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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
(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 receive 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 - in order to enable Him to complete His mission to provide for remission of sins to Israel and all mankind and to commence His Eternal Kingdom on earth. 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 to Jesus in the second person as His Son, His one and only Son.
****** END OF EXCERPT FROM LUKE CHAPTER 3 ******
(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) 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 TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL. AFTERWARD, WHEN HE HUNGERED, THE DEVIL TEMPTED JESUS IN HIS HUMANITY BY TELLING HIM THAT IF (SINCE) HE WAS SON OF GOD THAT HE SHOULD MAKE A PARTICULAR STONE INTO BREAD SO THAT HE COULD SATISFY HIS HUNGER HE TEMPTED JESUS IN HIS HUMANITY TO OPERATE OUTSIDE THE SOVEREIGNTY AND WILL OF GOD THE FATHER AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD. THE DEVIL IMPLIED THAT HE BELIEVED THAT JESUS WAS "SON OF GOD;" BUT NOT THE ABSOLUTELY SOVEREIGN SON OF GOD WHO CANNOT SIN, MEANING 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."
(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.' " =
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 expressed repentance
to a moment of faith alone in Christ alone for such deliverance, (Lk
3:3-6, 16-17, 21-22 );
He 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 He was tempted by the devil.
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
designs upon the will of God. Jesus was to be continually tempted by the
devil especially in the three significant ways reported by Luke. Jesus in
His Humanity being tempted was a test of His faith in God the Father
through the work of the Spirit of God via being tempted by the evil
motivation of the devil. The inevitable successful testing
of Jesus - Who by His divine nature could not fail - 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. Note that it
had already been established in Luke chapters 1 through 3 and the book of
Isaiah referred to by author Luke, (Isa 40:3-5), that Jesus was
Perfect God and Perfect Man Who could not sin,
.
Jesus' temptation would also be driven by the devil's
willful ignorance that Jesus was the Son of God; not
believing that Jesus possessed the 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.
So Jesus did
not eat anything during the forty days. 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.
Afterward, when 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 Son, 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 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, the devil was tempting Jesus
to act on His own outside of the will of God, as if He could. There was no
mandate from God the Father to Jesus to prove to the devil that He was the
Son of God. Furthermore, Jesus had been commanded by God to fast after
which He would be attended to by ministering angels.
Jesus answered the devil, saying, "It [has] been written, that, not on bread only shall man live, but on every saying of God," (Dt. 8:3). The phrase rendered "Not on bread only shall man live" in the YLT declared that man cannot live, in the sense of sustaining his mortal life solely by physical sustenance. It is through every word that comes forth from the mouth of God, which encompasses all things necessary to sustain man, including physical sustenance. The phrase cannot be limited to the idea that man lives by physical sustenance and Scripture. The phrase goes beyond Scripture, it encompasses every word - every decree that has come from God. Hence 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 alone, i.e., "upon every word coming forth from the mouth of God."
So it is evident in Luke chapter four that 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 the battle with the devil was to be made exclusively through Scripture - through the power and truth of the words of God's Word, implying the inerrant authority of that book as God's Word, (Lk 4:4).
B) 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 WORLD TO JESUS IF HE WOULD FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP HIM, 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 is not feasible; 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.
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 "in a
moment in time." Note that the language of the text does not demand
that these temptations be in chronological order. 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. This is feasible with man's 21st century
technical capability, but it would take time to record and edit in order
to produce images of all the kingdoms of the world from one vantage point
to present in one moment. On the other hand, the devil, being a finite
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, 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. 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, 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 sinful / evil. Had it been possible for
Jesus to accept the proposal, 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. Jesus responded, "Get behind Me, Satan!
For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you
shall serve.' "
(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."
For the second
time in this passage, 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. This time,
Jesus addressed the devil as "Satan" which meant 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) 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' and was used for the tip, end, or edge of anything, including 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 the language of Luke's account need not demand strict historical sequence, especially since the use of the Greek word "kai" rendered "and" at the beginning of verses 3, 5, 9 are not necessarily conveying sequence of time. 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 attempted to validate his 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 by protecting Jesus from killing Himself when He jumped off the pinnacle.
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 especially relative to His being protected by angels insofar as He continued to trust in the LORD. It would not apply if He decided to arbitrarily, outside of the will of God, cast Himself down off the pinnacle of the Temple to test God's promise to protect Him.
