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LUKE 4

STUDY MATERIAL

 

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  • Luke 4  

Temptations

Nazareth Synagogue Announcement

Apostles

 

TEMPTATIONS  (LUKE 4:1–13)

 

The Joseph Smith Translations (JST) adds clarification

  1. Jesus went to the wilderness to pray, fast, and be with God—not with Satan. (see JST Matt 4:1)

  2. The Spirit took Jesus to various locations (as in 1 Nephi 11:1, 19-21; Hel 10:16-17; Acts 8: 39-40).

  3. Satan came to Jesus—AFTER his fast—Jesus didn’t go looking for him (and neither should we!!).

  4. Temptations or Satan’s presence came after Spiritual experiences, not during.

 

 

Background:

  1. Satan’s temptations were possibly the third most grievous experience Jesus endured (~Gethsemane, cross)

  2. Only Matt and Luke give a full account of the Temptations--suggesting they had a different source, “Q.” 

  3. Mark gives one verse about wild beasts in the wilderness/dessert (quoting Psalms 41:31 and Job 5:23)

  4. The Hebrew and Greek meaning of “tempt” is to try, test, or prove.

 

 

TEXT
LUKE 4

 

4:1      Luke’s account got the story right (JST changes Mt who has the devil leading him)! Jesus was “full of the Spirit” after His baptism and led by the Spirit into the wilderness to commune with God.

 

Where has the Spirit led you?

 

I presume the Spirit or God prepared Jesus spiritually for His mission.

 

4:2      JST adds “after 40 days the devil came unto him to tempt him.”

 

The number 40 saturates the Bible as a purification period.

 

  • Purification period of a woman after childbirth of a son 7 days + 33 days (Lev 12:1-4)

  • Moses on Sinai also fasted from bread and water for forty days and nights (Deut 9:9)

  • Moses’ spies searched out the land of Israel 40 days (Num 13:25)

  • Elijah fasted 40 days when he went to Mt. Sinai (Horeb) through the wilderness (1 Kgs 19:8)

  • Ch. of Is. in wilderness 40 years eating manna, w/o clothes wearing out or feet swelling (Ex 16:35; Duet 8:4)

  • Noah’s 40 days of rain, 40 days of flood, 40 days to open the window (Gen 7:4, 12, 17; 8:6)

  • Isaac’s age when he married Rebekah, Esau age when married Judith and Bashemath.

  • Jacob / Israel 40 days after death for embalming and Egyptian purification (Gen 50:3)

  • Goliath taunted Saul’s army 40 days before David arrived (1 Sam 17:16)

  • Jonah prophesied that Ninevah would be destroyed in 40 days if they did not repent (Jonah 3:4)

  • Jesus’ post-resurrection ministry lasted 40 days (Acts 1:3)

  • Jesus fasted 40 days (Matt 4:2; Luke 4:2; also see Mosiah. 3:3-7)

 

 

4:3-4  FIRST TEMPTATION

 

The temptation to the Senses—appeal to the appetite.

But what is wrong with eating?

 

Nothing except this way!

  • Pres. Holland, explains the problem is doing it the easy way (see The Inconvenient Messiah).

  • He will feed over 5,000 people and turns water into wine, but Elder McConkie says this would “Prostitute his powers.”

  • The question is not bread, but worship God or submit to Satan.  We obey on the Lord’s way on His time.

  • Jesus answer’s Satan by quoting scripture: Deuteronomy 8:3; see also D&C 98:11.

 

4:5-7 SECOND TEMPTATION—have you felt insecurity leading to pride?
 

Regarding pride—Satan pesters Jesus with doubt, “if, The if, if thou be …” Insecurity also leads to seeking pride and temptations.

 

  • Satan now quotes scripture mixed with his philosophy and asks Jesus to prove his divinity with a sign.

  • By jumping into the crowded temple courtyard, it would be a great way to gain a following

  • Jesus answers Satan by quoting scripture (Deut 6:13 or16), and so can we!

 

4:8-11 THIRD TEMPTATION—have you wanted an easy out?

 

The temptation for ower—gratifying desires for riches and power. Yes, Jesus will reign, but not Satan’s way/time

 

  • Satan basically asks Jesus, “What is your price?”  (Nibley said that Satan’s 1st “Article-of-false-Faith is: “You can buy anything in this world for money.”) Jesus answers by quoting scripture again (Ex 34:14).

 

  • Satan’s time schedule is the easy way, while Gods plan requires growth, obedience, and patience.  (That was part of the problem in Eden too. There would have been “another way” but Satan wanted it on his terms).

 

  • Luke shows how Jesus’ power is used to heal and cast out devils in a synagogue and home later in 4:32, 36.

 

  • Jesus will fulfill this option at the Millennium (Satan knew Jesus would fulfill all 3 of his temptations).

