1.
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
By the Holy Ghost here is to be understood the gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to the prophecy of him, Isaiah 11:1,Isaiah 11:2. 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 the Spirit, are said to have the Spirit, and be filled; but those who received the more extraordinary powers of it, such as the gifts of prophecy, healing, &c. Others besides Christ are in Scripture said to be filled with the Spirit, Acts 6:5; and it was so prophesied concerning John, Luke 1:15. But they had but their measure; to Christ the Spirit was given not by measure, John 3:34.
He returned from Jordan: there John baptized, there Christ was baptized by him.
And was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Ηγετο saith Luke. ’Aνηχθη saith Matthew. Mark expresses it by the word εκβαλλει. The words do not signify a violent motion, (for without doubt Christ went willingly), but a potent and efficacious motion.
2.
Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
See Poole on "Matthew 4:2", and following verses to Matthew 4:4.
3.
And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
4.
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
5.
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6.
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.
7.
If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8.
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.
9.
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:
10.
For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11.
And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12.
And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13.
And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
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. Those words, for a season, seem to intimate that our Saviour had further conflicts with the devil than are here mentioned; and possibly those words, all the temptation, may hint us, that the devil offered more temptations than the evangelist have recorded, though some affirm that all temptations fall under those which are the heads of these temptations, and think those words,
for a season, signify until the time of his passion, when he entered into the heart of Judas, and armed all his instruments against this Captain of our salvation.
14.
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.
15.
And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16.
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.
We heard before, Luke 2:39,Luke 2:51, that Christ was brought up at Nazareth; we read of him at Nazareth, Matthew 13:54. But I must confess I doubt whether Matthew there, and Luke here, speak of the same time. Of the nature of the Jewish synagogues, and their order of worship there, and the reading of the Scriptures in them, we have spoken before in our notes on Matthew 4:23. See Poole on "Matthew 4:23".
17.
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,
18.
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,
19.
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20.
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.
21.
And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
22.
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?
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 grace of God in him, his
gracious words. But see the wretchedness of carnal hearts, in their proneness to take no prejudices, to choke the beginnings of any convictions in themselves. They do not admire the power of Divine grace, that it could so far influence one of so mean an education as they took Christ to have had; but dreaming that the kingdom of God must come with observation, and the coming of the Messiah must be in great outward splendour and glory, they stumble at his parents, because (though of the house of David) they were of so mean a visible quality.
23.
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.
24.
And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
25.
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;
26.
But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
27.
And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
28.
And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29.
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.
30.
But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
31.
And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32.
And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
33.
And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34.
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.
35.
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.
36.
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.
37.
And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
38.
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.
39.
And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
40.
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.
41.
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.
42.
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.
43.
And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
44.
And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.