LUKE CHAPTER 4

OBSERVATION STAGE

The purpose of the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand within the normative rules of language, context and logic which limits the observer to the content offered by the book of Luke. This will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.

Remember that something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in view.

The last section of the previous chapter portrayed John the Baptist's baptism of Jesus and His reception of the Holy Spirit:

****** EXCERPT FROM LUKE CHAPTER 3 ******

.......................................OR MOVE TO LK 4:1

(3:21-22) ON A PARTICULAR DAY, WHEN ALL THE PEOPLE WERE BAPTIZED, JESUS WAS THEN BAPTIZED BY JOHN, SYMBOLIZING HIS IDENTIFICATION WITH HIS MISSION TO PROVIDE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS - THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD FOR MANKIND'S REDEMPTION THROUGH FAITH IN HIM TO PROVIDE IT THROUGH HIS SACRIFICE FOR THE REMISSION OF THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD. AND WHILE JESUS PRAYED, HEAVEN WAS OPENED AND THE HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDED UPON HIM IN BODILY FORM LIKE A DOVE. A VOICE CAME FROM HEAVEN WHICH SAID, "YOU ARE MY BELOVED SON; IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED"

(Lk 3:21 NKJV) "When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. (Lk 3:22 NKJV) And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." =

Author Luke writes, "When all the people were baptized" in the sense that on a particular day and time when John had baptized all people that came to be baptized, then Jesus was also baptized by John. Since author Luke made it evident that Jesus was the Messiah / Savior to come as was spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah, was Mighty God and Everlasting Father, (Isa 9:7); then Jesus did not need remission of sins, nor would He have been baptized to symbolize such a remission. For He was coming to provide His Righteousness - the Righteousness of God for mankind's redemption through faith in Him to provide it through His sacrifice for the remission of the sins of the whole world. Hence John's water baptism of Jesus symbolized Jesus' identification with His mission to bring the availability of redemption to mankind, not to be symbolic of receiving redemption Himself. Note that Jesus' baptism by John was an authentication that He was the Son of God, the Messiah / Savior.

Luke reports that while Jesus was being baptized, He prayed, heaven opened up and the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove, literally "in bodily form." The dove was observed flying down from above and landed upon Jesus. This implies that the Holy Spirit came to dwell within Jesus' Humanity - a baptism of the Holy Spirit. This baptism was made in order to enable Jesus Christ to complete His mission to provide for the remission of sins of Israel and of all mankind - each one through a moment of faith alone in Christ's atonement for ones sins; and to commence His Eternal Kingdom on earth. The Holy Spirit baptism also included Christ's enablement to perform miracles and to preach the gospel of the Eternal Kingdom of God to the world. Author Luke reports that a voice was heard from heaven saying, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." Author Luke wrote this account in such a manner that it would be interpreted that the dove was observable by a number of individuals around Jesus, and that the voice of God from heaven was likewise audible by a number of those around Jesus when He was baptized. That the dove was the Holy Spirit was a revelation from God. It was evidently reported to author Luke via a third party or directly via someone who was there at Jesus' baptism who received that revelation. The words of the voice of God from heaven were an intimate personal message given in the second person singular to His one and only Son, Jesus.

****** END OF EXCERPT FROM LUKE CHAPTER 3 ******

I) [Lk 4:1-13]:

(Lk 4:1 NASB) "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness

(Lk 4:2 YLT) forty days being tempted by the Devil, and he did not eat anything in those days, and they having been ended, he afterward hungered,

(Lk 4:3 YLT) and the Devil said to Him, 'If Son [You are] of God, speak to this stone that it may become bread.'

(Lk 4:4 YLT) And Jesus answered him, saying, `It [has] been written, that, not on bread only shall man live, but on every saying of God.'

(Lk 4:5 YLT) And the Devil having brought Him up to an high mountain, [showed] to Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time

(Lk 4:6 YLT) and the Devil said to Him, 'To [You] I will give all this authority, and their glory, because to me it [has] been delivered, and to whomsoever I will, I do give it;

(Lk 4:7 NKJV) Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."

(Lk 4:8 NKJV) And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

(Lk 4:9 YLT) And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on the pinnacle of the Temple, and said to him, "If the Son [You are] of God, cast [Yourself] down hence.

(Lk 4:10 NKJV) For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,'

(Lk 4:11 NKJV) and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "

(Lk 4:12 NKJV) And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' "

(Lk 4:13 NKJV) Now when the Devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.'''

A) (LK 4:1-4) JESUS, BEING FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO DIRECT HIM IN HIS MISSION, RETURNED FROM THE JORDAN REGION AND WAS LED AROUND BY THE SPIRIT IN THE WILDERNESS. FOR FORTY DAYS HE FASTED AND WAS CONTINUALLY TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL. AFTERWARD, WHEN HE HUNGERED, THE DEVIL CONTINUED TO TEMPT JESUS BY TELLING HIM THAT IF (SINCE) HE WAS THE SON OF GOD THAT HE SHOULD MAKE A PARTICULAR STONE INTO BREAD SO THAT HE COULD SATISFY HIS HUNGER. HE WAS CONTINUALLY TEMPTED TO OPERATE OUTSIDE THE SOVEREIGNTY AND THE WILL OF GOD THE FATHER. ANY DEVIANCE FROM THE FATHER'S WILL WOULD DISQUALIFY JESUS FROM COMPLETING HIS MISSION WHICH INCLUDED BRINGING FINAL JUDGMENT UPON SIN AND THE DEVIL. THE DEVIL IMPLIED THAT HE BELIEVED THAT JESUS WAS "SON OF GOD;" BUT HE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS THE ABSOLUTELY SOVEREIGN SON OF GOD WHO COULD NOT SIN, WHO WAS DIETY. JESUS ANSWERED FROM SCRIPTURE, SETTING A PRECEDENT ON HOW TO COMBAT THE DEVIL AND TEMPTATION: RESPOND FROM SCRIPTURE: "IT [HAS] BEEN WRITTEN, THAT, NOT ON BREAD ONLY SHALL MAN LIVE, BUT ON EVERY SAYING OF GOD." NOTE THAT JESUS' HUMANITY IS IN VIEW, NOT HIS DIETY IN THIS TEMPTATION SCENARIO

(Lk 3:21 NKJV) "When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. (Lk 3:22 NKJV) And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased... (Lk 4:1 NASB) Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness (Lk 4:2 YLT) forty days being tempted by the Devil, and he did not eat anything in those days, and they having been ended, he afterward hungered, (Lk 4:3 YLT) and the Devil said to Him, 'If Son [You are] of God, speak to this stone that it may become bread.' (Lk 4:4 YLT) And Jesus answered him, saying, 'It [has] been written, that, not on bread only shall man live, but on every saying of God.' " =

(Lk 4:1-4) After Jesus was baptized by John as a symbolic act to be identified with His mission to make provision for all mankind to be delivered from their sins unto entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom of Heaven through His atoning sacrifice; to be administered to each individual who expresses repentance unto a moment of faith alone in Christ alone for such deliverance, (Lk 3:3-6, 16-17, 21-22 ); He [Jesus] received the Holy Spirit, (Lk 3:21-22). Then, being full of the Holy Spirit, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Jesus' journey went from the Jordan River valley upward into a wilderness area, evidently the wild Judean desert. For forty days Jesus was repeatedly tempted by the Devil. Luke's account indicates, with the present tense participle "peirazomenoi" rendered "being tempted" in the YLT in Lk 4:2, that there were a number of temptations continuously made - not necessarily limited to the three that Luke wrote about.

Matthew and Mark also wrote of Jesus' temptation - Mark's being a brief one verse statement of temptation. Although Matthew and Luke do not report the events of the temptation in the same order, there is no contradiction. For there were evidently multiple temptations under which Jesus evidently was subjected to; and since the use of the Greek word "kai" rendered "and" at the beginning of verses 3, 5, 9 in Luke chapter 4 do not demand that a historical sequence be in view; then Luke's account does not demand strict historical sequence. And neither account indicates that the events are all inclusive.

Note the parallel of God's testing of His people Israel for 40 years in the wilderness, (Ex 16:4), and of Moses for forty days without food in the mountain, (Dt 9:9).

While Jesus did not eat anything during the forty days, evidently fasting at the direction of the Spirit, (cf. Mt 4:11); this did not mean that He did not drink anything, for this would have been beyond the capacity of His Humanity, requiring supernatural intervention which was not stipulated.

The Devil is also known as Satan, (Lk 4:8; cf. Rev 12:9). He is a created angel Who rebelled against God's sovereignty. He incurred the judgment of God by that rebellion, (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19); and took numerous angels with him in his fall (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:1-14). Whereupon he introduced sin into the human race by his temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden, (Genesis 3:1-15). He is the open and declared enemy of God and man (Isaiah 14:12-14), and shall be eternally punished in Gehenna, the Lake of Fire, (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Rev 19:20; 20:10).

There are three kinds of temptation relative to Scripture:

1) The Devil and/or ones sin nature tempts oneself and / or other people to do evil - something which God cannot and never does to others; nor can He Himself be tempted successfully to do evil.

2) People through their disobedience / faithlessness tempt God provoking His wrath. This is characteristically an unfaithful response to God, (ref. Dt 6:16).

3) God tests ones faith in Him - but He does not tempt one to do evil, (ref. Dt 8:2).

The Greek verb "peirazomenos" in Lk 4:2 rendered "being tempted" in the YLT in the context of Luke chapter 4 refers to the Devil testing God in order to impose his own disobedient designs upon the will of God. The verb is in a present tense participle signifying the continuous action of Jesus being continually tempted by the Devil.

Each temptation by the Devil was an attempt to distract Jesus from His mission and to destroy His relationship with God the Father - as if that were possible and it was not. The failure of the Devil and the success of Jesus Christ in being tested was inevitable. It had already been established in Luke chapters 1 through 3 and the book of Isaiah referred to by author Luke, that Jesus was Perfect God and Perfect Man Who could not sin, . So because of Jesus' divine nature, He could not fail. Jesus' temptation was a verification to heaven and earth that He was worthy to complete His mission of an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. It was also to be a declaration to the Devil that God the Father and His Son Jesus were absolutely sovereign over all that existed in the universe including the Devil. Finally, Jesus' responses to His testing serves as an example for all men to follow.

And Jesus' temptation was fueled by the Devil's willful ignorance that Jesus was the Son of God - Diety; not believing that Jesus possessed the full attributes of God and was incapable of committing sin. The Devil was motivated by his fallen, evil nature which had rebelled against the sovereignty of God. He denied the Deity of Christ, and attempted to seduce Jesus in His Humanity to break His allegiance to God, if that were possible and it was not.

Afterward fasting for forty days, when Jesus He hungered, the Devil said to Him, "If Son [You are] of God, speak to this stone that it may become bread." The Greek words "Ei huios ei tou Theou" in Lk 4:3 is rendered, "If [since] Son [You are] of God" in the YLT have the Greek word "Ei" rendered "If" accompanied by the verb "ei" rendered "You are" which is in the indicative mood signifying 'If You are - and it is so, i.e., since you are "Son of God." Since the definite article is not present with the word rendered "Son," in the YLT, the statement then signifies that the Devil believed that Jesus had certain qualities of God to a limited extent such that He had the supernatural capacity to turn stones into bread as he told Jesus to do. But the Devil did not believe that Jesus was the unique, absolutely perfect Son of God - Diety - Who could not sin, . For he told Jesus to prove that He was "Son of God" by turning stones into bread to provide Himself with physical sustenance to alleviate His extreme hunger after fasting for 40 days. Although for Jesus to perform a miracle such as turning stones into bread was not in and of itself sinful, the Devil was tempting Jesus to act on His own outside of the will of God by performing such a miracle. There was no mandate from God the Father to Jesus to prove to the Devil that He was the Son of God.

Jesus answered the Devil, saying, "It [has] been written, that, not on bread only shall man live, but on every saying of God," (Lk 4:4, cf. Dt. 8:3).

Luke reported Jesus' reply to the Devil's temptation. It was a brief quotation from Deuteronomy 8:3 (found more fully in Matt 4:4). The context of Deuteronomy chapter 8 was Israel going in to possess the Promised Land, with the key instruction being to "Remember the LORD your God and keep His commandments:"

1) [Dt 8:1-4]:

(Dt 8:1 NKJV) "Every commandment which I [Moses] command you today you [Israel] must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers.

(Dt 8:2 NKJV) And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

(Dt 8:3 NKJV) So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD."

Moses reminded Israel that during the forty years in the desert God had led them "to humble you [i.e., Israel] and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments" (Deut 8:2). The next verse (Deut 8:3) specifically refers to hunger and the provision of manna, which the Lord gave Israel so that the people might know that man shall not live his mortal life on bread alone in the sense of physical sustenance; but he also needs to live "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD."

Dt 8:3 / Lk 4:4 has in view that every man and every thing in the universe exists and is sustained exclusively via the absolute sovereignty of God, "upon every word coming forth from the mouth of God."

So God permitted the Devil, the Tempter, to test Jesus to prove to all creation that God's Son was worthy of His mission; and to prove to all sentient creatures that they must live "upon every word coming forth from the mouth of God," i.e., that God is absolutely sovereign in all things.

The fact that Jesus quoted from the Book of Deuteronomy as His exclusive response to the temptations of the Devil demonstrated that His battle with the Devil and the conduct of all mankind was to be made exclusively through Scripture - through the power and truth of the words of God's Word, implying the inerrant authority and supreme power of that book as God's Word, (Lk 4:4).

B) (LK 4:5-8) IN THE SECOND TEMPTATION WHICH AUTHOR LUKE SELECTED TO REPORT ON, THE DEVIL TOOK JESUS TO A HIGH MOUNTAIN AND SHOWED HIM ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD. THE DEVIL OFFERED THE AUTHORITY AND GLORY OF ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD TO JESUS IF HE WOULD FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP HIM, FALSELY IMPLYING THAT THE DEVIL HAD ABSOLUTE RULERSHIP OVER THE WORLD, CLAIMING UNLIMITED POWER TO GIVE THOSE KINGDOMS TO WHOMEVER HE CHOSE. BUT GOD, WHO IS SOVEREIGN, HAD PROMISED THOSE KINGDOMS TO HIS SON. JESUS RESPONDED, "GET BEHIND ME, SATAN! FOR IT IS WRITTEN, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.' "

(Lk 4:5 YLT) "And the Devil having brought Him up to an high mountain, [showed] to Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time (Lk 4:6 YLT) and the Devil said to Him, 'To [You] I will give all this authority, and their glory, because to me it [has] been delivered, and to whomsoever I will, I do give it; (Lk 4:7 NKJV) Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours. (Lk 4:8 NKJV) And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' " =

For the second temptation that Luke selected to report was the Devil bringing Jesus up to a high mountain and showing Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, which was not feasible then in the natural mode. Hence a vision is implied. The Devil said to Him, "To [You] I will give all this authority, and their glory, because to me it [has] been delivered, and to whomsoever I will, I do give it.

