Luke 4:38

Luke 4:38 says, And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.  Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon's, or Peter's, house.  Simon Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a great fever.  Even those closest to Jesus are not exempt from illness and trouble in life.  We are told that they besought Jesus, so it would seem that those who lived there must have all felt that Jesus could help her.  Anytime we have illness or any trouble in life as followers of Christ we must come to God in prayer seeking His help.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.  Jesus stood over her and rebuked the fever.  Jesus has it within His power to heal anyone instantly, but He doesn't always do so.  I cannot say why some are instantly healed physically and others aren't, but I can say that we are all healed spiritually forever if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, and that is all that matters.  She immediately started serving them.  When Jesus heals us, we are healed to serve.  Verse forty states, Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.  News of Jesus's healing power spread, and many sick people were brought to Him to be healed.  As Christians, we know of the spiritual healing power of Jesus, and we need to be bringing people to Him for salvation. Verse forty-one adds, And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.  Devils also came out of people  acknowledging Jesus as Christ the Son of God, but He rebuked them and wouldn't allow them to talk.  Matthew Henry says Jesus didn't let them talk because they might have claimed that He had made a pact with them instead of simply being all powerful over them.  The Devil knows Who Jesus is today, and he and all of his followers are still trying to discredit Jesus.  Verse forty-two says, And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.  The next day, Jesus went into the desert and the people followed Him and stayed with Him.  They then tried to keep Him from leaving them.  They wanted to keep Jesus there for the wrong reason.  Sometimes today people want Jesus for physical reasons, but are still unwilling to acknowledge Him for Who He really is.  Verse forty-three adds, And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.  Jesus said He must preach in other cities, since that was the reason He came.  We cannot attempt to keep Jesus for ourselves, but must share the gospel with everyone we can, since that is the reason Jesus came.  Verse forty-four continues, And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.  Jesus continued to preach in many synagogues in Galilee.  Jesus should be preached anywhere His people gather today.

Luke 4:33

Luke 4:33 says, And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,  Verse thirty-four adds, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.  In the synagogue where Jesus was teaching, there was a man filled with an unclean devil.  Not all people in the synagogue were really there to worship, and not all people in church are there to worship today.  The devil in the the man recognized Who Jesus was, the Son of God, and asked what Jesus had to do with them.  Verse thirty-five declares, And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.  Jesus told the devil to hold his peace and come out of the man, and he did.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, He casts out all our demons as long as we continue to put our faith in Him.  Verse thirty-six adds, And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.  The people in the synagogue asked where Jesus got His power, because they, unlike the unclean devil, did not recognize Jesus for Who He is, the Son of God.  Those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord are still often amazed when He performs a miraculous work today, but the Devil never is.  Verse thirty-seven states, And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.  Jesus's fame spread, and we are to spread His name as the only Savior today.  .

