert to spiritual danger. Because He had spent the time in communion with His Father, even in His weakest physical moments He did not allow Satan to gain any foothold. " (See MacArthur Matthew Commentary) Being tempted (3985)(peirazo from the noun peira = test from peíro = perforate, pierce through to test durability of things) is a morally neutral word simply meaning “to test”. Whether the test is for good (Heb 11:17+) or evil (Mt 4:1) depends on the intent of the one giving the test (God or Satan) and also on the response of the one tested. When the context clearly indicates the testing is an enticement to evil, peirazo is translated as tempt, which conveys a negative sense. In Luke 4:2 since the devil was giving the test, it is translated as tempt, for it is an enticement to do evil. W H Griffith explains the difference this way stating that "Satan tempts to bring out the bad; God tests to bring out the good." Peirazo is in the present tense participle ("continually tested") which indicates the test was ongoing. In other words Satan's temptations continually came at Jesus for the entire 40 day period. The NET Bible translates it as "endured temptations by the devil." The NET Note adds that "Here the present participle suggests a period of forty days of testing. Three samples of the end of the testing are given in the following verses." As Bock says "What Luke summarizes for us is the end of this trial." (Ibid) Seven of the 38 NT uses of this term for trial or temptation are in Luke-Acts. Depending on the context peirazo in some contexts refers to a test as in Luke 11:16 and in other contexts refers to a temptation, as here in Luke 4 and Acts 5:9. One aspect of periazo that should be kept in mind is that any test in a believer's life can turn into a temptation. In other words, if God allows a test to make us stronger but we resent the test and react to it in our flesh (cp "each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust [that derives from our fallen flesh - cp "lusts of the flesh" -1 Jn 2:16+ or "fleshly lusts" 1 Pe 2:11+]" - James 1:14+), it will likely become a temptation for us to sin. God of course never tempts us to sin, whereas when the devil is involved he virtually always is tempting us to sin. As Hiebert said "Temptation has its source not in the outer lure but in the inner lust." Peirazo - 38x in 34v --Mt. 4:1, 3; 16:1; 19:3; 22:18, 35; Mk. 1:13; 8:11; 10:2; 12:15; Lk. 4:2; 11:16; Jn. 6:6; 8:6; Acts 5:9; 9:26; 15:10; 16:7; 24:6; 1 Co. 7:5; 10:9, 13; 2 Co. 13:5; Gal. 6:1; 1 Th. 3:5; Heb. 2:18; 3:9; 4:15; 11:17; Jas. 1:13f; Rev. 2:2, 10; 3:10 Devil (1228)(diabolos from diá = through, between + ballo = to cast, throw) means a false accuser, slanderer (one who utters false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation), backbiting(malicious comment about one not present), one given to malicious gossip or a calumniator (one who utters maliciously false statements, charges, or imputations about, this term imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions). Diabolos - 37x and 4x by Luke in this pericope - Luke's other use of Diabolos is in Lk 8:12+ where Jesus gives us a sense of the devil's power declaring "Those (souls) beside the road are those who have heard (the Word of God, eg, the Gospel); then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that (purpose) they will not believe and be saved." Matt. 4:1; Matt. 4:5; Matt. 4:8; Matt. 4:11; Matt. 13:39; Matt. 25:41; Lk. 4:2; Lk. 4:3; Lk. 4:6; Lk. 4:13; Lk. 8:12; Jn. 6:70; Jn. 8:44; Jn. 13:2; Acts 10:38; Acts 13:10; Eph. 4:27; Eph. 6:11; 1 Tim. 3:6; 1 Tim. 3:7; 1 Tim. 3:11; 2 Tim. 2:26; 2 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 2:3; Heb. 2:14; Jas. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8; 1 Jn. 3:8; 1 Jn. 3:10; Jude 1:9; Rev. 2:10; Rev. 12:9; Rev. 12:12; Rev. 20:2; Rev. 20:10 Diabolos is the noun form of the verb diaballō which describes not only those who bring a false charge against one, but also those who disseminate the truth concerning a man, and do so maliciously, insidiously and with hostility. Notice how the root words (diá = through + bállō = throw) depict the devil's evil method! He constantly throws between seeking to divide whether it be between a husband and wife, a child and parent, a church, etc.
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MacArthur - Among the many other names given him are: the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2), the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), the serpent of old and the deceiver of the whole world (Rev. 12:9), Abaddon and Apollyon, both of which mean “destroyer” (Rev. 9:11), and the tempter, as seen in the next verse of our text (Matt. 4:3; cf. 1 Thess. 3:5). Ate (2068)(esthio) literally means to eat, take something in through the mouth(Mt 15:32;Mk 2:26; Mk 7:28 Lk 22:30). Given the fact that esthio is often used in parallelism with pino (drink) (Mt 6:25,31; Mt 11:18,19, Mt 24:49 Mt 26:26; Mk 2:16; Lk 5:30,33 Lk 7:33,34 Lk 10:7 Lk 12:19, 29, 45; Lk 13:26 Lk 17:8, 27,28 Lk 22:30), Luke's making no mention of Jesus not drinking would strongly support that Jesus did drink water during the 40 days. Human beings are not camels and can go without water for only about 3 days, and certainly not 40 days. Had ended (fulfilled) (4931)(sunteleo from sun = together or an intensifier + teleo = to finish, cp sunteleia) means to bring together or to completion. The idea of sunteleo is to bring to a successful finish, thus consummating or fully accomplishing Jesus' wilderness testings. Here sunteleo is in the passive voice meaning to be brought to an end. Later in this passage in Lk 4:13-note Luke describes an "opportune time," which in this first temptation was the time of Jesus' hunger. NET Note on sunteleo - "This verb and its cognate noun, sunteleia, usually implies not just the end of an event, but its completion or fulfillment. The noun is always used in the NT in eschatological contexts; the verb is often so used (cf. Matt 13:39, 40; 24:3; 28:20; Mark 13:4; Rom 9:28; Heb 8:8; 9:26). The idea here may be that the forty-day period of temptation was designed for a particular purpose in the life of Christ (the same verb is used in Lk 4:13). The cognate verb teleioō is a key NT term for the completion of God’s plan: See Luke 12:50; 22:37; John 19:30; and (where it has the additional component of meaning “to perfect”) Heb 2:10; 5:8–9; 7:28." He became hungry (3983)(peinao from peín = hunger) means literally to be hungry, to hunger, to feel the pangs of lack of food. Jesus later uses this same verb figuratively (meaning to desire something strongly) in Mt 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Peinao - 23v in NT - Matt. 4:2; Matt. 5:6; Matt. 12:1; Matt. 12:3; Matt. 21:18; Matt. 25:35; Matt. 25:37; Matt. 25:42; Matt. 25:44; Mk. 2:25; Mk. 11:12; Lk. 1:53; Lk. 4:2; Lk. 6:3; Lk. 6:21; Lk. 6:25; Jn. 6:35; Rom. 12:20; 1 Co. 4:11; 1 Co. 11:21; 1 Co. 11:34; Phil. 4:12; Rev. 7:16 Related Resources What was the meaning and purpose of Jesus' temptations Why did Jesus fast? How to fast—what does the Bible say? What are the different types of fasting? What does it mean that Satan is prince of the power of the air What does it mean to have a wilderness experience Why did Satan think he could defeat God? Is there activity of demonic spirits in the world today What does the Bible say about demonic oppression? Is temptation a sin? Is it a sin to be tempted? What are some of the symbols of the Holy Spirit in the Bible What is the power of the Holy Spirit? In what ways was Moses like Jesus? What are the keys to resisting temptation? Introduction to John Owen's Overcoming Sin and Temptation (a compilation of 3 works edited by Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor - recommended) Mortification of Sin - John Owen Of Temptation - John Owen Indwelling Sin - John Owen Triumphing Over Temptation - John MacArthur The Source, Force and Course of Temptation - Steven Cole Holman Bible Dictionary - Temptation of Jesus International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Christ, Temptation of , Temptation of Christ Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Temptation of our lord McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia - Temptation of Christ. Charles Buck Dictionary - Temptation of Christ The Impeccability of Christ - John Walvoord Could Jesus Have Sinned? - Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology - scroll down to page 464 The Impeccability of Christ - A W Pink Could Jesus have sinned (peccability or impeccability)? - Gotquestions ILLUSTRATION REGARDING TEMPTATION - The story is told of a man who was trying to teach his dog obedience. He would take a large piece of meat and put it in the middle of the floor. Each time the dog attempted to take the meat the man would swat the dog and say, “No.” Soon the dog began to associate the swatting with the word no and learned to stop simply when the word was said. When meat was placed on the floor the dog would not look at it but rather at his master, waiting for his word of approval or denial. That is essentially the message God teaches in this passage: “When temptation comes, don’t look at the temptation but look at Jesus Christ. Keep your eyes on His example and do what He did (1 Jn 2:6-note, cp 1 Cor 11:1-note, 1 Pe 2:21-note). Look at the ways He was tempted and at the way He resisted, and learn from Him.” Jesus has been there before us (Heb 2:18-note); He has met the worst Satan can give and has been victorious (Heb 4:15-note). More than that, He is eager to share that victory with His own people when they are tempted. We can have victory over temptation only by resisting in the way that Jesus resisted-by holding with complete obedience to God and His Word. Jesus endured temptation to the very limit of Satan’s power, and He resisted to that very limit. He did not in the least degree allow temptation to develop into desire, much less into sin (cf. Jas 1:13-15-note). He did not think the matter over or give it any consideration. He simply stood firmly in His Father’s will, filled with the Holy Spirit and was enabled to said no! Say "Yes" to the Spirit before you try to say "No" to the lusts of the flesh! (Gal 5:16-note, Gal 5:17,18-note) Look to Jesus, not the temptation. We find help against temptation, just as we find help for everything else in the Christian life, by “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith” (Heb 12:2-note). A hurdler soon learns that if he looks at the hurdles as he runs, he will trip and fall. From start to finish he looks only at the goal, and when he does that the hurdles are cleared in stride as each one is encountered. Being continually filled with the Word and the Spirit and keeping our eyes fixed on our Lord Jesus Christ is our only Hope of conquering temptation and faithfully running “with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb 12:1-note). See also related discussion regarding the concept of Vertical Vision. J
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MacArthur - Luke 4:3-8 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 1 Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Wuest Then the devil said to Him, In view of the fact that you are Son of God by virtue of your possession of the divine essence, speak to this stone to the effect that it will become a loaf of bread. THE DEVIL'S FIRST TEMPTATION Since Jesus was hungry (Lk 4:2b), the devil honed in on this potential weak spot. Remember that it was not the devil who initiated this conflict but it was the Spirit Who had led Jesus to this point. He could not have tempted Jesus, if the Father had not allowed it and the Spirit brought Jesus into the wilderness. Beloved, the application to our spiritual life is clear that Satan cannot tempt us unless God allows it. A corollary application is that your inner "tempter" the fallen flesh will select the strategic time to hone in on your area of weakness! That's why Jesus commanded the disciples (including us) "“Keep watching (present imperative - calling for this to be our lifestyle only possible as we learn to rely wholly on the Holy Spirit to obey) and praying (present imperative) (WHY?) that you may not enter into temptation (peirasmos); (WHAT'S OUR PROBLEM?) the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:41+). COMPARISON OF SATAN'S TEMPTATIONS OF EVE AND JESUS TEMPTATION GENESIS 3 LUKE 4 Appeal to physical appetite You may eat of any tree (Ge 3:1+) You may eat by changing stones to bread (Lk 4:3-4+) Appeal to personal gain You surely will not die (Ge 3:4+) You will not strike Your foot (Lk 4:9-12+) Appeal to power or glory You will be like God (Ge 3:5+) You will have all the world's kingdoms (Lk 4:5-8+) And the devil (diabolos) said to Him - The devil is a real entity and one who is capable of speaking. Don't miss the contrast of this cosmic confrontation - Holy versus unholy. Truth versus liar. Creator versus creation! Matthew 4:3+ designates him as the Tempter (peirazo) but does not tell us anything about his physical form. What is clear is that the attack was personal and involved the exchange of words, the two even moving together to the place of temptation on the pinnacle of the Temple and then to a a very high mountain (Mt 4:8 - Luke just says "led Him up"). As Robert Stein says "The picture is that of the Anointed of the Lord on the offensive and led by the Spirit to confront the devil." (New American Commentary) THOUGHT - As an aside note that Jesus is alone and in a deserted place. Our enemy will often attack us with temptations when we are alone. Do you have an accountability partner? Steven
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MacArthur explains that "The devil’s suggestion that Jesus command a stone to become bread was not a temptation to self-indulgence, for it is not a sin to eat food when one is hungry. Still less was it aimed at getting Jesus to pride-fully show off His powers, since He and Satan were alone and there was no audience to perform for. Satan’s point was far more insidious and subtle. He was aware that in the incarnation, Jesus had voluntarily set aside the independent use of His divine power. The devil was attempting (as he had with Eve) to get Him to distrust God’s love and provision for Him. He insinuated that God was indifferent and disinterested in Jesus’ plight. After all, had God not provided food for the stubbornly rebellious Israelites during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness? Had not David testified, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread” (Ps. 37:25)? If the Father truly loved His Son, why had He failed to provide food for Him these past forty days? Satan hoped to entice Jesus to question the love of the Father and the care of the Holy Spirit. (See Luke Commentary) In his comments on the same temptation in Matthew MacArthur wrote "Satan was hoping to persuade Jesus to demonstrate His power to verify that it was real. That would mean violating God’s plan that He set that power aside in humiliation and use it only when the Father willed. Satan wanted Jesus to disobey God. Affirming His deity and rights as the Son of God would have been to act independently of God." (See Matthew Commentary) Life Application - Sometimes what we are tempted to do isn't wrong in itself. Turning a stone into bread wasn't necessarily bad. The sin was not in the act but in the reason behind it. The devil was trying to get Jesus to take a shortcut, to solve Jesus' immediate problem at the expense of his long-range goals, to seek comfort at the sacrifice of his discipline. Satan often works that way—persuading us to take action, even right action, for the wrong reason or at the wrong time. The fact that something is not wrong in itself does not mean that it is good for you at a given time. Many people sin by attempting to fulfill legitimate desires outside of God's will or ahead of his timetable. First ask: Is the Holy Spirit leading me to do this or is Satan trying to get me off the track? (Go to page 40 in Life Application Study Bible) R C
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MacArthur - Luke 4:3-8 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 1 Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries JESUS PARRIES THE DEVIL'S DECEPTION WITH THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT And Jesus answered him, "It is written - Do not miss that these are the first words recorded after Jesus was anointed for His public ministry! His first words were THE WORD, a good pattern for us to imitate each morning with our first words! THOUGHT - Since followers of Christ are called to imitate their Lord in His earthly ministry (1 Cor 11:1-note, 1 Jn 2:6-note, etc) we can glean much of practical value from Jesus' face to face confrontation with the Tempter. While we are unlikely to tempted by the Devil himself, we certainly will be tempted by the fiery missiles flung by his evil minions (Eph 6:16-note). We must remember that Jesus experienced victory over these intense temptations, not because He was the Son of God, but because He surrendered to the Spirit of God and spoke the Word of God. In a "spiritual nutshell" this is His perfect pattern for our victory in the time of temptation -- filled with the Spirit and filled with the Word. Oswald Chambers said "We cannot stand against the wiles of the devil by our wits." We can only stand against him in reliance on God's Word and Spirit! Daniel Block makes the point that "The one who twists truth will fail to ensnare the one filled with the Spirit." This begs the question "Are you filled?" If not, beware! The best way to show a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick alongside it. It is written in Deut 8:3 is quoted by Luke from the Septuagint (Lxx) rather than the Hebrew text. It may be Old Testament (which some evangelicals eschew!) and it is still in force! The fact that the NT more frequently quotes from the Greek Septuagint than the Hebrew supports the value of this translation. When we were children and our parents told us to do something and we questioned "Why?", the answer was usually "Because I said so!". Why are we commanded to be holy? Because God said so! A popular saying is "God said it, I believe it, that settles it." This sounds good but isn't accurate because God's Word is true, irregardless of whether we believe it or not. A more accurate "saying" would be God said it, that settles it! It follows that the phrase It is written should put a stop to every complaint or excuse. In essence, Jesus sets Satan's suggestion next to Scripture's statement. There is an important principle here - we should always lay God's Word besides Satan's subtle seductions - The best way to show a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick alongside it. THOUGHT- Personally, I do not read an OT passage without also reading the corresponding Septuagint and the spiritual insights gleaned are frequent. F. Whitfield - “It is written” should be in the heart and on the lips of every Christian. “It is written” should decide every controversy, settle every doubt, and overcome every difficulty. (Amen!) Marvin
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MacArthur - What sustains a person’s life is not food, but obedience to “everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3). Life Application notes that if we are to use the sword of the Spirit "effectively (Eph 6:17), we must have faith in God's promises because Satan also knows Scripture and is adept at twisting it to suit his purposes. Obeying the Scriptures is more important than simply having a verse to quote, so read them daily and apply them to your life. Then your "sword" will always be sharp. (Go to page 40 in Life Application Study Bible) MAN SHALL NOT LIVE (zao) ON BREAD ALONE - Luke omits "BUT ON EVERY WORD (rhema) THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’” (Mt 4:4+) Note the contrast word "but" - bread contrasted with every Word from God. As Henry
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MacArthur - Luke 4:3-8 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 1 Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passage: Matthew 4:8-9 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” NET Note on order of temptations in Luke and Matthew - The order of Luke’s temptations differs from Matthew’s at this point as numbers two and three are reversed (cp Mt 4:5-10+). It is slightly more likely that Luke has made the change to put the Jerusalem temptation last, as Jerusalem is so important to Luke’s later account. The temporal markers in Matthew’s account are also slightly more specific. A MOUNTAIN TOP TEMPTATION And he led Him up (anago) (Mt 4:8 = a mountain; cf Dt 32:49, 34:1-3) - Note the word "and" (Kai) indicating continuity or sequential occurrence of these three temptations. One after another. Isn't that the way we feel sometimes after we have just experienced one temptation/test and another one sweeps in! While it does say the devil led Jesus up, remember Who is really in charge! It was the Spirit Who led Him in initially (Lk 4:1+) and the Spirit is still in full control of Jesus, NOT the Devil. Notice that the NET Bible adds the phrase "to a high place" but that is not present in the Greek. The addition is reasonable considering the fact that Matthew's version specifies "to a very high mountain" (Mt 4:8+) And showed (deiknuo) Him all the kingdoms (basileia) of the world (oikoumene) in a moment (stigme) of time - Is all the kingdoms hyperbole? Not necessarily. It could have been in the form of a supernatural vision, and this is certainly supported by the phrase in a moment of time. That is not really critical to the understanding of the temptation. Mathew 4:8+ adds that these kingdoms have glory (doxa). Wuest (Eerdmans Publishing) interprets the kingdoms of the world in his translation as "the Roman empire," (probably based upon the word oikoumene) but that is not exactly what the text states. Admittedly the NT does occasionally refer to the world in a way that suggest the Roman empire (e.g, the Gospel going into "all the world" in Col 1:6+, however Jesus charges His disciples to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." This clearly refers to ALL the earth). Also the word oikoumene is used in contexts which would suggest the Roman Empire in Acts 17:6+, Acts 24:5. The point is that there were non-Roman kingdoms on the other continents that could also have been included in this devilish enticement regardless of how it was transmitted. Notice that the Greek says all (pas) which means all without exception. Could the devil have actually accomplished this task? It is not unreasonable given the fact that he carried out this exhibition in just a moment, an infinitesimally small moment in time, which itself indicates it was supernatural in some way we can not fully comprehend. Matthew 4:8+ has kosmos which means something well-arranged, with order or harmony and in this context refers to the earth. Led...up (321)(anago from ana = up, again, away + ago = to bring, lead) literally speaks of movement from a lower to a higher point (Mt 17:1 "led them up on a high mountain", Lk 2:22 = "they brought Him up to Jerusalem") Anago is used here of the unholy spirit leading Jesus and in the parallel description of the temptation of the Holy Spirit leading Jesus ("Jesus was led up by the Spirit" Mt 4:1+). As alluded to above, Satan is always on a leash (so to speak) and here is allowed to lead Christ to the high mountain, all under the sovereign control and direction of the Spirit of God! Anago in 23v - bring(2), brought(5), launched(1), led(2), put out to sea(4), putting out to sea(1), set sail(7), setting sail(1). Matt. 4:1; Lk. 2:22; Lk. 4:5; Lk. 8:22; Acts 7:41; Acts 9:39; Acts 12:4; Acts 13:13; Acts 16:11; Acts 16:34; Acts 18:21; Acts 20:3; Acts 20:13; Acts 21:1; Acts 21:2; Acts 27:2; Acts 27:4; Acts 27:12; Acts 27:21; Acts 28:10; Acts 28:11; Rom. 10:7; Heb. 13:20 Showed (1166)(deiknuo) means to "exhibit something that can be apprehended by one or more of the senses," (BDAG) Louw-Nida adds that the idea of deiknuo is "to make known the character or significance of something by visual, auditory, gestural, or linguistic means." The devil exhibited (so to speak) by putting forward prominently or openly all the kingdoms of the world for Jesus to see. The point of this verb is that the devil wanted Jesus to see his offer clearly, hoping this would entice Him to forgo the Cross Deiknuo in 31v - Matt. 4:8; Matt. 8:4; Matt. 16:21; Mk. 1:44; Mk. 14:15; Lk. 4:5; Lk. 5:14; Lk. 20:24; Lk. 22:12; Lk. 24:40; Jn. 2:18; Jn. 5:20; Jn. 10:32; Jn. 14:8; Jn. 14:9; Jn. 20:20; Acts 7:3; Acts 10:28; 1 Co. 12:31; 1 Tim. 6:15; Heb. 8:5; Jas. 2:18; Jas. 3:13; Rev. 1:1; Rev. 4:1; Rev. 17:1; Rev. 21:9; Rev. 21:10; Rev. 22:1; Rev. 22:6; Rev. 22:8 Kingdoms (932)(basileia from basileus = a sovereign, king, monarch) denotes sovereignty, royal power, dominion. Basileia can also refer to the territory or people over whom a king rules The Bible teaches that there are two kingdoms at war, the kingdom of this world (cf "present evil world" Gal 1:4KJV+, James 4:4+, 1 Jn 2:15-17+) headed by Satan (see Lk 4:5-6+, see especially verse 6, cf 1 Jn 5:19+) and the Kingdom of God headed by Jesus (cf Jn 18:37+, Rev 19:16+). Basileia is a KEY WORD in Luke - Lk. 1:33; Lk. 4:5; Lk. 4:43; Lk. 6:20; Lk. 7:28; Lk. 8:1; Lk. 8:10; Lk. 9:2; Lk. 9:11; Lk. 9:27; Lk. 9:60; Lk. 9:62; Lk. 10:9; Lk. 10:11; Lk. 11:2; Lk. 11:17; Lk. 11:18; Lk. 11:20; Lk. 12:31; Lk. 12:32; Lk. 13:18; Lk. 13:20; Lk. 13:28; Lk. 13:29; Lk. 14:15; Lk. 16:16; Lk. 17:20; Lk. 17:21; Lk. 18:16; Lk. 18:17; Lk. 18:24; Lk. 18:25; Lk. 18:29; Lk. 19:11; Lk. 19:12; Lk. 19:15; Lk. 21:10; Lk. 21:31; Lk. 22:16; Lk. 22:18; Lk. 22:29; Lk. 22:30; Lk. 23:42; Lk. 23:51 World (3635)(oikoumene the feminine participle present passive of oikeo = to dwell or abide) describes the inhabited portion of the earth, exclusive of the heavens above and hell below. The Romans used oikoumene in their secular writings to refer to the Roman Empire, for to them their empire equated with the whole world. Finally, in some NT contexts oikoumene was used to refer to the inhabitants of the world (see Acts 17:31, Acts 19:27, Re 12:9+) Zodhiates writes that oikoumene "Generally, and in later usage, (referred to) the habitable globe, the earth, the world as known to the people of ancient times (Mt. 24:14; Lk 21:26; Ro 10:18; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 16:14)." Oikoumene - 15v in NT - Matt. 24:14; Lk. 2:1; Lk. 4:5; Lk. 21:26; Acts 11:28; Acts 17:6; Acts 17:31; Acts 19:27; Acts 24:5; Rom. 10:18; Heb. 1:6; Heb. 2:5; Rev. 3:10; Rev. 12:9; Rev. 16:14 Moment (flash - NET) (4743)(stigme from stígma = to make a puncture or a mark as with a hot iron) is used only here in the NT and something insignificant and is used figuratively here to describe a unit of time (chronos) as extremely brief and so means a moment, a flash, an instant, an infinitesimally small moment in time, a moment whose passage is virtually instantaneous. Think about what this for a moment. The devil is showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (regardless of how you define "world'), which indicates that this was certainly a supernatural exhibition! Some writers say it was "vision like" but it is difficult to be certain exactly how it was shown. The point is that it was exhibited in a moment and Jesus saw it, but Jesus was not "taken aback" by the glory of all the world's splendor! There is a great lesson here for all His followers, for the world is continually tempting us with its glitter and gadgets and passing glory, but enabled by the same Spirit Who enabled Jesus, we can resist the world's temptations! What are the world's temptations for you beloved? Be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might! (Eph 6:10+) Stigme is used once in the Septuagint in Isaiah 29:5 = But the multitude of your (= "Ariel" or Jerusalem - Isa 29:1) enemies will become like fine dust, And the multitude of the ruthless ones like the chaff which blows away; And it will happen instantly (Heb = petha - describes a sudden event; Lxx = stigme), suddenly (Lxx - parachrema - at once). Luke 4:6 And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Amplified (classic) And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will. NET And he said to him, "To you I will grant this whole realm– and the glory that goes along with it, for it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. Wuest And the devil said to Him, To you I will give this authority, all of it, and its glory, because to me it has been given and is now in my possession, and to whomever I desire, I give it. All: Joh 8:44 2Co 11:14 Rev 12:9 20:2,3 and its: Es 5:11 Isa 5:14 23:9 1Pe 1:24 and I give: Joh 12:31 14:30 Eph 2:2 Rev 13:2,7 Luke 4:3-8 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 1 - John MacArthur Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE DEVIL'S ATTEMPT TO BRIBE JESUS The word bribe (etymology = "thing stolen") means a payment made to a person in a position of trust to corrupt his judgment (and his character!) given in exchange for favor or influence. And the devil (diabolos) said to Him, "I will give - The phrase I will give You is emphatic. "In effect, the devil is tempting Jesus by saying, "Look what you can have!" (NET Note) Steven
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MacArthur has a helpful comment on 1 John 5:19+ "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in [the power of] the evil one" Despite the existence of countless political, cultural, and social entities in the world, there are in reality only two realms. It is the comforting privilege of believers, in addition to having eternal life, answered prayer, and victory over sin, to know they belong to God.Though they exist in this world, they are not part of it (John 15:19; 17:14); they are children of God (John 1:12–13+), “aliens and strangers” (1 Peter 2:11; cf.1 Pe 1:1, 17; 1 Chr 29:15; Ps. 119:19; Heb. 11:13), whose true citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). On the other hand, the whole world—its politics, economics, education, entertainment, and, above all, its religion—lies in the power of the evil one. The evil world system is hostile to God and believers (John 15:18–19), as John noted earlier in this epistle. It takes its cue from its ruler, Satan (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; cf. Eph. 2:2; 6:12), the archenemy of God and His people. Because the world is completely under Satan’s influence, believers must avoid being contaminated by it (1 Jn 2:15–17; cf. James 1:27). There is no middle ground, no third option. Everyone is part of God’s kingdom, or of Satan’s. In the words of Jesus, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters” (Luke 11:23). Or as James scathingly declares, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). (See The MacArthur Commentary on First John) Domain (authority) (1849)(exousia) describes the territory over which rule or control is exercised. The devil has been granted the right and might over the kingdoms of the world. However the devil's claim to have authority over everything is a claim that is really a "half-truth" (a whole lie!). God is sovereign over all Heaven and Earth. He reigns over all creation. Whatever Satan has dominion over, he has almost like a "squatter" on a piece of land (cp usurper - see "title deed" transferred to Jesus). One day even that domain will be decimated when he is devoured by fire from heaven and cast into the lake of fire where he "and the false prophet....will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Rev 20:9, 10+). Exousia in Luke and Acts - Lk. 4:6; Lk. 4:32; Lk. 4:36; Lk. 5:24; Lk. 7:8; Lk. 9:1; Lk. 10:19; Lk. 12:5; Lk. 12:11; Lk. 19:17; Lk. 20:2; Lk. 20:8; Lk. 20:20; Lk. 22:53; Lk. 23:7; Acts 1:7; Acts 5:4; Acts 8:19; Acts 9:14; Acts 26:10; Acts 26:12; Acts 26:18; In English domain means the territory over which rule or control is exercised. NET Note adds that domain "the sphere in which the power is exercised." Other passages describe the domain of Satan, where he is permitted by God to exercise his right and his might... Acts 26:18+ (The Gospel to the Gentiles) to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion (exousia) of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ Ephesians 2:2+ in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power (exousia) of the air (to the ruler of the kingdom of the air), of the spirit that is now working (more literally "energizing") in the sons of disobedience. C I Scofield has a note on Satan that helps understand the domain of the devil - The present world system (Rev 13:8-note), organized upon the principles of force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and sinful pleasure, is his work and was the bribe which he offered to Christ (Mt 4:8, 9, Lk 4:5,6). Of that world system he is prince (John 14:30; 16:11), and god ("the god of this world" - 2 Cor 4:4). As "ruler (prince) of the kingdom of the air" (Eph 2:2) he is at the head of a vast host of demons (Mt 7:22). To him, under God, was committed upon earth the power of death (Heb 2:14). Cast out of heaven as his proper sphere and "position of authority," he still has access to God as the "accuser of our brothers" (Rev 12:10-note) and is permitted a certain power of sifting or testing the self-confident and carnal among believers (Job 1:6-11; Luke 22:31, 32; 1 Cor 5:5; 1 Ti 1:20); but this is a strictly permissive and limited power (Ed: e.g., Job 1:12), and believers so sifted are kept in faith through the advocacy of Christ (Luke 22:31, 32; 1 John 2:1). At the beginning of the Great Tribulation Satan's privilege of access to God as accuser will be withdrawn (Rev 12:7-12-note). At the return of Christ in glory Satan will be bound for 1000 years (Rev 20:2-note), after which he will be "set free for a short time" (Rev 20:3,7,8-note) and will become the head of a final effort to overthrow the kingdom. Defeated in this, he will be cast into the lake of fire, his final doom. The notion that he reigns in hell is not Biblical. He is prince of this present world system but will be tormented in the lake of fire. SPECIAL TOPIC: LUKE’S USE OF EXOUSIA It is interesting to observe Luke’s use of exousia (authority, power, or legal right). 1. In Lk 4:6 Satan claims to be able to give Jesus authority. 2. In Lk 4:32, 36 the Jewish people were amazed at how Jesus taught using His personal authority. 3. In Lk 9:1 He gave His power and authority to His Apostles. 4. In Lk 10:19 He gave His authority to the seventy missionaries. 5. In Lk 20:2, 8 the central question of Jesus’ authority is asked. 6. In Lk 22:53 evil has been allowed authority to condemn and kill Jesus. Although not in Luke, Matthew’s introduction to the Great Commission, “all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth,” is a marvelous statement (Matt. 28:18). Jesus’ answer to their question would have been 1. God’s spoken words at His a. baptism (Luke 3:21–22) b. transfiguration (Luke 9:35) 2. OT fulfilled prophecy a. tribe of Judah (cf. Gen. 49:10) b. family of Jesse (cf. 2 Sam. 7) c. born in Bethlehem (cf. Micah 5:2) d. Born during the fourth empire (Rome) of Dan. 2 e. helped the poor, blind, needy (Isaiah) 3. His exorcisms revealed His power and authority over Satan and his kingdom. 4. His resuscitations of the dead showed His power over physical life and death. 5. His miracles all reveal His power and authority over the temporal, spacial, and physical. a. nature b. feedings c. healings d. mind readings e. catching fish Glory (1391)(doxa from dokeo = to think) in simple terms means to give a proper opinion or estimate of something. Glory is something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration. It describes renown, a thing that is beautiful, impressive, or worthy of praise. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. —Hebrews 12:1-2 Over and over again, my driver’s education instructor said these two words: “Drive ahead.” This was his way of telling me to focus on the horizon, not just on my immediate surroundings. Drivers who continually look to the right or to the left may well go into the ditch. Satan is good at causing “roadside distractions” that tempt us to look at him rather than at Jesus. If he can get our attention, he may be able to get us off track and delay our spiritual progress. He even tried this with Jesus Himself! After Jesus was baptized, Satan tried to deter Him by suggesting “better” ways to accomplish His work. Satan told Jesus that He could prove He was the Son of God by throwing Himself from the temple (Luke 4:9-11). But Jesus knew that proving He was God’s Son would come by submitting Himself to the cross, not by flinging Himself from a high building. He responded, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God” (v.12). Jesus had His eyes on our redemption, and He knew He couldn’t accomplish it by taking a detour around the cross. The only way to overcome Temptations that we face, Is to be focused on the Lord, Who strengthens by His grace. —Sper Satan ought not be in our line of vision, but behind us. —Leonard Sweet Luke 4:7 "Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours." worship me fall down before me, Lu 8:28 17:16 Ps 72:11 Isa 45:14 46:6 Mt 2:11 Rev 4:10 5:8 22:8 John MacArthur - Luke 4:3-8 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 1 Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Amplified (classic) Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [just once], it shall all be Yours. Wuest As for you therefore, if you will fall upon your knees before me and touch the ground with your forehead as an expression of profound and reverential worship, all shall be yours. THE DEVIL TEMPTS JESUS TO BREAK THE FIRST COMMANDMENT Therefore - term of conclusion. Based on the fact that I can give it to you Jesus, the logical conclusion would be if you worship me, then it's all yours. If You worship before me - If is a third class condition which means "If you worship me (and I am not saying whether you will or will not)." The condition the devil demanded was worship. As explained below the verb the devil uses conveys not only the thought of the act of worship like we do on Sunday, but also alludes to the position of worship, for the root word means to bow down or prostrate oneself before another! The word prostrate means stretched out and lying at full length along the ground as an act of submission! What utter arrogance that the devil would even have to gall to make such a request, knowing full well that Jesus was the Creator of everything, including the devil himself! Perhaps the deceiver is himself just that sick and deceived (cp 2 Ti 3:13+). This is the price the devil will charge to give "world authority" to Jesus, Who will one day return as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16+)! In this temptation the devil is calling on Jesus to break the first commandment in Ex 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me." As an aside, remember that Satan is a liar and "does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him" (Jn 8:44), therefore one wonders if any of his so-called promises were trustworthy? I personally doubt it! Worship (bow down) (4352)(proskuneo from pros = before + kuneo = kiss or adore) means to prostrate oneself in homage before another in the full sense of worship, not mere reverence or courtesy. Proskuneo represents the most common Near Eastern act of adoration and reverence and also carries the idea of profound awe and respect. The word proskuneo literally means to kiss toward someone, to throw a kiss in token of respect or homage, to prostrate oneself in homage, to do reverence to, to adore and so to worship and show respect. In the ancient Oriental (especially Persia) the mode of salutation between persons of equal rank was to kiss each other on the lips. When the difference of rank was slight, they kissed each other on the cheek. When one was much inferior, he fell upon his knees touched his forehead to the ground or prostrated himself, and as he was bowing down he would be throwing kisses toward the superior. It is this latter mode of salutation that is intended by the Greek writers in the use of the verb proskuneo. Luke used proskuneo in Acts 7:45 in Stephen's description of Israel's idol worship even after deliverance from Egypt (Acts 7:43). In Acts 10:25 Cornelius attempted to worship Peter but Peter refused the worship declaring " I too am just a man." (Acts 10:26) Luke used proskuneo twice to describe worship in Jerusalem (presumably at the Temple) (Acts 8:27, 24:11). Satan is tempting Jesus to take the crown without the cross. Jesus refuses and accepts the cross and receives the worship as described by Luke "And they (His disciples), after worshiping (proskuneo) Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, (Luke 24:52-note) Before me (in sight of) (1799)(enopion) means literally in sight, in front of, in the presence of. Before the face and thus the idea of face to face! The unholy one is calling for the Holy One to prostrate His Holy face before the devil's unholy feet! Woe! It shall all be Yours - Jesus obviously knew Scripture and so He undoubtedly knew truths revealed in the Messianic Psalm 2 in which the Father promised Him the very thing with which the Devil attempted to entice Him! So in a sense, Satan is attempting to put himself in the place of the Father, the ultimate blasphemy against the Most High God, the only Living God! The Psalmist records... “But as for Me (God the Father is speaking), I have installed My King (Christ) Upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. (Psalm 2:6-8) Life Application note - Jesus didn't argue with Satan about who owned the world, but Jesus refused to validate Satan's claim by worshiping him. Jesus knew that he would redeem the world through giving up his life on the cross, not through making an alliance with a corrupt angel. (Life Application Commentary) Steven
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MacArthur - Luke 4:3-8 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 1 Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Wuest And Jesus answering said to him, It has been written and is at present on record, You shall worship the Lord your God, and to Him only you shall render sacred service. WORSHIP IS AN ATTITUDE THAT INCLUDES AN ACTION Jesus answered him, "It is written, '- It has been written and is at present on record and remains on record eternally (Mt 24:35). YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"Worship is intimately linked to service. If we worship God on Sunday, but are not willing to serve Him enabled by His Spirit Monday through Saturday, then our worship is at best "defective" and at worst hypocritical! Jesus is quoting Deut 6:13 "You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name." But Jesus adds a phrase from the Septuagint (Lxx) translation of Deut 6:13 which says the "Him (the LORD) you shall serve" (kai auto latreuseis). Why did Jesus add this phrase from the Septuagint (Lxx)? Warren Wiersbe answers the question just posed noting that "Satan had said nothing about service, but Jesus knew that whatever we worship, we will serve. Service to the Lord is true freedom, but service to Satan is terrible bondage. God's pattern is to start with suffering and end with glory (1 Peter 5:10-note), while Satan's pattern is to start with glory and end with suffering. Satan wants us to sacrifice the eternal for the temporary and take the "easy way." (Ed: Beloved don't be enticed by the passing pleasures of sin - Heb 11:25-note) (The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 1) Shall...serve 3000) (latreuo from latris = one hired or latron = reward, wages) means to work for reward, for hire or for pay, to be in servitude, render cultic service. Latreuo was used literally for bodily service (e.g., workers on the land, or slaves), and figuratively for “to cherish.” In the NT the idea is to render service to God, to worship, to perform sacred services or to minister to God in a spirit of worship (in fact in the NT uses below, note several passages clearly associate worship with serving.). Jesus would not short circuit the Cross for the seductive, passing glory of the kingdoms of this world. Jesus clearly understood His mission as shown by His declaration that His glory would follow His Cross Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things (THE CROSS) and to enter into His glory (THE CROWN)? (Lk 24:26+) Technical note - 'Most MSS, especially the later ones (A Θ Ψ 0102 f13 ? it), have “Get behind me, Satan!” at the beginning of the quotation. This roughly parallels Matt 4:10 (though the Lukan MSS add ὀπίσω μου to read ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, σατανᾶ [hupage opisō mou, satana]); for this reason the words are suspect as a later addition to make the two accounts agree more precisely. A similar situation occurred in Lk 4:5." (NET Note) J
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MacArthur - Luke 4:9-13 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 2 Diagram of Temple Mount at the Time of Jesus Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries And (kai) - The NET Bible translates the Greek conjunction kai as then (see note on "then" as an expression of time) to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. And he led (ago) Him to Jerusalem - The verb for led is ago which means to take along, to lead as when conducing someone somewhere (first use = Mt 10:18 of fate of disciples). This is Luke's second use of ago in this chapter, the first time in his description that Jesus was "led around (ago) by the Spirit" (Lk 4:1+). Mark it down -- a man led by the Spirit is not likely to be led (better "misled") by the devil! In Luke 4:29+ the Jews drove Jesus out of the city and "led (ago) Him to the brow of the hill," in order to throw Him down the cliff and kill Him! Satan tried unsuccessfully to lead Jesus to reject the Father's will and to thereby to sin and besmirch His value as the sinless Lamb of God. Then a group of Jews who were under the dominion of Satan (cp Acts 26:18+ and in who's minds he undoubtedly had sent fiery missiles) also tried unsuccessfully to kill the Lamb of God! Notice how Luke 4:13+ refers to a "an opportune time," and Luke 4:29 is one of those times the devil saw as an opportunity to do away with his "nemesis." Jesus would not be deterred from accomplishing the work the Father had given Him (Jn 4:34+, Jn 17:4) and until He fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah when finally "HE WAS LED (ago) AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH." (Acts 8:32+ fulfilling Isa 53:7+) Matthew's version has "Then the devil took Him into the holy city (cf. Ne 11:1; Isa 48:2; Da 9:24; Mt 27:53) and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple." (Matthew 4:5+) The verb for took is paralambano which means to take with one in order to carry away (Also used in Mt 4:8 and Mt 27:27). Jesus uses paralambano in His description of the glorious Rapture in John 14:3 - "I will come again and receive you to Myself"!