Note that the language of the text does not demand that these temptations be in chronological order, nor that they were the only temptations. Author Matthew reports on this temptation third. This temptation implied that the Devil had a capability that surpassed that of man - to show all the kingdoms of the world from one geographical point on planet earth, suggesting the capacity to produce a supernatural vision. On the other hand, the Devil, being a finite, created creature was inferior to Jesus, the Son of God Who is uncreated, eternal, Diety. The Devil offered the authority and glory of all the kingdoms of the world to the Son of God if Jesus would fall down and worship him - if it were possible for the Righteous, Almighty Son of God to worship a sinfully flawed, finite, created being - and it was not. The Devil thought it was possible, evidently neither believing in Jesus' Diety, nor worshipping Almighty God as Sovereign. Note that the Devil had usurped control over the kingdoms of the world from man by deception, (ref. Gen 3:1-15), resulting in mankind being born with a sin nature that could be manipulated by the Devil to his own ends. But the final authority over all things in the universe remains with God alone, (Rev 20:10). In this temptation of Jesus in His Humanity, the Devil falsely implied that he had absolute rulership over the world, hence he falsely claimed to have unlimited power to give the kingdoms of the world to whomever he chose. Although Satan had great authority over the world through deception, he did not have the authority to deliver ownership of kingdoms. The Devil, named Satan = the Deceiver, was not to be trusted: for Jesus' proposed rulership still required Jesus to fall down and worship him, i.e., to be in subjection to the rule of the Devil. Furthermore, God had promised to give the kingdoms of the world to His Son . The Devil's proposal to Jesus was deceptive and evil. Had it been possible for Jesus to accept the proposal - and being God it was not - it would have disqualified Jesus as a perfect / atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind defeating the plan and the will of God to legitimately give His Son the kingdoms of the world and remain a Righteous God. Had Jesus been able to sin and accept the Devil's offer, He would not have been able to resolve the problem of sin in the world. Furthermore, the Devil would have impugned and usurped the power of Almighty God and this would not have addressed the Devil's influence upon the dominions of the world. But inevitably it was Jesus Who responded, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "

1) [Compare Dt 6:13-15]:

(Dt 6:13 NKJV) "You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.

(Dt 6:14 NKJV) You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you

(Dt 6:15 NKJV) (for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 6:13-15, Moses warned the people of Israel that when they came into the Promised Land that they should fear God and serve Him alone.

For the second time in Luke chapter 4, author Luke recorded that Jesus in His Humanity used a careful discernment of, a trusting in and a proclaiming of the truths of Scripture to defend Himself against temptation and attack. Jesus' answer affirmed to all mankind that there is no compromise between God and anyone/anything else when it comes to worship and authority as one conducted ones life. This time, Jesus addressed the Devil as "Satan" which means Deceiver. It can be concluded that the temptation of Jesus, which was planned and set up by God, was to prove to Satan, heaven, and all mankind, that the perfect godly character of Jesus in His Humanity would enable His Son to fulfill His mission impeccably to provide Himself as a perfect atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, whereupon He would rule in an everlasting rule over the whole world, (Lk 3:8-11). This was indicated in Luke chapter 3 as author Luke referred to the book of Isaiah, (cf. Lk 3:3-6 ).

C) (LK 4:9-13) THE TEMPTATION THAT AUTHOR LUKE WROTE ABOUT NEXT WAS WHEN THE DEVIL TOOK JESUS TO JERUSALEM, SET HIM ON THE PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE, AND SAID, "IF THE SON YOU ARE OF GOD, CAST YOURSELF DOWN," [FALSELY IMPLYING THAT JESUS COULD VIOLATE THE WILL OF GOD], FOR IT IS WRITTEN: 'HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER YOU, TO KEEP YOU,' AND 'IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR YOU UP, LEST YOU DASH YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.' "JESUS ANSWERED THE DEVIL: "IT HAS BEEN SAID, 'YOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD,' " IMPLYING THAT THE DEVIL HAD TWISTED SCRIPTURE IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY TEMPTING JESUS TO GO AGAINST THE WILL OF GOD AND SIN. WHEN THE DEVIL HAD ENDED EVERY TEMPTATION, HE DEPARTED FROM JESUS UNTIL AN OPPORTUNE TIME TO RESUME HIS EVIL WORK

(Lk 4:1 NASB) ''' "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness (Lk 4:2 YLT) forty days being tempted by the Devil, and he did not eat anything in those days, and they having been ended, he afterward hungered... (Lk 4:9 YLT) And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on the pinnacle of the Temple, and said to him, "If the Son [You are] of God, cast [Yourself] down hence, (Lk 4:10 NKJV) For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,' (Lk 4:11 NKJV) and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' " (Lk 4:12 NKJV) And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God." (Lk 4:13 NKJV) Now when the Devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.''' =

The temptation that Author Luke wrote about next was when the Devil took Jesus to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the Temple. The Greek word "pterugion" rendered "pinnacle" literally means 'the little wing.' The word was used to describe the tip, end, or edge of something such as the edge or eaves of a roof. Although Matthew and Luke do not report the events of the temptation in the same order, there is no contradiction; for there were evidently multiple temptations under which Jesus evidently was subjected to; and since the use of the Greek word "kai" rendered "and" at the beginning of verses 3, 5, 9 in Luke chapter 4 do not demand that a historical sequence be in view; then Luke's account does not demand strict historical sequence. And neither account indicates that the events are all inclusive.

So in verse 9, Luke reports that the Devil said, "If the Son [you are] of God, cast [yourself] down hence," [falsely implying that Jesus could violate the will of God]. The Devil neither trusted nor acknowledged the sovereignty of God nor the Divine sovereignty of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. The Devil attempted to validate his sinful temptation of Jesus by quoting Ps 91:11-12. He said, "For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' " The essence of this temptation is that the Devil was tempting Jesus in His Humanity to be presumptuous about His special relationship with God, and force God to publically display it and preserve His Human life by protecting Jesus from killing Himself when He jumped off the pinnacle. Thus Jesus would be making a grandiose display of His power and glory from the heights of the Temple in Jerusalem, (Lk 4:9), to show and prove to the public - especially the Jews - Who He was: the Divine Son of God.

Although the context of Psalm 91:1-16 applies to all men who are trusting in the LORD, hence it applies to Jesus in His Humanity; nevertheless, it only applies insofar as one continues to trust in the LORD and do His will. It would not apply, for example, if Jesus decided outside of the will of God, to cast Himself down off the pinnacle of the Temple in order to test God's promise to protect Him and glorify Himself before men. But considering Jesus' perfect nature and Diety, that would not be possible for Him to decide to do.

Note that the phrase rendered "to guard you in all your ways" from the Hebrew Massoretic Text is not present in Lk 4:10's account of the Devil's quotation from Ps 91. The quote evidently came from the Septuagint which does not include this phrase. This phrase makes the message of God's protection more emphatic; but its absence does not change the context of what was being said; (cf Ps 91:11-12).

Note that the use of words from the Bible does not necessarily convey truth from God's Word, especially when they are out of context. The Devil misapplied Psalm 91:11-12 in order to tempt Jesus in His Humanity to be presumptuous about His special relationship with God to force God to protect Jesus from killing Himself.

It is evident from Jesus' response using Deuteronomy 6:16 that the Devil was tempting Jesus to commit a sinful act, (Lk 4:10-11).

****** EXCERPT FROM PSALM 91 ******

OR MOVE TO NEXT SECTION

[Compare Ps 91:1-16]:

(Ps 91:1 NKJV) "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High... [abides] under the shadow of the Almighty.

(Ps 91:2 NKJV) I ... say to the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I trust'

(Ps 91:3 NASB) For it is [He,] He Who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.

(Ps 91:4 YLT) With His pinion [feathers] He [covers] you over, and under His wings [you do trust], A shield and buckler [is] His truth.

(Ps 91:5 YLT) [You - believers] are not afraid of fear [lit., terror] by night, [nor from] arrow that flies by day.

(Ps 91:6 NKJV) Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

(Ps 91:7 YLT) There fall at [your] side a thousand, and [ten thousand] at [your] right hand, unto [you] it [does not come near].

(Ps 91:8 YLT) But with [your] eyes [you look], and the reward of the wicked [you see].

(Ps 91:9 NKJV) Because you have made the LORD, Who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

(Ps 91:10 YLT) Evil [happens] not [to you], and a plague [comes] not near [your] tent.

(Ps 91:11 YLT) For His messengers [angels] He [gives charge] over you, to keep [you] in all [your] ways.

(Ps 91:12 YLT) On [their] hands they bear [you] up, lest [you] smite against a stone [your] foot.

(Ps 91:13 YLT) On lion and asp [you] tread, [you trample upon the young lion and the serpent].

(Ps 91:14 NKJV) Because he has set his love upon Me [the LORD]; therefore I... deliver him; I ... set him on high, because he has known My name.

(Ps 91:15 YLT) He [calls upon] Me, and I answer him, I [am] with him in distress, I deliver him, and [honor] him

(Ps 91:16 NKJV) With long life I... satisfy him, And show him My salvation."

(Ps 91:1-16) HE WHO DWELLS IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH ABIDES IN THE PROTECTIVE SHADOW OF ALMIGHTY GOD - THE LORD IS HIS REFUGE AND FORTRESS. FOR IT IS GOD IN WHOM HE CONTINUES TO TRUST; HENCE IT IS THE LORD WHO CONTINUES TO DELIVER HIM FROM EVER PRESENT DIFFICULTIES. GOD IS HIS PROTECTOR, HE SHIELDS HIM WITH HIS TRUTH SO THAT HE IS NOT AFRAID OF WHAT MIGHT BEFALL HIM. HE SEES THE EVIL AND PLAGUES AND THE RECOMPENSE THAT THE WICKED RECEIVE ALL AROUND HIM; BUT SUCH DOES NOT BEFALL HIM. THE LORD GIVES CHARGE TO HIS MESSENGERS - HIS ANGELS - OVER THOSE THAT CONTINUE TO TRUST IN HIM. THEY PROTECT AND KEEP HIM IN ALL HIS WAYS. GOD TELLS HIM, 'BECAUSE HE HAS SET HIS LOVE UPON ME, THEREFORE I DELIVER HIM. I SET HIM ON HIGH, BECAUSE HE HAS KNOWN MY NAME. HE CALLS UPON ME AND I ANSWER HIM - FOR I AM WITH HIM IN DISTRESS. I DELIVER HIM AND HONOR HIM WITH LONG LIFE. I SATISFY HIM AND SHOW HIM MY SALVATION.'

(Ps 91:1 NKJV) "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High... [abides] under the shadow of the Almighty. (Ps 91:2 NKJV) I ... say to the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I trust' (Ps 91:3 NASB) For it is [He,] He Who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. (Ps 91:4 YLT) With His pinion [feathers] He [covers] you over, and under His wings [you do trust], A shield and buckler [is] His truth. (Ps 91:5 YLT) [You - believers] are not afraid of fear [lit., terror] by night, [nor from] arrow that flies by day. (Ps 91:6 NKJV) Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. (Ps 91:7 YLT) There fall at [your] side a thousand, and [ten thousand] at [your] right hand, unto [you] it [does not come near]. (Ps 91:8 YLT) But with [your] eyes [you look], and the reward of the wicked [you see]. (Ps 91:9 NKJV) Because you have made the LORD, Who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, (Ps 91:10 YLT) Evil [happens] not [to you], and a plague [comes] not near [your] tent. (Ps 91:11 YLT) For His messengers [angels] He [gives charge] over you, to keep [you] in all [your] ways. (Ps 91:12 YLT) On [their] hands they bear [you] up, lest [you] smite against a stone [your] foot. (Ps 91:13 YLT) On lion and asp [you] tread, [you trample upon the young lion and the serpent]. (Ps 91:14 NKJV) Because he has set his love upon Me [the LORD]; therefore I... deliver him; I ... set him on high, because he has known My name. (Ps 91:15 YLT) He [calls upon] Me, and I answer him, I [am] with him in distress, I deliver him, and [honor] him (Ps 91:16 NKJV) With long life I... satisfy him, And show him My salvation." =

Psalm 91:1, rendered "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High... [abides] under the shadow of the Almighty," is in the third person, singular. The phrase rendered "[abides] under the shadow of the Almighty" conveys an image of the protective wings of a mother bird under the shadow of which her baby birds find safety, (Ps 91:1). It conveys that while anyone is the dwelling one (participle) in the "secret place," a place of intimacy and close personal relationship with the Most High God; he is abiding (imperfect = indefinite action) in the comfort, protection and blessings of the Almighty. The words "Most High," (Elyon), and "The Almighty," (sadday), in Psalm 91:1 refer to God's unsurpassed, superlative and sovereign power and majesty, as Creator-God. The writer of Psalm 91 declared in verse 2 in the first person singular that "the Most High," "the Almighty" of verse one, was "the LORD, [Yahweh], 'My refuge and my fortress, my God [elohay], in Whom I trust.' " The words rendered "the LORD" and "my God" in that verse refer to the personal covenant-God Whose love blesses and protects those who trust in Him. The writer included himself in the group of individuals who were dwelling in the secret place of a close personal relationship with the Most High referred to in verse one. This implies a godly kind of righteousness in order to have such a relationship with God, (Ps 91:1-2).

Since God is righteous;

[Compare Ps 11:7a]:

(Ps 11:7a NKJV) "For the LORD is righteous,"

and since no man is righteous;

[Compare Ps 14:1-3]:

(Ps 14:1 NKJV) "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.

(Ps 14:2 NKJV) The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

(Ps 14:3 NKJV) They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one;"

and since individuals who are trusting in the LORD for comfort, blessing and protection are declared to dwell in the secret place of intimate fellowship with the LORD, the Most High, Almighty God which implies a godly righteousness in order to have that relationship with God in the first place;

[Compare Ps 91:1-2]:

(Ps 91:1 NKJV) "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High... [abides] under the shadow of the Almighty.

(Ps 91:2 NKJV) I ... say to the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I trust' "

and since Psalm 4:1 declares that God is the source of man's righteousness;

[Compare Ps 4:1a]:

(Ps 4:1a NKJV) "Hear me [David] when I call, O God of my righteousness!"

then it is implied in Ps 91 that God must impute His righteousness to the one's trusting in Him - trusting in His righteousness, not one's own. For no individual can measure up to the righteousnesss of God required to dwell in the secret place of the Most High, no matter how relatively faithful they are. Their transgressions have to be forgiven, and their sin covered;

[Compare Ps 32:1-2]:

(Ps 32:1 NKJV) "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

(Ps 32:2 NKJV) Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."

