Luke 4 Luke 4:1–13 Christ fasts forty days, and is tempted of the devil. Luke 4:14–15 He begins to preach. Luke 4:16–32 The people of Nazareth wonder at his gracious words, but being offended go about to kill him: he escapeth by miracle.

By the Holy Ghost here is to be understood the gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to the prophecy of him, Isa. 11:1–2. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are often in holy writ called the Spirit, Acts 2:4, Acts 8:18, Acts 10:44; and not only those that are influenced with the saving gifts and graces of…

See Poole on “Matt. 4:2”, and following verses to Matt. 4:4.

See Poole on “Matt. 4:3–4”. It is very observable, that Christ here asserts the authority of the Scriptures; and though he was full of the Holy Ghost, yet maketh the Holy Scripture his rule of action.

See Poole on “Matt. 4:8–10”. Those words, Luke 4:6, for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it, are only mentioned by Luke; where we may observe, that the devil was a liar from the beginning. The dominion over the things of the world was not given to the angels, but to man.

See Poole on “Matt. 4:5–7”. What Matthew calls the holy city, Luke expoundeth Jerusalem.

Matthew saith, the devil left him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him. Luke saith, he departed from him for a season, when he had ended all the temptation.

Both Matthew and Mark make the occasion of our Saviour’s going into Galilee to be his hearing that John was cast into prison. But certainly Matthew and Mark speak of a second going into Galilee, and mean by it Galilee of the Gentiles, which was in the jurisdiction of Philip, the brother of Herod…

We heard before, Luke 2:39, Luke 2:51, that Christ was brought up at Nazareth; we read of him at Nazareth, Matt. 13:54. But I must confess I doubt whether Matthew there, and Luke here, speak of the same time.

The words differ in some things from the words of the prophet out of which they are quoted, Isa. 61:1, where is nothing of recovering of sight to the blind; but they exactly agree with the Septuagint version, only, Luke 4:19, they have καλεσαι, to call, and Luke hath κηρυξαι, to preach, according…

Christ observeth the order used in their synagogues, when he that officiates had read such a portion out of the law as was appointed, or out of the prophets, as he pleased, he closed the book, or the roll, and gave it again to the officer, whose work it was to bring it, and then to carry it back,…

All that heard our Saviour in the synagogue bare him witness. Of what? Not that he was the Messias, much less the Son of God; but they praised his discourse in opening the prophecy: they did not believe in him, but they admired the wisdom and piety of his discourses, they admired the effects of the…

Christ here tells those of Nazareth what was in their hearts, viz. that they in their hearts contemned him, because of the meanness of his parentage, and challenged him to confirm his doctrine by miracles, urging that Nazareth was his own country, and physicians in the first place ought to cure…

The two stories to which our Saviour refers are those 1 Kings 17:9, 2 Kings 5:14. But the question is what our Saviour intended to teach them by these stories, which made them so exceeding angry, as we shall find by and by. I answer, several things, none of which pleased them. 1.

Unhappy Nazareth, where Christ had now lived more than thirty years! They had seen him growing up, increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favour both with God and man, Luke 2:52; they had had the first fruits of his ministry, and, Luke 4:22, they bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious…

Capernaum was a city in the other Galilee, under the jurisdiction of Philip, whither Matthew and Mark mention our Saviour’s motion upon the report of the imprisonment of John.

We met with the same history related as done in Capernaum, and with the same circumstances, See Poole on “Mark 1:21–22”, &c.

We met with this history both in Matthew and Mark. See Poole on “Matt. 8:14”, and following verses to Matt. 8:15. See Poole on “Mark 1:29”, and following verses to Mark 1:31.

See Poole on “Mark 1:32”, and following verses to Mark 1:34, where we met with the same things.

See Poole on “Mark 1:35”, and following to Mark 1:39, where that evangelist reports the same things that this evangelist mentions, only with more circumstances. Mark saith, he went out a great while before day into a solitary place to pray.