Luke 4:1-44
There's a lot going in Luke 4, and the best part about that is, the chapter all revolves around Jesus. I enjoyed getting an up close look at a couple of days of Jesus' life--what He was doing and saying, and what different people's perception was of Jesus and how they responded to Him.
So rather than focus on one event or one portion of this passage (like we do most of the time), today read Luke 4 with a focus on what you can discover about Jesus. There are four different situations in this chapter, so there's plenty to draw from. So what are a couple of things you saw (maybe for the first time) about Jesus from Luke 4? Why is it significant to you? And how will you now use this information? Tami W.
I often think of what Jesus was feeling as a man, knowing that he was starting Gods will for him.
And think of myself, what am I doing for God?
Luke 4:42 tells us at daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place to pray. Despite his incredibly busy schedule and how tired he must have been from the all he did the previous day, he makes time where he can be alone to fellowship with God in prayer.
He took the initiative to go outside to a place and at a time where he would not likely be disturbed.
I'm reminded of the need to have a proper time and place where I can be alone to pray, uninterrupted by the phone calls, texts messages, emails, chores, or other things that can distract me.
For me, this time is usually early in the morning, This is the time I reconnect daily with God in prayer.
If Jesus took time to be alone with God in a special place, then what about us.....If we don't, then we will continue to be distracted by urgent things and lose our focus on the things most essential to the mission we've been called to do!
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Deborah
Christ Jesus was filled with the Spirit and He was sent into the dry, desolate desert to be tempted by Satan. God places us where He wills and it can be quite uncomfortable for us. Jesus defeated Satan through quoting Scripture, using the correct context, and we believers can do the same in overcoming fears and temptations. Later, Jesus was well received in His home town sysnagogue. People even marveled at His teaching and spoke well of Him until He uttered a doctrine they did not agree with. At that point, the people moved to kill Him. We preach God's Word and must not be surprised at opposition from people.
I can't say I learned anything new about Jesus. Jesus is perfect; He is without sin. He is not jealous, nor does He show favoritism. He does not subcumb to temptation or pride. He is without fear of rejection.
What is the purpose for reading the Word? It is not just a storybook about people who lived a long time ago, yet I think many of us treat the Word like a storybook. I believe the Word is supposed to teach us righteousness and to learn from others' mistakes.
In verses 5-8, the devil tempts Jesus with power and prestige. How many of us want that promotion for the power and presitge it brings? How many of us turn a blind eye in order to have more for ourselves? How many of us have taken the money from gas companies knowing it is destroying our water supply? How many of us work on the Sabbath (or make others work on the Sabbath), to have more money? Money, money, money, we sell our souls to money.
In verses 20-30, the people are enraged because Jesus doesn't give them special treatment. This reminds me of statements like: "We need to take care of our own first.", "Send them back.", "I don't get free help.", "Why should I help them?", and "It's not fair."
In verses 42-44, Jesus does not stay where He is wanted and everyone likes Him. It's easy to be a Christian in church and around our Christian friends. It's not so easy in the world. What do you do at work when others tell vulgar jokes, curse using the Lord's name, or blaspheme God? How do you spread the Word at work and the public?
I don't think we are supposed to read the Word; I think we are supposed to live it!
Jesus was well aware of how the human heart and mind worked.
He knew He wasn't going to be popular in His hometown, and that, once he started speaking directly, they were going to be downright angry.
He knew He didn't want the kind of publicity the demons He was casting out gave Him, because He knew the level of doubt that could bring to the minds of those who heard.
Knowing how the human heart and mind worked, Jesus was able to both minister in such a way that would be effective and anticipate when things were about to turn ugly. As a result, we read about Him escaping numerous scrapes seemingly effortlessly.
Not only this, but He knew who He was and where He stood with the Father. The combination of the two gave Him the confidence to do that effective effective ministry, face the ugly situations, and have a confident knowledge that God's will would be done.
Throughout Jesus' life here, He always focused on obeying God. The last three verses of this passage stand out to me because He was doing God's work by preaching in the synagogue, but He knew that He also needed to spread Good News to others.
Contentment is possible only when we follow God's leading. For some, that leading would have them stay "local", and serve Him from home. For others, God's leading may take them to far-away lands.
I need to resolve to live the urgency of contentment.
I wonder if the devil actually knew he was speaking to God. The way he spoke to Christ, he didn't seem to know.
On another point, Jesus had been baptized, He anounced His ministry, He was given full aproval puplically by the Father, He is lead to the wilderness by the Spirit. He fasts and prays, He is beginning His earthly ministry and who comes along, the devil. This is what happens in our lives when we come off a great victory,or a time of exhaustion. I remember an acrostic I was taught a long time ago. HALT, don't let yourself get too Hungry, too Anger, too Lonely, or to Tired. Which still holds true today, because these are times when you are the most vunerable to sin and temptation. Back then it helped to remember these things but today I can ad more important elements and that is don't let yourself go prayerless and bibleless. We can overcome because Christ shows us how, and He has overcome the world.