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MacArthur - Luke 4:9-13 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 2 Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE DEVIL KNOWS SCRIPTURE AND HOW TO TWIST IT! For - Always ponder this term of explanation asking what it explains. In this context it introduces the devil's lying logic that Jesus could confidently jump from the pinnacle of the Temple and not be harmed, but as Jesus said "Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (Jn 8:44)
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MacArthur - Luke 4:9-13 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 2 Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE DEVIL'S DECEPTIVE DELETION! Here is how the devil quoted Ps 92:11,12 "HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU, and, 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'" And here is the original verse in Psalm 91:11-12 with the devil's deceptive deletion highlighted in yellow "For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone." Several writers such as D A Carson, NET Note, et al say the devil did not actually misquote Ps 91:11-12, but others like Wiersbe, Henry Morris and C H Spurgeon do not agree. A T Robertson does add that the devil "misapplies it and makes it mean presumptuous reliance on God." (Note that some of the following comments are from resources addressing the parallel passage in Matthew) D A Carson comments "Satan quoted Psalm 91:11–12 (v. 6) from the LXX, omitting the words “to guard you in all your ways.” The omission itself does not prove he handled the Scriptures deceitfully (contra Walvoord), since the quotation is well within the range of common NT citation patterns. Satan’s deceit lay in misapplying his quotation into a temptation that easily traps the devout mind by apparently warranting what might otherwise be thought sinful. Psalm 91:11–12 refers to anyone who trusts God and thus preeminently to Jesus. The angels will lift such a person up in their hands like a nurse a baby (cf. Nu 11:12; Dt 1:31; Isa 49:22; Heb 1:14) (Matthew - Expositor's Bible Commentary) Joseph A Alexander - That the mere omission of the words, in all thy ways, was a part of that temptation, or designed to wrest the passage from its true sense, though a very ancient and still prevalent opinion, seems to be a gratuitous refinement, as our Lord himself makes no such charge; as the first words of the sentence would of course suggest the rest; and as ways, in the original, does not mean ways of duty, but of Providence. Neither the tempter’s argument nor Christs’ reply to it would be at all affected by the introduction of the words suppressed. (Matthew 4) R C H
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MacArthur - Luke 4:9-13 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 2 Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Deuteronomy 6:16+ “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah. Psalm 95:9 “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. Psalm 106:14 But craved intensely (ESV - wanton craving) in the wilderness, And tempted God (ESV - put God to the test) in the desert. Matthew 4:7+ (Parallel Passage) Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’” DO NOT TEST GOD! And Jesus answered and said to him, "It is said - Instead of it is written which is in Mt 4:7+. The Amplified Version has “It is said [in Scripture]". Jesus is applying what He had earlier said in Mt 4:4 "‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’” So here once again Jesus resorts to the Living and Powerful Word, and in so doing is showing us one way to live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. "No matter what the words that Satan quoted may have sounded like (that is, they seemed to say that no matter what Jesus did, God would protect him), the facts were that while God promises to protect his people, He also requires that they not put Him to the test." (Life Application Commentary Luke ) A T Robertson on it is said - Perfect passive indicative, (which conveys the sense of) stands said, a favorite way of quoting Scripture in the NT. In Mt 4:7 we have the usual “it is written” (ED: Also in Luke 4:4, Luke 4:8, Luke 4:10, Luke 4:17 - all in Perfect passive) "God’s faithfulness should not be put to the test, but is rather a given." -- Net Note YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST - Jesus here (and in Mt 4:7+) quotes from Deuteronomy 6:16+ - “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah (means "to test or try")." Massah refers to the event that is described in Exodus 17:1-7 (see in depth commentary) - Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.” 5 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink. (Ed: A foreshadowing of Christ - 1 Cor 10:4)” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah (contention, strife) because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested (Heb = nacah; Lxx = peirazo) the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?” If Jesus had jumped off the Temple, He would have "put God on the spot" so to speak, forcing Him to act. This would have been presumptuously "testing" His Father which is something He refused to do. To accomplish his mission of bringing salvation to the world, Jesus would take the path of submission to God. He would worship and serve the Lord alone. R Kent Hughes rightly says that "Even the very highest and best ends do not justify operating contrary to God’s will....This message is essential for us today. Willful swan dives test the LORD—diving into a marital relationship that does not have the approval of God’s Word (Ed: Most of us know individuals where this brought about disastrous results and usually ended in divorce!); misapplying Scripture with disastrous consequences, then crying out for God to catch us before we hit bottom; rationalizing a headstrong plunge by saying, “If this works, God will receive great glory. Just think of the souls that will be saved. God, you have to be in this—you just have to!” True, he specializes in picking up the pieces, but we must not test him through rationalized disobedience." (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) Robertson quoting Plummer - "Jesus points out to the devil that testing God is not trusting God." Do we ever test God? I am afraid we do, when we do something presumptuously, assuming it is His will, when we have not even taken time to prayerfully commune with Him to be sure it is His will. Father forgive us! Wiersbe in his comments in Matthew 4:1-11 writes "We tempt God when we put ourselves into circumstances that force Him to work miracles on our behalf. The diabetic who refuses to take insulin and argues, “Jesus will take care of me,” may be tempting the Lord. We tempt God when we try to force Him to contradict His own Word. It is important for us as believers to read all Scripture, and study all God has to say, for all of it is profitable for daily life (2 Ti 3:16,17+)." (Bible Exposition Commentary - Matthew - on page 18) Put to the test (1598)(ekpeirazo from ek = intensifies + peirazo = to test, tempt) means to test thoroughly, subject to test or proof. To test in order to understand the quality of something, including imperfections, faults or other qualities. Zodhiates adds that "Sinners are said to tempt God (Mt. 4:7; Lk 4:12; 10:25; Acts 5:9, peirázō; 1 Cor. 10:9), putting Him to the test, refusing to believe Him or His Word until He has manifested His power (Sept.: Deut. 6:16; 8:16; Ps. 78:18) Ekpeirazo is used in Mt 4:7 for putting God to the test, where Jesus quotes Dt 6:16. Ekpeirazo is used one other time in the Septuagint of Israel putting God to the test - Psalm 78:18 And in their heart they put God to the test (Lxx = ekpeirazo) By asking food according to their desire. (cp Ps 106:14, 15 where Lxx uses peirazo) Here are two other uses of ekperizo in which men were putting God to the test... Luke 10:25+ And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 1 Corinthians 10:9+ Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents (Nu 21:4-9, 5 "The people spoke against God and Moses") ILLUSTRATION - A little girl was asked if Satan ever tempted her to do wrong. “Oh, yes,” she replied, “but when he knocks at the door of my heart, I just pray, ‘Lord Jesus, please go to the door for me!’” “What happens then?” she was asked. “Oh, everything turns out all right. When Satan sees Jesus, he runs away every time!” In her simple faith, that little girl realized that even the strongest Christian is no match for the devil. Only Jesus has defeated him, so we must be strong in the strength of our Lord. THE PRICE IS WRONG What would it take for you to "sell out"? What is there in life that would cause you to compromise your faith? Whatever it is-sexual temptation, financial inducement, fear of alienating or offending someone-it will be placed in your path at some point. The enemy wants to destroy believers or at least neutralize them through sin, shame, and guilt. When that temptation rears its seductive head, do what Jesus did: rely on the Word of God (Ed: And the enabling power of the Spirit of God), and stand fast in your commitment to worship God, and God alone, above all else. No matter the cost or the sacrifice, no matter how appealing the come-on, believers dare not put anything or anyone in his place. (Life Application Commentary) DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE What a sobering thought that Satan knows Scripture and knows how to use it for his own purposes! Sometimes friends or associates will present attractive and convincing reasons why you should try something that you believe is wrong. They may even find Bible verses that seem to support their viewpoint. Study the Bible carefully, especially the broader contexts of specific verses, so that you understand God's principles for living and what he wants for your life. Only if you really understand what the whole Bible says will you be able to recognize errors of interpretation when people take verses out of context to make them say what they want them to say. Choose your Bible teachers carefully. Believers have much to learn from others. Capable and wise teachers often present the broader context to help stimulate growth in Bible knowledge. (Life Application Commentary) Calvary stands for Satan's fall. Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time. Amplified (classic) And when the devil had ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time. NET So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time. KJV And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. CSB After the Devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him for a time. ESV And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. NLT When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. GWN After the devil had finished tempting Jesus in every possible way, the devil left him until another time. NAB When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time. Wuest And having completed every test and solicitation to sin, the devil stood off from Him until a more propitious time. Mt 4:11 Jn 14:30 Heb 4:15 Jas 4:7 C H
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MacArthur - Luke 4:9-13 The Temptation of the Messiah, Part 2 Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE DEVIL LIKE A LION WAITS TO POUNCE! When the devil (diabolos) had finished (sunteleo) every temptation, He left Him - Amplified = "he (temporarily) left Him (that is, stood off from Him)." Jesus’ victory over Satan was not final. Likewise the enemy (his demons) will forever be lurking to pounce on us Peter warning that "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1Pe 5:8+) Until an opportune time - Until (note this time phrase!) or up to the time of his next opportunity. The idea is "until a convenient time." This fact found only in the Gospel of Luke. I think even in this very chapter (Luke 4) we have a clear example of an opportune time - In Luke 4:29-note the Jews drove Jesus out of the city and "led (ago) Him to the brow of the hill," (even as the devil had led Him to the pinnacle of the Temple in Lk 4:9) in order to throw Him down the cliff and kill Him! Later in this chapter a group of Jews surely under the influence of Satan (cp Acts 26:18-note and into who's minds he had undoubtedly sent fiery missiles to destroy Jesus) were also unsuccessful in their attempt to kill the Lamb of God! Luke 4:29 is one of those times the devil saw as an opportune time to do away with his "nemesis". NET Note adds that "Though some have argued that the devil disappears until Luke 22:3, this is unlikely since the cosmic battle with Satan and all the evil angels is consistently mentioned throughout Luke (Lk 8:26–39; Lk 11:14–23)." James 4:7+ is correct but Luke 4:13 is the caveat we need to remember. Jame writes "Submit (aorist imperative - Don't delay! Of course obedience calls for dependence on the Spirit Who even gives us the desire to submit!) therefore to God. Resist (aorist imperative) the devil and he will flee from you. (Note - See discussion of the Need for the Holy Spirit to obey NT commands or "How to Keep All 1642 Commandments in the New Testament!") THOUGHT - We, like Jesus, can (empowered by the Spirit and the Word) win a victory over our adversaries, but they (whether the world, the flesh or the devil) will continully lurk in the background, every ready to pounce (cf Ge 4:6-7+), especially when we are most vulnerable (And often we are most vulnerable when we think we are least vulnerable!) As long as we are alive and breathing on this earth, we will never experience complete and final victory over the world, the flesh or the devil. “Temptations, unlike opportunities, will always give you many second chances.” (Anonymous) And so it follows that we need to heed Jesus' exhortation to His first disciples to "Keep watching (gregoreuo in the present imperative) and praying (present imperative) that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:41+, gregoreuo also used in Col 4:2+ and 1 Pe 5:8+). Constant vigilance is required. The point is that as followers of Christ, We can never relax our guard Until face to face with our Lord ...Because our adversaries will always be on the alert looking for an opportune time! Andrew Bonar has a good word for all of the disciples of Jesus - "Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle!" Victory is not a single event but a process and that "process" does not end until we are glorified! Opportune time (2540)(kairos) means a point of time or a period of time, frequently with the implication of a time that is especially fit for something. So in Luke 4:13 kairos means a moment or period which Satan deems to be especially appropriate or favorable for his attack on Jesus.
