Luke 4

Luke Chapter 4

This chapter follows the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him.

Being filled with the Spirit Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for forty days. That is a seriously long time, during which time Jesus ate nothing.

It is very important for us to be filled with God’s Spirit if we are to withstand the temptations that face us day by day. And how did Jesus withstand Satan? By quoting the Word of God, ‘It is written..’ If that worked for Jesus, The Son of God, it will work for us! The words Jesus quoted were:-

1. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

2. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve.

3. You shall not tempt the Lord your God.

We need to familiarise ourselves with scripture and commit it to memory if we want to be able to recall it in ‘the evil day’ when temptations come our way.

Jesus, having withstood the enemy of His righteous soul, returned in the power of the Spirit, into Galilee. This was the beginning of His Galilean ministry and news of Him began to spread throughout the region. He taught in their synagogues and went around healing people and casting out demons. He fulfilled all that had been written about Him in Isaiah 61, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me ….., quoted in verses 18-19 of this chapter

To preach the gospel to the poor

To heal the broken hearted

To preach deliverance to the captives

To recover sight to the blind

To set at liberty the oppressed

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord

Some marvelled but those in the synagogue were ‘filled with wrath’ and cast Him out of their midst. We must be prepared for this reaction when we seek to follow in His steps.

I love the authority with which Jesus speaks to the man in the synagogue who shouted out, ‘ Let us alone. What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?’ Jesus rebuked him and said, ‘Be quiet and come out of him!’ The demon did that very thing! The people were amazed at His authority and power!

From the synagogue Jesus went to Simon’s home where He healed his wife’s mother. At their request Jesus rebuked the fever and it left her. She then got up and served them!

In the evening, at sunset, people brought to Him the sick, the diseased and the demon possessed. He laid hands on every one of them and healed them. How wonderful!

At the end of the day Jesus went into a deserted place. Even He needed to rest at the end of an exhausting day! How much more do we?

Jean Holland