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    Luke 4 (KJV)

    Read Luke chapter 4 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

    Luke 4

    Deep Verse Commentaries in This Chapter

    Luke 4:18

    "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed …"

    Luke 4:8

    "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Sa…"

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    Luke 4 Summary

    Luke 4 contains two pivotal events: Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and His inaugural sermon in Nazareth. Led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, Jesus faces Satan's three temptations — turning stones to bread, receiving worldly kingdoms, and testing God by jumping from the temple. Jesus defeats each with Scripture: 'It is written.'

    Jesus then returns to Nazareth and reads Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.' He declares, 'This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.' The hometown crowd initially marvels but turns murderous when Jesus implies God's grace extends to Gentiles. They try to throw Him off a cliff, but He passes through them untouched.

    Key Themes

    Temptation DefeatedJesus' Mission StatementScripture's AuthorityRejection

    Key Verses in Luke 4

    "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

    — Luke 4:4

    Jesus' first response to temptation — God's Word sustains life more fundamentally than food.

    "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives."

    — Luke 4:18-19

    Jesus' mission statement — His ministry targets the poor, brokenhearted, captive, and blind.

    "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."

    — Luke 4:21

    The most dramatic sermon opening in history — Jesus claims to be the fulfillment of messianic prophecy.

    Life Application

    Jesus defeated every temptation with Scripture — 'It is written.' When temptation comes, your personal strength isn't enough; you need God's Word ready. And Jesus' mission statement defines His priorities: the poor, broken, captive, and blind. Are those your priorities too?

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why did Jesus quote Isaiah 61 in Nazareth?

    Jesus deliberately chose this messianic passage to announce His identity and mission. By declaring 'This day is this scripture fulfilled,' He claimed to be the anointed Messiah prophesied 700 years earlier — a claim His hometown ultimately rejected.

    Why did the people of Nazareth try to kill Jesus?

    Initially they marveled, but when Jesus pointed out that God sent Elijah to a Gentile widow and Elisha healed a Syrian leper — implying God's grace extends beyond Israel — their national pride was offended. They couldn't accept that their hometown boy claimed to be the Messiah and that Gentiles would share in God's blessing.

    Read the full summary of Luke

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