Luke Chapter 4
Luke chapter 4
Scriptures
Today I will summarize Luke chapter 4 where Luke wrote about Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Where Jesus began his public ministry and where Jesus did numerous exorcisms and miracles. Jesus was left by the wilderness and he fasted while he went. Jesus ate nothing for 40 days straight. Then the temptations came. Satan tempted Jesus three times. The first time he said if you are the Son of God command this stone to turn into bread. You are hungry so use your authority and power to do it. Jesus replied and said,” It is written man shall not live on bread alone but by every word that comes out from the mouth of God”. Satan tried to tempt Jesus the second time again. He led Jesus to a place where he could see all the kingdoms of the world at one time. Satan said I will give you all the power of this world and all of its glory.
You can rule over everything. All the world has been handed over to me and I give power to whomever I wish. If you bow down and worship me all of this will be yours. Jesus answered and said it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Satan could not tempt him because Jesus knew the scriptures so well. Satan this time thought that Jesus is replying to me with scriptures. Now I will try to trick him using the scripture. Satan then led Jesus to Jerusalem and had him stand on the very top of the temple. He said with a wicked smirk on his face if you are the son of God throw yourself down from here. You like to use bible verses so here’s one for you.
Satan said it is written he will command his angels concerning you. They will bear you up and you won’t even strike your foot against a stone. Jesus replied get away from me you Satan for it is written that you shall not put the Lord your God to test. Satan failed again. When Satan finished the full fury of every temptation and when Jesus resisted everything, Satan had thrown at him. Satan left. Then angels came and ministered to him. Jesus then returned to Galilee in the power of the spirit and he began to teach in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus was given the book of Isaiah to read. He read,” The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. He closed the book and told everyone today the scripture prophecy has been fulfilled in your hearing. This prophecy is about me. Everyone understood what he said and they were shocked. Jesus just claimed to fulfill the prophecy that was written many centuries before. The people started speaking good things about him and wondered what else Jesus would do. Jesus heard them and read their thoughts. Instead of basking in their praise. Jesus started speaking you will turn against me.
You will say heal yourself, physician. Perform miracles here so that we can see them and believe you. I tell you no prophet is welcome in his hometown. Truly I tell you there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah but when the great feminine came he was sent to care for a widow in another country. There were lepers in Israel in the days of Elijah but none of them were cleansed and healed. Only a foreigner named Naman was healed. The people quickly turned on him all the people in the synagogue flew into a rage because of what Jesus was speaking. They drove Jesus out of the city and forced him to the top of a cliff. If Jesus had not departed himself from the crowd, they would have thrown him off and killed him. Just because it was not yet Jesus’s time everyone mysteriously froze in their tracks and Jesus walked through the crowd and left them.
Jesus went from there and healed many people like Peter’s mother-in-law. She had a fever but when Jesus rebuked the fever it immediately left her. Jesus healed many people who were possessed by demons too. He would heal demon-possessed people. On numerous occasions, Jesus would teach the people in the synagogue, and that was where he most frequently encountered the demon-possessed people. The demons would regularly try to interrupt and distract him. It would scream and say things like leave us alone. What business do we have with each other Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us before judgment day? We know who you are the Holy One of God the Christ but Jesus each time commanded them to be quiet and come out of the person. Everyone who saw this was shocked every time.
OBSERVATION
The thing I think the lord wants us to understand after reading this chapter is that Satan tempted Jesus with the full force of every kind of temptation and Jesus resisted each one perfectly. He showed us how to do it. God wants us to see that Jesus spoke the truth even when he knew that people would get angry with him. The Lord wants us to see that all the demons in the world know who Jesus Christ is and begged him not to punish them before Judgment day. God wants us to see that Satan is a real being not just an idea or personification of evil. God permitted Satan to have governmental powers over all the countries of the world. Satan could give that authority to anyone he chooses. God wants us to see that Jesus healed many people of different kinds of sicknesses and diseases including demon possession. The Bible stories are all factually correct. Come let us start reading it today. It is much more interesting than movies etc. It has all answers to your questions and problems and how to deal with them and lead a pure life. They tell us facts about what people did in those days, the life led and their experiences, and how God communicated with them and save them and punished them when it was needed or did not turn from their evil ways.
Prayer
Father, my chain breaker, I know that you want me to resist temptation. I know you have not allowed any temptation to befall me which is beyond my strength to resist. In you, I have the freedom to choose not to sin, and you have given me your spirit to stand firm against temptation. When I am tempted to sin, help me instead to focus on your goodness to me that is demonstrated by the cross. Fill me with your spirit and make me hate sin as much as you do. You have bought my life with the precious blood of your son. Father God, there is so much to see in your word. Enlighten me and anoint me more as I read the bible. May your word penetrate my whole being and transform me. Grant me the blessing to be a faithful disciple in believing in the word of God that I may be a light shining upon all who are in darkness. I make this prayer in the name of your beloved son our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