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MacArthur writes "This event (JOHN'S IMPRISONMENT) actually occurred much later during Jesus' ministry. But Luke organized his material on John the Baptist topically rather than chronologically" The Gospels of Mark and Matthew identify the imprisonment of John the Baptist with the beginning of Jesus' Galilean Ministry as described by Dr Ryrie. And so Matthew and Mark read as follows... Matthew 4:12+ Now when He heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee Believer's Study Bible says "This passage introduces the beginning of Jesus' public ministry in Galilee. The Galilean ministry is seen as a fulfillment of Isa 9:1, 2. It is a ministry characterized by preaching, teaching, and healing." Fitmyer adds this comment - Whereas the other two Synoptic evangelists associate the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry with the imprisonment of John the Baptist (Mark 1:14; Matt 4:12), Luke begins his account of it with a summary statement (Lk 4:14–15). Luke’s omission of the mention of John’s imprisonment is occasioned by his own transposition of it to Lk 3:19–20. (AYBC) Mark 1:14+ And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, In summary, as shown in the table above, Matthew 4:12 and Mark 1:14 are passages that parallel Luke's description here in Luke 4:14 that "Jesus returned to Galilee". This period of Jesus' Great Galilean Ministry extends through Luke 9:50 and lasts for approximately 18 months. Luke marks the termination of the Galilean ministry is marked by his description in Luke 9:51+ "When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem." John MacArthur prefaces Luke 4:14ff with the comment that "All that happened in His life up to this point in Luke’s gospel—the testimony of Gabriel, the angels who appeared to the shepherds, Zacharias, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, John the Baptist, Jesus’ affirmation at age twelve that He was the Son of God, and His public attestation by the Father and the Holy Spirit at His baptism (see map)—had established His Messianic credentials. The time had now come for Jesus to step onto the stage of His full public ministry. Like a small door that leads into a vast art gallery, Luke 4:14, 15 are the entrance to a new section of portraits of Jesus in Luke’s gospel. They introduce Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, the northern part of Israel, which the Lord would be engaged in for about a year and a half." (Luke Commentary) ANOTHER EXPLANATION THE TIME GAP If you are still somewhat confused below is a chart to help understand JESUS' EARLY JUDEAN MINISTRY not found in the three Synoptic Gospels. There are a couple of points you need to notice. First, note that Mt 4:12+, Mk 1:14+ and Lk 4:14+ each mark the beginning of Jesus' Galilean Ministry, but only Matthew (Mt 4:12+) and Mark (Mk 1:14+) specifically associate this beginning with John the Baptist's imprisonment. Luke 4:14+ does not say anything about the imprisonment. Luke (and here is where one could easily get confused) actually describes the imprisonment of John the Baptist in Luke 3:19-20+, which is BEFORE Luke's description of Jesus' Baptism and Temptation which are both depicted in the chart below. Here is what you need to understand -- Luke is not giving a chronological description. William Hendriksen agrees that "As is so often the case, Luke’s account here is not chronological....But though not always chronological, Luke’s account is logical. He wishes to bring the story of John’s ministry to a close, in order to write the story of Christ’s ministry. There surely can be no objection to that." (BNTC-Luke) Baptism Mt 3:13-17+ Mk 1:9-11+ Lk 3:21-22+ Temptation Mt 4:1-11+ Mk 1:12-13+ Lk 4:1-13+ Jesus' Early Judean Ministry Year of Obscurity TIME GAP Only described in John 1:19-4:54 No Record in Synoptic Gospels Jesus Begins Ministry in Galilee Mt 4:12+ Mk 1:14+ Lk 4:14+ From the chart note that the TIME GAP occurs only in the Gospel of John between Mk 1:13 and Mk 1:14, Mt 4:11 and Mt 4:12 and Luke 4:13 and Luke 4:14. This TIME GAP is estimated to be about 12-14 months and constitutes Jesus' EARLY JUDEAN MINISTRY completely omitted by Matthew, Mark and Luke. Some refer to this TIME GAP as the "YEAR OF OBSCURITY." Jesus may have been "obscure" but He was not inactive - John records Jesus' early interaction with John the Baptist (John 1), the miracle of Water to Wine at a wedding (John 2), the Temple cleansing (John 2) and giving Nicodemus knowledge by night (John 3)! This period unique to the Gospel of John extends from about John 1:19+ through John 4:44, 45+. It is also known as the EARLY JUDEAN MINISTRY because most of the events occurred in Judea. Note however that some of the events in John 1:19-4:54 took place in Samaria and even Galilee, but Jesus official ministry in Galilee did not begin until after John was taken into prison. Below is another diagram from Dr Irving Jensen to help you visualize this somewhat confusing chronology. Click the chart and you will be able to readily distinguish the SHADED areas referring to Jesus' Ministry in the Gospel of Mark (charts of Matthew and Luke while not identical are similar). Note the left side of the diagram is UNSHADED and is a depiction of the TIME GAP or YEAR OF OBSCURITY of Jesus' ministry lasting about 12-14 months and described only in the Gospel of John. John records "After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized– for John had not yet been thrown into prison (John 3:22-24+). The point John is making is that the events that occurred in John's account (beginning in about John 1:19) occurred before John was thrown into prison. Here is what we learn from the Gospel of John about what happened in that first year of our Lord's public ministry – that “Year of Obscurity.” Jesus met Andrew, John, James, and Peter who would later leave all to follow Jesus. Jesus went up to Jerusalem for His first Passover with His disciples. Jesus cleansed the Temple the first time. Our Lord's first miracle would take place in Cana of Galilee when He turned water into wine at a wedding feast. Jesus had a conversation with Nicodemus about the New Birth. John
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MacArthur summarizes John's record of Jesus' year of ministry in Judea Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Matthew summarizes Jesus' ministry in Galilee. Matthew 4:23-25+ And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, (1) teaching (didasko) in their synagogues, and (2) proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom, and (3) healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. And the news (akoe - the hearing thus the report) about Him went out into all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, taken with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. And great multitudes followed Him from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. (Note miracles were last as they were attract attention to hear the proclamation of the Gospel, which had to be believed to be saved.) Mark 1:39+ And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. Jewish Synagogue - Click to enlarge. See for explanatory note Another Jewish Synagogue John MacArthur gives an excellent alliterative summary of Luke 4:14-15 We find the place of His ministry: Galilee. We find the power of His ministry: the Holy Spirit. We find the popularity of His ministry: spreading throughout all the surrounding district. We find the priority of His ministry; teaching in the synagogues. And we find the praise of His ministry, as people responded to Him. And He began teaching (didasko) in their synagogues (sunagoge) and was praised (doxazo) by all - Notice the "and" (kai in Greek) which links v15 with v14 which describes Jesus as ministering in the power of the Spirit? So the answer to how Jesus able to teach continually in so many synagogues in the cities and towns in Galilee is clear. He accomplished it in the power of the Spirit! And His immediate focus was teaching, also a good pattern for any church! Teaching (didasko) is in "the imperfect tense, describing the habit of Jesus, signifying that again and again he was teaching. In their (many) synagogues in Galilee, "many" because Josephus says there some 240 towns in Galilee and many would have had a synagogue for it took only 10 Jewish men to organize a synagogue. THOUGHT - Once again Jesus the Perfect Man gives us the simple, yet profoundly Perfect Pattern for ministry! How should His disciples preach and teach? In the power of the Spirit! HERE IS THE VITAL QUESTION - Does this describe your (my) ministry? It does if you are (I am) continually obeying Paul's commands (both present imperative) to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18+), "filled with" the Word (Col 3:16+), seeking continually to walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16+). MacArthur says "Jesus was commonly known as "teacher." He was called teacher, He was called “rabbi.” In Matthew 5-7 you have the great Sermon on the Mount, or better, the Sermon on Salvation. And when it was done, "the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes." (Mt 7:28,29) He was a teacher but His teaching was unique because He didn't have to quote anybody. He didn't have any footnotes in His sermons, He just took the Word of God which, of course, was His own Word, and taught it with power and explained it with clarity. As you read Mark and John, you always see the priority of His ministry is teaching. And that is the important matter, to be teaching the truth. The miracles were simply to draw attention to the fact that He was from God, that He was the Messiah, that He was God in human flesh, but it was His message that was always the priority." (Luke 4:16-21 Jesus Returns to Nazareth) And was praised (doxazo) by all - Praised (doxazo) is in the present tense signifying Jesus was continually being praised by the populace. In a word, He was popular and apparently opposition to His ministry was not a major issue, but that would soon change once the hostility of the Pharisees had been aroused. In the meantime the Jews in Galilee were praising Him, but sadly not as Messiah, but as a Man Who taught with authority. Undoubtedly His miraculous deeds contributed to His popularity. After all, who doesn't want to see a miracle! It is interesting that this is the only time that doxazo is used of men praising Jesus. Pulpit Commentary - Rapidly the report of what He had done at Cana (ED: THIS IS THE PART , the fame of His marvelous words at Jerusalem, Samaria, and other places, spread through all the central districts of the Holy Land. How quickly with this wonderful adoration would become rabid antipathy as He preached in the synagogue in Nazareth (Lk 4:28, 29+) - "His miracles, his words touching and eloquent, perhaps too a dim memory of marvels which had happened years before at his birth, shed round the new Teacher a halo of glory. It was only when, instead of the Messianic hopes of conquest and power which they (the Jews) cherished, a life of brave self-denial and quiet generosity was preached, that the reaction against him set in. The men of Nazareth, with their violent antagonism, which we are about to consider, were only, after all, a few months in advance of the rest of the nation in their rejection of the Messiah." THE REACTION TO JESUS IN LUKE 4 - It is interesting to note that Luke mentions the public response to Jesus several times in Luke 4 (Lk 4:15 = praised by all, Lk 4:22 = all were speaking well of Him (but sadly not all were believing in HIm), Lk 4:28 = filled with rage, Lk 4:32 = they were amazed at His teaching, Lk 4:36 = amazement came upon them all, Lk 4:37 = the report about Him was spreading). Praised by all emphasizes popularity, but watch how quickly the fickle crowd changes into a furious crowd. One thinks of the rousing reception as Jesus entered Jerusalem to cries of Hosanna (Mk 11:9,10+) only to have the cries change to "Crucify Him!" (Mk 15:13,14+) only a few days later! Click and note the third chart from top which gives a depiction of Jesus rising popularity followed by increasing hostility beginning in about John 5. SOME BACKGROUND ON SYNAGOGUES ESV Global Study Bible Note (relates to the depiction of the synagogue above) In cities other than Jerusalem, the synagogue was the center of Jewish worship during the time of Christ. Synagogues were located in most of the leading towns of Israel. Although very little remains of the original first-century synagogue at Nazareth, extensive archaeological evidence exists for a typical Jewish synagogue in the town of Gamla, which would have had much in common with the synagogues Jesus visited in Nazareth and other cities. This illustration is based on the excavation of the Gamla synagogue, one of the oldest in Israel. The city of Gamla was 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of the Sea of Galilee. It was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 67, early in the Jewish Revolt. Joseph L. Trafton - Synagogue services included prayers, the reading of Scripture, and, usually, a sermon explaining the Scripture. The chief administrative officer was the synagogue ruler (Mark 5:22 ; Luke 13:14 ; Acts 13:15+; Acts 18:8,17+), who was assisted by an executive officer who handled the details of the synagogue service (Luke 4:20). Laypeople were allowed to participate in the services, especially in the reading of the prayers and the Scripture (Luke 4:16-20). Visiting sages could be invited to provide the sermon (Luke 4:21 ; Acts 13:15+). Synagogues were attended by both men and women, as well as by God-fearing Gentiles who were committed to learning more about the God of the Jews (Acts 17:4+). (Ref) Life Application Commentary - Jesus spoke often in Jewish synagogues. These gathering places for worship grew up during the Exile when the Jews no longer had their temple. Synagogues were established as places of worship on the Sabbath and as schools for young boys during the week. They continued to exist even after the temple was rebuilt. Any town with at least ten Jewish families could have a synagogue. The synagogue was administered by one leader and an assistant. Often the leader would invite a visiting rabbi to read from the Scriptures and to teach. Thus Jesus, traveling from town to town, teaching, preaching, and doing miracles, would be a popular person to invite into a town's synagogue. Everyone praised this new rabbi. His teaching was fresh-as Matthew recorded, "He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law" (Matthew 7:29 NIV). (Luke) Began teaching (1321)(didasko from dáo= know or teach; English = didactic; see study of related noun didaskalia and the adjective didaktikos) means to provide instruction or information in a formal or informal setting. John MacArthur explains that didasko "refers to the passing on of information-often, but not necessarily, in a formal setting. It focused on content, with the purpose of discovering the truth-contrary to the forums so popular among Greeks, where discussion and the bantering about of various ideas and opinions was the primary concern (see Acts 17:21). Synagogue teaching, as illustrated by that of Jesus, was basically expository. Scripture was read and explained section by section, often verse by verse." (See Matthew Commentary) MacArthur adds that didasko "In all the various forms, the root meaning carries with it the idea of systematic teaching or systematic training. It is the word that is used to refer to a choir director who trains a choir over a long period of rehearsals until they are able to perform. The gift of prophecy could be a one-time proclamation of Christ, but the gift of teaching is a systematic training problem to take a person from one point to another. What is the curriculum for the teacher? The Bible, the Word of God. The gift is to teach systematically the truth of God.It can be used with men—one on one, one on two, one on three, one on five thousand. It can be used with women—one on one, one on two, one on three, one on five thousand. It can be used by a lady in a little group of children. It can be used by a mother to a son. It can be used by a husband to his wife. It can be used in any conceivable way that the Spirit of God desires. It is the ability to pass on truth in a systematic progression so that someone receives it, implements it, and a change of behavior takes place. In fact, it is a gift that belongs to a lot more of us than we realize. (See Spiritual Gifts) Synagogues (4864)(sunagoge from sunago = lead together, assemble or bring together) refers to a group of people “going with one another” (sunago) literally describes a bringing together or congregating in one place. Eventually, sunagoge came to mean the place where they congregated together. The word was used to designate the buildings other than the central Jewish temple where the Jews congregated for worship. Historically, the Synagogues originated in the Babylonian captivity after the 586 BC destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar and served as places of worship and instruction. Sunagoge was the name of a group "Synagogue of the Freedmen" (Acts 6:9). Synagogues frequently were a place of teaching and proclamation of the Gospel (Mt 4:23, 9:35, 12:9, 13:54, Mk 6:2, Lk 4:15, 16, Lk 4:44, 6:6, 13:10, Jn 6:59, 18:20, Acts 9:20 = Paul immediately "began to proclaim Jesus," Acts 13:5 = Paul proclaimed "the word of God," Acts 14:1 = place Paul, et al, spoke and where "a large number of people believed," Acts 17:17, 18:4, 18:19, 19:8 = Paul, et al reasoned with various audiences in synagogues). In James 2:3 the synagogue seems to describe an assembly-place for Judeo-Christians. Sadly many synagogues became hotbeds of hypocrisy (Mt 6:2), assemblies for arrogant display (a form of hypocrisy) (Mt 6:5, Mk 12:39, Lk 11:43, 20:46). Sunagoge uses by Luke - Lk. 4:15; Lk. 4:16; Lk. 4:20; Lk. 4:28; Lk. 4:33; Lk. 4:38; Lk. 4:44; Lk. 6:6; Lk. 7:5; Lk. 8:41; Lk. 11:43; Lk. 12:11; Lk. 13:10; Lk. 20:46; Lk. 21:12; Acts 6:9; Acts 9:2; Acts 9:20; Acts 13:5; Acts 13:14; Acts 13:43; Acts 14:1; Acts 15:21; Acts 17:1; Acts 17:10; Acts 17:17; Acts 18:4; Acts 18:7; Acts 18:19; Acts 18:26; Acts 19:8; Acts 22:19; Acts 24:12; Acts 26:11 Related Resources: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Easton's, Naves Synagogue Baker Evangelical Dictionary Synagogue What is a synagogue? | GotQuestions.org Was praised (1392)(doxazo from doxa = glory) has a secular meaning of to think, suppose, be of opinion, but strictly speaking is not used in this sense in Scripture which has two basic meanings (1) To influence one’s opinion about another so as to enhance the latter’s reputation - most often Scripture speaks of glorifying God usually for miracles (Luke 2:20, 5:25, 26, 7:16, 13:13, 17:15, 18:43.) Even the Romans Centurion praised God when he witnessed the events of the crucifixion (Lk 23:47). However, sometimes people are meant (Mt. 6:2 = "honored by men"; 1 Cor. 12:26 = " if one member is honored"). Since it is the Jewish people at large who giving Jesus the honor, it is this later sense that is intended in Luke 4:15. (2) The second meaning of doxazo is to cause to have splendid greatness - clothe in splendor, glorify, of the glory that comes in the next life. (Jn 7:39, 12:16 = of Jesus glorified state). Doxazo in Luke and Acts - Lk. 4:15; Lk. 5:25; Lk. 5:26; Lk. 7:16; Lk. 13:13; Lk. 17:15; Lk. 18:43; Lk. 23:47; Acts 3:13; Acts 4:21; Acts 11:18; Acts 13:48; Acts 21:20 JESUS' EARLY JUDEAN MINISTRY AS RECORDED IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN Below is Dr John MacArthur's summary of Jesus' early Judean ministry as recorded only in the Gospel of John. Yes, it is lengthy "excerpt," but I think if you take time to go through it and follow along in your Bible, you will come away with a very clear picture of the first year of Jesus' ministry which all three Synoptic Gospels pass over. I can assure you, it will be worth your investment of time! Dr MacArthur says "I want you to understand what happened in that year (Ed: The year between Luke 4:13 and Luke 4:14-15) because it really is important to understanding the foundations of Jesus' ministry and the response of the people to His ministry. What He did in that year...maybe not a full year, establishes His patterns. It is critical to our knowledge of Jesus Christ and His ministry. When we come to John 1:29+, "The next day, he,” being John, “saw Jesus coming to him, and said, 'Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'" Now in chronology, this happens after the temptation. Some time has passed. Jesus has been baptized, and perhaps a few days after that He entered into the wilderness for forty days. And then the angels came and ministered to Him. So it could be a couple of months have gone by. And now He is back at the Jordan river. John is still carrying on his ministry. Remember the ministry of John and Jesus overlapped until John was imprisoned (cf Jn 3:24+, Mt 4:12+). As John continued to call the people to repentance and point them to the Messiah Who was actually beginning His ministry, John is still there pointing to the Messiah Who is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. And John goes into a further description of Jesus as the One Whom he saw the Spirit descend upon in Jn 1:32+ and so forth, the One Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit in Jn 1:33+. "I have seen and bore witness that this is the Son of God" (Jn 1:34+). So John continues to give testimony to Jesus as the Son of God while Jesus is beginning His ministry. Jn 1:35, 36+ "The next day John was standing with two of his disciples, looked upon Jesus as He walked and said, 'Behold the Lamb of God." John used that description often as his title for Jesus. Apparently almost every time he saw Him he called Him that. "And two disciples of John heard Him speak and they follow Jesus and Jesus turned and beheld them following and said to them, 'What do you seek?' And they said to Him, 'Rabbi,' which translated means teacher, 'where are You staying?' And He said to them, 'Come and you will see.' They came therefore and saw where He was staying. They stayed with Him that day. It was about the tenth hour." Tenth hour by Jewish calendar would be four o'clock in the afternoon, late in the day. "One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which translated means Christ)." He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter)." (Jn 1:40-42+) So He is beginning to collect His disciples....an unofficial group of followers...The actual affirmation of their apostleship comes at a later time. So simply on the testimony of John the Baptist, these men began to follow Jesus....John is telling others that they need to follow Jesus....So here comes Andrew and here comes Peter and here comes, later on in this text as we shall see, Philip and then Nathanael and Jesus begins to collect the men around Him who will be what we know as the apostles. Now they all knew that John the Baptist was a prophet....and they knew therefore that when he pointed to Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah, that he was in fact telling the truth. Now at this point in the Gospel, John focuses on Jesus Christ in very clear ways. This is what I want you to see because it's very foundational. John, first of all, introduces us to His person. We learn from the text of John about the Man Jesus, the person of Jesus. It’s quite interesting. Jn 1:42+ indicates that Jesus looked at Simon....and said, "You are Simon." How did He know that? Not only are you Simon, but you're the son of John, or Jonas, as it's sometimes translated. How did He know that? He knew that because He knew everything. Later on in the same section it said in Jn 1:47+, Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, being brought by Philip, “and He said of him, 'Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile.'" How did Jesus know that this was a pure man? How did Jesus know that this man had no deceit? How did Jesus know this man had integrity? "Nathanael said to Him," in Jn 1:48+, "'How do You know me?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Before Philip called you when you were under the fig tree I saw you.'" Wait a minute, this is supernatural. How does He know who this man He called Simon? How does He know his father's name is John? And why does He change his name to Cephas which means "rock"? Because He knows who he is because He knows everything. How does He know Nathanael is a man with no guile? How did He see Nathanael sitting under a fig tree before Philip ever brought him? And that's because of His omniscience. The first element of the person of Jesus Christ that John introduces to us is His omniscience. He is God. He is deity. He possesses divine attributes, one of which is omniscience. And, of course, Nathanael understood. Jn 1:49+, "Nathanael answered Him, 'Rabbi, You are the Son of God, You are the king of Israel.