The devil's request was for Jesus to prove to him and to the world that Jesus was "the Son of God" and as such had a special relationship with God the Father. By casting Himself off the pinnacle to certain physical death, Jesus would be forcing God to respond with a supernatural rescue through His angels. 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, (Lk 4:10-11; cf Ps 91:11-12).
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.
The devil did not trust or acknowledge the sovereignty of God or in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. He provoked God to anger; committed the sin of telling Jesus, the Son of God, to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem to provoke God to save His Son from destruction to prove out Jesus' Sonship as "Son of God," (Lk 4:9) - for an act that would be against the will of God - if that would be possible for Jesus, the Son of God, to commit such an act - and it was not. This was not only a test of the divine will of Jesus the Son of God, but of God the Father Himself - whether He could be provoked to respond outside of His will and violate His Righteous Character.
****** EXCERPT FROM PSALM 91 ******
(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 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;
(Ps 11:7a NKJV) "For the LORD is righteous,"
and since no man is righteous;
(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;
(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;
(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;
(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]:"
(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 ******
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 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, i.e., He in His Humanity 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 16:1-7:1-7).
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) [SUMMARY IN CAPS]:
(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;' (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." =
After the devil had ended every temptation and departed from Jesus until he might have an opportune time to further tempt Him, 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. As a result of Jesus' activites of performing miracles, preaching and teaching in the synagogues, a fame about Him went forth throughout the region, to the extent that Luke reported that He was "being glorified by all." Whereupon Jesus came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. According to His custom, on the Sabbath day, Jesus went in to the synagogue and stood up to read. A roll, ("scrollet"), of Isaiah the prophet was given to Him. He unfolded it and found a particular place, (Isa 61:1), and read it aloud to the congregation as reported by Luke and as rendered in the YLT:"[The] Spirit of [the] LORDis 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 no version of Isa 61:1 appears to have the phrase relative to the recovery of sight of the blind except the Septuagint. It is likely that that is the version that 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]:
(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"
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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. In view in this passage is One Who has had the Spirit of God placed upon Himself in the sense that God, through the indwelling Spirit:
(1) anointed,
i.e., chose, 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 may
mean poor, meek or humble as best fits the context. The word in Isa 61:1
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] 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] 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] 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 place 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] 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.
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. 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, Personified yet future as explained above, (Lk 4:18-21; cf. Isa 61:1-11).
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; when He commented after reading from the scroll: "Today [has] this writing been fulfilled in your ears," 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 / Savoir. Jesus responded 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. There is a tone of skepticism in view, i.e., they had evidently heard of great things that Jesus had previously done in Capernaum; and they evidently did not believe that they were true, and demanded that Jesus prove Himself to them in His and their own country.
Jesus then said, 'Truly I say, no prophet is accepted in His own country, He used the example of many wives who became widows in the days of Elijah when there was no rain, causing famine throughout the land; for Elijah was sent by God only to the widow in Sarepta of Sidon. There was no relief elsewhere. And Jesus added that many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. Again, no relief elsewhere, in "the home country" because of disbelief. So Jesus' message was that He was not going to teach, preach or perform miracles in His home country because He was not accepted there. This 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 city of Nazareth in Jesus' time was evidently situated in hilly terrain on a slope of a hill which had a cliff of sufficient height from which one might be pushed off. Note that the existence of the village of Nazareth in Jesus' time which was built on a hill nearby which is a cliffside is not proved to be a conspiratorial figment of the gospel writers' collaberative imaginations, as some contend. For had this been the case, such a conspiracy would have been discovered shortly after the gospels were circulated throughout the world, as early as the second century A.D. But there is no such refutation extant, only unsubstantiated claims which ignore the fact that the Roman forces had been at work throughout the Palestinian area during first century, destroying villages, leaving ruins where ever they went to put down Jewish rebellion especially in 66-70 A.D. in Galilee and Judea and the city of Jerusalem.
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," is significant because of Jesus' words, ""Today has this writing been fulfilled in your ears," 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, pointing to a later fulfillment, i.e., His Second Advent. On the other hand, Jesus, like any other rabbi, quoted enough to call the whole passage in mind, which passage provided further details of 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.
3) [Compare Isa 61:3-11]:
(Isa 61:3 Septuagint) that there should be given to them that mourn in Sion glory instead of ashes, the oil of joy to the mourners, the garment of glory for the spirit of heaviness: and they shall be called generations of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for glory.