 

 

Why did Jesus have to go through this? (see Hebrews 2:10, 18; 4:15; 5:8)

 

Why 3 temptations?

  • Perhaps they apply to all temptations?

 

  • Jesus gave Satan 3 witnesses.

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  • Also, the 3 temptations apply to Jesus’ three periods of his mission as our Savior: 

 

First Coming he provided bread,

Second Coming he will come down from the Temple, and

Thirds, during the Millennium he will reign over all the earth as King

 

What can we Learn from these temptations?

 

What can we learn from His Preaching in Nazareth?

 

4:16–30  What can we learn about the Sabbath? Devils? Healings? Peter?

 

4:31–41

 

 

 

 

 

NEW RENDITION: (4:1–13)
 

1.   And Jesus, full of the Holy Ghost, turned back from the Jordan, and was led in the wilderness by the spirit

 

2.   for forty days to be tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days, and when they were ended, he, was hungry.

 

3.   And the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, say to this stone that it become bread.”

 

4.   And Jesus replied to him, “It is written that man shall not live by bread alone [but by every word of God].”

 

5.   And after the devil had taken him up, he showed him all the kingdoms of the earth in a single moment of time.

 

6.   And the devil said to him, “I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, because it is entrusted to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

 

7.   Therefore, if you will worship me, all shall be yours.”

 

8.   And answering, Jesus said to him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and shall serve him only.’”

 

9.   And he took him to Jerusalem and stood him 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 that, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, that they protect you,’

 

11.   and that, ‘They will carry you in their hands so that you will not stub your foot against a stone.’”

 

12.   And answering, Jesus said to him, “It is said, ‘Thou shall not test the Lord your God.’”

 

13.   And when the devil had finished each test, he left him for a time.

 

 
Beginning of Galilean Ministry (4:14–15)

 

14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. And news concerning him went throughout the whole sur- rouding country.

 

15 And he began to teach in their synagogues, being praised by all.{John has 3chp here-wom@well}

 

 

Return to Nazareth (4:16–30)

 

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been raised, and entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as was his custom and stood up to read.

 

 

17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, and after unrolling the

book, he found the place where it is written,

 

18 “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to declare good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away with mercy the downtrodden, liberation to the captives 

 

19 and to proclaim the welcome year of the Lord.”

 

20 And when he had rolled up the book and given it to the attendant, he sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed intently upon him.

 

21 And he began to say to them, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your ears.”

 

22 And everyone began to speak well of him and were astonished at the gracious words that came out of his mouth, and they kept saying, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

 

23 And he said to them, “You will doubtless tell me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ As many things as we have heard were done in Capernaum, do here also, in your hometown.”

 

24 But he said, “Truly I say to you that no prophet is accepted in his homeland.

 

25 But in truth I say to you that there were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel, when the heaven was shut for three years and six months, with the result that a great famine came upon all the land.

 

26 And Elijah was sent to none of them but to a widow woman in Zaraphath of the region of Sidon.

 

27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the Prophet, and none of them were cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

 

28 And all that were in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard these things.

 

29 And getting up, they threw him out of the city and drove him to the edge of the hill on which their city was built so that they could throw him down from it.

 

30 But he, passing through the middle of them, went on his way.

 

 
Healing in the Capernaum Synagogue (4:31–37)

 

31    And he went down into Capernaum, a town of Galilee. And he taught them on the Sabbath.

 

32   And they were astonished by his teaching, because his word was with authority.

 

33   And there was a man in the synagogue who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried with a loud voice,

 

34    “Leave us alone! What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: The Holy One of God.”

 

35    And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him.” And although the demon threw him into the middle, he went out of him without harming him.

 

36    And fear came upon all of them, and they began to discuss with one another, saying “What [kind of ] command is this? For he commands unclean spirits with authority and power, and they leave.”

 

37    And news concerning him went out to every place in the surrounding region.

 

 

Healing Peter’s Mother-in-law (4:38–39)

 

38    And rising up from the synagogue, he went into the home of Simon. And Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a great fever, and they pleaded with him on her behalf.

 

39    And standing over her, he rebuked the

fever and he freed her of it. And standing up immediately, she began to serve them.

 

The Widening Ministry (4:40–44)

 

40    And when the sun was setting, all who had people afflicted by diverse maladies brought them to him. And he healed each one of them by laying his hands on them.

 

41    And demons also came out of many, crying and

saying, “You are the Son of God.” And rebuking them, he forbade them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.

 

42    And when it became day, he left and went into a deserted place. And the crowd searched for him, and came to him, and held him back so he would not leave them.

 

43   But he said to them, “I must announce the good

because I was sent for this purpose.”

 

44   And he continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.well, news of the kingdom of God in other cities as

 

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