This further implies that there must be an atoning sacrifice for the unrighteousness of all mankind, in order for a righteous God to provide His righteousness to men who trust in Him.

Ps 91:14-16 corroborates Almighty God's protection, comfort and blessing for those who trust in Him. The verses stipulate that "Because he has known My [the LORD's] name..." i.e., was trusting in Who God is - His Righteous Character and Almighty Capacity - the LORD will be "with him in distress... deliver him, and honor him with long life... satisfy him, and show him [His] salvation, [i.e., deliverance from temporal difficulties]:"

[Compare Ps 91:14-16]:

(Ps 91:14 NKJV) Because he has set his love upon Me [the LORD]; therefore I... deliver him; I ... set him on high, because he has known My name.

(Ps 91:15 YLT) He [calls upon] Me, and I answer him, I [am] with him in distress, I deliver him, and [honor] him

(Ps 91:16 NKJV) With long life I... satisfy him, And show him My salvation."

The verbs in Psalm 91 which convey being protected, comforted and blessed by the LORD in the secret place of the Most High through trusting in Him are all in the imperfect tense - an action which is incomplete, i.e., ongoing for an indefinite period of time - conditioned upon the continuation of trusting in the LORD. Therefore, it is implied that one who is not trusting in the LORD is not dwelling in the shelter of the Most High, i.e., he is estranged from a personal relationship with the LORD which would have afforded him comfort, blessing and protection in the secret place of close personal fellowship with the Most High, (Ps 91:1-2).

The writer elaborated in verse three on the comfort, blessing and protection of the LORD afforded those who were trusting in Him: "For it is [He,] He Who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence." The extra third person singular pronoun rendered "He," was used in this verse to amplify that it is solely and exclusively the LORD Who delivers those who dwell "in the secret place of the Most High" from all kinds of destruction. The phrase "snare of the trapper" refers to the adversity perpetrated by evil men. The phrase "deadly pestilence" refers to the deadly plagues which come upon individuals in their mortal lives. But the one who is trusting in God will "dwell in the shelter of the Most High and be delivered / saved from the consequences of these things by the LORD, (Ps 91:3).

Verse 4 continues this message: "With His pinion [feathers] He [covers] you over, and under His wings [you do trust], A shield and buckler [is] His truth." In the first part of this verse, God is pictured as a mother hen under whose feathers and wings is a refuge of blessing, comfort and protection for her young. This implies that there is a potential harm at hand all the time for mortal individuals. Hence all men constantly require God's protection. The word rendered "buckler" is a small protective shield of which multiples were used to cover a warrior all over his body for protection. The words rendered "shield" and "buckler" are stipulated as the truth of God which constitute the protection, blessing and comfort provided by God to the ones' trusting in it - this includes God's commands and the truths of Scripture, (Ps 91:4).

The next three verses corroborate that God provides His almighty, supernatural protection without limit for the faithful - for He is the Most High, Almighty God: "[You - who trust in Him] are not afraid of fear [lit., terror] by night, [nor from] arrow that flies by day. Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. There fall at [your] side a thousand, and [ten thousand] at [your] right hand, unto [you] it [does not come near]." The phrases rendered "terror by night," "arrow that flies by day," "pestilence (disease) that walks in darkness," and "destruction that lays waste at noonday," portray security from fear of every kind of evil - natural and supernatural - for those that trust in the LORD. The phrase rendered "There fall at [your] side a thousand, and [ten thousand] at [your] right hand, unto [you] it [does not come near]," emphasizes God's supreme protection of those that are trusting in Him. Individuals trusting in the LORD will see the calamity all around them; but they will not suffer the consequences of it, (Ps 91:5-7).

And according to verses 8-11, God's justice will always be meted out in an absolutely righteous and gracious manner. The one trusting in the LORD will see that the wicked get their reward. The phrase rendered "and the reward of the wicked you see" in verse 8 implies that those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High, (vv. 1-2) are not wicked, hence righteous. In view of the fact that no one is righteous, (Ps 14:1-3), then this can only come about if this righteousness is imputed by God to the believer when he trusts in the LORD for it. The writer goes on to say, that because one has made the LORD - the Most High one's refuge - one's dwelling place, evil happens not to one, nor does a plague come near to one's tent. For His messengers - God's angels are given charge over one who trusts in Him, to keep one in all his ways, i.e., throughout his day. This is further portrayed in verse 11, "On their hands they [the angels] bear you up, lest you smite against a stone your foot." The extent to which the angels of God went to protect those trusting in the LORD was furthered pictured in verse 13 with the imagery of protection from wild lions and deadly snakes, (Ps 91:8-13).

Verses 14-16 summarize the passage: If an individual set his love upon the LORD, God would deliver him from trouble. Because an individual has known His name in the sense of acknowledging Who the LORD was by the meaning of His names: His Holy and Righteous and Almighty Character, the LORD would set him on high in the sense of putting him on safe / high ground. As an individual calls upon the LORD, in the sense of relying upon Him for comfort, blessing and protection because of Who He is, the LORD answers him in his distress, i.e., delivers him from that distress, and honors him with long life - he will live out the length of his years - and the LORD shows him His salvation in the sense of temporal salvation / deliverance from tribulations in his mortal life. All of this corroborates the beginning of the passage which portrays those who are trusting in the LORD for comfort, blessing and protection make the Most High one's secret dwelling place. This suggests an ongoing close relationship with the LORD. The word salvation in this context is salvation from the temporal difficulties as stipulated in all 16 verses. Salvation unto eternal life is not in view as the context does not mention this available meaning of salvation, (Ps 91:1-2, 14-16).

****** END OF EXCERPT FROM PSALM 91 ******

C cont.) (LK 4:9-13 cont.) THE TEMPTATION THAT AUTHOR LUKE WROTE ABOUT NEXT WAS WHEN THE DEVIL TOOK JESUS TO JERUSALEM, SET HIM ON THE PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE, AND SAID, "IF THE SON YOU ARE OF GOD, CAST YOURSELF DOWN," [FALSELY IMPLYING THAT JESUS COULD VIOLATE THE WILL OF GOD], FOR IT IS WRITTEN: 'HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER YOU, TO KEEP YOU,' AND 'IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR YOU UP, LEST YOU DASH YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.' "JESUS ANSWERED THE DEVIL: "IT HAS BEEN SAID, 'YOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD,' " IMPLYING THAT THE DEVIL HAD TWISTED SCRIPTURE IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY TEMPTING JESUS TO GO AGAINST THE WILL OF GOD AND SIN. WHEN THE DEVIL HAD ENDED EVERY TEMPTATION, HE DEPARTED FROM JESUS UNTIL AN OPPORTUNE TIME TO RESUME HIS EVIL WORK, (cont.)

(Lk 4:1 NASB) ''' "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness (Lk 4:2 YLT) forty days being tempted by the Devil, and he did not eat anything in those days, and they having been ended, he afterward hungered... (Lk 4:9 YLT) And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on the pinnacle of the Temple, and said to him, "If the Son [You are] of God, cast [Yourself] down hence, (Lk 4:10 NKJV) For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,' (Lk 4:11 NKJV) and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' " (Lk 4:12 NKJV) And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God." (Lk 4:13 NKJV) Now when the Devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time,''' (cont.) =

So when Jesus answered the Devil, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God," He implied that the Devil had twisted Scripture in order to justify tempting Him to go against the will of God and sin - if that were possible. In another sense, Jesus' words from Dt 6:16 applied to Himself - and all mankind, i.e., He in His Humanity - and all mankind - must not allow Himself to be tempted to act against the will of God, His Father.

1) [Compare Dt 16:6]:

(Dt 16:6 NKJV) "You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah."

Note that in the temptation in Massah, Israelites in the wilderness were in view. They did not trust in the LORD to provide them with water - provoking God to anger. This was especially egregious because it was just after the LORD had been providing mannah from heaven to sustain them, (Ex 16:1-7).

The idea that the Devil's attempt to get Jesus to attempt suicide to see if God would preserve His Human life in order to convince the people of Israel to trust in Him without having to go to the cross, as some contend, has no merit. For Jesus performed countless miracles, including raising from the dead, yet few became disciples, fewer still faithful disciples. And in any case without an atoning sacrifice for sins, there can be no forgiveness, (cf. Heb 9:22).

'''Now when the Devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time,''' (Lk 4:13 NKJV).

So the Devil departed from Jesus, but he would evidently return to tempt Him all the more; for Scripture says above that he departed until an opportune time, implying that he was continually attempting to disrupt whatever Jesus was doing.

II) [Lk 4:14-30]:

(Lk 4:14 YLT) "And Jesus turned back in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a fame went forth through all the region round about concerning Him,

(Lk 4:15 YLT) and He was teaching in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

(Lk 4:16 YLT) And He came to Nazareth, where He [had] been brought up, and He went in, according to His custom, on the sabbath-day, to the synagogue, and stood up to read;

(Lk 4:17 YLT) and there was given over to Him a roll of Isaiah the prophet, and having unfolded the roll, He found the place where it [had] been written:

(Lk 4:18 YLT) '[The] Spirit of [the] LORD is upon Me, Because He did anoint Me to proclaim good news to [the] poor. [He has] sent Me to heal the broken of heart, to proclaim to captives deliverance [Gk "aphesin" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)]; and to [the] blind [the] receiving of sight, to dispatch [the oppressed] with deliverance [Gk "aphesei" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)] (Isa 61:1).

(Lk 4:19 YLT) To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.'

(Lk 4:20 YLT) And having folded the roll, having given [it] back to the officer, He sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [intently] on Him.

(Lk 4:21 YLT) And He began to say unto them -- 'To-day [has] this writing been fulfilled in your ears;'

(Lk 4:22 YLT) and all were bearing testimony to Him, and were wondering [lit., marveling] at the gracious words that are coming forth out of His mouth, and they said, 'Is not this the son of Joseph?'

(Lk 4:23 YLT) And He said unto them, 'Certainly, [you] will say to Me this [parable], Physician, heal [yourself]; as great things as we heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country'

(Lk 4:24 YLT) And He said, 'Verily I say to you - No prophet is accepted in His own country'

(Lk 4:25 NKJV) But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;

(Lk 4:26 YLT) and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but - to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a woman, a widow;

(Lk 4:27 NKJV) And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian

(Lk 4:28 NKJV) So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

(Lk 4:29 NASB) and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff

(Lk 4:30 YLT) and He, having gone through the midst of them, went away."

A) (LUKE 4:14-21) AFTER THE DEVIL HAD ENDED TEMPTING HIM, JESUS TURNED BACK, IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT, TO GALILEE. HIS TEACHING AND MIRACLES BROUGHT HIM FAME AND GLORY THROUGHOUT THE REGION. AND JESUS CAME TO NAZARETH WHERE HE HAD BEEN BROUGHT UP. HE WENT INTO THE SYNAGOGUE AND ACCORDING TO HIS CUSTOM STOOD UP TO READ FROM SCRIPTURE, (ISAIAH 61:1-2A): "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE DID ANOINT ME TO PROCLAIM GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKEN OF HEART, TO PROCLAIM TO CAPTIVES DELIVERANCE (IN THE SENSE OF REMISSION OF THEIR SINS) AND TO THE BLIND THE RECEIVING OF SIGHT; TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." WITH ALL EYES UPON HIM AWAITING HIS COMMENTARY, JESUS DECLARED, "TO DAY HAS THIS WRITING BEEN FULFILLED IN YOUR EARS."

(Lk 4:13 NKJV) "Now when the Devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. (Lk 4:14 YLT) And Jesus turned back in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a fame went forth through all the region round about concerning Him, (Lk 4:15 YLT) and He was teaching in their synagogues, being glorified by all. (Lk 4:16 YLT) And He came to Nazareth, where He [had] been brought up, and He went in, according to His custom, on the sabbath-day, to the synagogue, and stood up to read; (Lk 4:17 YLT) and there was given over to Him a roll of Isaiah the prophet, and having unfolded the roll, He found the place where it [had] been written: (Lk 4:18 YLT) '[The] Spirit of [the] LORD is upon Me, Because He did anoint Me to proclaim good news to [the] poor. [He has] sent Me to heal the broken of heart, to proclaim to captives deliverance [Gk "aphesin" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)]; and to [the] blind [the] receiving of sight, to dispatch [the oppressed] with deliverance [Gk "aphesei" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)] (Isa 61:1). (Lk 4:19 YLT) To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.' (Lk 4:20 YLT) And having folded the roll, having given [it] back to the officer, He sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [intently] on Him. (Lk 4:21 YLT) And He began to say unto them -- 'To-day [has] this writing been fulfilled in your ears;' " =

After the Devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Jesus until he might have an opportune time to further tempt Him. And Jesus turned back from the wilderness to the region of Galilee in the power of the Spirit, in the sense of being led and empowered by Him. Once again author Luke indicates the empowerment of Jesus' ministry exclusively through the Spirit of God, (cf. Lk 1:35 (conception); Lk 3:22, (baptism); Lk 4:1, (temptation); Lk 4:14, (performing miracles, preaching the good news, and teaching Scripture).

Note that the first Greek word in each of verses 14-16 in Luke chapter 4, is "kai." It is best rendered "and," as it is in the YLT. This word allows for the event(s) stipulated afterward to not have to be immediately following the context of the previous verse, as some contend. From a careful reading of the Gospel of Luke, it is evident that Luke's account was neither a strict chronological account, nor did the author include every event. Furthermore, Luke often formatted his account topically instead of strictly chronologically - as did all the gospel authors. Otherwise His work would have been immensely greater in volume, as would all the gospel writings. It is also evident that each Gospel writer had his own plan and message he wanted to convey about Jesus Christ which was not always chronological, and certainly not all inclusive. On the other hand, there is neither evidence that the gospel writers fabricated anything, nor contradicted Scripture in any way.

So Lk 4:14-15 conveys that Jesus' activites in the region of Galilee included performing miracles, preaching and teaching in the synagogues, caused a fame about Him to go forth throughout that region - to the extent that Luke reported that He was "being glorified by all." Since both verses begin with the Greek conjunction rendered "and" in the YLT, then the period of time is indefinite, allowing for many events to occur, as corroborated by Matthew and Mark. The next verse, Lk 4:16, also begins with "And," - "And He came to Nazareth." It indicates that Jesus' activities portrayed in verses 14-15 could have continued for some time before Jesus arrived in Nazareth. There are neither words which limit the context to a specific passage of time, nor to specific events before Jesus arrived in Nazareth. This is corroborated by Matthew and Mark's accounts as indicated in the chart below

In order to clarify this matter, one may compare what Matthew and Mark had to say relative to the time and events from the end of Jesus' temptation by the Devil until Jesus' entry in Nazareth. Note that John did not specifically address this period of time. The authors of the gospels each had their own mandate from God to render a short account of what Jesus said and did - some of it was chronologically formatted, and other parts were doctrinally oriented, i.e, topically formatted, without regard for chronology. There are many accounts that are parallel in the sense of being the same or similar, and there are many accounts which are unique to each author. On the other hand, there are no contradictions evident in any of the accounts.