(Isa 61:3 NKJV) To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them [i.e., a garland of] beauty for [i.e., instead] ashes, the oil of joy for [i.e., instead] mourning, The garment of praise for [i.e., instead] the spirit of heaviness [despair]; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
(Isa 61:4 Septuagint) And they shall build the old waste places, they shall raise up those that were before made desolate, and shall renew the desert cities, even those that had been desolate for many generations.
(Isa 61:4 NKJV) And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.
(Isa 61:5 Septuagint) And strangers shall come and feed thy flocks, and aliens shall be thy ploughmen and vine-dressers.
(Isa 61:5 NKJV) Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
(Isa 61:6 Septuagint) But ye shall be called priests of the Lord, the ministers of God: ye shall eat the strength of nations, and shall be admired because of their wealth.
(Isa 61:6 NKJV) But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast [yourselves].
(Isa 61:7 Septuagint) Thus shall they inherit the land a second time, and everlasting joy shall be upon their head.
(Isa 61:7 NKJV) Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.
(Isa 61:8 Septuagint) For I am the Lord who love righteousness, and hate robberies of injustice; and I will give their labour to the just, and will make an everlasting covenant with them.
(Isa 61:8 NKJV) For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery [, i.e., plunder] for burnt offering; I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
(Isa 61:9 Septuagint) And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring in the midst of peoples: every one that sees them shall take notice of them, that they are a seed blessed of God;
(Isa 61:9 NKJV) Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the posterity [lit., seed] whom the LORD has blessed.
(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."
Despite their murderous intent, Jesus passed through their midst and went on His way to Capernaum, a city of Galilee where He was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbaths, (Lk 4:28-31). There they were also astonished at His teaching especially because He taught with authority. One time in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he [in the sense of the indwelling demons] 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,' (Lk 4:22-30).
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20 We now have a description of the synagogue procedure. Jesus hands back the scroll to the 'attendant.' In addition to other services rendered to the synagogue (including at times the teaching of children), the attendant had the sacred duty of handling the revered scroll. After this was replaced in its cabinet or ark, the reader took the customary sitting position for instructive comments on the passage. Luke nowmakes the first of several comments on the response of the congregation, which is at first intense attention and ultimately hostility.
21 Jesus' comment is short but of the highest importance. We do not know whether He said more than Luke recorded. But that is not important, for the single sentence recorded is of profound significance. It annouinces the fulfillment of the reading from Isaiah concerning the subject of the prohecy (Jesus) and the time of God's gracious work ('today'). Since the Isaiah quotation lacks the phrase about the day of God's wrath, it must be understood that 'today' refers only to the part about God's grace.
The term 'fufilled' (peplErOtai) is not a prominent in Luke as in Matthew. Usually it occurs with a unique Luken meaning (cf comment on 7:1). Only here and in The Emmaus conversion (24:44) does Luke use the word i relation to the fulfillment of OT prophecy, and in both cases the Matthewn forumul fo fulfill what was spoken' is lacking. These two lone references to fulfillment stand out then at the beginning and end of Jesus' public apearances, emphasizing the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose in the ministry of Christ.
22 The repsonse of the audience to Jesus' comment on Isaiah's words has been variously interpreted. Most expositors take the words 'bore Him witness' (emartyroiun autO) as implying a positive attitude toward what He had said; hence NIV translates them 'spoke will of him.' The same verb is used in Acts 2212 of Aanias where NIVtranslates it 'was.. highly respected.' But J. Jeremia... taks it in a negative sense, as does the statement in v. 20b, asskulming that hostility against Jesus began when He did not refer tot he day of God's judgment. Te ambiguous nature of the passage continues with ehtaumazon ('were amazed'), which does not indicate clearly eith faovr or disfavor. The cause of their amazement was Jesus' 'gracious words' 9oi logoi tEs hcharitos) - i.e., the kind and wise manner of his speech or of what he said about the grace of God. A near parallel in Acts 43:3 suggests the latter, but there it is 'word' (ho logos, singular, i.e., 'message') of grace, which is closer to the phrase 'the gospel of God's grace' in Acts 20:24.
Certainly Luke appreciates and conveys the gracious nature of Jesus' ministry. But at some point, here or shortly after, the hositlity of the audience begins. Does the question 'Isn't thi Joseph's son? indicate hostiltiy? The question does seem to express perplexity and irritation at this man who grew up in the home of a fellow Nazarene and is now making such impressive claim. The question could be colloquially rendered: He's Joseph's son, this one, isn't he?