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.'" (Jn 1:50+) It's as if He said if you were wowed by omniscience, wait till you see omnipotence. That's nothing compared to what you're going to see. And he saw the dead raised, the blind given sight, the deaf made able to hear, and the lame made able to walk. Jesus created food out of His hands or by His command, walked on water...But John wants us to see the Son of God and so He introduces us to Him as God, possessing omniscience. Secondly, He possessed transcendence. Jesus was human but He was not just human. And His transcendence is indicated in Jn 1:51+..."And He said to him," still talking to Nathanael who was indicating his belief, of course, Jesus says you're going to see greater things than these. "Truly, truly I say to you, you shall see the heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." Wow, what He is saying is you're about to experience what it's like to be with someone who is transcendent. The point is this, that I am going to give you access to heaven, that through Me heaven is going to come down and earth is going to go up. I am going...I am the Mediator between God and man, that's essentially what He's saying...You're going to see heaven open wide, just like sort of parallel to Jacob's ladder, you remember, by which he could go up and come down. Jesus says, "I am the ladder (Ed: See excerpt below for more explanation), I am transcendent, I transcend this world, I open heaven and on Me angels come and go." This is not just another man. "I am the one who has opened heaven to man. I am the one who as the Son of Man brought down the righteousness, brought down glory, brought down salvation and will lift up sinners to the very throne of God. I am the one who literally has broken open the veil, as it were, and given sinners access to the Holy of Holies. I am the one who brings God and man together." He's transcendent. Free access to the Father, open angelic ministry, is now available and the angels, according to Hebrews 1:14 are sent for the ministry that they have toward the saints. (Excerpt from John 1:38-51 The Balance of Salvation for more explanation on "I am the ladder" --- Dr MacArthur says on Jn 1:51 "now hang on to this one. "He saith unto him, Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." Now commentators have had a field day with that verse. Let me see if I can reduce it to a simple concept in just a matter of seconds. Listen. That comes out of Genesis 28, now hang on to this, this is very important. In Genesis 28 Jacob saw a ladder, remember it? And Jacob saw a ladder going from earth to heaven and angels going up and down the ladder and Jacob was dreaming of a day...now watch this...dreaming of a day when man would have access to God. You see, that's what that ladder represented, from earth to heaven and angels were ministering to that ladder to keep it open, to keep it available, to keep it working so that man could go to God. And Jacob was dreaming of that day. Do you know who that ladder is? The Son of Man, look at it, what does it say? You shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending not upon a ladder but upon what? On a man. You know what He was saying to Nathanael? He was saying, "Nathanael, it's wonderful that you know I'm omniscient, but let Me tell you something better, you now have permanent open access to God through Me." Isn't that a beautiful thought? "I am that golden ladder." And you say, "What are the angels doing there?" Who ministered to Christ? Who ministered to Him after His temptation, through His life? The angels did. Who ministers to God? The angels. Who ministers to us? The angels. That's a busy place, you see them up and down, up and down. He says, "Nathanael, it's good that you appreciate My omniscience, but wait a minute, I want to show you that you have open access to heaven." Heaven is opened. Heaven is near to us. Heaven is as accessible to us as a prayer, isn't it? In fact, it's even more accessible than that when you realize heaven has opened and God has come down and dwells in us. God is ours and we are His. That's why I love that hymn, "I am His and He is mine." The holy angels are His, the holy angels are ours. The ladder from earth to heaven is the Son of Man and He gives us access and communion and fellowship. This is transcendence. John is telling us that this Son of God is both omniscient and transcendent; thirdly, omnipotent. John wants us to know about the power that He bears which is the power of God. And so in John 2 he tells the story...of a wedding. And I want you to notice this. "The third day there was a wedding in Cana," (Jn 2:1), third day after Jesus' meeting with Nathanael, Philip, Simon and Andrew. Third day, Jesus was back in Galilee. Now listen carefully to what I say. After His temptation, apparently Jesus did go back to Galilee briefly. He met His disciples and attended a wedding. That is not what Luke is talking about in Luke 4:14-15 "And Jesus returned to Galilee... teaching in their synagogues".... He didn't do that on this first brief visit. He left...the area of the temptation, went north into Galilee, just briefly to have this encounter with the disciples, long enough to attend a wedding, which generally lasted about a week and then He went back down (south) to Jerusalem where He remained...until John the Baptist was imprisoned (Mt 4:12, Mk 1:14) and He then went to Galilee to begin His official ministry in Galilee. This was a very brief...visit to attend a wedding. It was important though because it was at the wedding that Jesus did His first miracle, the first miracle of His entire life (see sermon Christ's First Miracle)...Jn 2:11, "This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee." So if anybody tells you that He was doing miracles as a little boy or in the thirty years of His obscure ministry in Galilee, it is not so. Here's the miracle. "The third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee,” third day after meeting with the disciples. “The mother of Jesus was there." Weddings were seven-day events and they didn't consummate until the seventh day when the friend of the bridegroom handed the bride over to the groom and everybody left and they consummated the marriage. But it was a week-long feast....Cana is a little village just outside of Nazareth. You can easily walk there. And so...the family of Jesus was invited to be guests. So, they went to the wedding, Jesus also being invited and His disciples along with Him....The wine gave out, which is not good because that's embarrassing for the host. "And the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine.'" (Jn 2:3) Now she knew who He was. She doesn't go beyond just saying, "They have no wine," she brings the problem to His attention. One could speculate that He was the greatest problem-solver any mother ever had in her house. Growing up He would have understood every problem perfectly and known the solution to everything. And in this case it would be very natural for her now in His adulthood to say they have a problem and we're very confident that You can solve it. So she says, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, and this is quite interesting, "Woman, what do I have to do with you?" (Jn 2:4) Boy! That was a sting. Jesus had to say it because Mary had to know...there was no longer this mother-son relationship. He had now gone through His baptism. He had now been set apart for His ministry. That which was anticipated when He said at the age of twelve, "I have to be in My Father's house, doing My Father's business" had now come to full fruition and Mary laid no claims on Him because He was now fully under the control of the sovereign God, His Father, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary didn't play into that and she needed to know that from now on she had to see Him fully not as her Son, but as her Savior. This is not a term of unkindness, but it is a term of distance. He is separating her by saying, "Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come." I am on a divine timetable. I am under the sovereign control of God, My Father. But she knew His heart. "She said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you do it.'" (Jn 2:5) Now I don't know that she knew what He would do, but as I said, He would have been the greatest problem solver anybody ever knew. "Now there were six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification containing twenty to thirty gallons each." (Jn 2:6) These would be stone because stone doesn't absorb the liquid like clay does, so they would be able to store water...and water storage obviously was very important. This does indicate there was a large number of people in this family. It may have been a well-to-do family to have that much water stored, twenty to thirty gallons times six. "Jesus said to them, 'Fill the water pots with water,' and they filled them up to the brim." (Jn 2:7) They did what Mary told them to do. She said do whatever He tells you. "And He said to them, 'Draw some out and take it to the head waiter," and they took it to him. (Jn 2:8) And when the head waiter tasted the water which had become wine." (Jn 2:9) Now that's rather incidental, isn't it? I mean, wouldn't you have expected that Jesus got up on the building and put His arms out and thunder and lightning came and He said, "wine." No, there's absolutely no fanfare. This didn’t diminish His power at all. This didn't take some great exerted effort. He didn't grandstand. Just put the water in there and when they dipped it out, took it to the head waiter, it wasn't water, it was wine. He just created wine without a vine, without grapes, without ground, without sun He created wine. This is omnipotence at its rudimentary level. This is the power to create. This is not the power to move creation or adjust creation or control creation; this is the power to create something out of nothing. This is God's creative power. And the head waiter tasted the water that had become wine, didn't know where it came from, “but the servants who had drawn the water knew. The head waiter called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely then that which is poorer. You have kept the good wine until now.'" (Jn 2:10) Obviously this was the best thing he had ever tasted in his entire life because this was wine that passed the test. This was wine created by God!...Why does John tell this story? He tells the story because this is at the heart and soul of the character of Jesus. He is...He is omniscient. He knows the person's life that He's never met. He sees people that aren't visible to the naked eye. He is...He is also transcendent. He opens the way to heaven. And He is omnipotent to the point where He can create out of nothing. And then when you come to John 2:12, He leaves Galilee. He goes from Nazareth, which is a little bit north and west of the Sea of Galilee, down a little south and east to the lake edge, to the Lake of Chinnereth, or the Sea of Galilee to the town of Capernaum. (See map of the setting of Luke) It says in Jn 2:12 He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers, disciples and stayed there a few days. So this is a very brief visit; a few days with the disciples, three days later a wedding that lasts a week, a few days in Capernaum. I mean, in total maybe three weeks and He's on His way, Jn 2:13, the Passover is at hand and so He's down to Jerusalem. It says "went up" because it's up in terms of elevation, it's down in terms of direction, north from south. But they always refer to it as up in the Bible because Jerusalem is on a plateau....Jn 2:14-16, "He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves and money changers seated. He made a scourge of cords and drove them out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen, He poured out the coins of the money changers, overturned their tables. To those who were selling the doves, He said, 'Take these things away, stop making My Father's house a house of merchandise.'" And here John introduces to another attribute, the attribute of holiness...Here is righteous indignation. It is burning indignation. And Jesus reacted. The Lord of love, yes. The Lord of grace, yes. But the God of holiness, yes. And He will not talk about grace and He will not talk about love until He has shattered the complacency of sin and irreverence. So the first thing He does in His public ministry when He arrives at Jerusalem is step right into the temple and attack their irreverence and sin. This is the antithesis of the seeker-friendly mentality. Jesus goes in there in a rage of holy indignation. The destruction eventually led to His murder...There was a sort of a Jerusalem mafioso made up of the family of the high priest. They were running the temple operation and making a fortune. When anybody came down to sacrifice an animal, all they had to do was say, "Now the animal is not good enough, the animal has a flaw here, a flaw there, and he doesn't qualify for sacrifice, you have to use one of our animals," and charge triple the price. When they exchanged the money, they would only allow them to give certain money, certain coins that didn't have Caesar's imprint, and so in the exchange they would charge exorbitant rates and they were bilking the people...Jesus comes in and just devastates the temple business and calls it what it is, a den of thieves. This initiates the hostility of the Jewish leaders that ultimately ends in Jesus being murdered. That's the part of the story that I point out in the book on The Murder of Jesus. The gentle Jesus, yes, but not when holiness is the issue. He makes an unmistakable claim to deity, "My Father's house." (Jn 2:16)...They never heard anybody claim that God is "My Father" in a personal expression like that. And if they knew the Bible they would know that this is a direct fulfillment of Psalm 69:9 where the prophetic Psalm says that “zeal for Your house has eaten me up and the reproaches that fall on You are fallen on me." That was speaking of the Messiah who would see the desecration of the house of God and passionately seek to change it. (Ed: For more detail see sermon Jn 2:12-17 Zeal for My Father’s House) In Jn 2:18 "The Jews said to Him, 'What sign do You show to us seeing that You do these things?'" Who do You think You are? "Jesus answered and said to them, 'Destroy this temple, in three days I'll raise it up.'" (Jn 2:19) Here's the next attribute, eternality. He says, "I am eternal. I cannot ultimately die. I will conquer death." He is the very living God. In fact, you could even say, life is an attribute of God, life, indomitable life. (See John 2:18-22 Deity on Display) So we see His omniscience. We see His transcendence. We see His holiness. We see His life. And, of course, they didn't know what He was talking about. They were talking about whether He was going to destroy the temple and then later they used that against Him that He was going to somehow destroy the temple literally. He was talking, of course, about the temple of His own body. When He was raised from the dead, His disciples had remembered that He had said this and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.(Jn 2:22) And then in Jn 2:23 when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He was doing, more miracles. "But Jesus on His part was not entrusting Himself to them for He knew all men and because He didn't need anyone to bear witness concerning man because He Himself knew what was in man." This is another attribute of deity and I know this is an obscure word but I want to use it. It is a very interesting word...“Perspicacity” is the word and the word simply means to see things exactly the way they are....and that is a characteristic of God. God is never deceived. He is never wrong in an assessment. God has perfect discernment, right? Jesus demonstrates that perspicacity, absolute accurate assessment of reality. And, of course, it is linked to omniscience, but here it comes in a little different way. Omniscience is general knowledge of everything. Perspicacity is: understanding every single issue as to its genuine reality. Jesus is not dazzled by this apparent success as people are saying they believe in Him because He has a knowledge of every individual and knows the shallowness and the false faith....We begin to see that John presents elements of His life. These are the portraits hanging in the art gallery, if you will. Here's a picture of His omniscience and here's a picture of His transcendence and here's a picture of His omnipotence. And here's a picture of His holiness as He's cleansing the temple. And then here's a picture of His life as He says, you can...you can take away My life but I'm going to take it right back again. Here's a picture of His perspicacity.... And this is another portrait to hang in the gallery.... Then John wants to tell us about His proclamation, His message....the third chapter of John...gives us the message of Jesus....The first ten verses (Jn 3:1-10), Jesus has a conversation with a man named Nicodemus and we learn about regeneration...what it means to be born again....I read an article yesterday that says about...well, four out of five Americans call themselves "Christians." A third of the people who call themselves "born again" Christians, a third of them believe also in reincarnation! Those are not compatible beliefs. And they also believe in astrology. So a third of the "born-again" Christians believe in astrology and reincarnation. The people who say they're born again might be calling the psychic hot line as much as they would be reading the Bible....You need to go back and find out what regeneration really is. So John gives us the message of Jesus and the message is simply this, "Nicodemus, you're the teacher in Israel, you know more than anybody else in Israel, you are the smartest man. You're the Pharisee of Pharisees. You know all the law of God. You've got it all sorted out." And Nicodemus might have expected Jesus to say, "You know, you're so far down the line, Nicodemus, you just need to add this little deal and you'll be there, my friend." And Jesus said, "You know what you need to do, Nicodemus, you need to forget everything you know, all of it completely, the whole works-righteousness system, go all the way back to the beginning and be born all over again because the whole thing is useless." That was an absolutely shocking statement. Nicodemus as the teacher in Israel...would have assumed that he was so far along the line you just need to add a few things to enter the kingdom. Jesus said forget it all, you have to be born again. You've got to die literally to everything you believe and hold dear. Your whole works-righteousness, Pharisaic system you've got to put in the dumpster, as it were, and start all over again. And Nicodemus, speaking to Jesus in these...metaphorical terms acknowledges, "I think I'm too old to do that." Well, he wasn't because later on, you'll remember, he became a disciple of Jesus. So the message of the King, the Messiah is regeneration. You have to go all the way back to the beginning. You can take all that existed in Pharisaic Judaism and throw it away. You don't need to add something to it. You don't need to tweak it here or there, dump it and go start all over again. Paul says, Philippians 3, "Everything, being born an Israelite, tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of the Hebrews, zealous for the law, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, the whole thing, all my life, all these years, when I saw Christ I saw it all as dung," right? Dung, garbage. What a blow to Nicodemus. You've got to go all the way back and be born again. You need a new heart. You need to have the stony heart taken out of you and you need a heart of flesh put in you. And you need the Holy Spirit planted in you. And Jesus talks to him in the terms of Ezekiel 36+ with which he was familiar. So in divine majesty with one glorious stroke in the first ten verses of this chapter, Jesus brushed aside all sinners' refuge in religion, traditionalism, formalism, ceremonialism, legalism, ritualism, ecclesiasticism. He literally wiped it all out and pointed the barbed arrow of spiritual truth at the vital point of need, and that is that the heart had to be totally transformed. Jesus had great respect for the law. He had too much respect for the law to let any sinner think he could keep it so that he could please God. So the great truth of Christ literally shatters into bits the system of religion in Israel. Like destructive lightning from the clouds, all the forms and formulas and dogmas and legalistic requirements and ecclesiastical rituals that are placed between the souls of men and God were splintered by what Jesus said. And He went to the root of the problem with Nicodemus and everybody else no matter how religious they were -- you're a sinner and you're unforgiven and you need to fall on your face and admit your sinfulness and be born all over again. You need to be regenerated. No more laws, no more rules, no more services, sacrifices, prayers, candles, etc., you need a new heart. So He talked about regeneration in the first ten verses. (See related sermons - John 3:1-3 Jesus Teaches the Teacher, John 3:3 The Blueprint for Being Born Again, John 3:1-10 God's Role in Regeneration, John 3:1-10 The New Birth). Then from John 3:11-21 He talked about salvation, that God so loved the world that He sent His Son to be the Savior. The first part about regeneration demonstrates the need and the inability of religion to save. The second part demonstrates the appropriation. Now that you know the need, how do you appropriate salvation, and the key theme of Jn 3:11-21 is to believe, to believe, to believe, to believe. It's repeated again and again and again. (See related sermons - John 3:11-21 Twin Truths: God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Responsibility, John 3:11-14 Simply Believe, John 3:11-21 Responding to the Divine Offer of Salvation). Then you can see the same thing even further down in this third chapter...go to the last verse of the third chapter. "He who believes in the Son has eternal life." (Jn 3:36) That's it. He who believes in the Son has eternal life. "He who doesn't obey the Son” and belief obviously encompasses a response of obedience “will not see life but the wrath of God abides on him." That sums it up. You either believe and you're saved and you have eternal life or you don't believe and you're not saved and you have eternal wrath. That's it! So John in this early portrait of Jesus gives us the man and the message. And then he also gives us the mission, or the purpose in John 4:1-54...Suffice it to say, this chapter has one intent...to show the mission of Jesus to reach the world because it's a story about Jesus bringing the Gospel to what kind of woman? A Samaritan woman who had how many husbands? Five and who was living with a man who wasn't her husband. This is a classic outcast. First of all, she's a woman and in ancient Judaism that was barely above an animal. Secondly, she is a Samaritan, the most hated and despised of all people on the planet by the Jews because they were half-breeds, the product of Jews who desecrated their birthright by inter-marrying with Gentiles...A Gentile couldn't help that he was a Gentile, but a Jew could marry a Jew and perpetuate the race. And to not do that, to marry a Gentile in ancient Judaism, was the worst. No Jew would even go through Samaria. Whenever they went through the south, Judea, to Galilee in the north, they went all around the area of Samaria because they didn't want any Samaritan dirt on their feet. They were such a cursed people. So it's a woman and it's a woman who’s a Samaritan. Beyond that, it's a woman who is an evil, wicked, sinful woman sexually. She's had five husbands and she's living in adultery at the present time. She must have had a lot of other problems to have shed that many men. If you can chase away five in a modest amount of years, you've got some problems....And the whole point that Jesus is trying to say here is here we are at the very beginning. He hasn't even come to Jerusalem in the sense that He's actually had a formal ministry in Jerusalem. He's just gone down, wiped out the temple, had a conversation with Nicodemus and now He's on His way back up toward the north and going through Samaria and what does He do? He immediately says, "I have come for the outcasts. I have come for the people that nobody wants. I've come for the despised. I've come for the wicked and the sinful, the grossly wicked, the grossly sinful." And He presents Himself to this Samaritan woman and she believes and she is saved and then she becomes a witness to the people in her town. That's really the key to understanding the mission or the purpose of Jesus. He came to be the Savior of the world, not just the Savior of Israel. Jn 4:39 "And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified." So now we've got a whole bunch of Samaritans being converted. "He told me all the things that I have done." Again it was His omniscience that struck her. So when the Samaritans came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them. He stayed there two days, many more believed because of His Word. He stayed and preached. (Jn 4:40-41) So the first group of people that came to the knowledge of the Messiah weren't even Jews. And this demonstrates the mission and the purpose of the Messiah to the world. And they were saying to the woman in Jn 4:42, "It's no longer because of what you say that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this one is indeed the Savior of the world." Not just Israel, the world! (See sermons - John 4:1-15 Messiah: The Living Water, Part 1, John 4:16-26 Messiah: The Living Water, Part 2, John 4:27-42 Messiah: The Living Water, Part 3, John 4:43-45 Contemplating Unbelief) And then John 4:43, "After the two days, He went forth from there into Galilee." Jn 4:45, "When He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they themselves also went to the feast. He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine." This is where He begins to inaugurate His Galilean ministry. (See sermon - John 4:43-45 Contemplating Unbelief) Now the reason I wanted to take you through that is because now you understand why His fame spread abroad ("news about Him spread through all the surrounding district." - Luke 4:14). Now you understand why when He came to Galilee for His official ministry to begin, John was now in prison, and Jesus comes to Galilee and the Galileans are receiving Him. Why? Because they were down at the Passover when they saw Him do what He did. And they also were aware of the wedding at Cana when He went right back to Cana where He made water wine. And there was a certain royal official there whose son was sick. And you know the story. He heals that child and this cements their confidence. (John 4:46-53 - see sermon John 4:46-54 Saving Faith in a Herodian Household) John 5:54: "This is the second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee." (The preceding excerpt is from Dr MacArthur's sermon on Luke 4:14-15 From the Wilderness to Galilee: Jesus' Judean Ministry) Luke 4:16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. to: Lu 1:26,27 2:39,51 Mt 2:23 Mt 13:54 Mk 6:1 as: Lu 4:15 2:42 Joh 18:20 Ac 17:2 and stood up: Ac 13:14-16 Luke 4:16-21 Jesus' Return to Nazareth: Ministry in the Synagogue - John MacArthur Luke 4:16-21 Jesus' Return to Nazareth: Preaching in the Synagogue - John MacArthur Luke 4:16-21 Jesus' Return to Nazareth: Rejection by the People - John MacArthur See map of Jesus' Ministry in Galilee. See map of the setting of Luke Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Mark 6:1-6+ (JESUS' SECOND SERMON IN NAZARETH) Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown (NAZARETH); and His disciples followed Him. 2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 3 “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? (NOTE JOSEPH NOT MENTIONED. ? DECEASED) Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense (skandalizo - "scandalized") at Him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” 5 And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching. Nazareth - Hometown Source: ESV global study Bible JESUS' FIRST RETURN HOME The record in Luke 4:16–31 is found only in the Gospel of Luke. It is interesting that Luke’s Gospel takes notice of Jewish practices and consistently records Jewish motifs. Luke 4:16-31 records Jesus' initial reception turned to rejection in His hometown of Nazareth and Mark 6:1-6 records the final rejection by the citizens of Nazareth. The rejection in Nazareth was a but a microcosm or harbinger of His later rejection by the entire nation (cf Jn 1:9-11+). And He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up (Lk 2:39-51+) - Hometown boy makes it good! Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth and this accounts for His being called Jesus of Nazareth (7x - Mt. 26:71; Mk. 1:24; Lk. 4:34; Lk. 18:37; Jn. 1:45; Acts 10:38; Acts 26:9). As was His custom He entered the synagogue (sunagoge) on the Sabbath (sabbaton) (Click depiction of Synagogue) and stood up to read (anaginosko) - Undoubtedly this had been His custom (to go to the synagogue) since childhood, where custom describes the habit of doing something.