A cont.) (LUKE 4:14-21 cont.) AFTER THE DEVIL HAD ENDED TEMPTING HIM, JESUS TURNED BACK, IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT, TO GALILEE. HIS TEACHING AND MIRACLES BROUGHT HIM FAME AND GLORY THROUGHOUT THE REGION. AND JESUS CAME TO NAZARETH WHERE HE HAD BEEN BROUGHT UP. HE WENT INTO THE SYNAGOGUE AND ACCORDING TO HIS CUSTOM STOOD UP TO READ FROM SCRIPTURE, (ISAIAH 61:1-2A): "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE DID ANOINT ME TO PROCLAIM GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKEN OF HEART, TO PROCLAIM TO CAPTIVES DELIVERANCE (IN THE SENSE OF REMISSION OF THEIR SINS) AND TO THE BLIND THE RECEIVING OF SIGHT; TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." WITH ALL EYES UPON HIM AWAITING HIS COMMENTARY, JESUS DECLARED, "TO DAY HAS THIS WRITING BEEN FULFILLED IN YOUR EARS," (cont.)

(Lk 4:13 NKJV) "Now when the Devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. (Lk 4:14 YLT) And Jesus turned back in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a fame went forth through all the region round about concerning Him, (Lk 4:15 YLT) and He was teaching in their synagogues, being glorified by all. (Lk 4:16 YLT) And He came to Nazareth, where He [had] been brought up, and He went in, according to His custom, on the sabbath-day, to the synagogue, and stood up to read; (Lk 4:17 YLT) and there was given over to Him a roll of Isaiah the prophet, and having unfolded the roll, He found the place where it [had] been written: (Lk 4:18 YLT) '[The] Spirit of [the] LORD is upon Me, Because He did anoint Me to proclaim good news to [the] poor. [He has] sent Me to heal the broken of heart, to proclaim to captives deliverance [Gk "aphesin" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)]; and to [the] blind [the] receiving of sight, to dispatch [the oppressed] with deliverance [Gk "aphesei" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)] (Isa 61:1). (Lk 4:19 YLT) To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.' (Lk 4:20 YLT) And having folded the roll, having given [it] back to the officer, He sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [intently] on Him. (Lk 4:21 YLT) And He began to say unto them -- 'To-day [has] this writing been fulfilled in your ears;' " (cont.) =

Note that Lk 4:16 begins with the Greek word, "kai," rendered "and" in the YLT: "And Jesus came to Nazareth where He [had] been brought up." The verse indicates that Jesus came to Nazareth either following in some manner or as one of the events indicated in verses 14-15. The rest of Luke's account of Jesus' time in Nazareth indicates that He was rejected there.

And according to His custom, on the Sabbath day, Jesus went in to the synagogue and stood up to read. Note that this reading and exposition of Scripture was customary in synagogue services: An individual would signify that he wished to read Scripture to the congregation by standing up at a designated time. Whereupon an attendant was to bring that individual a "scrollet" to read from - evidently from a chosen section from Scripture (OT) - such as the case in Luke's account when it was the book of Isaiah. Once the individual read from the scrollet - usually about 21 verses - then he was to sit down and comment to the congregation about what he had read.

So an attendant in the Synagogue gave Jesus a roll, ("scrollet"), of Isaiah the prophet. Whereupon Jesus unfolded it and found a particular place, (Isa 61:1). Note that Jesus Himself made the selection of what to read from the Book of Isaiah. It was a messianic passage, and He read as follows: "[The] Spirit of [the] LORD.is upon Me, Because He did anoint Me to proclaim good news to [the] poor. [He has] sent Me to heal the broken of heart, to proclaim to captives deliverance [Gk "aphesin" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)]; and to [the] blind [the] receiving of sight, to dispatch [the oppressed] with deliverance [Gk "aphesei" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)]."'

Since the Hebrew Masoretic text of Isa 61:1 does not have the phrase relative to the recovery of sight of the blind, it is likely that the Septuagint version of Scripture was what Jesus was reading from.

1) [Compare Isa 61:1-2 Septuagint]:

(Isa 61:1 Septuagint) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me; He hath sent me to preach good tidings unto the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and sight to the blind.'

(Isa 61:2 Septuagint) to declare the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of recompense; to comfort all that mourn."

2) [Compare Isa 61:1-2 from the NKJV which is translated from the Masoretic Hebrew text]:

(Isa 61:1 NKJV) "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

(Isa 61:2 NKJV) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn"

****** EXCERPTS FROM ISAIAH 61 AND 49 *******

OR MOVE TO NEXT SECTION

(ISA 61:1-2) ISAIAH DECLARED, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE THE LORD HAS SENT ME (1) TO PREACH GOOD TIDINGS TO THE POOR," [IN THE SENSE OF PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF ETERNAL LIFE IN THE ETERNAL KINGDOM OF GOD THROUGH AN ATONING SACRIFICE FOR SINS VIA A MOMENT OF FAITH IN A COMING MESSIAH / SAVIOR], (2) TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED [IN THE SENSE OF THE LORD HEALING ONES SPIRITUAL BROKENNESS DUE TO SIN FOR THOSE THAT BELIEVE], (3) TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES [IN THE SENSE OF THE LORD PROCLAIMING FREEDOM FOR THOSE THAT HAVE RECEIVED ETERNAL LIFE FROM THE CONDEMNATION OF ONES SINS], (4) TO PROCLAIM AND PERFORM MIRACLES BY THE ONE PROCLAIMING - BEGINNING WITH RESTORING SIGHT TO THE BLIND], (5) TO DECLARE THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD [IN THE SENSE OF THAT TIME IN WHICH THE LORD DECREED TO FULFILL HIS PLAN OF ETERNAL SALVATION], AND THE DAY OF RECOMPENSE, [I.E., THE JUDGMENT OF OUR GOD UPON ALL UNBELIEVERS] AND TO COMFORT ALL WHO MOURN [IN THE SENSE OF THE LORD COMFORTING THOSE WHO HAVE MOURNED THEIR SINFULNESS - THEIR LACK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, IMPLYING THAT THEY HAVE BECOME BELIEVERS]

(Isa 61:1 Septuagint) "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He hath anointed me; He hath sent me to preach good tidings unto the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and sight to the blind." (Isa 61:1 NKJV) "The Spirit of the LORD GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (Isa 61:2 Septuagint) to declare the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of recompense; to comfort all that mourn. (Isa 61:2 NKJV) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn."...

(Isa 61:10 Septuagint) and they shall greatly rejoice in the LORD. Let my soul rejoice in the LORD; for he has clothed me with the robe of salvation, and the garment of joy: he has put a mitre on me as on a bridegroom, and adorned me with ornaments as a bride. (Isa 61:10 NKJV) I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isa 61:11 Septuagint) And as the earth putting forth her flowers, and as a garden its seed; so shall the LORD, even the LORD, cause righteousness to spring forth, and exultation before all nations." (Isa 61:11 NKJV) For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the LORD GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." =

Note that the first person singular in verse 1 has the prophet Isaiah personifying the words given to Him by the LORD as the first hand "speaker." On the other hand, since Isaiah chapter 61 has in view the prophecy of the salvation of those of all of Israel and of the world who trust in the gift of God's righteousness unto eternal life in the Eternal Kingdom of God in view, (cf. vv. 7, 10-11); and since neither the provision of this salvation nor the commencement of the eternal Kingdom of God was fulfilled in Isaiah's time due to the failure of Israel to repent unto a moment of faith in the coming Messiah / Savior, then the passage applies ultimately to the future Prophet, the Messiah / Savior to come as prophesied in Isaiah 7:14-16; 9:6-7, 53:1-12; Who would be Prophet, Servant and King - Savior and Judge of all mankind ; and as testified to by Jesus Christ Himself declaring that He was the One through Whom the promises would be fulfilled after reading Isaiah 61:1-2a from the Septuagint scrollet in the assembly at Nazareth, (cf. Lk 4:18; 7:22). In Isaiah 61:1 all three Personalities of the Godhead are in view: The Spirit of the LORD, the LORD and the Anointed One - the Messiah / Christ Who previously was stipulated as both man and God in Isa 9:6-7.

So in view in Isa 61:1 is One Who has had the Spirit of God placed upon Himself for the following reasons:

(1) ("The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He hath anointed me; He hath sent me to preach good tidings unto the poor,") =

The word rendered "anointed" in Isa 61:1a refers to the "One" Who has the Spirit of the LORD placed upon Him, i.e., within Him. The word rendered "anointed" indicates that the one in view in Isa chapter 61 has been chosen, i.e., appointed and provided with the enablement by the LORD through the Spirit to proclaim, i.e., to preach and enact in the sense of fulfill the "good tidings," i.e., the good news to the poor. The Hebrew word rendered "poor" in Isa 61:1b has spiritual poverty in view, i.e., one who is acknowleding his lack of God's Righteousness, (cf. Isa 61:10-11), as opposed to being poor in material possessions. For the context does not limit the message to the materially poor, but includes all mankind. So the anointed One - the Messiah, (from the Hebrew), or the Christ, (from the Greek) will announce and make provision for salvation unto eternal life in the Eternal Kingdom of God through a moment of faith alone in Himself alone. Those that choose to believe in Him will have the gift of God's Righteousness accounted to them to qualify them for entrance into that Eternal Kingdom, (cf. Isa 61:7, 10-11).

The message of the gospel unto eternal life in the Eternal Kingdom of God had previously been conveyed to the reader in Isa 39:1-40:5, (cf. Isa 7:14; 9:6-7); when the prophet Isaiah announced Israel's return from captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem; whereupon, if all of that generation of Israel trusted in God's provision of a Messiah / Savior to come into the world to provide His righteousness evidently through an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, (cf. Isa 40:1-5; 53:1-12), God would make such provision so that all those who trusted in that provision, Jew or Gentile, would enter the Eternal Kingdom of God to commence on earth at the time that all of a generation of Israel trusted in Him, . So far that has not been the case with any generation of Israelites.

(2) "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He hath anointed me; He hath sent me to preach good tidings unto the poor, to heal the brokenhearted," =

God, through the indwelling Spirit sent, the One Who has the Spirit of the LORD GOD upon Him to heal the broken of heart evidently in the sense of providing spiritual healing of every believer's spiritual brokenness before God due to sin - the brokenhearted mourning of ones sinful condition before a Holy God. This healing evidently includes the reception of the garment of salvation - the robe of God's Righteousness as indicated in Isa 61:10, through a moment of faith alone in the Messiah / Savior to come; as opposed to healing broken relationships amongst individuals relative to temporal matters, which the passage does not specifically address;

(3) "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He hath anointed me; He hath sent me to preach good tidings unto the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives," =

God, through the indwelling Spirit sent the One Who has the Spirit of the LORD GOD to proclaim deliverance to the captives in the sense of delivering individuals held captive by their sins - the context of the passage being the Eternal Kingdom of God and entrance into it - as opposed to being freed from temporal oppression such as from the Assyrians, or from the the Babylonians, or from the Greeks or from the Romans, as some contend. For the Greek word "aphesin" rendered "liberty" in the Septuagint conveys the sense of being pardoned, i.e., having ones sins remitted through a moment of faith alone in the Messiah / Savior to come to make an atoning provision for the sins of all mankind, (cf. Isa 53:1-12). Furthermore, when Jesus quoted the Septuagint version of Isaiah chapter 61, (Lk 4:18), He did not make an issue of Israel being delivered from temporal captivity from Assyria, Greece, Rome or any temporal power. Finally, Isa 61:3-11 speaks of being given the everlasting joy of salvation which includes having everlasting joy, (v. 7); being clothed with the robe of salvation, (v. 10), and being covered with the robe of Righteousness implying having been attributed with the Righteous / sinless character of God, (v. 10). This goes far beyond being delivered from temporal difficulties such as the oppression of Babylon or Rome;

(4) "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He hath anointed me; He hath sent me to preach good tidings unto the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and sight to the blind,"

According to the Septuagint (LXX), God, through the indwelling Spirit sent the One Who has the Spirit of the LORD GOD upon Him to restore sight to the blind in the literal sense implying healing of all kinds of diseases, especially blindness. Note that some Hebrew MSS including 1QIsaa, take the phrase rendered "release ..... for the prisoners" to be one word, meaning opening, which word has as its root a Hebrew word that is regularly used to convey opening of the eyes. So the phrase, "And the opening of the prison to those who are bound" in the NKJV is rendered as "and sight to the blind" in the LXX. Hence the last phrase in Isaiah 61:1 in the LXX is rendered "to proclaim liberty to the captives, and sight to the blind," which is what Jesus is quoted as reading from the Scrollet in the synagogue in Nazareth, (Lk 4:18). Note that the Messiah / Savior to come was prophesied as healing illnesses and bringing sight to the blind, (cf. Isa 35:5), which is what Jesus frequently did do.

(4 alternate) "The Spirit of the LORD GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, .And the opening of the prison to those who are bound," =

On the other hand, according to the Masoretic Hebrew Text, the last part of Isaiah 61:1 reads in the NKJV, "To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;" i.e., God, through the indwelling Spirit sent the One Who has the Spirit of the LORD GOD upon Him "to proclaim liberty to the captives,.And the opening of the prison to those who are bound," in the sense of proclaiming deliverance of those who are oppressed / afflicted by sin and to be delivered from it through a moment of faith alone in the Messiah / Savior to come. Since the second part of the last phrase of Isa 61:1 as translated from the Masoretic Text and rendered in the NKJV can be viewed as redundant - but perhaps to be emphatic; and since Jesus did in fact restore sight to the blind and did heal many diseases; and since Jesus did read from the LXX according to Lk 4:18; then it appears that the Septuagint has the more accurate rendering of the original text. In either case, the message of either version does not contradict Scripture. Furthermore, nothing can be observed from either version which was not fulfilled by the One Who has the Spirit of the LORD GOD upon Him.

(5) "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He hath anointed me; He hath sent me to preach good tidings unto the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and sight to the blind, to declare the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of recompense; to comfort all that mourn"

The phrase rendered "to declare the acceptable year of the LORD," in Isa 61:2 corresponds to Isa 49:8 rendered, '''Thus the LORD has said [to His Servant], "In the time of favor [in the sense of in the acceptable time] I will have answered You, and in the day of salvation I will have helped You; I will have preserved You and I will give You as a covenant to the people to raise up [in sense of to restore] the earth, to inherit the desolate inheritances."