23 Jesus' response is not intended to reassure His audience but rather to draw out their subconscious attitudes. The future tense in 'you will quote' (ereite) might refer to another occasion, especially if we assume that Jesus has not yet preached in Capernaum. Yet this incident might be the same as that recorded in Mt 13:53-58 and Mark 6:1-6. Both Gospels have made prior references to Jesus' preaching in Capernaum. Mt 4:13 says Jesus lived there and Mark 1:21-28 tells of His teaching and popularity there. It is not necessary, however, to go to the other Gospels for support; Luke himself records an apparently extensive and popular ministry in Galilee prior to this time (4:14-15). It would be strange if this had not included Capernaum. It is, therefore, more likely that Jesus is expressing the reply He would expect the people to make in response to His message in the synagogue - namely, that they would challenge Him to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy by doing miracles in the presence of those who heard him. Throughout His ministry Jesus would be challenged to do miraculous signs (e.g., 11:16, 29) to prove His claims.
24 'I tell you the truth' (amEn lEgO hymin) is used six times in Luke to introduce a solemn assertion. This expression shows the authority with which Jesus spoke and is clearly an authentic word of Jesus. This introductory formula with the Greek word for 'amen' appears often in Mark and even more frequently in Matthew, especially in the material unique to that Gospel. Luke includes a few other quotations in which he changes the 'amen' to its equivalent in idiomatic Greek, most notably in 9:27: legO dE hymin alEthOs ('I tell you the truth').
Here the statement so solemnly introduced anticipates Jesus' rejection. It sees Him as a rophet and may be a variation of the saying found in Mt 13:57 and Mk 6:4. The difference is in the sentence structure and in Luke's use of the word 'accepted,' the same adjective (dektos) used in v. 19 to describe the year of the LORD. The double use of this word in this context may be intended to show that, though God desires to accept the people, they do not respond by accepting the Prophet Who tells them of God's grace. The 'proverb (parabolE, v. 23) itself is apparently a version of a common adage making the point that whoever achieves greatness is never fully trusted back home. But here its meaning is the deeper one that Jesus stands in the line of the prophets who were rejected by their own people.
25-27 These verses are introduced by Jesus saying, 'I assure you' (v. 25), a phrase very like the 'amen' formula in v. 24. Observe that Jesus does not state here that the prophets Elijah (v. 26) and Elisha (v. 27) went to Gentiles because they were rejected by the Jews; rather, they went because they were sent there by God. Jesus' audience is becoming more and more enraged as they realize that they will receive no special favors from him and that he considers himself above home ties and traditions.
28-30 Nazareth lay among the ridges of the southern slopes of the Galilean hills. Jesus allowed the crowds to drive Him (v. 29) out of the town (as He later did on going to the place of crucifixion). But it was not yet his time to die, and by some unexplained means he made his way out (v. 30).
NOTES ON VV. 16-30
The location of this narrative in Luke has been a major problem of critical scholarship. If the similar incident recorded in Matthew 13:53-58 and Mark 6:1-6 is actually a different and later occurrence, several questions arise. Did the same sort of event take place twoce? In that case it would seem strange that Jesus would return a second time and meet a similar incredulous response, as though no such incident had occurred before. Yet even though this may seem improbable, it is not for us to judge it impossible. Also the wording in Mt and Mk, including most of the dialogue portion, is almost totally different from that in Luke.
Nevertheless, a case may be made for the same incidents being described in all three Synoptics. If so, Luke has simply placed it earlier in his narrative. It may be, as often suggested, that he had theological reasons for placeing it early, in order to show the progression of the gospel from Mesish environs to the Gentil world andRome (at the end of Acts). Luke emphasizes this progression by featuring here the statemtns about the extent of God's grace to the Gentiles. On the other hand, the order may reflect Luke's care in following a source or combination of sources in which this indicent did in fact stand at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. This explanation is congruous with the remarkable fact that not oonly Mark but even Matthew, who is so interested in the fulfillment theme, does not include the quotation from Isaiah. If Luke has used a different source than those known to Matthew, the whold matter is clarfied and Luke as written an 'orderly account' (1:3.
At any event, this is a crucial passage in Luke... On the Isaiah quotation itself and its use by Jesus,....