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MacArthur adds that "Nazareth was not on any of the major trade routes; all the important roads bypassed it. It was well off the beaten path, far from the important centers of Jewish culture and religion. Moreover, Galilee, where Nazareth was located, was known as “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Isa. 9:1; Matt. 4:15) because of its proximity to Gentile regions. God’s choice of Nazareth to be Jesus’ birthplace reveals that He is the Savior of the world, not of the powerful and elite of one nation only, but of all “those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks” (1 Cor. 1:24; cf. Isa. 11:10; 42:6; Luke 2:32; Acts 10:34–35; 13:48–49; Rom. 15:9–12)." Sabbath (4521) sabbaton from shabath - 07676 = to cease from work, intermission - see note on shabath) the seventh day of the week held sacred by Jews and strictly speaking means rest or ceasing from labor. (1) For the seventh day of the week (Saturday) (Mt 12.1, 2); (2) as the sacred festival held each week on the seventh day, beginning with sundown Friday evening and ending at sundown Saturday evening (Jn 19.31); (3) as a designation for the span of seven days week (Mt 28.1b; Lk 18.12); Sabbaton in Luke and Acts - Lk. 4:16; Lk. 4:31; Lk. 6:1; Lk. 6:2; Lk. 6:5; Lk. 6:6; Lk. 6:7; Lk. 6:9; Lk. 13:10; Lk. 13:14; Lk. 13:15; Lk. 13:16; Lk. 14:1; Lk. 14:3; Lk. 14:5; Lk. 18:12; Lk. 23:54; Lk. 23:56; Lk. 24:1; Acts 1:12; Acts 13:14; Acts 13:27; Acts 13:42; Acts 13:44; Acts 15:21; Acts 16:13; Acts 17:2; Acts 18:4; Acts 20:7; To read (314)(anaginosko from aná = emphatic, again + ginosko = know <> know again) literally to know again or to recognize again. It came to mean to distinguish between, to know accurately and then to read. In the NT anaginosko is only used with the meaning of to read (albeit once in a figurative sense of men "reading" the lives of the Corinthian saints as one would an actual written letter), especially referring to reading aloud and to public reading. In Acts 8:28, 30, 32 we see the Ethiopian eunuch is reading in private (until encountered by Phillip). Anaginosko is found in the papyri in the reading aloud of a petition or of the reading aloud of a will. In another use anaginosko refers to copies of an edict set up in public places "in full view of those who wish to read (anaginosko)." Anaginosko is used in Luke 4:16, 6:3, 10:26. Colin Brown on anaginosko - In late Judaism the reading of the Law was an unquestioned part of every service (cf. the synagogue inscription found in Jerusalem: synagogen eis anagnosin nomou, the synagogue is for the reading of the Law). This was the right of every member of the congregation (Luke 4:16ff), but was early on linked to a lectionary, at least for the Torah. In spite of opinions to the contrary there were no regular readings in the Temple. In the synagogue there is a reading from the Pentateuch on sabbaths, all festivals, the New Moon, fast days, Mondays and Thursdays, with a reading from the Prophets on sabbaths, festivals and fasts. No fixed lectionary existed in the 1st cent. A.D.) In this connection it should be noted that already in the LXX Yahweh’s command to the prophets to proclaim the word (Jer. 3:12; 11:6, etc.) was translated by anaginosko, thereby implying reading in a service. (Brown, Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan) Vincent on to read - Usually in New Testament of public reading. After the liturgical services which introduced the worship of the synagogue, the “minister” took a roll of the law from the ark, removed its case and wrappings, and then called upon some one to read. On the Sabbaths, at least seven persons were called on successively to read portions of the law, none of them consisting of less than three verses. After the Law followed a section from the Prophets, which was succeeded immediately by a discourse. It was this section (the Prophets) which Jesus read and expounded. See Acts 13:15; Neh. 8:5, 8. R A Torrey's Life and Teaching of Our Lord - Luke 4:16-32 Our Lord Rejected at Nazareth DISCOVERY OF THE FACTS 1. Jesus’ Love for the House of God, Luke 4:16 Where is the scene of this lesson? Why did Jesus go to Nazareth? In what way had the expectation in regard to Him been awakened in the hearts of the people (Luke 4:23)? What glimpse does the 16th verse give into Jesus’ habits? Why was Jesus in the habit of going to church? (Luke 2:49, R. V.; John 18:20.) By what other teacher was this custom followed? (Acts 17:2.) What is the first thing He is recorded as doing in the synagogue? Did He do this by invitation? 2.Jesus’ Familiarity with the Word of God, Luke 4:17–27 What Book was handed Him to read there? Was He familiar with that Book? How did He know just what place to turn to? Is there any suggestion here for us? What is suggested as to who Jesus was by the Greek word for “anointed” (Luke 4:18)? What is the Hebrew word? By applying this then to Himself, what did Jesus proclaim Himself to be? Why must this have been peculiarly startling to the persons to whom He made the proclamation? With what was Jesus anointed? (Acts 10:38.) What follows in Isaiah immediately after the place where Jesus closed the quotation? Why didn’t Jesus quote those words too? What is the first thing Jesus said He was to do? To whom was He to preach the Gospel? What does “Gospel” mean? Is this thought, that it was “the poor” to whom the glad tidings belonged, found elsewhere in the Bible? (Luke 6:20; 7:22; Is. 29:19; Zeph. 3:12; Zech. 11:11; Matt. 5:3; 11:5; Jas. 2:5.) What are these good tidings? What was the next thing He was to do (R. V.)? Captives to whom? Released from what? (John 8:34, 31, 32.) If we desire liberty, then to whom must we go? What was the third thing He was to do? What kind of “blind”? (John 9:39.) If we want sight to whom must we go? (1 John 5:20.) What was the next thing Jesus was to do? “Bruised” by whom? (Gen. 3:15.) Can you give a Scriptural illustration of Jesus doing these four things? To what Jewish custom does verse 19 refer? (Lev. 25:8–13; 50–54.) Of what was the year of jubilee a type? What is the view of man’s natural condition which these words from Isaiah imply? What is the only way of deliverance from this sad condition? In whom did Jesus say these words were fulfilled? How must this have sounded to His hearers? Whom did Jesus always preach? Should we imitate Him in this? (2 Cor. 4:5, first half.) What does the record indicate as to Jesus’ manner as He spoke these startling words? Did He have the attention of His audience? How did He get it (Luke 4:18, 32)? How was His audience at first affected by His words? Did that look promising? Was this early promise realized? What was the next thought that came into their minds? What was the meaning of that query at just this point? What was the next thought that Jesus saw stealing into their minds (Luke 4:23)? What does that thought imply? In what proverb does Jesus sum up His treatment? Why is it that “no prophet is acceptable in his own country”? What thought comforted Jesus in His disappointment at rejection by His own (Luke 4:25, 27)? What is it we always find Jesus quoting in every emergency? How was it that Jesus was so ready with Scripture? What was the point of the quotations here? 3. Jesus’ Rejection by the People of God, Luke 4:28–30 What was the effect of these words upon Jesus’ hearers? Do men ever get angry at the truth nowadays? At which are men most likely to rage—at truth or error? Why? (John 7:7.) If you hold truth up to men, will they always accept it? Why not? (John 3:19, 20.) What was it in this particular case that made the hearers rage? (Compare Acts 22:21–23.) How many of His hearers were “filled with wrath”? Does it prove that a man is not preaching as he should when all his hearers get mad? How mad were they? How far did they get Him? What happened then? How did He do that? (John 18:6, 7.) Did He ever go back to Nazareth? (Compare Mark 1:21–34 with vv. 31–46 and Mark 6:1–6; Matt. 4:13 with 13:54–58.) What were the steps in the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth? (1—Wonder and admiration, Luke 4:22; 2—doubt, Luke 4:22; 3—unbelief, Luke 4:23; 4—anger, rejection and hate, Luke 4:29.) What is the lesson in that for us? Did Jesus give up preaching because Nazareth rejected Him and imperiled His life? What did He do (Luke 4:31)? What is the lesson in that for us? (Matt. 10:23; Acts 14:1, 2, 6, 7, 19–21; 17:1–3, 10.) CLASSIFICATION OF TEACHINGS 1. Jesus Christ His person—human, Luke 4:29; divine, Luke 4:18, 21. His character—affectionate, church-loving, Luke 4:16; Bible-loving, Luke 4:17, 25–27; gracious, Luke 4:22; compassionate, Luke 4:18; patient, Luke 4:29, 31; awe-awakening, Luke 4:30. His work—to teach, Luke 4:31, etc.; to preach the Gospel, to open blind eyes, to set at liberty Satan’s victims, Luke 4:18: to inaugurate the Christian year of jubilee, Luke 4:19. His preaching—to the poor, Luke 4:18; Scriptural, Luke 4:18, 25–27; in the Holy Ghost, Luke 4:18; gracious, Luke 4:22; with power, Luke 4:32; comforting, Luke 4:18; convicting, Luke 4:28; awakening anger, Luke 4:29; its subject—Himself, Luke 4:21. His reception—admiration, doubt, Luke 4:22; unbelief, Luke 4:23; wrath, Luke 4:28; murder, Luke 4:29. Man By nature—poor, captive, blind, bruised, Luke 4:18. By grace—rich, free, seeing, redeemed, Luke 4:18, 19. Luke 4:17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, the book: Lu 20:42 Ac 7:42 13:15,27 the place: Isa 61:1-3 Luke 4:16-21 Jesus' Return to Nazareth: Ministry in the Synagogue - John MacArthur Luke 4:16-21 Jesus' Return to Nazareth: Preaching in the Synagogue - John MacArthur Luke 4:16-21 Jesus' Return to Nazareth: Rejection by the People - John MacArthur Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Portion of the Isaiah Scroll, longest and oldest (c. 100 B.C.) of “Dead Sea Scrolls” at Qumran THE SCROLL OF ISAIAH OPENED BY JESUS The book (biblion) of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him - Why? Clearly Jesus had earned a reputation as a respected teacher and rabbi and it was a common practice to ask visiting rabbis to teach (see Acts 13:15+). Notice Jesus did not choose this, but it was handed to Him. It was the scroll of the prophet Isaiah handed by the chazzan (huperetes, under rower). This is a reflection of God's providence, for God wanted Jesus to read from the prophet Isaiah. As the Dead Sea Scrolls have shown, the entire text of Isaiah could be contained in a single scroll. Arnold Fruchtenbaum a Jewish believer gives us some helpful background on reading the book in the synagogue - It was Jewish practice, and still is, to go through the Mosaic Law each Sabbath throughout the year. It is divided into 54 sections, and the same part would be read no matter what synagogue one attends any where in the world. The books of the prophets are likewise read in such a fashion, correlating with the reading of the Mosaic Law. A minimum of three verses would be read. Jesus broke this tradition by not reading the full three verses, only half the passage. This passage of Isaiah 61:1-3 was recognized as being Messianic. And He opened (anaptusso) the book (biblion) and found (heurisko) the place where it was written (grapho) - Literally Jesus unrolled the scroll. The Scriptures in Jesus' day were written on skins of parchment, and rolled on two rollers, beginning on each end, so that in reading from right to left, they rolled off with the left hand while they rolled on with the right. (See Torah Reading) Vincent on He found - "As if by chance reading at the place where the roll opened of itself, and trusting to divine guidance." A T
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MacArthur adds that "The residents of Nazareth were deeply offended at Jesus' posturing Himself as some great teacher because of His ordinary background, His limited formal education, and His lack of an officially-sanctioned religious position." (Borrow MacArthur Study Bible) One writer draws an interesting and reasonable conclusion based on the crowds' questions noting that "despite being so impressed and perplexed by Jesus' remarks that they marvel, resolve the situation with the realization that this is a carpenter's son. In other words, someone with this common a background cannot be who he claims to be." A T
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MacArthur points out that "A typical synagogue service ended around noon. Jesus’ first four disciples, whom He called just a short time earlier (Mark 1:16-20+), would have attended the synagogue service with Him and, along with the crowds, been amazed by His preaching (Mk 1:22+) and astonished by His authority over the demon who confronted Him (Mk 1:27+). As the hubbub subsided, and the people were dismissed, the four former fishermen came with Jesus out of the synagogue, undoubtedly talking excitedly with one another about the spectacular deliverance they had just witnessed." (see Mark Commentary) Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering (sunecho/synecho) from a high fever (puretos) - Here we learn that Simon Peter was clearly married, a fact even mentioned later by Paul (1Co 9:5). Simon had first encountered Jesus in John 1:42+ (during Jesus' initial ministry recorded only by John - refer to the chart at top of this page and note the non-shaded area indicating John's record of the first year) had he not yet been called to follow Jesus. Jesus call to follow Him as His disciple would be described in Lk 5:1-10 (cf Mt 4:18-22, Mk 1:16-20) and later he (and the other disciples) would be called apostles (Lk 6:13-14). Suffering is present tense indicating that is a persistent (long-standing) problem. A high fever (puretos) is a detail is added by the physician Dr Luke and is not found in Mark's or Matthew's accounts. (Mk 1:30, Mt 8:14). High ferver is a medical term used by Galen for a “category of fever.” High is the Greek adjective megas (great ~ "mega fever"). The point is that she was seriously sick! MacArthur adds this note on Simon's matriculation from observer of Jesus to disciple of Jesus, from Simon to Peter to Cephas - Peter had been introduced to Jesus by his brother Andrew (John 1:35–42+). On that occasion Jesus changed his name to “Peter” (Greek) or “Cephas” (Aramaic) to indicate his future role as part of the foundation of the church (Matt. 16:16–18). Peter was originally from nearby Bethsaida (John 1:44) and now operated a fishing business in Capernaum with his brother Andrew (Matt. 4:18) and their partners, James and John (Luke 5:10), also recently called to follow Jesus (Mark 1:16–20). Having been present in the synagogue to hear Jesus’ unparalleled exposition of the Word of God and witness the amazing display of His power over the demonic realm, Peter invited Him to his house for the Sabbath meal, along with Peter’s brother Andrew, James, and John (Mark 1:29). (See Luke Commentary) And they asked Him to help her - Help is actually not in the original Greek but is the preposition peri which means around or on all sides and so more literally reads "asked Him concerning" her or as the CSB renders it "they asked Him about her." But clearly in the context of a high (serious) fever their purpose was to seek Jesus' help to heal her. Undoubtedly they had heard about His power to heal (cf Lk 4:14+). Got up (450)(anistemi from ana = up, again + histemi = stand, to cause to stand) means literally to get up, to stand up, to stand again, to cause to rise ("to raise"). Most uses denote the act of getting up from a seated or reclined position. Anistemi in Luke and Acts - Lk. 1:39; Lk. 4:16; Lk. 4:29; Lk. 4:38; Lk. 4:39; Lk. 5:25; Lk. 5:28; Lk. 6:8; Lk. 8:55; Lk. 9:8; Lk. 9:19; Lk. 10:25; Lk. 11:7; Lk. 11:8; Lk. 11:32; Lk. 15:18; Lk. 15:20; Lk. 16:31; Lk. 17:19; Lk. 18:33; Lk. 22:45; Lk. 22:46; Lk. 23:1; Lk. 24:7; Lk. 24:12; Lk. 24:33; Lk. 24:46; Acts 1:15; Acts 2:24; Acts 2:32; Acts 3:22; Acts 3:26; Acts 5:6; Acts 5:17; Acts 5:34; Acts 5:36; Acts 5:37; Acts 6:9; Acts 7:18; Acts 7:37; Acts 8:26; Acts 8:27; Acts 9:6; Acts 9:11; Acts 9:18; Acts 9:34; Acts 9:39; Acts 9:40; Acts 9:41; Acts 10:13; Acts 10:20; Acts 10:23; Acts 10:26; Acts 10:41; Acts 11:7; Acts 11:28; Acts 12:7; Acts 13:16; Acts 13:33; Acts 13:34; Acts 14:10; Acts 14:20; Acts 15:7; Acts 17:3; Acts 17:31; Acts 20:30; Acts 22:10; Acts 22:16; Acts 23:9; Acts 26:16; Acts 26:30; Home (3614) (oikia from oikos = house) is one's residence, home or abode. "The house of Simon and Andrew" (Mark 1:29) —1. house lit. Mt 7:24–27; 9:28; 19:29; Mk 1:29; 6:10; 13:34f; Lk 18:29; 20:47; Jn 8:35; 12:3; Ac 4:34; 10:6; 1Co 11:22. Figurative Jn 14:2; figuratively, of the body as the habitation of the soul = 2 Cor 5:1.—2. by metonymy a household, family Mt 12:25; Mk 3:25; 6:4; Jn 4:53; 1Co 16:15. Or property, possession, goods (Mk 12.40) —3. a kind of middle position between meanings 1 and 2 is held by Mt 10:12f and Phil 4:22; in the latter passage oikia refers to the servants and slaves in the emperor's court. Oikia in Luke and Acts - Lk. 4:38; Lk. 5:29; Lk. 6:48; Lk. 6:49; Lk. 7:6; Lk. 7:37; Lk. 7:44; Lk. 8:27; Lk. 8:51; Lk. 9:4; Lk. 10:5; Lk. 10:7; Lk. 10:38; Lk. 15:8; Lk. 15:25; Lk. 17:31; Lk. 18:29; Lk. 20:47; Lk. 22:10; Lk. 22:11; Lk. 22:54; Acts 4:34; Acts 9:11; Acts 9:17; Acts 10:6; Acts 10:17; Acts 10:32; Acts 11:11; Acts 12:12; Acts 16:32; Acts 17:5; Acts 18:7 Suffering (4912)(sunecho/synecho from sun = together, with + echo = to have, hold) means to hold something together. In the passive sense sunecho meant to be gripped (seized) by difficult circumstances such as illness. Luke uses sunecho in Lk 8:37 of severe emotional distress ("gripped with great fear"), of crowds pressing in on Jesus (Lk 8:45), of Jesus' distress at His impending crucifixion (Lk 12:50), of Jerusalem be hemmed in on every side (Lk 19:43). Sunecho -12v - afflicted(1), controls(1), covered(1), crowding(1), devoting...completely(1), distressed(1), gripped(1), hard-pressed(1), hem(1), holding...in custody(1), suffering(2). - Matt. 4:24; Lk. 4:38; Lk. 8:37; Lk. 8:45; Lk. 12:50; Lk. 19:43; Lk. 22:63; Acts 7:57; Acts 18:5; Acts 28:8; 2 Co. 5:14; Phil. 1:23 Fever (4446)(puretos from pur = fire) means fiery heat, then fever ("burning heat"). Only use in Septuagint is Dt 28:22. TDNT says "The word puretos describes the symptom of “fever.” Greek medicine distinguishes types of fever, and ascribes them to natural causes. Popular belief thinks gods or demons can both cause and cure fevers." Matthew 8:15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him. Mark 1:31 And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. Luke 4:38 Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon's home. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her. Luke 4:39 And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and waited on them. John 4:52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." Acts 28:8 And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. Related Resources on Healing from Gotquestions: What is a healing room? Are healing rooms biblical? What is divine healing? What is the spiritual gift of healing? What does the Bible say about healing? What does the Bible say about energy healing / energy medicine / Reiki? Why will the nations need healing in the New Jerusalem? How can I receive emotional healing? How can I experience healing and recovery after an abortion? What is inner healing, and is it biblical? Why doesn't God heal everyone? What did Jesus mean when He told people, “Your faith has made you well”? Are faith healers for real? Does a faith healer heal with the same power as Jesus? Should Christians go to doctors? What is Christian Science? What is the story of the ten lepers in the Bible? What is the balm of Gilead? What does it mean that “by His stripes we are healed”? Why won't God heal amputees? What is a spirit of infirmity? Why did Jesus spit for some of His miracles? Is cessationism biblical? What is a cessationist? Should a Christian participate in reflexology? What is theophostic counseling, and is it biblical? What does the Bible say about crystals? What does the Bible have to say about holistic medicine? How should a Christian view prescription drugs? Counseling Related Questions What was in the shadow of Peter that healed people (Acts 5:15-16)? What happened at the Pool of Bethesda? Why did Jesus command people to not tell others of the miracles He performed? What does the Bible say about PTSD? How can I heal from the hurt of a broken relationship? What is shamanism? Luke 4:39 And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and waited on them. and rebuked: Lu 4:35 8:24 and waited: Lu 8:2,3 Ps 116:12 2Co 5:14,15 Luke 4:38-44 Jesus: The Divine Deliverer, Part 1 - John MacArthur Luke 4:38-44 Jesus: The Divine Deliverer, Part 2 - John MacArthur Luke 4:31-44 Jesus—Lord Over All - Steven Cole Luke 4:38-39 Fever and Its Cure - C H Spurgeon Luke 4:39 The Ministry of Gratitude - C H Spurgeon Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Mark 1:31+ And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. Matthew 8:15+ He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him. A T Robertson on Mt 8:15 - Touched her hand. In loving sympathy as the Great Physician and like any good doctor today. Ministered. “Began to minister” (conative imperfect) at once to Jesus at table in gratitude and love. JESUS' AUTHORITY OVER PHYSICAL ILLNESS And standing over (ephistemi) her He rebuked (epitimao) the fever (puretos), and it left (aphiemi) her - As a physician would do when coming up to the patient in bed. Jesus stepped up to the bed or rug on which the patient lay and bent over her (Arndt). Both Mark and Matthew mention that Jesus took or touched her hand (Mt. 8:15; Mk 1:31), certainly a tender gesture. In Luke 4:35+ Jesus had rebuked a demon. His rebuke in Lk 4:39 should not be taken to suggest her fever was caused by a demon, just as His rebuke of the wind in Lk 8:24 does not suggest the wind was demonically empowered. There is no evidence for either supposition. It is interesting that the other parallel passages (Mk 1:31+ Mt 8:15+) do not record Jesus rebuking the fever. Luke records a similar rebuke over "nature" when "He got up and rebuked (epitimao) the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm." (Lk 8:24+). Robertson on standing over her is a detail recorded "only in Luke. Surely we are not to take Luke to mean that Jesus here took the exorcist’s position and was rebuking a malignant personality. The attitude of Jesus is precisely that of any kindly sympathetic physician. Mark 1:31 and Mt. 8:15 (see both verses above) mention the touch of her hand rather than the tender look over her head." Bock on rebuked - This verb is normally reserved for encounters between people (Luke 4:41; 9:42, 55), so that disease here is almost treated like a power that needs to be stopped and over which Jesus has authority. Creation will be treated in a similar way in Luke 8:24.