****** EXCERPT FROM ISAIAH 49 *******

THE HOLY ONE OF GOD:

(ISA 49:1-3) THE LORD'S SERVANT TO ALL MANKIND DECLARED HIMSELF TO MANKIND THROUGH THE PROPHET ISAIAH. HE WAS BORN OF A WOMAN, CALLED BY THE LORD FROM THE WOMB, EQUIPPED TO PRONOUNCE JUDGMENT UPON ALL MANKIND, PROTECTED AND HIDDEN BY THE LORD UNTIL HIS TIME, NAMED "ISRAEL" - AN INDIVIDUAL NOT A GROUP OF ISRAELITES - IN WHOM THE LORD WILL MANIFEST HIS GLORY

(Isa 49:1 NKJV) '''[Isaiah writes that the LORD's Servant has said] "Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the [womb] of My mother He has made mention of My name. (Isa 49:2 NKJV) And He [makes] My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And [the LORD] [makes] Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me. (Isa 49:3 NKJV) And He [the LORD] [says] to Me, 'You are My servant, O Israel, In Whom I [manifest My glory].' " ''' =

Chapter 49 begins with a command by the LORD's Servant to the peoples of the world - from the "coastlands" referring to the nations of peoples living on coastlands to those "peoples from afar" expressions which overall convey the concept of all the peoples of the world - evidently including Gentiles as well as Jews - to listen to One Who has been called by "Yahweh," the LORD God to be the LORD's Servant. The message of the LORD's Servant is being conveyed through the prophet Isaiah. It is evident from the phrase in the first verse, "The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the [womb] of My mother He has made mention of My name," that this Servant was to be born a Human being in the future because it is implied that the Servant had not yet made His presence in the world known up to that time; and the promises that are made relative to the Servant are indicated as future ones. The Servant is both identified with and yet distinguished from Israel throughout chapter 49 in the first and third person singular; hence neither the nation Israel nor a remnant of Israelites is in view - as some have contended, (Isa 49:1).

The next verse indicates that the LORD's Servant's mouth was made "like a sharp sword" - a weapon which would bring sharp judgment upon men with the words that He would speak. The phrase, "In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me," indicates that the LORD God would provide protection and concealment for His Servant until it was time for the Servant to bring that judgment upon all mankind. The next phrase, "And [the LORD] [makes] Me a polished shaft" refers to the Servant as a polished arrow shaft conveying the Servant wielding judgment upon mankind. The word rendered "polished" conveys no defects in order to make the path of the arrow true, in the sense that the Servant is to be without sin - His judgment therefore being True and Righteous. The arrow is stipulated as hidden in the LORD's quiver implying that the Servant will be secure and hidden until judgment time, (Isa 49:2).

The Servant then said that the LORD said to Him, "You are My Servant, O Israel, In Whom I [manifest My glory]." The LORD God named the Servant, "Israel," implying a single individual and indicated that in Him would the LORD God manifest His glory. Although neither the nation Israel nor a remnant of Israelites is in view, as some contend. He is portrayed as the perfect expression as an individual of what God intended all Israel to be like. The Servant is characterized as sinless - unlike the nation Israel or the remnant. In the following chapters, the LORD's Servant is taught, He suffers, He is vindicated, and He imparts God's truth to others, who are judged by their attitude toward Him. There is not, in fact, in these chapters a single expression necessitating or even suggesting that the servant is a group rather than an individual. Moreover, in chapter 53, His work is unique, for none other in the OT, either within or outside Isaiah, dies as an atoning sacrifice for human sins, (Isa 49:3).

(ISA 49:4-5) THE LORD'S SERVANT DECLARED HIS LABOR IN VAIN, HIS STRENGTH SPENT; YET HE DECLARED THAT HIS REWARD WAS WITH THE LORD, HIS WORK WITH "MY GOD." THE SERVANT THEN DECLARED THAT THE LORD WHO FORMED HIM FROM THE WOMB - CONFIRMING HIS HUMANITY - TO BE THE LORD'S SERVANT TO BRING THE TRIBES OF JACOB (ISRAEL) BACK TO HIM. THE SERVANT OF THE LORD - AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON CHOSEN BY THE LORD "SHALL BE GLORIFIED IN THE EYES OF THE LORD, AND MY GOD SHALL HAVE BEEN MY STRENGTH"

(Isa 49:4 NKJV) ''' "Then I said, 'I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; Yet surely My just reward is with the LORD, And My work with My God. (Isa 49:5 NKJV) [Whereupon the Servant declared] And now the LORD ... Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob [Israel] back to Him [has said that], Israel will be gathered to Him [the LORD], and I [the Servant] shall be [glorified] in the eyes of the LORD, And My God [shall have been] My strength' " ''' =

Then the Servant of the LORD declared, "I have labored in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and in vain," in the sense that His mission to bring Israel to repent and trust in the LORD would at first be in vain. His strength would be spent, implying the physical end of Himself. So the Servant would be rejected at first and then killed. Yet in all of this He declared, "Yet surely My just reward is with the LORD, And My work with My God," implying His trust in the LORD's plan through Him would finally be fulfilled. Note that the Humanity of the LORD's Servant as opposed to His Diety is in view in this chapter. Other chapters in Isaiah reveal that the Servant would be vindicated (50:8) and He would be rewarded after His death (53:8) and be resurrected unto His just reward, (53:10). For the Servant finished with, "Yet surely My just reward is with the LORD, And My work with My God," (Isa 49:4).

Verse 5 has the Servant of the LORD relaying the message that the LORD gave to Him: [The Servant declared] "And now the LORD ... Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob [Israel] back to Him [has said that], Israel will be gathered to Him [the LORD], and I [the Servant] shall be [glorified] in the eyes of the LORD, And My God [shall have been] My strength." Notice that the Servant is once again defined as one single individual formed by the LORD in the womb - an individual Human being but without sin and with a supernatural mission. The success of the Servant's mission which includes bringing Jacob, i.e., the tribes of Jacob - the people of Israel, back to the LORD is further confirmed. Since the mission of "Israel," the Servant of the LORD, was to gather Israel back to the LORD then the Servant could not be the people of Israel, but an individual named "Israel." Since none of this had occurred up to this time, then all of this was to have been accomplished in the future. The Servant therefore declared: "And I shall be glorified in the eyes of the LORD, and My God shall have been My strength," in the sense that the Servant of the LORD in His Humanity would complete His mission via the strength - the power of the LORD, (Isa 49:5).

(ISA 49:6-7) THE LORD DECLARED THAT NOT ONLY WAS HIS SERVANT TO RAISE UP THE TRIBES OF JACOB - TO RESTORE ISRAEL - BUT THE SERVANT WAS TO BE A REVELATION TO ALL MANKIND OF THE LORD AND OF HIS SALVATION. THE LORD, THE REDEEMER, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, HAD SAID TO HIS SERVANT - TO THE ABHORRED ONE OF THE GENTILES, TO THE SERVANT OF THE RULERS OF THE WORLD: "KINGS WILL SEE, AND PRINCES WILL RISE UP TO BOW DOWN TO THE SERVANT BECAUSE OF THE LORD GOD WHO IS FAITHFUL. ISAIAH WROTE TO THE SERVANT, "THE LORD CHOSE YOU" TO RESTORE ISRAEL AND PROVIDE ETERNAL SALVATION TO ALL MANKIND

(Isa 49:6 NKJV) ''' "Indeed He [the LORD] says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a Light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.' " (Isa 49:7 CBL Interlinear) [Isaiah writes of the LORD]: Thus [has said] Yahweh [the LORD], the Redeemer of Israel, His [Israel's] Holy One; to the despised One [the LORD's chosen Servant]; [the LORD has said] to the abhorred One [the chosen Servant] of the nations [the Gentiles], to the Servant of rulers [of the world], [all speaking of the LORD's chosen Servant - the LORD said to Him]: "Kings, they will see, and princes, they will rise up; and they will bow down because of Yahweh [the LORD] Who is faithful - the Holy One of Israel; And [Isaiah wrote] "He [the LORD] chose You" [to be His Servant - to provide salvation to all mankind unto everlasting life in the Eternal Kingdom of God, ref. vv. 8-13].''' =

And then the LORD declared to His Servant relative to the scope of His mission: "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a Light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth." So the Servant shall not only be the Instrument by which the tribes of Jacob, i.e., of Israel - those whose physical lives at the time of the regathering have been preserved - will be gathered back to the LORD God, but also their salvation and the salvation of the Gentiles as well - to all mankind - for the LORD declared that He will give His Servant "As a light to the Gentiles," in the sense of providing revelation of the truth to all mankind about the LORD God, especially His salvation unto everlasting life in the Eternal Kingdom of God through His Servant, (ref. vv. 8-13).

Note that this had been the LORD's message all along - that salvation was to be provided for all mankind through a Descendant of Eve ; and that Descendant would descend from Abraham ; and that Descendant would be the LORD's chosen Servant as testified to in the words of the LORD given to the Prophet Isaiah, (Isa 49:6).

Isaiah reports what the LORD (Yahweh) had conveyed to him: that the LORD, the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel had said to His chosen Servant, His Servant of rulers [of the world] - His Servant Who would become the despised One and the abhorred One of the Gentiles - the LORD said to His Servant: 'Kings, they will see, and princes, they will rise up to acknowledge; and then they all will bow down to the LORD's chosen One because of the LORD - the Holy One of Israel - is faithful - the Holy One of Israel.' And Isaiah wrote about the LORD relative to His Servant, 'He chose You' [to accomplish this mission to fulfill the day of salvation for all mankind which it is implied the Servant of the LORD would successfully fulfill, (cf. v. 9)], (Isa 49:7).

(ISA 49:8) IN THE TIME DECREED BY THE LORD FOR EFFECTING HIS ETERNAL PLAN OF THE REGATHERING OF ISRAEL TO HIMSELF, THE RESTORATION OF THE EARTH AND THE PROVISION OF SALVATION UNTO ETERNAL LIFE FOR ALL MANKIND; THE LORD DECLARED TO HIS CHOSEN SERVANT THAT HE WILL HAVE ANSWERED HIM, HELPED HIM, PRESERVED HIM AND GIVEN HIM AS A COVENANT TO ISRAEL HIS PEOPLE TO RESTORE THE EARTH FOREVER - ESPECIALLY ISRAEL'S PROMISED LAND INHERITANCE

(Isa 49:8 CBL Interlinear) ''' Thus the LORD has said [to His Servant], "In the time of favor [in the sense of in the acceptable time] I will have answered You, and in the day of salvation I will have helped You; I will have preserved You and I will give You as a covenant to the people to raise up [in sense of to restore] the earth, to inherit the desolate inheritances." ''' =

In Isa 49:8, Isaiah reports that the LORD, speaking to His Servant said, "Thus the LORD has said, 'In the time of favor...' - the time decreed by God for effecting His eternal plan of the regathering of Israel to the LORD, the eternal restoration of the earth, and the provision of eternal salvation for all those of mankind who choose to believe in the LORD's Servant for that unto the Eternal Kingdom of God.

'I will have answered You,' - in the sense of the LORD having answered His Servant's concerns which the Servant expressed in verse 4, ('I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain'), referring to the Servant's point of view that He had failed in His Human lifetime to restore Israel and the earth, and to gather His people to Himself as well as the world.

And the LORD's answer to His Servant which would be given "In the time of favor' was as follows:

'And in the day of salvation I will have helped You;

'I will have preserved You' - in the sense of preserving His Human life, (via resurrection unto a glorified body).

'and I will give You as a covenant to the people,' to fulfill God's covenant promises to Israel, (cf. Isa 42:6), to raise up [in the sense of restore] the earth, and to inherit the desolate inheritances' - in the sense of the Servant fulfilling the LORD's covenant with His people Israel to restore all things of the earth forever - especially the inheritances promised to them which had become desolate - the Promised Land, (Isa 49:8).

(ISA 49:9-13) THE LORD'S CHOSEN SERVANT WILL COMMAND ALL ISRAELITES TO RETURN FROM CAPTIVITY TO THE PROMISED LAND AS WELL AS ALL MANKIND FROM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD TO GO BEFORE HIM - TO EXPERIENCE UNPRECEDENTED PROSPERITY. NO ONE WILL EVER SUFFER HUNGER, THIRST, SCORCHING WINDS, OR HEAT OF THE SUN - AN ETERNALLY BENEFICENT WORLDWIDE CLIMATE AND TOPOGRAPHY IS IN VIEW. PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD WILL COME TO RECEIVE BLESSINGS FROM AND THE SALVATION OF THE LORD. THE LORD DECLARES FOR THE HEAVENS TO SING, THE EARTH TO BE JOYFUL, THE MOUNTAINS TO SING BECAUSE HE WILL HAVE HAD MERCY ON HIS AFFLICTED - REFERRING TO ISRAEL. THE EVERLASTING KINGDOM OF GOD IS IN VIEW!

(Isa 49:9 NKJV) ''' "That You may say to the prisoners, 'Go forth,' To those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' They shall feed along the roads, And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights. (Isa 49:10 NKJV) They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither [scorching wind] nor sun shall strike them [down]; For He Who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them. (Isa 49:11 NKJV) I will make each of My mountains a road, And My highways shall be elevated. (Isa 49:12 NKJV) Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, And these from the land of Sinim. (Isa 49:13 NKJV) Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted." ''' =

'That You may say to the prisoners,' - those Israelites in captivity...

'Go forth' - in the sense of commanding them, and all mankind, to go forth from all over the world to the land of Israel, evidently to return to the Promised Land to be gathered there before the LORD's chosen Servant.

'To those who are in darkness,' - darkness in the sense of those who are Gentiles who needed the Light of God's revelation about Himself and His salvation - which is in His chosen Servant, (Isa 49:6) ...

'Show yourselves. They shall feed along the roads, And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights' in the sense of the LORD providing food even along the roads, and pastures on high ground, formerly desolate heights which would be restored - all implying unprecedented and eternal prosperity, (Isa 49:8-9).

The LORD continued to expound upon the time of "the salvation to the ends of the earth," (ref. v. 6): "They shall neither hunger nor thirst - [no more hunger or thirst anywhere on the Earth, implying major and eternal changes in the Earth's topography, climate, etc.]. Neither [scorching wind] nor sun shall strike them [down] - implying a worldwide beneficent climate]. For He Who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them. I will make each of My mountains a road, And My highways shall be elevated - [implying major restoration and beneficent changes to the Earth's topography that are everlasting in nature]. Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, And these from the land of Sinim - [implying coming to Israel to receive the blessings and the salvation of the LORD, (ref. Isa 49:5), corroborating that salvation is for all peoples]

Note that the country named Sinim is implied as very remote from Israel, yet known in Israel, suggesting Persia or some other country from afar.

In verse 13, the LORD declares for the heavens to sing, the earth to be joyful, the mountains to sing because He will have comforted His people, and will have had mercy on His afflicted - referring to Israel, (Isa 49:10-13). Note that the Everlasting Kingdom of God is in view!