Luke 4:22

Luke 4:22 says, And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?  The people bore witness to the glorious teaching of Jesus, but then asked if He were not Joseph's son.  They only saw Jesus in His earthly status, and that is still all some people see today.  Verse twenty-three adds, And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.  Jesus said the people of His home area would certainly ask why He was not healing people there as He did in Capernaum.  Jesus did not come as a physical Physician, but as a spiritual one.  Those that Jesus healed physically still died at some point, but those that He heals spiritually will live forever with Him.  Verse twenty-four declares, And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.  In there own country, prophets were often without honor, because the people could only see the person that they thought they knew.  We profess to be a Christian nation, but too often people here fail to see Jesus for Who He really is.  Verse twenty-five adds, But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;  Jesus gave a Biblical example of the widows during the famine in Elijah's day.  When we teach or preach about God, it must be based on what the Bible says. There were many widows in Isreal at that time.  Verse twenty-six continues, But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.  Jesus reminded the people of Nazareth that Elijah was not sent to any of the widows of Israel, but to Sarepta, a widow of Sidon.  We do not need to feel jealous nor neglected if God works through those that we might not choose.  Verse twenty-seven states, And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.  Likewise, in the days of Elisha there were many lepers in Israel, but Elisha healed Naaman, a leper from Syria.  Jesus did not come to offer salvation to just a select few, but to everyone.  Verse twenty-eight says, And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,  People in the synagogue in Nazareth were filled with wrath when they heard what Jesus said, even though it was based on Scripture.  Sometimes today people get angry, even those the closest to us, if we share God's word with them, especially if they see us only in earthly terms.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.  The people who were supposed to be God's people were so angry at what Jesus was teaching in the synagogue that they took Him outside the city and were going to throw Him headfirst off a high hill.  Many people today are upset by the truth of God ans wish to destroy it and those who profess it.  Verse thirty states, But he passing through the midst of them went his way,  While the people were trying to kill Him, Jesus simply walked away.  We better pray that there never comes a day when Jesus walks away from us as sinners because we refuse to believe Who He is.  Verse thirty-one adds, And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.  Jesus went to Capernaum and taught in the synagogues there.  Verse thirty-two continues, And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.  The people of Capernaum were astonished at the teaching of Jesus.  When we are gathered in God's name today as followers of Christ, we should be no less astonished at His teachings. 

Luke 4:14

Luke 4:14 says, And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.  Jesus was led by the Spirit back to Galilee, and His fame spread throughout the region.  We need to spread the truth of Jesus Christ throughout the area where we are, and to be led by the Holy Spirit as we do so today.  Verse fifteen adds, And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.  Jesus taught in the synagogues and was glorified by all.  The people in this small area were willing to hear and even admire Jesus as a teacher.  Some people today still see Jesus as only a good teacher and even admire His teachings, but believe that is all He was.  Verse sixteen states, And 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 for to read.  Jesus then returned to His hometown of Galilee, still led by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus did not return there for their praise, but to teach them in the synagogue as well.  He was not back as the carpenter's son, but as God's Son.  When we become a Christian, we can never return to where we grew up as the same person, since we should have grown in our relationship with God.  Verse seventeen adds, And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,  Jesus was given the book of Isaiah to teach from.  We need to make sure that our teaching is based on God's word, not only when we gather together to worship, but in all of life.   Verse eighteen says, 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, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  Verse nineteen adds, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  This passage is from Isaiah 61: 1-2.  Jesus referred to God's word there in the synagogue, and so must we in the church today.  Verse twenty continues, And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.   Everyone had their eyes focused on Jesus,  and so must we today as Christians.  After reading the scripture, Jesus closed the book and returned it to the minister.  Jesus did not really need the actual book to know what it said, and we as followers of Christ today should know at least the basics of what God's word says, and ministers of God's word should always make sure that what they preach and teach is grounded in God's word.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.  This passage in Isaiah referred to the coming Messiah, and Jesus said it was fulfilled that day.  Jesus is the Messiah that they looked for then and the Messiah that we look back to now.  When Jesus came, He fulfilled all the scripture concerning the Messiah. 

Easter

Today is Easter Sunday.  I will pause from the study of Luke to take the day to celebrate Easter.  It is hard to imagine all the feelings on the part of the disciples from Friday to Sunday.  They were discouraged and afraid we know.  You may find yourself discouraged and defeated today, but as with the disciples that doesn't have to be the end of it.  The women were concerned about the body, and went to look for Jesus in the tomb that had been sealed.  We need not be concerned about the tomb, because Jesus is not there.  The women received the good news from the angel that Jesus was not there but He had risen.  This is the good news of Easter, and everyday, today.  The women went to share the good news with the disciples, and we need to be sharing it as well.  Peter and John went to check out what the women told them, and we need to personally come to Jesus to understand the significance of the empty tomb that the women and disciples found that first Easter, and that is that Jesus was not there, but He has risen.  As we celebrate Easter today, we need to tell the world that Jesus is not here, but He has risen, defeating sin and death forever. 