16 AvEstE anagnonai (anestE anagnOnai, 'he stood up to read') shows the synagogue custom of standing to read Scripture and sitting to preach. The first reading, following the shema - 'Hear, O Israel...' (Dt 6:4) - and prayers, was of the passage for the day from the lectionary (selected verses of Bible readings) of the Pentateuch. The second reading was from the Prophets. The choice of the passage may have still been up to the reader in Jesus' day.
18 Eniauton kuriou dEkton is literally the 'acceptable' (RSV) or 'favorable' (NASB) 'year of the LORD.' NIV both expresses the meaning here and follows the Hebrew text (cf. Isa 61:2 NIV). Luke's text follows the LXX.
19 'Eniauton kuriou dektoun (is literally the 'acceptable' (RSV) or 'favorable' (NASB) 'year of the LORD. NIV both expresses the meaning here and follows the Hebrew text (cf. Isa 61:2 NIV). Luke's text follows the LXX.
20 The verb atenizO 'to fasten on, in the phrase hoi ophthaloi Esan atenizontes autO, 'the eyes... were fastened on him'O, is used once more in Luke 22:56 and ten times in Acts. It is ususlly found in situations of extreme emotion, e.g., of thos wathcing the ascension of Christ... and of Spephen looking into heaven just before his martyrdom (Acts 7:55). It can connote hostility (Acts 13:9). In a somewhat parallel situation, the Sanhedrin 'looked intently' at Stephen at the beginning of his trial, 'and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.' Here (v. 20), since no hostility to Jesus has yet been expressed, we cannot take atenizontes ad meaning more than intense anticipation of how Jesus will interpret the Isaiah passage.
21
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4. JESUS' TEMPTATION IN THE AREA OF THE TIMING OF HIS MINISTRY (4:9-12)
4:9-12.
However, Jesus was aware of the implication. To receive the acceptance of the people without going to the cross would be to question whether God was really in the plan at all. That was exactly the situation Moses wrote about in Dt 6:16, which Jesus quoted. Moses referred back to a time when the people wondered whether God was really with them (Ex 17:7). But Jesus was confident of the fact that God was with Him and that the Father's plan and timing were perfect. So Jesus would not fall for Satan's temptation.
5 SATAN'S DEPARTURE FROM JESUS (4:13)
4:13 The devil departed, not permanently, but only until a latter more opportune time.
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4:9 The pinnacle of the temple may refer either to the high temple gate or to the southeast corner of the temple that loomed over a cliff some 450 feet high.
4:10, 11 He shall give His angels charge over you: Satan cited Ps. 91:11, 12, reminding Jesus of God?s promise of protection. However, the mere use of biblical words does not always reveal God?s will, particularly if they are placed in the wrong context.
4:12 You shall not tempt the Lord: In response to Satan?s third temptation, Jesus cited Deut. 6:16. God is to be trusted, not tested. The Deuteronomy passage refers to Israel?s attempt to test God at Meribah (see Ex. 17:1?7). Jesus would not repeat the nation?s error of unfaithfulness to God.
4:13 until an opportune time: This was but the first of several encounters Jesus had with Satan and his forces (11:14?23).
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Luk 4:14-32 . JESUS ENTERING ON HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY, MAKES A CIRCUIT OF GALILEE--REJECTION AT NAZARETH.
Note.--A large gap here occurs, embracing the important transactions in Galilee and Jerusalem which are recorded in Jhn 1:29 - 4:54 , and which occurred before John's imprisonment ( Jhn 3:24 ); whereas the transactions here recorded occurred (as appears from Mat 4:12, 13 ) after that event. The visit to Nazareth recorded in Mat 13:54-58 (and Mar 6:1-6 ) we take to be not a later visit, but the same with this first one; because we cannot think that the Nazarenes, after being so enraged at His first display of wisdom as to attempt His destruction, should, on a second display of the same, wonder at it and ask how He came by it, as if they had never witnessed it before.
16. as his custom was--Compare Act 17:2 .
stood up for to read--Others besides rabbins were allowed to address the congregation. (See Act 13:15 .)