****** END OF EXCERPT FROM ISAIAH 49 - EXCERPT FROM ISAIAH 61 CONTINUES ******

(ISA 61:1-2 cont) ISAIAH DECLARED, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE THE LORD HAS SENT ME (1) TO PREACH GOOD TIDINGS TO THE POOR," [IN THE SENSE OF PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF ETERNAL LIFE IN THE ETERNAL KINGDOM OF GOD THROUGH AN ATONING SACRIFICE FOR SINS VIA A MOMENT OF FAITH IN A COMING MESSIAH / SAVIOR], (2) TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED [IN THE SENSE OF THE LORD HEALING ONES SPIRITUAL BROKENNESS DUE TO SIN FOR THOSE THAT BELIEVE], (3) TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES [IN THE SENSE OF THE LORD PROCLAIMING FREEDOM FOR THOSE THAT HAVE RECEIVED ETERNAL LIFE FROM THE CONDEMNATION OF ONES SINS], (4) TO PROCLAIM AND PERFORM MIRACLES BY THE ONE PROCLAIMING - BEGINNING WITH RESTORING SIGHT TO THE BLIND], (5) TO DECLARE THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD [IN THE SENSE OF THAT TIME IN WHICH THE LORD DECREED TO FULFILL HIS PLAN OF ETERNAL SALVATION], AND THE DAY OF RECOMPENSE, [I.E., THE JUDGMENT OF OUR GOD UPON ALL UNBELIEVERS] AND TO COMFORT ALL WHO MOURN [IN THE SENSE OF THE LORD COMFORTING THOSE WHO HAVE MOURNED THEIR SINFULNESS - THEIR LACK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, IMPLYING THAT THEY HAVE BECOME BELIEVERS] (cont.)

(Isa 61:1 Septuagint) "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He hath anointed me; He hath sent me to preach good tidings unto the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and sight to the blind.' (Isa 61:1 NKJV) "The Spirit of the LORD GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (Isa 61:2 Septuagint) to declare the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of recompense; to comfort all that mourn. (Isa 61:2 NKJV) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn."...

(Isa 61:10 Septuagint) and they shall greatly rejoice in the LORD. Let my soul rejoice in the LORD; for he has clothed me with the robe of salvation, and the garment of joy: he has put a mitre on me as on a bridegroom, and adorned me with ornaments as a bride. (Isa 61:10 NKJV) I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isa 61:11 Septuagint) And as the earth putting forth her flowers, and as a garden its seed; so shall the LORD, even the LORD, cause righteousness to spring forth, and exultation before all nations." (Isa 61:11 NKJV) For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the LORD GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations," (cont.) =

Just as Isaiah chapters 7, 9, 40, 49, 53, 60 and 61 have in view deliverance from eternal condemnation, i.e., deliverance from the consequences of sin unto eternal life and entrance into the Eternal Kingdom of God through the atoning sacrifice for sins of the Messiah / Savior; as opposed to being limited to deliverance from temporal difficulties and restoration to prosperity at the end of the Israelites' captivity in Babylon, (Isa 40:1-2); so in the same manner, Isaiah 61:2ff has in view the proclamation "of the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn," i.e., for (1) the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ to make provision for eternal salvation through His atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind and for (2) for the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ to sit in judgment upon unbelievers in the Day of the LORD and to comfort all who mourn in the sense of mourning for their sinfulness before God when He comes to earth to institute His eternal Kingdom. There are evidently two functions of the One Messiah / Savior in view; but not necessarily to be accomplished at the same time. Note that "Day" and "year" are in a parallel position in Isa 61:2. They are therefore used synonymously to refer to an indefinite point of time. Scripture and history have already recorded that the Anointed One, the Christ, has come to make provision for salvation through His atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. It therefore remains for Him to come to complete the eternal restoration of Jerusalem and His people Israel and execute judgment upon the nations of the world.

Note that the phrase in Isa 61:2b, "And the day of vengeance of our God" is echoed in Isa 63:4 with "For the day of vengeance is in My [the LORD's, (v. 3)] heart. And the year of My redeemed has come," corroborating that Isa 61:2b refers to the "day" (the time) when the LORD will come to bring vengeance upon all those who oppose Him, restore Jerusalem and His people Israel to godly splendor, and commence His Eternal Kingdom on the earth:

1) [Compare Isa 62:1-63:6 with an excerpt from Isa chapter 40]:

(ISA 61:3-11) ISAIAH 61:3-11 GO ON TO DESCRIBE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT HERETOFORE HAVE NEVER OCCURRED AS STIPULATED - THEY ARE YET FUTURE. THE PASSAGE ELABORATES UPON THE ETERNAL BLESSINGS WHICH WILL REPLACE THE TEMPORAL CURSINGS UPON INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY ISRAELITES, AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF AND THEIR ENTRANCE INTO THE EVERLASTING KINGDOM OF GOD, IMPLYING THEIR POSSESSION OF ETERNAL LIFE THEMSELVES. IN VIEW ARE THOSE WHO ARE ISRAELITES WHO HAVE BEEN ADORNED WITH THE GARMENTS OF SALVATION - HAVING BEEN COVERED WITH THE GIFT OF THE ROBE OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WILL BE INDICATIVE OF THEIR GODLY RIGHTEOUS CHARACTER GIVEN TO THEM INDICATING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN MADE WORTHY BY GOD THROUGH A MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN THE MESSIAH / SAVIOR UNTO ETERNAL LIFE IN THE EVERLASTING KINGDOM OF GOD

****** END OF EXCERPT FROM ISAIAH 61 AND 49 *******

II cont.) [Lk 4:14-30 cont.]:

(Lk 4:14 YLT) "And Jesus turned back in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a fame went forth through all the region round about concerning Him,

(Lk 4:15 YLT) and He was teaching in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

(Lk 4:16 YLT) And He came to Nazareth, where He [had] been brought up, and He went in, according to His custom, on the sabbath-day, to the synagogue, and stood up to read;

(Lk 4:17 YLT) and there was given over to Him a roll of Isaiah the prophet, and having unfolded the roll, He found the place where it [had] been written:

(Lk 4:18 YLT) '[The] Spirit of [the] LORD is upon Me, Because He did anoint Me to proclaim good news to [the] poor. [He has] sent Me to heal the broken of heart, to proclaim to captives deliverance [Gk "aphesin" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)]; and to [the] blind [the] receiving of sight, to dispatch [the oppressed] with deliverance [Gk "aphesei" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)] (Isa 61:1).

(Lk 4:19 YLT) To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.'

(Lk 4:20 YLT) And having folded the roll, having given [it] back to the officer, He sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [intently] on Him.

(Lk 4:21 YLT) And He began to say unto them -- 'To-day [has] this writing been fulfilled in your ears;'

(Lk 4:22 YLT) and all were bearing testimony to Him, and were wondering [lit., marveling] at the gracious words that are coming forth out of His mouth, and they said, 'Is not this the son of Joseph?'

(Lk 4:23 YLT) And He said unto them, 'Certainly, [you] will say to Me this [parable], Physician, heal [yourself]; as great things as we heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country'

(Lk 4:24 YLT) And He said, 'Verily I say to you - No prophet is accepted in His own country'

(Lk 4:25 NKJV) But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;

(Lk 4:26 YLT) and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but - to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a woman, a widow;

(Lk 4:27 NKJV) And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian

(Lk 4:28 NKJV) So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

(Lk 4:29 NASB) and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff

(Lk 4:30 YLT) and He, having gone through the midst of them, went away."

A cont.) (LUKE 4:14-21 cont.) AFTER THE DEVIL HAD ENDED TEMPTING HIM, JESUS TURNED BACK, IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT, TO GALILEE. HIS TEACHING AND MIRACLES BROUGHT HIM FAME AND GLORY THROUGHOUT THE REGION. WHEREUPON HE CAME TO NAZARETH WHERE HE HAD BEEN BROUGHT UP. HE WENT INTO THE SYNAGOGUE AND ACCORDING TO HIS CUSTOM STOOD UP TO READ FROM SCRIPTURE, (ISAIAH 61:1-2A): "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE DID ANOINT ME TO PROCLAIM GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKEN OF HEART, TO PROCLAIM TO CAPTIVES DELIVERANCE (IN THE SENSE OF REMISSION OF THEIR SINS) AND TO THE BLIND THE RECEIVING OF SIGHT; TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." WITH ALL EYES UPON HIM AWAITING HIS COMMENTARY, JESUS DECLARED, "TO DAY HAS THIS WRITING BEEN FULFILLED IN YOUR EARS, (cont.)"

(Lk 4:13 NKJV) "Now when the Devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. (Lk 4:14 YLT) And Jesus turned back in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a fame went forth through all the region round about concerning Him, (Lk 4:15 YLT) and He was teaching in their synagogues, being glorified by all. (Lk 4:16 YLT) And He came to Nazareth, where He [had] been brought up, and He went in, according to His custom, on the sabbath-day, to the synagogue, and stood up to read; (Lk 4:17 YLT) and there was given over to Him a roll of Isaiah the prophet, and having unfolded the roll, He found the place where it [had] been written: (Lk 4:18 YLT) '[The] Spirit of [the] LORD is upon Me, Because He did anoint Me to proclaim good news to [the] poor. [He has] sent Me to heal the broken of heart, to proclaim to captives deliverance [Gk "aphesin" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)]; and to [the] blind [the] receiving of sight, to dispatch [the oppressed] with deliverance [Gk "aphesei" lit., pardon or remission (of sin)] (Isa 61:1). (Lk 4:19 YLT) To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.' (Lk 4:20 YLT) And having folded the roll, having given [it] back to the officer, He sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [intently] on Him. (Lk 4:21 YLT) And He began to say unto them -- 'To-day [has] this writing been fulfilled in your ears;' " =

So Jesus read verse 1 and the first part of 2 from Isaiah 61 from a rollet which was handed to Him in the synagogue in Nazareth. It was evidently an established part of synagogue services for an attendant to hand a scroll to one who stands up to read a passage of Scripture to the congregation. Once the reading was done, the attendant was to be handed back the scroll, and the one who had read the passage would sit in a designated place and make instructive comments upon what has been read, (ref. Lk 4:16-17, 20-21). In view in this passage in the Book of Isaiah is One Who has had the Spirit of God placed upon Himself in the sense of receiving the indwelling Spirit of God within oneself - within ones human spirit in order for God to have:

(1) anointed, i.e., chosen, appointed and provided enablement for that One to proclaim the good tidings, i.e., the good news to the poor - the gospel of salvation unto eternal life in the eternal Kingdom of God through a moment of faith alone in the Messiah / Savior alone, (cf. Isa 61:7, 10-11). Note that the Hebrew word rendered "poor" in Isa 61:1 in the NKJV means poor in spirit, i.e., those without salvation - a spiritual poverty, as opposed to poor in material possessions. For the author did not limit His message to those who were materially poor. The message of the gospel had previously been conveyed to the reader in Isa 39:1-40:5, (cf. Isa 7:14; 9:6-7); when the prophet Isaiah announced Israel's return from captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem whereupon, if all of that generation of Israel trusted in God's provision of a Messiah / Savior to come into the world to provide His righteousness evidently through an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, (cf. Isa 53:1-12), God would make such provision so that all those who trusted in that provision, Jew or Gentile, would enter the eternal Kingdom of God to commence on earth at the time that all of a generation of Israel trusted in Him. . So far that has not been the case with a generation of Israelites.

(2) [God, through the indwelling Spirit] had sent that One to heal the broken of heart evidently in the sense of providing information of a nature which would mend those broken of heart relative to their spiritual brokenness before God due to sin as opposed to healing broken relationships amongst individuals relative to temporal matters, which the passage does not specifically address;

(3) [God, through the indwelling Spirit] had sent that One to proclaim deliverance to captives in the sense of being held captive by ones sins as opposed to being freed from temporal oppression such as Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek or Roman, as some contend. For the Greek word "aphesin" rendered "deliverance" is in the sense of being pardoned, i.e., having ones sins remitted. Furthermore, when Jesus quoted Isaiah chapter 61, (Lk 4:18), He did not make an issue of Israel being delivered from temporal captivity by Assyria, Greece, Rome or any temporal power;

(4) [According to the Septuagint (LXX), God, through the indwelling Spirit] had sent that One to restore sight to the blind in the literal sense implying healing of all kinds of diseases, especially blindness. The Septuagint (LXX), has the phrase rendered, "And sight to the blind," which signifies the One Who has had the Spirit of God placed upon Him in order to restore sight to the blind, and healing of illness.

(5) [According to the Masoretic Text, God, through the indwelling Spirit] had sent that One to dispatch the oppressed in the sense of being afflicted by sin and being delivered from it, (Greek "aphesei," lit., pardon or remission of sin).

Note that Isaiah chapters 7, 9, 53 and 60 have in view deliverance from eternal condemnation, i.e., deliverance from the consequences of sin unto entrance into the eternal Kingdom of God through the atoning sacrifice for sins of the Messiah / Savior; as opposed to being limited to deliverance from temporal difficulties, such as the end of the Israelites' captivity in Babylon, (cf. Isa 40:1-2). And Isa 61:1, which immediately follows chapter 60, also has in view the deliverance from sins unto entrance into the eternal Kingdom of God through a Messiah / Savior as portrayed in Isa 7:14-16; 9:6-7; 40:1-5, 53:1-12 and 60:1-22. Whereupon Isa 61:2 has in view the proclamation "of the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn," i.e., the judgment upon unbelievers in the Day of the LORD and comfort to Zion when He comes to earth to institute His eternal Kingdom - evidently two functions of the One Messiah / Savior.

But then Jesus finished reading from the scrollet with the first part of verse 2: "To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD," which is in the sense of the context, the time for the LORD to proclaim and make provision for the forgiveness of the sins of all mankind; whereupon Jesus folded up the roll and gave it back to the officer; and He sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were gazing intently upon Him; evidently because he had stopped abruptly in the middle of the passage before the phrase, "And the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn," in lieu of reading the customary number of verses - a minimum of 21; but mainly because it was customary for the reader to provide a commentary on what he had just read from the scrollet. Whereupon Jesus said to them, "Today has this writing been fulfilled in your ears," implying that He was the One Who was anointed by the Spirit to fulfill the tasks stipulated - the fulfillment of what He had read. Note that Jesus' omission of the last phrase in Isa 61:2, "And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn," indicating that the day of the vengeance of our God was not imminently to be fulfilled as were the previous declarations that Jesus did read, including His healing ministry to Jew and Gentile. This pointed to a later fulfillment, i.e., His Second Advent. On the other hand, Jesus quoted enough to recall the whole passage to ones mind, which passage provided further details of His salvation via the gift of the Righteousness of God unto eternal life in the Kingdom of God on earth, especially relative to Israel as God's chosen people. There were many who hoped for the day of vengeance of God would come to bring His wrath down upon the Romans to set Israel free to self-rule. The omission of this might have caused many to have a negative reaction toward Jesus - many who had a high expectation that Jesus was the Messiah Who would free Israel from Roman dominance.

