What does the chapter state, and what remains unreported?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Temptation claims, anticipated objections, exact prophetic examples and healing reports retain their speakers and limits.

Chapter breakdown

# Luke 4

Full of Holy Ghost, Jesus returns from Jordan and is led by Spirit into desert for forty days, tempted by devil, eating nothing and afterward hungry. Devil asks stone become bread; Jesus answers man lives not by bread alone but every word of God. From a high mountain devil shows all world’s kingdoms in a moment and claims their power and glory were delivered to him to give whom he will, offering them for worship. This is devil’s claim, not narrator’s verification of ownership. Jesus answers worship Lord and serve him only. At Jerusalem’s temple pinnacle devil urges a leap, citing angels bearing him; Jesus answers not to tempt Lord. Finished temptation, devil departs for a time without a stated future appointment.

Jesus returns in Spirit’s power to Galilee, fame spreading, teaching synagogues and magnified by all. At Nazareth, where brought up, he customarily enters synagogue on sabbath, stands to read and unfolds Isaias’s book. He reads Spirit’s anointing to preach to poor, heal contrite, deliver captives, restore blind sight, free bruised and preach Lord’s acceptable year and day of reward. Folding the book and returning it to minister, he sits under all eyes and says this day fulfilled in their ears. All give testimony and wonder at graceful words, asking whether he is Joseph’s son.

Jesus anticipates their saying physician heal thyself and asking Capharnaum works in his country; the narration does not first report an actual crowd demand. No prophet is accepted in his own country. During Elias’s three years and six months of shut heaven and great famine, he was sent among many widows only to Sarepta of Sidon; among many lepers in Eliseus’s time only Naaman the Syrian was cleansed. Hearing this, all in synagogue become angry, thrust Jesus out and lead him to hill’s brow intending to cast him headlong. He passes through their midst and goes away; no escape mechanism or internal nationalistic motive is supplied.

At Capharnaum, a city of Galilee, his sabbath teaching astonishes because his speech has power. A man with an unclean devil cries to be left alone, asks whether Jesus has come to destroy them and names him Holy One of God. Jesus commands silence and departure. Devil throws the man into midst and leaves without hurting him at all. Fear and questions about authoritative word and commanded spirits spread his fame through country. In Simon’s house his wife’s mother has a great fever; they beseech Jesus. Standing over her, he commands fever, which leaves, and she immediately rises and ministers. No bed or clinical mechanism is added.

At sundown, people bring various sick; he lays hands on every one and heals. Devils come out crying Son of God; he rebukes and forbids speech because they know he is Christ. The stated reason is retained instead of a conjecture about timing. At daybreak he goes to a desert place. Multitudes seek, come and try to stay him from departure. He says he must preach kingdom of God to other cities because sent for this, and preaches in Galilee’s synagogues.

The story inside

Desert temptations; Nazareth reading and rejection; Capharnaum teaching and cures; departure mission.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Kingdom ownership is devil’s claim.
2
Isaias reading includes day of reward. Nazareth demand is anticipated by Jesus.
3
Devils are silenced because they know Christ.

Test your recall

Forty days; high mountain; three years six months; Sarepta; Naaman; no hurt; every one; other cities.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 117199–117250
Luke Chapter 4 Christ’s fasting and temptation. He is persecuted in Nazareth. His miracles in Capharnaum. 4:1. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan and was led by the spirit into the desert, 4:2. For the space of forty days, and was tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 4:3. And the devil said to him: If thou be the Son of God, say to this stone that it be made bread. 4:4. And Jesus answered him: It is written that Man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word of God. 4:5. And the devil led him into a high mountain and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 4:6. And he said to him: To thee will I give all this power and the glory of them. For to me they are delivered: and to whom I will, I give them. 4:7. If thou therefore wilt adore before me, all shall be thine. 4:8. And Jesus answering said to him. It is written: Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 4:9. And he brought him to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple and said to him: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself from hence. 4:10. For it is written that He hath given his angels charge over thee that they keep thee. 4:11. And that in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone. 4:12. And Jesus answering, said to him: It is said: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 4:13. And all the temptation being ended, the devil departed from him for a time. 4:14. And Jesus returned in the power of the spirit, into Galilee: and the fame of him went out through the whole country. 4:15. And he taught in their synagogues and was magnified by all. 4:16. And he came to Nazareth, where he was brought up: and he went into the synagogue, according to his custom, on the sabbath day: and he
Lines 117252–117298
4:17. And the book of Isaias the prophet was delivered unto him. And as he unfolded the book, he found the place where it was written: 4:18. The spirit of the Lord is upon me. Wherefore he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart, 4:19. To preach deliverance to the captives and sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of reward. 4:20. And when he had folded the book, he restored it to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 4:21. And he began to say to them: This day is fulfilled this scripture in your ears. 4:22. And all gave testimony to him. And they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth. And they said: Is not this the son of Joseph? 4:23. And he said to them: Doubtless you will say to me this similitude: Physician, heal thyself. As great things as we have heard done in Capharnaum, do also here in thy own country. 4:24. And he said: Amen I say to you that no prophet is accepted in his own country. 4:25. In truth I say to you, there were many widows in the days of Elias in Israel, when heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there was a great famine throughout all the earth. 4:26. And to none of them was Elias sent, but to Sarepta of Sidon, to a widow woman. 4:27. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet: and none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian. 4:28. And all they in the synagogue, hearing these things, were filled with anger. 4:29. And they rose up and thrust him out of the city: and they brought him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. 4:30. But he passing through the midst of them, went his way.
Lines 117300–117348
4:31. And he went down into Capharnaum, a city of Galilee: and there he taught them on the sabbath days. 4:32. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his speech was with power. 4:33. And in the synagogue there was a man who had an unclean devil: and he cried out with a loud voice, 4:34. Saying: Let us alone. What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God. 4:35. And Jesus rebuked him, saying: Hold thy peace and go out of him. And when the devil had thrown him into the midst, he went out of him and hurt him not at all. 4:36. And there came fear upon all; and they talked among themselves, saying: What word is this, for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they go out? 4:37. And the fame of him was published into every place of the country. 4:38. And Jesus rising up out of the synagogue, went into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever: and they besought him for her. 4:39. And standing over her, he commanded the fever: and it left her. And immediately rising, she ministered to them. 4:40. And when the sun was down, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them to him. But he, laying his hands on every one of them, healed them. 4:41. And devils went out from many, crying out and saying: Thou art the son of God. And rebuking them he suffered them not to speak; for they knew that he was Christ. 4:42. And when it was day, going out he went into a desert place: and the multitudes sought him, and came unto him. And they stayed him that he should not depart from them. 4:43. To whom he said: To other cities also I must preach the kingdom of God: for therefore am I sent. 4:44. And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.