Luke 4:17 “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:”    So, did the attendant choose the scroll to hand Jesus, or did Jesus choose it? By the wording here it seems the attendant just happened to hand…

Luke 4:16 “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.”    It was not at all surprising to those in attendance on this day that Jesus read. It had been His practice in…

Luke 4:15 “And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.”    And why was He glorified? His teaching. It was different from what the people had heard. The whole tone, motive, goal, and content were different from what they had heard from the Rabbis. The truth has a way of getting people’s attention.…

Luke 4:14 “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.”    Jesus was very widely known in the beginning of His ministry. Towards the end, and afterwards, though still well known, His ministry was not spoken of as much. Galilee and…

Luke 4:13 “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”    The wording here is quite revealing. For one thing, the devil gives up because he was out of things to try. The devil has a somewhat limited repertoire of tricks. After he exhausts these, he is…

Luke 4:12 “And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said,`You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”    Jesus is quoting here from Deuteronomy 6:16. All three of His quotations in this passage come from Deuteronomy. So, not only does He defeat the devil’s schemes, but He does it in a very…

Luke 4:11 “”and,`In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”    The devil will always use the same ploy. He constantly questions God’s most amazing attributes. God actually cares about us. He loves us. He watches over us. It is this very thing that makes God so…

Luke 4:10 “”For it is written:`He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’”    Since Jesus had been directly quoting Scripture, the devil decides to do the same. However, true to form, he twists it for his purpose. He leaves out the phrase ‘in all your ways’ as he quotes Psalm 91:11-12.…

Luke 4:9 “Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.”    This action would have drawn much attention. The idea was to do something very drastic, and public, to prove the identity of…

Luke 4:8 “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.’”    Almighty God is the only person that is to be accorded worship. It is His order for the universe. Satan understands this fully. And that…