What Luke reported of Jesus' commentary on the passage He read was short. Whether or not Jesus had said more was not specifically stipulated or implied. On the other hand, it is evident that what Luke did report was sufficient to be a complete commentary upon what Jesus had read to the congregation. Nothing more was needed to have been said by Jesus to improve upon the point that He made - as evidenced in the next section, (Lk 4:18-21).

B) (LK 4:22-30) AND ALL WERE BEARING TESTIMONY TO HIM, AND WERE MARVELING AT THE GRACIOUS WORDS THAT WERE COMING FORTH OUT OF HIS MOUTH, AND THEY SAID, 'IS NOT THIS THE SON OF JOSEPH?' AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, 'CERTAINLY, YOU WILL SAY TO ME THIS PARABLE, PHYSICIAN, HEAL YOURSELF; AS GREAT THINGS AS WE HEARD DONE IN CAPERNAUM, DO ALSO HERE IN YOUR COUNTRY' AND HE SAID, 'VERILY I SAY TO YOU - NO PROPHET IS ACCEPTED IN HIS OWN COUNTRY' BUT I TELL YOU TRULY, MANY WIDOWS WERE IN ISRAEL IN THE DAYS OF ELIJAH, WHEN THE HEAVEN WAS SHUT UP THREE YEARS AND SIX MONTHS, AND THERE WAS A GREAT FAMINE THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND; AND UNTO NONE OF THEM WAS ELIJAH SENT, BUT - TO SAREPTA OF SIDON, UNTO A WOMAN, A WIDOW; AND MANY LEPERS WERE IN ISRAEL IN THE TIME OF ELISHA THE PROPHET, AND NONE OF THEM WAS CLEANSED EXCEPT NAAMAN THE SYRIAN. SO ALL THOSE IN THE SYNAGOGUE, WHEN THEY HEARD THESE THINGS, WERE FILLED WITH WRATH, AND THEY GOT UP AND DROVE HIM OUT OF THE CITY, AND LED HIM TO THE BROW OF THE HILL ON WHICH THEIR CITY HAD BEEN BUILT, IN ORDER TO THROW HIM DOWN THE CLIFF AND HE, HAVING GONE THROUGH THE MIDST OF THEM, WENT AWAY

(Lk 4:22 YLT) "And all were bearing testimony to Him, and were wondering [lit., marveling] at the gracious words that are coming forth out of His mouth, and they said, 'Is not this the son of Joseph?' (Lk 4:23 YLT) And He said unto them, 'Certainly, [you] will say to Me this [parable], Physician, heal [yourself]; as great things as we heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country' (Lk 4:24 YLT) And He said, 'Verily I say to you - No prophet is accepted in His own country' (Lk 4:25 NKJV) But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; (Lk 4:26 YLT) and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but - to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a woman, a widow; (Lk 4:27 NKJV) And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. (Lk 4:28 NKJV) So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, (Lk 4:29 NASB) and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff (Lk 4:30 YLT) and He, having gone through the midst of them, went away." =

Although everyone had been bearing testimony of Him, and had been marveling at the grace - the unmerited favor - of His message and the miracles He had performed elsewhere, (Lk 4:14-15); when He commented after reading from the scroll: "Today [has] this writing been fulfilled in your ears," (Lk 4:21), implying that through Himself all men will have provision made for them for salvation unto eternal life in the Kingdom of God, deliverance from temporal difficulties and healing of blindness and other sicknesses; many Nazarenes asked, 'Is [He] not the son of Joseph?' implying a discrediting of His implication of being the Messiah / Savior - with a sense of perplexity and irritation because they had seen Him grow up amongst them in the village of Nazareth. Their irritation would mature to a violent wrath as reported in vv. 28-29, (Lk 4:22).

Jesus responded to them by answering the objections in the minds of the people of Nazareth about Him before they were expressed. The people of Nazareth wanted proof that the boy that grew up in their midst, who had not demonstrated to their satisfaction that He could be anything but what they viewed: someone who had grown up before their eyes for 30 years without performing a single miracle, who could not have not done the things that were currently being reported about Him in the surrounding region. So they would demand proof of the miracles, and of His Messiahship. But their mindset would block their belief in Him - no matter what Jesus did or said. So Jesus said to them, "Certainly, [you] will say to Me this [parable], 'Physician, heal [yourself]; [so] as great things as we heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country." In other words, Jesus was saying that those in Nazareth will claim that just as it says in the parable, 'Physician heal yourself;' so the great things that the Nazarenes had heard Jesus had done in Capernaum, they would demand that He should also do in His own country - where He was brought up. There was a tone of skepticism amongst those from Nazareth. They had evidently heard of great things that Jesus had previously done in Capernaum, (Lk 4:23), and they evidently did not believe that they were true. In their minds, they thought that Jesus should prove Himself to them all the more because He was from their own 'country.' They knew Him from His youth to be nothing of the sort that people in the region were claiming Him to be and have done.

It seems to be true that familiarity with someone can easily result in contempt for that person when they have become famous / important / accomplished, etc. - an expression of the tendency for man to be jealous of others. Jesus would later bring up the examples of Elijah and Elisha who in their day were largely rejected by their own people of their own time - the Jews, but accepted by later generations as well as Gentiles, (Lk 4:23).

So Jesus responded to their arrogance and disbelief with, "Verily I say to you - No prophet is accepted in His own country." Twice Jesus would use the expression rendered, Verily I say unto you," (v. 24), and "But I tell you truly," (v. 25), in this passage to emphatically assert the solemnity - the great importance - and the authority of His point of their unwillingness to accept Who He was. Jesus was anticipating their rejection of Him - already discerning their negative mental reservation toward Him as the Prophet and Messiah of Scripture promised to come and bring salvation to mankind.

Jesus used several examples from Scripture, the first one told of the many wives who became widows in the days of Elijah when there was no rain for 3 1/2 years, causing famine throughout the land. (Note that 1 Kgs 17:1 and 18:1 have Elijah declaring no rain for a time and then rain would come in the third year - after his announcement. Lk 4:25 and James 5:17 stipulate that it did not rain for 3 1/2 years. The difference being from the time Elijah announced the rain to resume in the third year, Luke and James indicating the total time of no rain of 3 1/2 years).

When Jesus explained that Elijah was sent by God only to the widow in Sarepta of Sidon - a Gentile woman, and that there was no relief elsewhere - in Israel; the message was clear that God did not exclude Gentiles from blessing, nor did He always favor His chosen people - especially when they would not believe in His message He sent through His prophets. There was widespread unfaithfulness to God amongst the Israelites of this time, (cf. 1 Kings chapters 17 & 18; 2 Kg 5:1-14). During this period judgment came upon the nation in the form of famine. The only people to receive healing were Gentiles. With such an allusion, Jesus warned His listeners not to be unfaithful like their ancestors by rejecting His message. This evidently caused Jesus' audience to become all the more enraged. He implied that there would be no special favors forthcoming in the form of miracles. Jesus was not influenced by home ties, traditions or His people unless they believed in Him, (Lk 4:24-26).

Jesus then declared - to further emphasize His reason for not responding to their demand to perform miracles - that many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian - a Gentile. There was no relief in Israel because of their disbelief. Jesus' message was that He was not going to teach, preach or perform miracles in His home country because He was not accepted there - they were hard hearted. The people of Nazareth were sure to understand Jesus' response to their mindset. He had accused them of the same disbelief of their ancestors in the prophets whereupon God disciplined them with leprosy and famine, and during that time only some Gentiles saw relief. And now, their Messiah was in their midst and they were just as hard hearted toward Him as their ancestors had been toward the prophets. Instead of repenting, they became furious and murderous. The Jews from Nazareth were provoked to anger because Jesus had used Naaman - a Gentile who they viewed as only to be subject to God's judgment - to show God's mercy and blessing upon a Gentile instead of a Jew, that was unthinkable. And Jesus' message that they were unworthy of Jesus' miracles as their ancestors were unworthy of miracles from Elijah and Elisha was bound to push them into an angry violent response if they refused to repent, (Lk 4:27).

Jesus' response to the disdainful mentality of those in his own "country," angered many in the Nazareth synagogue and they rose up and thrust Him out of the city and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the city had been built in order to throw Him down over the cliff, the Greek words implying in a violent manner. Despite their murderous intent, Jesus passed through their midst and went on His way, implying a supernatural rescue.

Although Israel was God's chosen people, the Jews of first century Nazareth, as did their ancestors, contaminated and short circuited their mission to take the gospel to the world. Instead they became arrogant and self serving and exclusionary. God's purpose in choosing them was for them to be messengers and examples to the world of their God so that the message of the gospel of salvation through the One Whom God would send would be shared with all people, including the Gentiles. But they attempted to restrict God's blessings and the message of salvation to themselves. They even contaminated it by diminishing the grace of God, and adding the requirement of being Jewish and keeping a contaminated version of the Mosaic Law in order to secure eternal life in the Kingdom of God. So Gentiles were ostracized and rejected and declared to be under God's eternal judgment. The Jews of Nazarath and everywhere, except for the elect, were motivated to hatred of non-Jews because they twisted God's message of grace to agrandize themselves and to serve their own purposes. God's people could not accept the truth that God viewed Jews and non-Jews on the same basis. And here was this young Nazarene, one raised among them, who was spouting declarations that God heard the prayers of Gentiles!

The city of Nazareth in Jesus' time was evidently situated in hilly terrain on a slope of a hill among the ridges of the southern slopes of the Galilean hills. It evidently had a cliff of sufficient height from which one might be pushed off.

Note that the first century existence of the village of Nazareth in Jesus' time which was built on a hill ending in a cliff is not a conspiratorial figment of the gospel writers' collaborative imaginations, as some contend. In the first place, a conspiracy to invent a village that did not exist would have been discovered shortly after the gospels began to be circulated in the first century A.D. There is no substantive evidence that the writers had made up the existence of Nazareth in the first century, yet there are no contradictions in the writers' accounts - which points more to being factual than fantasy. The unsubstantiated claims of some that Nazareth did not exist until the second century ignore the fact that the Roman forces had been at work throughout the Palestinian area during first century, destroying villages, leaving ruins wherever they went to put down the Jewish rebellion in 66-70 A.D. in Galilee and Judea and the city of Jerusalem. Hence first century Nazareth was likely in ruins at the end of the first century; and it was evidently rebuilt in the second century.

Furthermore, the confirmed existence of a city named Nazareth in the second century near to the proposed location of the 1st century Nazareth was given the same name. Its residents were largely arabic. This second century Nazareth corroborates the Nazareth of the first century, for arabics would hardly have named their city an alleged fictitious name which was connected with a religion they did not believe in. Cities in the region were often rebuilt and retained their previous name. There now are a number of current archeological finds such as a Roman bath house on the site of the Nazareth of the first century, , [see also Wikipedia on 'Nazareth'] and a synagogue used currently as a Christian church.

The 3rd century historian Julius Africanus reported that during the persecution of Domitian in the late first century a man by the name of Conon was brought to trial. He is reported to have stated at his trial, "I am from Nazareth of Galilee. I am a descendent of Christ to whom I give worship since my forefathers."

An inscription was discovered dated about the 3rd or 4th century A.D. establishing the existence of Nazareth as a haven for refugee priests after the Jewish War, waged by Rome and culminating in the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. This inscription was erected by Jews (not Christians) decades before Helena, and certainly reflects data from the 1st century, (Lk 4:28-30).

III) [Lk 4:31-44]:

(Lk 4:31 YLT) "And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbaths,

(Lk 4:32 NKJV) And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.

(Lk 4:33 NKJV) Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice,

(Lk 4:34 YLT) saying, 'Away, what - to us and to [You], Jesus, O Nazarene? Did You come to destroy us; I have known [You] who [You are] - the Holy One of God.'

(Lk 4:35 NKJV) But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet, and come out of him!' And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.

(Lk 4:36 YLT) and amazement came upon all and they were speaking together, with one another, saying, 'What [is] this word, that with authority and power He [does] command the unclean spirits and they come [out]?

(Lk 4:37 NASB) And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district.

(Lk 4:38 YLT) And having risen out of the synagogue, He entered into the house of Simon, and the mother-in-law of Simon was pressed with a great fever, and they did ask Him about her,

(Lk 4:39 YLT) and having stood over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her, and presently, having risen, she was ministering to them.

(Lk 4:40 NASB) While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and [having laid] His hands on each one of them, He was healing them.

(Lk 4:41 YLT) And demons also were coming [out] from many, crying out and saying - [You are] the Christ, [i.e., the Messiah], the Son of God;' and rebuking, He did not [permit] them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

(Lk 4:42 YLT) And day having come, having gone [out], He went on to a desert [i.e., solitary] place, and the multitudes were seeking Him, and they came unto Him, and were [detaining] Him - [that He might] not go on from them,

(Lk 4:43 HOLMAN) But He said to them, 'I must proclaim the good news about the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I [have been] sent for this purpose.'

(Lk 4:44 NKJV) And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee."

