4:1 Jesus, made perfect by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was guided by the Spirit into the wilderness.
4:2 There for forty days he was tested by the opposer of God. He ate nothing during that period and when it was over he became hungry.
4:3 Then the opposer told him, “You are the Representative of God – tell this stone to become bread.”
4:4 Jesus replied, “It is written: ‘One shall not live on bread alone.’”1
4:5 Then he led him to a high place and showed him all the powers of the world in a moment of time.
4:6 Then the opposer told him, “I can give you all this authority and its splendor, because it has been handed over to me so I can give it to whomever I want.
4:7 Thus if you worship me it will all be yours.”
4:8 Jesus replied to him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God and serve Him only.”2
4:9 Then he led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the pinnacle of the Temple, saying, “If you are the Representative of God, cast yourself down from here –
4:10 because it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning you, to safeguard you.
4:11 And in their hands they will hold you – so you will not even stub your foot against a rock.”3
4:12 Then Jesus replied, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the LORD your God to the test.’”4
4:13 When the opposer had completed all these tests, he left him for the time being.
4:14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee with the authority of the Spirit – and the news about him spread throughout the region.
4:15 Then he began teaching within their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
4:16 Then he arrived in Nazareth where he had been raised; as was his practice, he went into the synagogue and stood up to read –
4:17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him and he opened the scroll and found the place where it was written –
4:18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the humble. He has sent me to proclaim mercy to the imprisoned and renewed sight to the blind, to set free those who are opposed –
4:19 to proclaim the blessed time of the LORD.”5
4:20 Then he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the servant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed upon him.
4:21 Then he told them, “Today this Scripture is being carried out by your hearing.”
4:22 And everyone spoke highly of him and marveled at the graceful statements that flowed from his lips. They murmured, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
4:23 Then he told them, “Without a doubt you will state this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself’ – and you’ll say, ‘whatever we heard you did in Capernaum, do here in your own village.’”
4:24 Then he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his own village.
4:25 But indeed, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah – when the skies closed for three and a half years after a great famine came over the land.
4:26 Yet Elijah was sent, not to them, but only to a woman who was a widow in Zarephath, in the region of Sidon.
4:27 There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, but only Naaman the Syrian was cleansed.”
4:28 All the people in the synagogue were filled with anger when they heard these things.
4:29 They rose up and drove him out of the village and brought him to the top of the hill upon which the city was built so they could throw him off the cliff.
4:30 But he passed right through them and walked away.
4:31 Then he went down to Capernaum – a village of Galilee – and taught them on the Sabbath.
4:32 And they were amazed at his teachings, because his doctrine had authority.
4:33 Within the synagogue there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit, and he called out with a loud voice:
4:34 “Leave us alone – what business do we have with you Jesus of Nazareth. Have you come to destroy us? We know who you are – a Saint of God.”
4:35 But Jesus rebuked him, and told him, “Shut up and come out of him. Then after the demon threw him down in the midst of the crowd, he came out of him without injury.
4:36 They were all amazed and began talking amongst each other, saying, “Wow what a doctrine! With authority and power he commands the unclean spirits and they come out.”
4:37 Then the news about him was being spread to every village in the region.
4:38 He then got up and left the synagogue, and went to Simon’s home. Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever and they asked him to help her.
4:39 Standing over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. She immediately rose and began serving them.
4:40 When the sun was setting, everyone who was sick with any disease was brought to him and he laid his hands upon each of them and he healed them.
4:41 Demons also came out of many others – shouting, “You are the Servant of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ].
4:42 At daybreak, Jesus departed and traveled to a secluded place and the crowds searched for him and found him. They tried to keep him from leaving them.
4:43 But he told them, “I must preach about the sanctuary of God to the other villages also, because I was sent for this purpose.”
4:44 And he kept on preaching within the synagogues of Judea.
Footnotes:
1. Verse 4:4. Jesus is quoting from Moses’ teachings:
2. Verse 4:8. Jesus quotes the teachings of Moses:4:2 There for forty days he was tested by the opposer of God. He ate nothing during that period and when it was over he became hungry.
4:3 Then the opposer told him, “You are the Representative of God – tell this stone to become bread.”