18, 19. To have fixed on any passage announcing His sufferings (as Isa 53:1-12 ), would have been unsuitable at that early stage of His ministry. But He selects a passage announcing the sublime object of His whole mission, its divine character, and His special endowments for it; expressed in the first person, and so singularly adapted to the first opening of the mouth in His prophetic capacity, that it seems as if made expressly for this occasion. It is from the well-known section of Isaiah's prophecies whose burden is that mysterious "SERVANT OF THE LORD," despised of man, abhorred of the nation, but before whom kings on seeing Him are to arise, and princes to worship; in visage more marred than any man and His form than the sons of men, yet sprinkling many nations; laboring seemingly in vain, and spending His strength for naught and in vain, yet Jehovah's Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and be His Salvation to the ends of the earth ( Isa 49:1-26 , &c.). The quotation is chiefly from the Septuagint version, used in the synagogues.
19. acceptable year--an allusion to the jubilee year ( Lev 25:10 ), a year of universal release for person and property. (See also Isa 49:8 2Cr 6:2 .) As the maladies under which humanity groans are here set forth under the names of poverty, broken-heartedness, bondage, blindness, bruisedness (or crushedness), so, as the glorious HEALER of all these maladies, Christ announces Himself in the act of reading it, stopping the quotation just before it comes to "the day of vengeance," which was only to come on the rejecters of His message ( Jhn 3:17 ). The first words, "THE SPIRIT of the LORD is upon ME," have been noted since the days of the Church Fathers, as an illustrious example of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost being exhibited as in distinct yet harmonious action in the scheme of salvation.
20. the minister--the chazan, or synagogue-officer. all eyes . . . fastened on Him--astounded at His putting in such claims.
21. began to say, &c.--His whole address was just a detailed application to Himself of this and perhaps other like prophecies.
22. gracious words--"the words of grace," referring both to the richness of His matter and the sweetness of His manner ( Psa 45:2 ).
Is not this, &c.--(See on JF & B for Mt 13:54-56). They knew He had received no rabbinical education, and anything supernatural they seemed incapable of conceiving.
23. this proverb--like our "Charity begins at home."
whatsoever, &c.--"Strange rumors have reached our ears of Thy doings at Capernaum; but if such power resides in Thee to cure the ills of humanity, why has none of it yet come nearer home, and why is all this alleged power reserved for strangers?" His choice of Capernaum as a place of residence since entering on public life was, it seems, already well known at Nazareth; and when He did come thither, to give no displays of His power when distant places were ringing with His fame, wounded their pride. He had indeed "laid his hands on a few sick folk and healed them" ( Mar 6:5 ); but this seems to have been done quite privately the general unbelief precluding anything more open.
24. And he said, &c.--He replies to the one proverb by another, equally familiar, which we express in a rougher form--"Too much familiarity breeds contempt." Our Lord's long residence in Nazareth merely as a townsman had made Him too common, incapacitating them for appreciating Him as others did who were less familiar with His everyday demeanor in private life. A most important principle, to which the wise will pay due regard. (See also Mat 7:6 , on which our Lord Himself ever acted.)
25-27. But I tell you, &c.--falling back for support on the well-known examples of Elijah and Elisha (Eliseus), whose miraculous power, passing by those who were near, expended itself on those at a distance, yea on heathens, "the two great prophets who stand at the commencement of prophetic antiquity, and whose miracles strikingly prefigured those of our Lord. As He intended like them to feed the poor and cleanse the lepers, He points to these miracles of mercy, and not to the fire from heaven and the bears that tore the mockers" [STIER].
three years and six months--So Jam 5:17 , including perhaps the six months after the last fall of rain, when there would be little or none at any rate; whereas in 1Ki 18:1 , which says the rain returned "in the third year," that period is probably not reckoned.
26, 27. save . . . saving--"but only." (Compare Mar 13:32 , Greek.)
Sarepta--"Zarephath" ( 1Ki 17:9 ), a heathen village between Tyre and Sidon. (See Mar 7:24 .)
28, 29. when they heard these things--these allusions to the heathen, just as afterwards with Paul ( Act 22:21, 22 ).
29. rose up--broke up the service irreverently and rushed forth. thrust him--with violence, as a prisoner in their hands. brow, &c.--Nazareth, though not built on the ridge of a hill, is in part surrounded by one to the west, having several such precipices. (See 2Ch 25:12 2Ki 9:33 .) It was a mode of capital punishment not unusual among the Romans and others. This was the first insult which the Son of God received, and it came from "them of His own household!" ( Mat 10:36 ).
30. passing through the midst, &c.--evidently in a miraculous way, though perhaps quite noiselessly, leading them to wonder afterwards what spell could have come over them, that they allowed Him to escape. (Similar escapes, however, in times of persecution, are not unexampled.)
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