A) (Lk 4:31-44) JESUS CAME DOWN TO CAPERNAUM, A CITY OF GALILEE. HE WAS TEACHING THE PEOPLE ON THE SABBATHS THERE. THEY WERE ASTONISHED AT HIS TEACHING, FOR HE SPOKE WITH AUTHORITY. ONE TIME IN THE SYNAGOGUE THERE WAS A MAN WHO HAD A DEMON, WHO CRIED OUT THROUGH THE MAN, "AWAY, WHAT TO US AND TO YOU JESUS O NAZARENE? DID YOU COME TO DESTROY US; I HAVE KNOWN YOU WHO YOU ARE - THE HOLY ONE OF GOD" - A DECLARATION OF WHO JESUS WAS - THE MESSIAH, THE CHOSEN ONE OF GOD. JESUS ESTABLISHED THAT HE INDEED WAS THE HOLY ONE OF GOD BY DEMONSTRATING HIS AUTHORITY OVER THE DEMON BY REBUKING HIM TO BE QUIET AND COMMANDING HIM COME OUT OF THE MAN. AND THE DEMON OBEYED. THE PEOPLE WERE AMAZED AT HIS AUTHORITY AND POWER. THE REPORT ABOUT HIM SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE SURROUNDING DISTRICT. JESUS LEFT THE SYNAGOGUE, WENT INTO THE HOUSE OF SIMON, WHEREUPON HE HEALED SIMON'S MOTHER IN LAW OF A FEVER. WHILE THE SUN WAS SETTING MANY CAME TO THE HOUSE WITH ILLNESES / DEMONS AND HE HEALED THEM ALL. HE CONTINUALLY DEMONSTRATED HIS AUTHORITY AND WHO HE WAS - THE SON OF GOD, THE CHRIST AS TESTIFIED TO BY THE DEMONS, WHOM HE COMMANDED TO COME OUT OF THOSE THEY POSSESSED. THE DAY HAVING GONE, JESUS WENT OUT TO A DESERT - A SOLITARY PLACE BUT THE MULTITIDUDES CAME AFTER HIM, DETAINING HIM SO THAT HE COULD NOT GO AWAY FROM THEM. BUT HE SAID TO THEM, "I MUST PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO THE OTHER TOWNS ALSO, BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN SENT FOR THIS PURPOSE." AND SO HE WAS PREACHING IN THE SYNAGOGUES OF GALILEE

(Lk 4:31 YLT) "And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbaths, (Lk 4:32 NKJV) And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. (Lk 4:33 NKJV) Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, (Lk 4:34 YLT) saying, 'Away, what - to us and to [You], Jesus, O Nazarene? Did You come to destroy us; I have known [You] who [You are] - the Holy One of God.' (Lk 4:35 NKJV) But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet, and come out of him!' And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. (Lk 4:36 YLT) and amazement came upon all and they were speaking together, with one another, saying, 'What [is] this word, that with authority and power He [does] command the unclean spirits and they come [out]? (Lk 4:37 NASB) And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district. (Lk 4:38 YLT) And having risen out of the synagogue, He entered into the house of Simon, and the mother-in-law of Simon was pressed with a great fever, and they did ask Him about her, (Lk 4:39 YLT) and having stood over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her, and presently, having risen, she was ministering to them. (Lk 4:40 NASB) While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and [having laid] His hands on each one of them, He was healing them. (Lk 4:41 YLT) And demons also were coming [out] from many, crying out and saying - [You are] the Christ, [i.e., the Messiah], the Son of God;' and rebuking, He did not [permit] them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. (Lk 4:42 YLT) And day having come, having gone [out], He went on to a desert [i.e., solitary] place, and the multitudes were seeking Him, and they came unto Him, and were [detaining] Him - [that He might] not go on from them, (Lk 4:43 HOLMAN) But He said to them, 'I must proclaim the good news about the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I [have been] sent for this purpose.' (Lk 4:44 NKJV) And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee." =

(Lk 4:31 YLT) "And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbaths," =

(Commentary on Lk 4:31) At some time Jesus came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, where He was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbaths. The phrase rendered "And He came down to Capernaum," in the YLT does not prove that Jesus necessarily came directly after being rejected and having to leave Nazareth, as some contend. Capernaum is by the Sea of Galilee at about 686 feet below sea level; so Jesus could have come from a number of places in Galilee of higher elevation.

The phrase rendered, "[Jesus] was teaching them, [imperfect tense] on the sabbaths [plural]," in the NKJV, indicates an ongoing action of teaching on multiple sabbath days, implying that Jesus customarily taught in the synagogue at Capernaum - just as He frequently taught in the synagogues throughout the rest of Galilee, (Lk 4:14-16).

(Lk 4:32 NKJV) "And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority." =

(Commentary on Lk 4:32) Those who heard Jesus in the Capernaum synagogue were astonished at His teaching especially because of the authority with which He taught. The rabbis supported their teaching by quoting other so-called authorities - other 'notable' rabbis; but Jesus would say, "Truly, truly, I say unto you..." His teaching was grounded in Scripture, especially about Who He was and what He had come to do. As He had done in Nazareth when He read and commented upon Isaiah 61:1-2a, to be the One Whom God had promised to Israel and to the world , He corroborated Scripture with everything He said and did; and Scripture authenticated Him with every word He spoke and every deed He performed. Jesus being the Son of God, presented a perfect interpretation of Scripture and did not defer to the interpretations made by others. He conducted Himself with godly wisdom and authority.

(Lk 4:33 NKJV) "Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, (Lk 4:34 YLT) saying, 'Away, what - to us and to [You], Jesus, O Nazarene? Did You come to destroy us; I have known [You] who [You are] - the Holy One of God.' " =

(Commentary on Lk 4:33-34) One time during His teaching in the Capernaum synagogue there came a man who had a spirit of an unclean, i.e., evil spirit / demon. And he - the indwelling demon - cried out with a loud voice, saying 'Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know Who You are - the Holy One of God.' " The Greek phrase, "ti hEmin kai soi," lit., "what to us and to you," is a colloquial expression asking the question best rendered, "What do we have in common?" implying that Jesus was intruding upon the demon's freedom. Then the demon asked the compelling question, "Did You come to destroy us?" - a mandate of the Son of God. The phrase rendered "the Holy One of God," was previously addressed in Isaiah chapter 49 which refers to Jesus Himself and to Whom His reading of the text in Scripture in the synagogue in Nazareth referred . Demonic activity was evidently common in the first century. But even today in cultures such as animist, Hindu, Buddhist, voodoo, witchcraft the Mormon religious group that was founded by an angel of light giving doctrine to Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormanism, there is evidence of demonic activity. The Big Bang 'Theory,' and Evolution is evidently a demonic doctrine that continues to be popular today, despite evidence to the contrary.

(Lk 4:35 NKJV) "But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet, and come out of him!' And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him." =

(Commentary on Lk 4:35) Jesus' response to the demon was to rebuke him and command him to be quiet - establishing His authority over him. Jesus admonished people and demons not to declare publically Who He was, evidently so as not to incite people to attempt a confrontation between Himself and authorities in order to overthrow the Roman rule. Jesus' purpose at this time was to declare the gospel of salvation unto the Eternal Kingdom of God and make provision for each individual via an atoning sacrifice for all sins, (cf. Lk 4:43). It was not His purpose at this time to conquer the world in order to establish that Kingdom. That was to come later. Jesus then commanded the demon to come out of the man. Whereupon the demon evidently came out violently, throwing the man into the midst of the people in the synagogue, but without hurting him.

(Lk 4:36 YLT) "and amazement came upon all and they were speaking together, with one another, saying, 'What [is] this word, that with authority and power He [does] command the unclean spirits and they come [out]?" =

(Commentary on Lk 4:36) The people were amazed at Jesus' authority and power. They were saying to one another, "What [is] this word, that with authority and power He [does] command the unclean spirits and they come [out]?" The Greek phrase "epitassei tois akathartois pneumasin," literally, He commands the unclean spirits," is in the present tense portraying repetitive action - implying that Jesus was continually doing this.

(Lk 4:37 NASB) "And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district. " =

(Commentary on Lk 4:37) The report about Jesus was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district, (Galilee). The imperfect tense implies continuous action: the people of the region were portrayed as being continuously amazed by Jesus' authority, wisdom and power in His teaching and over nature, diseases and demons:

1) [Compare Lk 4:14-15]:

(Lk 4:14 YLT) "And Jesus turned back in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a fame went forth through all the region round about concerning Him,

(Lk 4:15 YLT) and He was teaching in their synagogues, being glorified by all."

(Lk 4:38 YLT) "And having risen out of the synagogue, He entered into the house of Simon, and the mother-in-law of Simon was pressed with a great fever, and they did ask Him about her, (Lk 4:39 YLT) and having stood over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her, and presently, having risen, she was ministering to them." =

(Commentary on Lk 4:38-39) Jesus, having risen and gone out of the synagogue, entered the house of Simon in Capernaum where he lived with Andrew his brother and his family. The context indicates that this was the next chronological event. Simon's mother-in-Law was pressed with a great fever, about which Jesus was asked. She was evidently rather ill. So He stood over her and rebuked the fever. It left her and she was immediately ministering to those in the household.

(Lk 4:40 NASB) "While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and [having laid] His hands on each one of them, He was healing them. (Lk 4:41 YLT) And demons also were coming [out] from many, crying out and saying - [You are] the Christ, [i.e., the Messiah], the Son of God;' and rebuking, He did not [permit] them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ." =

(Commentary on Lk 4:40-41) "While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him..." It was the day after the sabbath; for Jesus had been teaching on the sabbath in the synagogue on the day He entered Peter's house. The people had evidently waited until that evening - after the sabbath had passed - when they could bring their sick to Jesus to heal.

"And [having laid] His hands on each one of them, He was healing them." Note that at times Jesus healed by speaking to or rebuking the illness, other times He laid hands on them, as He did here.

"And demons also were coming [out] from many, crying out and saying - [You are] the Christ, [i.e., the Messiah], the Son of God;' and rebuking, He did not [permit] them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ."

Jesus admonished people and demons not to declare publically Who He was, evidently so as not to incite people to attempt a confrontation between Himself and authorities in order to overthrow the Roman rule.

Luke reports again about the unrelenting pursuit of the people to be healed by Jesus of their diseases and their demonic possessions. It seems that this was their overwhelming concern - even over His teaching, His Messiahship. Luke remarks that the demons knew and persistently announced Who Jesus Christ was. The author declares that they were crying out, "[You are] the Christ, [i.e., the Messiah], the Son of God."

Luke previously addressed the term, "the Christ," in chapter 3 .

The term, "the Son of God," is defined in Luke's account of the temptation of Jesus in Luke 4:3 and 9 , and more particularly in Luke's account of when John the Baptist baptized Jesus, the beloved Son of God, in Luke chapter 3, .

(Lk 4:42 YLT) "And day having come, having gone [out], He went on to a desert [i.e., solitary] place, and the multitudes were seeking Him, and they came unto Him, and were [detaining] Him - [that He might] not go on from them," =

(Commentary on Lk 4:42) And when it was morning the next day, Jesus, evidently having healed the sick all night, went out into the desert - seeking solitude. But the crowds continued to seek Him. They were attempting to detain Him so that He would not go away; evidently so that they could continue to benefit from His miraculous healings and His teaching. His popularity in the region was immense.

(Lk 4:43 HOLMAN) "But He said to them, 'I must proclaim the good news about the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I [have been] sent for this purpose.'" =

(Commentary on Lk 4:43) But Jesus said to them, "I must proclaim the good news about the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I have been sent for this purpose." The Greek word "heterais," rendered "other" in the Holman translation means other of a different kind, i.e., Gentiles as well as Jews - Jesus' ministry was to the whole world, not just to Jews.

The Kingdom of God is defined as the place of God's rule, domain, and authority, (genitive of possession); hence of the whole universe. Man was given the liberty to choose whether or not he would cooperate with God's rule on earth for a number of ages; but the day would come when everyone must submit to God's authority through Jesus Christ His Son, Who would come to make provision for the atonement for the sins of the whole world and then would come to earth to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and reign over it forever. Jesus referred to this for example when He read from and commented upon Isaiah chapter 61,

Capernaum was the base for Jesus' Galilean ministry, (cf. Lk 4:31, 37, 43-44). He did many miracles and much teaching in Capernaum, but also throughout Galilee. Although Capernaum was at that time a worldwide strategic city - a busy international trade center - located on the great caravan trail, the famous Via Maris, (the 'way of the sea,' which began in Mesopotamia, passaged through Damascus, and made its way for hundreds of miles to Egypt, and although it afforded great and widespread attention for Jesus' ministry; nevertheless Jesus stated that His purpose was to minister to all whom He could reach - Jew and Gentile. So Jesus told those who urged Him to remain exclusive to Capernaum that He needed to move throughout the region and even further - to all peoples of the world.

(Lk 4:44 NKJV) "And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee." =

(Commentary on Lk 4:44) So Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues throughout Galilee.

An examination of the gospels of Matthew and Mark relative to this section in Lk 4:31-44, corroborates what Luke wrote without contradiction or conflict with the other gospel account:

CHART #2
Matthew	Mark	Luke
After Matthew's account of the healing of the Centurion's servant, (Mt 8:5-13; Lk 7:1-10 - which Luke did not place in chronological order ), author Matthew then writes of Jesus' healing of Peter's mother-in-Law. Matthew's account of the healing of Peter's mother-in-Law is not strictly stipulated as the next chronological event. It begins with "kai elthOn ho IEsous eis tEn oikian Petrou," lit., and having come [the] Jesus into the house of Peter" which allows for the passage of time and events from the healing of the Centurion's servant to the healing of Peter's mother-in-Law. Hence it is not strictly chronological. So Matthew's account allows for events and time between the healing of the Centurion's servant and the healing of Simon's Mother-in-Law	Mark 1:16-20 is Mark's account of Jesus' calling of the first disciples to immediately follow Him. Verse 21 continues this account in a chronological format with the disciples and Jesus going into Capernaum and immediately on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagagogue there and was teaching. Then - allowing for time and events in between - on one Sabbath, Jesus cast out demons from a man. Mark then declares Jesus' fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. The next verse, (Mk 1:29), begins with, "kai eutheOs ek tEs sunagOgEs elthOn eis tEn oikian SimOnos," lit., "And immediately out of the synagogue having gone forth they came into the house of Simon," - a clear chronological statement. Mark 1:21-28 (NKJV) 21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!" 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." 28 And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.''' So Mark's account corroborates the chronological order of Luke	Luke's account of Jesus's rejection in Nazareth, (Lk 4:16-30), is followed by "kai katElthen eis Kapernaoum" lit., and He went down into Capernaum." The conjunction "and" allows for time and events in between - hence a strict chronological format is not in view. The verb "went down," is not significant since Capernaum is by the Sea of Galilee, and most journeys to there from the region of Galilee would be down to sea level. Hence Jesus' leaving Nazareth cannot be imposed upon this verse, as some contend in order to create a conflict with Matthew. In Capernaum verse 31 indicates that Jesus was teaching on the Sabbaths. And on one Sabbath - allowing for time and events, Jesus cast out demons from a man, (Lk 4:31-37). The next verse is chronolocical. beginning with "anastas de ek tEs sunagOgEs eisElthen eis tEn oikian SimOnos," lit., having risen up and out of the synagogue, He entered into the house of Simon. Luke 4:31-37 (NKJV) 31 '''Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. 32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!" 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. 36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." 37 And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.''' So Luke's account corroborates the chronological order of Mark
Simon's Mother-in-Law Healed Matthew 8:14-15 (NKJV) 14 '''Now when Jesus had come into Simon's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.'''	Simon's Mother-in-Law Healed Mark 1:29-31 (NKJV) 29 '''Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.'''	Simon's Mother-in-Law Healed Luke 4:38-39 (NKJV) 38 '''Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house. But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. 39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.'''
Jesus Ministers Throughout Galilee Matthew 4:23-25; 8:16-17 (NKJV) 23 '''And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.''' Matthew 8:16-17 (NKJV) 16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses." '''	Jesus Ministers Throughout Galilee Mark 1:32-39 (NKJV) 32 '''At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You." 38 But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." 39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.'''	Jesus Ministers Throughout Galilee Luke 4:40-44 (NKJV) 40 '''When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!" And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. 42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent." 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.'''