4:4 Jesus replied, “It is written: ‘One shall not live on bread alone.’”1
4:5 Then he led him to a high place and showed him all the powers of the world in a moment of time.
4:6 Then the opposer told him, “I can give you all this authority and its splendor, because it has been handed over to me so I can give it to whomever I want.
4:7 Thus if you worship me it will all be yours.”
4:8 Jesus replied to him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God and serve Him only.”2
4:9 Then he led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the pinnacle of the Temple, saying, “If you are the Representative of God, cast yourself down from here –
4:10 because it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning you, to safeguard you.
4:11 And in their hands they will hold you – so you will not even stub your foot against a rock.”3
4:12 Then Jesus replied, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the LORD your God to the test.’”4
4:13 When the opposer had completed all these tests, he left him for the time being.
4:14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee with the authority of the Spirit – and the news about him spread throughout the region.
4:15 Then he began teaching within their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
4:16 Then he arrived in Nazareth where he had been raised; as was his practice, he went into the synagogue and stood up to read –
4:17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him and he opened the scroll and found the place where it was written –
4:18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the humble. He has sent me to proclaim mercy to the imprisoned and renewed sight to the blind, to set free those who are opposed –
4:19 to proclaim the blessed time of the LORD.”5
4:20 Then he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the servant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed upon him.
4:21 Then he told them, “Today this Scripture is being carried out by your hearing.”
4:22 And everyone spoke highly of him and marveled at the graceful statements that flowed from his lips. They murmured, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
4:23 Then he told them, “Without a doubt you will state this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself’ – and you’ll say, ‘whatever we heard you did in Capernaum, do here in your own village.’”
4:24 Then he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his own village.
4:25 But indeed, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah – when the skies closed for three and a half years after a great famine came over the land.
4:26 Yet Elijah was sent, not to them, but only to a woman who was a widow in Zarephath, in the region of Sidon.
4:27 There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, but only Naaman the Syrian was cleansed.”
4:28 All the people in the synagogue were filled with anger when they heard these things.
4:29 They rose up and drove him out of the village and brought him to the top of the hill upon which the city was built so they could throw him off the cliff.
4:30 But he passed right through them and walked away.
4:31 Then he went down to Capernaum – a village of Galilee – and taught them on the Sabbath.
4:32 And they were amazed at his teachings, because his doctrine had authority.
4:33 Within the synagogue there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit, and he called out with a loud voice:
4:34 “Leave us alone – what business do we have with you Jesus of Nazareth. Have you come to destroy us? We know who you are – a Saint of God.”
4:35 But Jesus rebuked him, and told him, “Shut up and come out of him. Then after the demon threw him down in the midst of the crowd, he came out of him without injury.
4:36 They were all amazed and began talking amongst each other, saying, “Wow what a doctrine! With authority and power he commands the unclean spirits and they come out.”
4:37 Then the news about him was being spread to every village in the region.
4:38 He then got up and left the synagogue, and went to Simon’s home. Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever and they asked him to help her.
4:39 Standing over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. She immediately rose and began serving them.
4:40 When the sun was setting, everyone who was sick with any disease was brought to him and he laid his hands upon each of them and he healed them.
4:41 Demons also came out of many others – shouting, “You are the Servant of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ].
4:42 At daybreak, Jesus departed and traveled to a secluded place and the crowds searched for him and found him. They tried to keep him from leaving them.
4:43 But he told them, “I must preach about the sanctuary of God to the other villages also, because I was sent for this purpose.”
4:44 And he kept on preaching within the synagogues of Judea.
Footnotes:
1. Verse 4:4. Jesus is quoting from Moses’ teachings:
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:1-3 NIV)
Revere the LORD your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name. (Deuteronomy 6:10-13 NIV)3. Verse 4:11. This is derived from the Psalms of David:
If you say, "The LORD is my refuge," and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:9-12 NIV)
4. Verse 4:12. This is derived from Moses’ teaching:
Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did at Massah. (Deuteronomy 6:16 NIV)5. Verse 4:19. Jesus was reading from the Book of Isaiah, where Isaiah refers to himself as being anointed by God. This illustrates that Jesus saw himself as walking in the footsteps of Isaiah and the Prophets. Here is the quote from Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV)