I love that Christ read His own Word and captivated the people listening. The didn't realize they were in the presence of almighty God. I love this passage in Isaiah. The passage is so compelling. We can see how powerful the gospel is, and what we are called to do. We can see our miserable state before Christ, and our great blessings given through Christ. I read this passage often to feel restored and to clarify my calling in this earth.
The people were happy with Christ until He said something convicting. It is suprising how fast the people turned on Christ. Well maybe it is not that suprising, today we are much the same. Our attention span is very limited. We like people until they
say or do something that ruffles our feathers. We quickly forget
all the good they have previously done sometimes.
Jesus went on with His ministry. He healed, He preached, He cast out demons, then the passage ends the same way it begins...Jesus goes to a quiet place alone, to pray. Beautiful Savior, God Almighty and Creator, but He needed His time to pray and be with the Father. How much more do we need it?
After reading Luke 4 I am aware that Jesus' temptation by Satan is to open my eyes to see that temptation will come no matter what but that I can learn from Jesus that no matter what wordly goods are offered to tempt me I should be strong and not give in. Jesus is Jesus all-powerful, majestic and God the Son but we can rely on Him and seek Him when these temptations come before us. Because we are human we are not strong enough but God will strengthen us if we call upon Him.
Having been tempted Jesus was revived and as He read from Isaiah 61 all eyes were upon Him. His work/His teaching on earth begun as He said to them, "This day is the Scripture fulfilled in your ears."
KJV
It also tells me that I too can share the Word by being a testimony to others and proclaim how wonderful our Saviour is.
May we all keep in His Word each day. May we praise and thank Him and pray without ceasing.
Master, weve worked hard all night long and caught nothing! But at Your Word, Ill let down the nets.
BUT AT YOUR WORD. YES LORD! AT YOUR WORD! He says Do Not Fear, over and over again. What can we be afraid of? He who is in us is greater that he who is in the world.
My focus was on how Jesus was not afraid or so tired and hungry that he couldn't or wouldn't answer the devil. i found it interesting that he made a point to tell him what was right. That gave me much thought that I have the same weapons. When the mind games start, i am tempted to get upset, say things I shouldn't instead of taking a moment and repeating truth from the word. It's powerful.
What stood out to me was that Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit, and that through the temptation of Satan and through almost being killed by those in the synagogue, He stayed about His father's business. He was steadfast in His ministry.
What this scripture reminded me of is to be steadfast in the Word because it is our weapon against temptation. Also, I noticed that when the temptation was over, the Word said, "And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time." Satan was not finished. While Jesus was teaching in the synogogue, one minute the people are in awe over Him until He said something they didn't like, and then, "Bam!" Just like that, they turned on Him and wanted to kill Him.
That's a lesson to me that Satan is relentless in his assaults, but when we have Jesus (whom is our focus), He gives us the power through the Word and the Holy Spirit to stand strong!
It is amazing and difficult to understand. Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was let by the Spirit in the desert where He was tempted by the Devil for forty days. The Devil asked negative questions of Jesus, in a trying way to tempt Him to prove to him, who He is. so he said "If you are the Son of God tell this stone to become bread." If Jesus did what he sarcastically asked to prove who He really is that would be obeying him.
When we think of when we are fasting, the temptation comes to eat something, but the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of God strengthens us not to even taste anything.
The Devil led Jesus to a high place and showed Him (in an instance) all the kingdoms of the world. I believe he thought Jesus could never resist his offer this time, after seeing all that power and glamour he displayed in such a flash. This was a huge temptation which only One like Jesus would resist.
Satan unrelenting, led Jesus to Jerusalem, up to the highest point of the temple. I notice the Devil always go to the highest place or pinnacle to tempt Jesus; that's where he was when he fell like lightening (in a flash).Fasting and prayer facilitate strength and enabling power to overcome. Jesus did not eat for forty days and being full of the Holy Spirit, who is greater in Jesus and in us, than he that is in the world, He was able to overcome. So then Jesus was first of all being led by the Holy Spirit when the Devil tempted Him. Verse 15b indicates "until an opportune time." The Devil took advantage of the opportune time when Jesus was weak and needed food; Jesus could just remain where He was and exercise His authority over the kingdoms of the world by just worshiping Satan and by taking a shortcut to come off the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem which would be His will and not the Father's but His Father's will was His command.
Jesus continued to be led in the power of the Holy Spirit (v.14) His custom was to go to the temple on the Sabbath to teach. Those who listened to Him were amazed at the gracious words that he spoke and they praised Him. The same people became contemptuous. Although Jesus impressed them so much, he was only the son of Joseph the carpenter which was not impressive. When He addressed their assumption and their question they became furious, drove Him out of the town; wanted to push Him off the cliff. We cannot take for granted the people who cheered this moment but will reject the same person cheered on the spur of the same moment.
Jesus did all that He came to accomplished. Fasted, prayed as long as Moses, overcame temptations, preached and taught in the temple, healed the sick, drove out demons. He was steadfast and unmovable and always abounding in His work.
I had more questions rather than revelations arise as I read through this. Why did Jesus follow Satan to the different places? What exactly is meant in verse 6 when the devil says “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to?" Why were the people so ticked off when Jesus said a prophet isn't accepted in his hometown? Also wondering about this verse "But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ". Wouldn't he want people to know that he is the Christ?