Bible Commentaries
Luke 4

Verse 1

4:1 And {1} Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

(1) Christ, being carried away (as it were out of the world) into the desert, comes suddenly as if from heaven, having fasted for forty days and overcoming Satan three times, and thus begins his office.

Verse 3

4:3 {2} And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

(2) Christ, being tempted by Satan, first to distrust in God, secondly to the desire of riches and honour, and lastly to a vain confidence in himself, overcomes him three times by the word of God.

Verse 6

4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this {a} power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is {b} delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

(a) By this word "power" are meant the kingdoms themselves which have the power: and so this is said using the figure of speech metonymy.

(b) This is surely so, for he is prince of the world, but not absolutely, and is the sovereign of it only by permission and request, and therefore he does not truly say that he can give it to whom he will.

Verse 7

4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be {c} thine.

(c) Out of a high place, from which would be seen a good and first-class country, and thus the devil showed him all countries.

Verse 16

4:16 {3} And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

(3) Who Christ is and for what reason he came he shows from the prophet Isaiah.

Verse 17

4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had {d} opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

(d) Their books in those days were rolled up as scrolls upon a ruler: and so Christ unrolled or unfolded it, which is here called "opened".

Verse 22

4:22 {4} And all {e} bare him witness, and {f} wondered at the {g} gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

(4) Familiarity causes Christ to be condemned and therefore he often goes to strangers.

(e) Approved those things which he spoke with common consent and voice: for this word "witness" signifies in this place (and many others) "to allow and approve a thing with open confession".

(f) Present at this meeting of the scriptures were not only the learned, but also the common people: and besides that, their mother tongue was used, for how else could the people have wondered? Paul appointed the same manner for doing things in the Church at Corinth; 1 Corinthians 14:1-40 .

(g) Words full of the mighty power of God, which appeared in all his doings, and as well allured men marvellously unto him; see Psalms 45:2 , "grace is poured into thy lips".

Verse 25

4:25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the {h} land;

(h) Land of Israel; see Geneva (C) "Mr 15:33".

Verse 28

4:28 {5} And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

(5) The more sharply the world is rebuked the more it openly rages: but the life of the godly is not always subject to the desires of the wicked.

Verse 34

4:34 {6} Saying, Let [us] alone; what have we to do with thee, [thou] Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.

(6) Christ astonishes not only men, be they ever so stupid, but even the demons as well, whether or not they want to be.

Verse 38

4:38 {7} And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.

(7) In that Christ heals the diseases of the body with only his word, he proves that he is God Almighty, sent for man’s salvation.

Verse 41

4:41 {8} And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking [them] suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

(8) Satan, who is a continual enemy of the truth, ought not to be heard, not even when he speaks the truth.

Verse 42

4:42 {9} And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.

(9) No zealous response on the part of the people ought to hinder us in the race that God has appointed unto us.