Luk 4:1

Luke 4:1 says, And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,  Jesus, filled with the Holy Ghost was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.   Jesus was as human as we are, so for Him to be obedient to the heavenly Father, He had to be led by the Holy Spirit, just as we must.  Verse two adds, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.  While Jesus was in the wilderness and fasting for forty days, He was tempted by the Devil.  Jesus was physically alone at this time, and the devil thought He would be more easily tempted, but Jesus was spiritually closer to His heavenly Father than ever.  After the forty days ended, Jesus realized that He was hungry.  Verse three states, And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.  The devil made his suggestion, one that would both serve to prove that Jesus was the Son of God and fill His physical need for food.  The Devil also made it a question of whether Jesus was the Son of God.  When we are physically weak, the Devil will tempt us, and he will begin by trying to get us to question our relationship with God.  Verse four adds, And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.  Jesus answered that man does not live by physical bread alone, but by the spiritual bread of the word of God.  Even if we are physically in need, we must never look anywhere but to God and His word for an answer to our need.  Verse five says, And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  The devil switched tactics when he couldn't get Jesus to give in to His physical hunger.  He took Jesus up to a high mountain and should Him all the kingdoms of the world.  If the Devil can not tempt us one way, he will up his game.  Verse six adds, And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.  The Devil offered Jesus power over all the world physically if He would accept it.  The Devil said he had been given the power to do this, and we should never forget that.  The Devil can give us material riches if we turn away from God, but they are always temporary.  Verse seven continues, If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.  All Jesus had to do was worship the devil instead of God.  Sometimes, all we have to do to gain riches and power in this world is to follow the Devil instead of God.  Verse eight concludes, And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.  Jesus answered by telling the Devil to get behind Him, because people were to worship the Lord their God alone and to serve Him alone.  God was a personal God to them if they were to truly worship and serve Him, just as He is for us today as followers of Christ.  Verse nine states, And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:  The devil then brought Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, the religious seat of the people of God, and told Him to throw Himself off, in the sight of all those around Him.  Even if we are at the highest point of the church today in our service for God, we not only can but will be tested by the Devil.  Verse ten adds, For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:  Verse eleven continues, And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.  The Devil said that God's written word promised that the angels would keep Jesus from any harm if He was truly the Son of God.  We have God's promise today that we will never come to harm spiritually as Christians as long as we remain faithful to Him and His word.  Verse twelve declares, And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.  Just as Jesus said then, we are not to tempt God.  We do not have to put on some display of power over the things of this world simply to prove our obedience to Christ.  Verse thirteen adds, And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.  The Devil gave up for a season.  We know he was not through with tempting Jesus forever though.  The devil may depart from us for a season if we don't give in to his temptations, but he will never give up in this lifetime. 

Luke 3:23

Luke 3:23 says, And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,  When Jesus was about thirty, He began His ministry.  Matthew Henry points out that this was the age that a priest began his full ministry.  The rest of the chapter gives the genealogy of Jesus, from Mary's side, whereas Matthew gives it from Joseph's side.  In both, Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise of the way of salvation.  I will just present the rest of the verses.  Verse twenty-four,  Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,  Verse twenty-five,  Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge,  Verse twenty-six, Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda,  Verse twenty-seven, Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,  Verse twenty-eight, Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er,  Verse twenty-nine, Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi,  Verse thirty, Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim,   Verse thirty-one, Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,  Verse thirty-two, Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson,  Verse thirty-three, Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,  Verse thirty-four, Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,  Verse thirty-five, Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala,  Verse thirty-six, Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,  Verse thirty-seven, Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan,  Verse thirty-eight, Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.  Luke follows the lineage of Jesus all the way back to Adam, and thereby to Eve, where the promise was made that her seed would bruise the head of the serpent.  All of God's written word is the truth throughout.