Luke 4:16-30

 Luke 4:16-30 NASB

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “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, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ” And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 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. But passing through their midst, He went His way.

Luke 4:1-15 Jesus in the Wilderness

 The Temptation of Jesus

4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around [a]by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of [b]the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and [c]its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore if You [d]worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’

11 and,

‘On their hands they will bear You up,

So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Jesus’ Public Ministry

14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. 15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.



Questions to ponder about:

Describe this wilderness experience of Jesus.
Jesus was fasting for 40 days, the significance of 40 days in the Bible is enormous.

In What ways is he susceptible to Satan's attacks?
Physically Hungry, Alone without any one, No source of anything of the world like shelter.

At what times are you most susceptible to Satan's attacks?
In our highs and lows.

Compare the three tests Satan puts to Jesus as to 
a. specific content: Easu's example, if questions...
b. appeal to what aspect of human nature: Imagination, Deception, 
c. progression in intensity: From the inference of Jesus' response... "It is Written"..

Jesus' reply: 
Not only to physical or material...but Spiritual
We are not created to worship anything except to Worship God.
We are not to test God.

What is the real issue of the first temptation?
Real issue is "Spiritual" not "Physical".

How does the second test clarify your understanding for the problem of evil and world affairs?
Problem of evil and world affairs are "putting imagination instead of actual things", "distorting Truth", "Deception" 

Explain how Jesus' answer to the third test is a fitting response to Satan's challenge?
Jesus responded not only by saying "What is Written", but "What not to do". By this answer Satan left. Because if we are asked to "test" God and we don't that is the ultimate success. Testing God is "Not obeying his Word", "It is testing his patience and not being patience with him", "It is being insecure", "It is not trusting God"... etc So, everyday we are being tested to test God, but we as like Jesus should be shrewd enough to answer the evil.

Do you recognize temptation for what it is? 
Physical or Psychological
Imagination or Deception
Testing or Doubting

Are the issues here still temptations to the Christian church?
Yes, even more. Hebrews 12:16 - See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.

How are these temptations inconclusive(not leading to a firm conclusion or result; not ending doubt or dispute)? 
It is so inconclusive that only God can answer, God will not allow us to be tempted these way - 1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken hold of you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which ye are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

James 1:13-15

King James Version

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.


Of what value to you is knowing that Jesus has been tempted in every way you are?
Hebrews 4:15 - For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.

Describe his return to Galilee. Imagine Satan's reaction to these facts.
v14-15 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. 15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

the very reason the devil thought Jesus to stumble and fail, Jesus won it victoriously, his reaction will be very sad because by the power of the Spirit, Jesus' news spread through all the surrounding district. And Jesus began teaching in their synagogues and was "PRAISED BY ALL" - "Only God is to be Praised".