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MacArthur - As Jesus went and preached He literally shattered the demonic world. They like to be clandestine. They like to stay hidden. They like to do their work covertly. They like to be behind the scenes. They like to where a gray flannel suit and appear very, very normal. They don't want to reveal themselves. But under the preaching of Jesus when He stepped into the scene, they knew exactly who He was. He traumatized them. He terrorized them. Remember they were living inside people. Demons take up residence and they...and they literally possess people and they dominate their thinking and they torment them. And they stay there in a hidden fashion (Sermon) The Son of God - MacArthur makes an interesting comment that this is "an involuntary comment (by the demons). They don't want to say it if they can help it." In short, the demons make confessions regarding Jesus as He performs exorcisms. As in Lk 4:34-35, Jesus silences the effort. Luke will use this title "Son of God" only twice more in Lk 8:22, when the storm is calmed, and in Lk 22:70, when Jesus is asked at his trial by the High Priest if he is this figure in a context where being Messiah and Son of Man are the points of dispute. It is amazing that the demons destined for eternal hell knew full well that Jesus was God, a critical truth that the cults like Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons fail to acknowledge and will also suffer eternal separation from Him in the Lake of Fire (geenna)! The wages of sin is eternal death, but the wages of deception in this context is also eternal death! NET Note - Note how Luke associates Son of God with Messiah (Christ) in this context, a regal connection with OT roots (Ps 2:7). But rebuking (epitimao) them - Rebuking (addressed also to the demon in the synagogue in Capernaum - Mk 1:25+, cf Mk 3:12 warned = epitimao) means to express strong disapproval of these demons, to censure them and to warn them. Jesus was continually (present tense) rebuking them. He would not allow (eao) them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ (Christos) - Jesus is clearly demonstrating His power over the demons by not allowing them to speak. So not only does Jesus have power over the natural (the high fever) but over the supernatural! He Who could rebuke a fever, could just as easily rebuke a demon! NET Note on He would not allow them to speak - Jesus would not allow the demons to speak because the time for such disclosure was not yet at hand, and such a revelation would have certainly been misunderstood by the people. In all likelihood, if the people had understood him early on to be the Son of God, or Messiah, they would have reduced his mission to one of political deliverance from Roman oppression (cf. John 6:15). Jesus wanted to avoid, as much as possible, any premature misunderstanding about who he was and what he was doing. However, at the end of his ministry, he did not deny such a title when the high priest asked him (Lk 22:66–71). For more on this Topic of Not Permitting them to Speak see Daniel Akin's note below. This story reminds us of Paul's demonic encounter in Philippi "It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment. (Acts 16:16-18-note) John MacArthur applies this truth about Jesus' authority over the demons - Sinners don't just wander around independently having their own thoughts. They are literally the victims of demons. They may not all be possessed by demons. They may not all be dominated and tormented by demons who dwell in them, but they all have bought into demonic lies, one way or another. They're all blinded, ignorant, empty-minded, because the god of this world has blinded their minds. It is critical not only that we have our bodies delivered from the curse of sin, but that our minds be free. We want to have the full mind of Christ. We want to have our minds purged and purified. We want to think the way God thinks. So these demons in an involuntary way scream out the truth. Jesus doesn't want the truth from demon-possessed people and He doesn't want them precipitating some mob effort to force Him to become the Messiah so He rebukes them. But more than that, He rebukes them to show us that He has total power over them. That's critical.Darkened minds, blinded minds devoid of truth, corrupt minds, reprobate minds, those are the playgrounds of demons. We're talking from sophisticated religious cults all the way to immorality, all the way to insanity, all of that is the playground of demons. It's all ideas, thought patterns raised up against the knowledge of God. And men need their minds delivered from those supernatural influences and Jesus proves that He can do it. (Sermon) Shouting (2905)(kraugazo from krauge - outcry from krazo = clamor or cry = a word like "croak" ~ suggests a rough and guttural sound = croaking of ravens = croak or cry out with a loud, raucous voice like donkey in Job 6:5, childbirth Is 26:17, war cry in Josh 6:16) means to cry out loud, to clamor, yell loudly, to shout with intensity, to make an outcry, in some contexts to scream or howl (one especially thinks of the demons screaming, croaking and howling! What a scene!) Term was used of a dog's barking, a raven's squawking and even a drunk's bawling. Webster says clamor is "noisy shouting" and describes those who "become loudly insistent" making a vehement protest or demand." Kraugazo describes the cry of the demons (Lk 4:4), the cry of Jesus for Lazarus to "come forth" (Jn 11:43 - in utter irony for Jesus' cry to give life to Lazarus results in cries for His life!), as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Psalm Sunday the crowds cried out "Hosanna" (Jn 12:13), the Jewish mob crying to Pilate to release Barabbas (Jn 18:40, 19:12), and finally the Jewish mob escalating their cry to "Crucify! Crucify!" (Jn 19:6). Notice all of these are emotion filled, tense moments.
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MacArthur adds "Because she not only had forsaken God’s commandments but even His own Son, Israel would now be left desolate, subject to the vagaries of an ungodly world that would mock her, despise her, and persecute her people from city to city just as she would soon do with the prophets, wise men, and scribes Christ would send to her." In Acts 1:20 "LET HIS HOMESTEAD BE MADE DESOLATE" refers to the fate of Judas the betrayer In the Septuagint eremos is used to translate Negev (south country) in Ge. 12:9; 13:1,3; 14:6. As one might imagine eremos is used frequently in the Septuagint to describe the wilderness of Sinai and the following wilderness wanderings of Israel, including their rebellions in the wilderness (Nu 1:1,19; 3:4,14; 9:1,5; 10:12,31; 12:16; cf Ps 78:15, 40, 52, Ps 95:8, 106:9, 14, 26, Ps 107:4, 136:16). In Pr 21:19 it is said to be better to live in a desert (eremos) than with a contentious woman! Gilbrant comments on the Classical Greek and Septuagint Usage of eremos - The word erēmos is properly an adjective, but it may also be used as a noun. In classical Greek it is primarily used as an adjective meaning “desolate, lonely,” or “solitary.” Erēmos may describe places which have been abandoned or which have very few if any inhabitants. It may describe persons or animals. When erēmos is used of human beings, it frequently refers to poor, friendless persons. It may also modify words pertaining to court decisions where one party does not appear and the other party wins by default. In the papyri erēmos describes a village which has been deserted as well as a beach which is desert-like. It is also used in the legal sense of “default” when one party fails to appear (see Moulton-Milligan). The Septuagint almost always uses erēmos as a noun meaning “desert” or “wilderness.” But it may be used as an adjective meaning “desolate” (Nehemiah 2:17). (Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary) Zodhiates on eremos - adjective. Desolate, deserted, lonely. Used as a noun and translated "wilderness" thirty-two times in the kjv. Also with the meanings desert, desolate, waste (Matt. 14:13, 15; 23:38; Mark 1:35, 45; 6:31, 32, 35; Luke 4:42; 9:10, 12; 13:35; Acts 1:20; 8:26; Sept.: Lev. 26:31, 33; Neh. 2:17; Jer. 33:10, 12 [cf. Ps. 69:25]). As a subst. with chóra <5561>, country, land or region implied, a desert, wilderness (Matt. 4:1; John 3:14; 6:31; Acts 7:30, 36). Sometimes it denotes no more than an uncultivated piece of ground used for pasture in distinction from arable or enfenced land (Luke 15:4). Used of a woman meaning solitary, destitute of a husband, unmarried (Gal. 4:27 quoted from Isa. 54:1). As a subst., hē érēmos, referring to chóra <5561>, region, a solitary desert, equivalent to erēmía <2047>, i.e., an uninhabited and uncultivated tract of country (Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23, all quoted from Isa. 40:3. See also Matt. 11:7; 24:26; Luke 5:16; 7:24; 8:29; Rev. 12:6, 14; 17:3). Spoken of the desert of Judea, i.e., the southeastern part of Judea from the Jordan along the Dead Sea which was mostly uninhabited (Matt. 3:1; Mark 1:4; Luke 1:80; 3:2 [cf. Judg. 1:16]); of the desert or mountainous region where Jesus was tempted, probably near Jericho (Matt. 4:1; Mark 1:12, 13; Luke 4:1); of a desert probably between the Mount of Olives and Jericho (Acts 21:38). As to John 11:54 see Ephraím <2187>. Of the Arabian Desert between Mount Sinai and Palestine (John 3:14; 6:31, 49; Acts 7:30, 36, 38, 42, 44; 13:18; 1 Cor. 10:5; Heb. 3:8, 17; Sept.: Ps. 78:15, 19; 136:16). (Complete Word Study Dictionary) Eremos - 48x in 48v - Usage: desert(2), deserts(1), desolate(6), open pasture(1), secluded(5), unpopulated(1), wilderness(32). Eremos and John the Baptist = Mt 3:1, Mt 3:3, Mt 11:7, Mk 1:3, Mk 1:4, Lk 1:80, Lk 3:2, 3:4, Lk 7:24, Jn 1:23 Eremos and Jesus = Mt 4:1, Mk 1:12, 13, Lk 5:16 Eremos describes the place Jesus went to commune with His Father - Mt 14:13, Mk 1:35. 48x in 48v - Matt. 3:1; Matt. 3:3; Matt. 4:1; Matt. 11:7; Matt. 14:13; Matt. 14:15; Matt. 23:38; Matt. 24:26; Mk. 1:3; Mk. 1:4; Mk. 1:12; Mk. 1:13; Mk. 1:35; Mk. 1:45; Mk. 6:31; Mk. 6:32; Mk. 6:35; Lk. 1:80; Lk. 3:2; Lk. 3:4; Lk. 4:1; Lk. 4:42; Lk. 5:16; Lk. 7:24; Lk. 8:29; Lk. 9:12; Lk. 15:4; Jn. 1:23; Jn. 3:14; Jn. 6:31; Jn. 6:49; Jn. 11:54; Acts 1:20; Acts 7:30; Acts 7:36; Acts 7:38; Acts 7:42; Acts 7:44; Acts 8:26; Acts 13:18; Acts 21:38; 1 Co. 10:5; Gal. 4:27; Heb. 3:8; Heb. 3:17; Rev. 12:6; Rev. 12:14; Rev. 17:3 Eremos - 342x in 328v in the Septuagint - Gen. 12:9; 13:1,3; 14:6; 16:7; 21:14,20f; 24:62; 36:24; 37:22; Exod. 3:1,18; 4:27; 5:1,3; 7:16; 8:20,27f; 13:18,20; 14:3,11f; 15:22; 16:1,3,10,14,32; 17:1; 18:5; 19:1f; 23:29,31; Lev. 7:38; 16:10,21f; 26:31,33; Num. 1:1,19; 3:4,14; 9:1,5; 10:12,31; 12:16; 13:3,17,21f,26; 14:2,16,22,25,29,32f,35; 15:32; 16:13; 20:1,4; 21:1,5,11,13,20,23; 23:28; 24:1; 26:61,64f; 27:3,14; 32:13,15; 33:6,8,11f,15f,36; 34:3; Deut. 1:1,19,31,40; 2:1,7f,26; 4:43,45; 6:4; 7:22; 8:2,15f; 9:7,28; 11:5,24; 29:5; 32:10,51; 34:3; Jos. 1:4; 5:6; 12:8; 14:10; 15:1,21; 16:1; 20:8; 21:36,42; 24:7; Jdg. 1:16; 8:7,16; 11:16,18,22; 20:42,45,47; 1 Sam. 4:8; 23:14,24f; 24:1; 25:1,4,7,14,21; 26:2f; 2 Sam. 2:24; 15:18,23,28; 16:2; 17:16,29; 1 Ki. 2:34; 4:20; 19:4,15; 2 Ki. 2:8; 3:8; 1 Chr. 5:9; 6:78; 12:8; 21:29; 2 Chr. 1:3; 8:4; 20:16,20,24; 24:9; 26:10; Ezr. 9:9; Neh. 2:17; 9:19,21; Est. 8:12; Job 1:19; 15:28; 38:26; 39:6; Ps. 29:8; 55:7; 63:1; 65:12; 68:7; 75:6; 78:15,19,40,52; 95:8; 106:9,14,26; 107:4,33,35; 136:16; Prov. 9:12; 21:19; Cant. 3:6; Isa. 1:7; 5:9,17; 6:11; 13:9; 14:17,23; 15:6; 16:1,8; 17:9; 21:1; 24:12; 30:6; 32:15f; 34:11; 35:1f,6; 40:3; 41:18; 42:11; 43:19f; 44:26; 48:21; 49:8,19; 50:2; 51:3; 52:9; 54:1; 58:12; 61:4; 62:4; 63:13; 64:10; Jer. 2:6,15,24,31; 4:11,26f; 9:2,10,12,26; 12:10,12; 13:24; 17:6; 22:6; 23:10; 25:24; 31:2; 33:10,12; 34:22; 44:2; 48:6; 49:13; 50:12; Lam. 4:3,19; 5:9; Ezek. 5:14; 6:14; 13:4; 14:8; 19:13; 20:10,13,15,17f,21,23,35f; 23:42; 25:13; 26:20; 29:9f; 30:12; 33:28f; 34:25; 35:3f,7,12,14f; 36:2,33,35,38; 38:8; Dan. 4:25; 9:17; Hos. 2:3,14; 9:10; 13:5,15; Joel 1:19f; 2:22; Amos 2:10; 5:25; Zeph. 2:13; Hag. 1:9; Zech. 14:10; Mal. 1:3f; Searching (imperfect tense = over and over - vivid picture of their search)(1934)(epizeteo from epi = intensifies meaning + zeteo = try to learn location of something, searching for) means to search or look for (people [Jesus] Lk 4:42). While their action was commendable in one sense, their motive was less commendable. They were seeking Jesus not for His good news of spiritual healing but His great power of physical healing and authority over the demons. They missed the significance of His miraculous signs. They forgot that signs (as we commonly use the term) point to something beyond the sign itself. Sadly, the crowds fixated on the signs He performed and missed the forgiveness He proclaimed! Epizeteo - 12v - craves(1), eagerly seek(2), searched(1), searching(1), seek(2), seeking(3), seeks after(1), sought(1), want(1). Matt. 6:32; Matt. 12:39; Matt. 16:4; Lk. 4:42; Lk. 12:30; Acts 12:19; Acts 13:7; Acts 19:39; Rom. 11:7; Phil. 4:17; Heb. 11:14; Heb. 13:14 Tried to keep (restrained) (2722)(katecho) is used here literally of holding Jesus to keep Him from going. Did they physically hold Him? I doubt it! Katecho is used figuratively to describe the Holy Spirit's restraining ministry during this age (2 Th 2:6-7). Katecho is used of the seed (Word) "in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance." (Lk 8:15+) It is used of men "who (continually present tense) suppress the truth in unrighteousness." (Ro 1:18+). An important use is found in 1 Cor 15:2+ referring to the Gospel "by which also you are saved, if you hold fast (the only one who can hold it fast is one who has the "Enabler" the Holy Spirit, Who indwells EVERY true believer) the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain." (cf similar use of katecho in Hebrews 3:6+). Katecho - 18v - afflicted(1), bound(1), heading(1), hold...fast(1), hold fast(5), hold firmly(1), keep(2), occupy(1), possess(1), possessing(1), restrains(2), suppress(1). Lk. 4:42; Lk. 8:15; Lk. 14:9; Jn. 5:4; Acts 27:40; Rom. 1:18; Rom. 7:6; 1 Co. 7:30; 1 Co. 11:2; 1 Co. 15:2; 2 Co. 6:10; 1 Thess. 5:21; 2 Thess. 2:6; 2 Thess. 2:7; Phlm. 1:13; Heb. 3:6; Heb. 3:14; Heb. 10:23 J D Jones on THE POWER ROOM (from his comments on the parallel passage in Mark 1:35) - And let us never forget that what is true of Christ's sermons is also true of Christ's miracles—they cost. Power, one of the evangelists tells us, went forth from Him (Luke 8:46+). Every act of healing was a drain upon His vitality. It cost Him life to restore life to others. Now if that be so He must have been a tired Christ that Sabbath evening. The day had cost Him much in desire and compassion and sympathy, and He might fairly claim to have earned His rest. But it is not of rest we read, but of new and costly activities. (see Mk 1:32,33) All the city at the door, and within a tired Christ! But he makes no mention of weariness. Out of Simon's house into the midst of that pathetic crowd He passes, carrying healing and blessing with Him. What tireless activity is this! Christ spent Himself in the service of men. He lived under the constraint of a great urgency. "We must work the works of Him that sent Me while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work" (John 9:4). And side by side with this picture of Christ in the midst of His activities, we have a picture of Christ in the midst of His devotions. "In the morning, a great while before day, He rose up and went out, and departed into a desert place, and there prayed" (ver. 35, R.V.). There is the most close and intimate connexion between the one picture and the other. I was once taken through the engineering shops in the Devonport dockyard. I saw innumerable machines busy at various kinds of work, most of them making considerable noise in the process. Then my conductor took me to a room which by contrast was almost silent, where a great engine was working smoothly and quietly. "The Power-room" "This," said he, "is the power-room." In that quiet room I found the secret of the multifarious activities of the machines in the various shops. In Mark 1:32-34, Mark has been showing us our Lord's various activities. In Mark 1:35 he takes us to the "power-room." Back of all the activities of the synagogue and the street lay a life of secret prayer. In communion with His Father, Jesus refreshed and renewed Himself for further labour and toil amongst men. "A great while before day"—Jesus made time for prayer! He snatched it from His sleep. An Example for us. What an object-lesson as to the indispensable necessity of prayer! We realise the obligation of service in these days, and consequently we have become very "busy." But are we neglecting the "POWER ROOM"? We must keep the balance true. We must never become too busy to pray. "This kind," said our Lord, "can come out by nothing, save by prayer" (Mark 9:29, R.V.). (Mark Commentary) Luke 4:43 But He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." NET But Jesus said to them, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, for that is what I was sent to do." NLT But he replied, "I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent." CSB But He said to them, "I must proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose." I must: Mk 1:14,15,38,39 Joh 9:4 Ac 10:38 2Ti 4:2 for: Isa 42:1-4 48:16 61:1-3 Joh 6:38-40 20:21 Luke 4:38-44 Jesus: The Divine Deliverer, Part 1 - John MacArthur Luke 4:38-44 Jesus: The Divine Deliverer, Part 2 - John MacArthur Luke 4:31-44 Jesus—Lord Over All - Steven Cole Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries KINGDOM OF GOD PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE FROM BIBLE.ORG A NECESSITY: PREACH GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD But He said to them, "I must (dei) preach (euaggelizo/euangelizo) the kingdom (basileia) of God to the other cities also - Also means not just here in Capernaum (and previously in Nazareth - Lk 4:16+). Must is a verb that speaks of obligation or necessity and in this context speaks of His divine commission (cf. Lk 2:49+). THOUGHT - It was a necessity for Jesus and it is a necessity for all who call themselves followers of Jesus. Preach the Gospel with your (supernatural, Spirit enabled) life to be sure, but that does not replace preaching (boldly empowered by the Spirit) with your lips! There is a catchy saying that I have heard and when I was a younger believer bought into, but it is not Biblical. What is the saying? "Preach the Gospel with your life and if necessary use words." The bottom line for Jesus is it is always necessary to use words. After all, He had preached with His life with countless miracles, but He saw His ultimate purpose (other than of course the Cross) was to preach the Gospel, the good news of the Kingdom of God. For believers, the "kingdom" is where the King reigns and that is in our hearts! Is He the King of your heart? Are you like David, a man or woman after His heart, who seeks to do all His will? (Acts 13:22+). John MacArthur comments - He came not merely to demonstrate His power over the effects of sin in the body by physical healing and the mind by overcoming demonic influence, but most importantly His power to overcome sin’s eternal consequences. For that to happen required repentance and faith in the gospel preached (cf. Rom. 10:13-17). Only by faith in the truth preached could sinners be rescued from Satan’s kingdom of darkness and enter into the kingdom of God (See Luke Commentary). The Kingdom of God - One must understand that there are at least two phases to the Kingdom of God. The first phase is the invisible, internal Kingdom of God which Jesus is preaching about and which He later described as "in your midst” (Lk 17:21+), the Kingdom in which the King reigns in the heart of the person who has accepted Jesus as Messiah. When the King returns on "the day that the Son of Man is revealed," (Lk 17:30+) the heart of every person will also be revealed as to whether they sought the kingdom of "SELF" or the kingdom of the SAVIOR! The future phase of the Kingdom of God is known as the Messianic Age or the Millennial Kingdom.(See more detailed explanation of Jesus' meaning of the Kingdom of God in notes on Luke 17:20-21). The kingdom of God "refers to the promised rule of God. Jesus preaches and brings this kingdom (Ed: Of course only to those who receive His message by grace through faith!). It (The kingdom of God) is both present with Jesus, having been prepared for by John the Baptist (Luke 7:28; 11:20; 16:16; 17:21) and yet to come in fullness in the future (Luke 19:11 = " they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately." Ed: See also Acts 1:6 "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" This future kingdom refers to the Millennium). In fullness, it is the promised rule of God on the earth with the righteous vindicated and the wicked judged. In the present, it is the arrival of forgiveness and the presence of the Spirit, an arrival that is based on Jesus' authority to defeat the spiritual forces of evil (see the parable in Lk 11:21-23). As this verse makes clear, the kingdom is the topic of Jesus' preaching the good news." (Darrell Bock - Bible Knowledge Key Word Study - The Gospels) The only kingdom that will prevail in this world is the kingdom that is not of this world! To the other cities also - Nazareth had rejected Him. Capernaum had basked in the light of His miraculous power, but there is no description that they received His good news (cf Jn 1:11). So now other cities in Israel needed to hear Messiah's message of freedom Jesus had proclaimed in Nazareth (Lk 4:18-19+). For - This strategic term of explanation is another cause to pause and ponder. What is Luke explaining? I was sent (apostello) for this purpose - The word "purpose" is added for clarity. This is clearly the language of divine commission. Jesus repeatedly affirmed that the Father had sent Him with a purpose (read Mt. 10:40; Mk 9:37; Luke 10:16; John 4:34; 5:24, 30, 36, 37; 6:38, 39, 44, 57; 7:16, 28, 29, 33; 8:16, 18, 26, 29, 42; 9:4; 11:42; 12:44, 45, 49; 13:20; 14:24; 15:21; 16:5; 17:8, 18, 21, 23, 25; 20:21). What purpose? To preach the Gospel, the only news that has the intrinsic power to break the power of sin and Satan and death. Must (necessary, ought) (1163)(dei from deo = to bind or tie objects together, put in prison and also root of doulos, bond-servant) refers to what is not optional but needful (binding) out of intrinsic necessity or inevitability. Dei refers to inward constraint which is why it is often translated "must". Dei describes that which is under the necessity of happening or which must necessarily take place, and as stated above, conveys a sense of inevitability. To express the sense of necessity dei is translated "one ought", "one should", "one has to" or "one must". In English dictionaries must means to be obliged and expresses both physical and moral necessity or insistence. Must speaks of something that should not be overlooked or missed. Must is used to indicate requirement by immediate or future need or purpose. Dei is used more frequently by Luke than any other NT writer (39/97 verses) - Lk. 2:49; Lk. 4:43; Lk. 9:22; Lk. 11:42; Lk. 12:12; Lk. 13:14; Lk. 13:16; Lk. 13:33; Lk. 15:32; Lk. 17:25; Lk. 18:1; Lk. 19:5; Lk. 21:9; Lk. 22:7; Lk. 22:37; Lk. 24:7; Lk. 24:26; Lk. 24:44; Acts 1:16; Acts 1:21; Acts 3:21; Acts 4:12; Acts 5:29; Acts 9:6; Acts 9:16; Acts 14:22; Acts 15:5; Acts 16:30; Acts 17:3; Acts 19:21; Acts 20:35; Acts 23:11; Acts 24:19; Acts 25:10; Acts 25:24; Acts 26:9; Acts 27:21; Acts 27:24; Acts 27:26 Kingdom (932)(basileia from basileus = a sovereign, king, monarch) denotes sovereignty, royal power, dominion. Basileia can also refer to the territory or people over whom a king rules. The Bible teaches that there are two kingdoms at war, the kingdom of this world (cf "present evil world" Gal 1:4KJV+, James 4:4+, 1 Jn 2:15-17+) headed by Satan (see Lk 4:5-6+, see especially verse 6, cf 1 Jn 5:19+) and the Kingdom of God headed by Jesus (cf Jn 18:37+, Rev 19:16+). The Gospel of Kingdom which Jesus proclaimed (Mt 4:23) is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and that is the only message that can rescue a lost soul from the dominion of Satan and transfer them to the Kingdom of God. We see that clearly in God's "purpose statement" for the life of Paul when he was converted on the Damascus Road... But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 rescuing (DELIVERING) you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you (TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL AND PREACH JESUS), 18 to open their eyes (THE "SPIRITUAL EYES" OF THEIR HEART) so that (PURPOSE STATEMENT) they may turn from (THE KINGDOM OF) darkness to (THE KINGDOM OF) light and from the dominion (AUTHORITY - RIGHT AND MIGHT) of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ (Acts 26:16-18-note) Holman Study Bible has an interesting description of the kingdom of God: This is the first of more than 30 times that the kingdom of God is mentioned in Luke's Gospel. A full-blown concept of the kingdom includes: (1) the King (ruler), (2) the rule itself (authority to rule), (3) the realm being ruled (this world), and (4) those ruled (individuals who believe the gospel). The kingdom of God is already present in at least some senses (Matt. 12:28) but also still future (Matt. 6:10). Kingdom of God - 66x in 65v - 31 times in the Gospel of Luke, 7 times in Acts - Matt. 12:28; Matt. 19:24; Matt. 21:31; Matt. 21:43; Mk. 1:15; Mk. 4:11; Mk. 4:26; Mk. 4:30; Mk. 9:1; Mk. 9:47; Mk. 10:14; Mk. 10:15; Mk. 10:23; Mk. 10:24; Mk. 10:25; Mk. 12:34; Mk. 14:25; Mk. 15:43; Lk. 4:43; Lk. 6:20; Lk. 7:28; Lk. 8:1; Lk. 8:10; Lk. 9:2; Lk. 9:11; Lk. 9:27; Lk. 9:60; Lk. 9:62; Lk. 10:9; Lk. 10:11; Lk. 11:20; Lk. 13:18; Lk. 13:20; Lk. 13:28; Lk. 13:29; Lk. 14:15; Lk. 16:16; Lk. 17:20; Lk. 17:21; Lk. 18:16; Lk. 18:17; Lk. 18:24; Lk. 18:25; Lk. 18:29; Lk. 19:11; Lk. 21:31; Lk. 22:16; Lk. 22:18; Lk. 23:51; Jn. 3:3; Jn. 3:5; Acts 1:3; Acts 8:12; Acts 14:22; Acts 19:8; Acts 28:23; Acts 28:31; Rom. 14:17; 1 Co. 4:20; 1 Co. 6:9; 1 Co. 6:10; 1 Co. 15:50; Gal. 5:21; Col. 4:11; 2 Th 1:5 QUESTION - . What is the kingdom of God? See video on the Kingdom of God ANSWER - The kingdom of God is referenced often in the gospels (e.g., Mark 1:15; 10:15; 15:43; Luke 17:20) and other places in the New Testament (e.g., Acts 28:31; Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 15:50). The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven. The concept of the kingdom of God takes on various shades of meaning in different passages of Scripture. Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. Several passages of Scripture show that God is the undeniable Monarch of all creation: “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). And, as King Nebuchadnezzar declared, “His kingdom is an eternal kingdom” (Daniel 4:3). Every authority that exists has been established by God (Romans 13:1). So, in one sense, the kingdom of God incorporates everything that is. More narrowly, the kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God; in contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God. In this sense, the kingdom of God is spiritual—Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and He preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17). That the kingdom of God can be equated with the sphere of salvation is evident in John 3:5–7, where Jesus says the kingdom of God must be entered into by being born again. See also 1 Corinthians 6:9. There is another sense in which the kingdom of God is used in Scripture: the literal rule of Christ on the earth during the Millennium. Daniel said that “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44; cf. Da 7:13–14), and many of the other prophets predicted the same thing (e.g., Obadiah 1:21; Habakkuk 2:14; Micah 4:2; Zechariah 14:9). Some theologians refer to the future, open manifestation of the kingdom of God as the “kingdom of glory” and the present, hidden manifestation of the kingdom of God as the “kingdom of grace.” But both manifestations are connected; Christ has set up His spiritual reign in the church on earth, and He will one day set up His physical reign in Jerusalem. The kingdom of God has several aspects. The Lord is the Sovereign of the universe, and so in that sense His kingdom is universal (1 Timothy 6:15). At the same time, the kingdom of God involves repentance and the new birth, as God rules in the hearts of His children in this world in preparation for the next. The work begun on earth will find its consummation in heaven (see Philippians 1:6). (from recommended resource Gotquestions) Related Resource: Detailed explanation of Jesus' meaning of the Kingdom of God Luke 4:44 So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea. He: Lu 4:15 Mt 4:23 Mk 1:39 Luke 4:38-44 Jesus: The Divine Deliverer, Part 1 - John MacArthur Luke 4:38-44 Jesus: The Divine Deliverer, Part 2 - John MacArthur Luke 4:31-44 Jesus—Lord Over All - Steven Cole Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passage: Mark 1:39+ - And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. A T Robertson on Mk 1:39- The first tour of Galilee by Jesus. We are told little about this great preaching tour. John MacArthur comments on the parallel section in Mark writing that "In this section (Mk 1:29-39), Mark succinctly pulls together three core elements of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The proof of His divine kingship was in His miracles. The power that sustained His ministry came from His prayer life, as He submitted to the Father and depended on the Spirit. The priority of His ministry was to preach the Gospel to the lost, so that through Him they might have everlasting life....( MacArthur adds this note on Mark 1:39) In that single verse, Mark summarizes weeks if not months of time as Jesus continued doing exactly what He had done in Capernaum-preaching the good news and overpowering the demons. In this way, Jesus both validated His identity as the messianic King, while also proclaiming that salvation can be found only through faith in His name (cf. Acts 4:12). When He taught throughout the synagogues of Galilee, His emphasis was on gospel proclamation. The apostle Paul would later articulate the importance of such preaching in Romans 10:13-15. (See Mark Commentary) Matthew 4:23+ Jesus was going (imperfect - repeated/continuous action) throughout all Galilee (~60 x 30 mile area), teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. JESUS WAS A MAN ON A MISSION So He kept on preaching (kerusso) - Jesus knew He was sent to "seek and to save the lost" (Lk 19:10) and the best way to accomplish that mission is to keep on preaching the Gospel. Kept on preaching is in the present tense describes His continual activity. Jesus was as we say today "laser focused." His time was short (3 years to turn the world upside down). But He was a Spirit filled/empowered Man on mission. Mark adds the detail that He was casting out the demons. The demons seemed to enjoy the services in the Jewish synagogues! In the synagogues of Judea - The synagogues were the "hub" of the Jewish religion in each city and so they were always His prime target. Obviously He also preached in the open outdoors as in the Sermon on the Mount. But how do you explain Judea, for Lk 4:14 and Lk 4:31 clearly state He was in the area of Galilee (and Capernaum)? First note that in the parallel passages in Mark 1:39 and Mt 4:23 we see He was ministering in Galilee. John MacArthur explains that Judea in this context "is a generic term for the entire nation of Israel including Galilee, not merely the southern part." Darrell Bock adds that "Some critics have charged Luke with a geographical error in speaking of Judea while Jesus is in the North. However, Luke is using the term in its broadest sense, referring to all of Israel, so there is no error. This use was not unique to Luke (as it appears in the Iudea capta on coins of the Roman ruler, Vespasian; EDNT 2:191-92). Luke uses it this way sometimes (1:5; 6:17; 7:17; 23:5; Acts 10:37; 12:19) and more narrowly of just the South in other places (Luke 1:39, 65; 2:4; 3:1; 5:17; 21:21). (The Bible Knowledge Key Word Study: The Gospels) John MacArthur on the meaning of Jesus' miracles in the context of His proclamation of the Gospel - He doesn't rebuke their interest in the miracles. He wanted them to be interested in the miracles....They were essential proofs of His power and His deity and they needed to be seen and understood. They were parabolic. They showed His power to give new life to the body, to give a new mind. They showed that and that was what He wanted to show. But importantly He had also to preach the kingdom of God: That you didn't have to stay in the domain of darkness. You didn't have to stay in the kingdom of Satan. You didn't have to be headed to the Lake of Fire prepared for the devil and his angels and all who follow him. You could come to the kingdom of God. You come... You could come into the sphere of blessing, the realm of salvation. You could come from where you were in the midst of the darkness of sin into the light of the glorious gospel of Christ. You could be delivered from hell and taken to heaven. That was the message that a believing sinner could be delivered from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God, from the, as it were, domain of hell into the domain of heaven. The kingdom of God simply refers to the realm of salvation...This is the Messiah, folks. This is the singular Deliverer. This is the Redeemer of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, able to break the bondage, to shatter the hold of death and demons and the devil's domain. And Luke amasses this summary material at the end of the chapter to fix it in our minds. And we'll see those three categories dealt with throughout the ministry of Jesus as He deals with disease and death, as He deals with demons, as He deals with the domain of darkness.This is a mighty Savior, is He not, Who can save His people from their sins and all of its effects. (Sermon)