Week 17 – Luke 4-6

Reading 1, Luke 4:1-30

Luke 4  

Satan Tempts Jesus

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit [ac]into the wilderness, 2 being [ad]tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 

Study Note: See also Hebrews 4:14-16. 

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 

4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, [ae]but by every word of God.’ ” 

  1. Question: What was the devil tempting Jesus to do, and what was bait the devil used to tempt Him. 

5 [af]Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 
 
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, [ag]“Get behind Me, Satan! [ah]For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” 

2. Question:  How do you think “all this authority” was delivered to the devil?  What was the devil tempting Jesus to do, and what was bait the devil used to tempt Him. 

9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set 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: 

‘He shall give His angels charge over you, 
To keep you,’ 

11 and, 

‘In their hands they shall bear you up, 
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not[ai]tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 

13 Now when the devil had ended every [aj]temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. 

3. Question: What was the devil tempting Jesus to do, and what was bait the devil used to tempt Him. 

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry

14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

16 So 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 to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. 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 has anointed Me 
To preach the gospel to the poor; 
He has sent Me [ak]to heal the brokenhearted, 
To proclaim liberty to the captives 
And recovery of sight to the blind, 
To set at liberty those who are [al]oppressed; 
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 

20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” 

23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum,[am] do also here in Your country.’ ” 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to[an]Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 

28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with [ao]wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. 

4. Question:  What was it that angered the people in the synagogue so much that they tried to kill Jesus? 

Reading 2, Luke 4:31-5:16

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit

31 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. 32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 

35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, [ap]“Be quiet, and come out of him! ”And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. 36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 37 And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region. 

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed 

38 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was [aq]sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. 39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them. 

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset

40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are [ar]the Christ, the Son of God!” 

And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to [as]speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. 

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of [at]Galilee. 

Luke 5  

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 

4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 

5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 

9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they [au]forsook all and followed Him. 

5. Question:  What was the purpose and impact of the miracle of the great catch of fish? 

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and [av]implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 

13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.” 

15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. 

Reading 3, Luke 5:17-Luke 6:11  

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic

17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present [aw]to heal them. 18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. 

20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 

21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 

22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 

25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!” 

Matthew the Tax Collector

27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 

29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 [ax]And their scribes and the Pharisees [ay]complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 

31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

6. Question: What do you think Jesus meant when He said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting

33 Then they said to Him, “Why[az] do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?” 

34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.” 

36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one [ba]puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, [bb]and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, [bc]immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is [bd]better.’ ” 

Luke 6  

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

Now it happened [be]on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grain fields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” 

3 But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” 5 And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” 

Note: Jesus taught that man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was made for man.  In God’s infinite wisdom, He knew that the people He created needed a day of rest each week from their labor.  This was also to be a day for His people to remember their God, exercise trust in Him for their provision, and be thankful for all their blessings that came from Him.  The religious leaders, whose hearts were far from God, turned the Sabbath into another self-righteous box to check off, and made extra rules around it to make sure everyone did not break the Sabbath.  They held these extra rules up as being as important as the Word of God.  Jesus spoke against this in Matthew 15:9. 

Healing on the Sabbath

6 Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. 8 But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or [bf]to destroy?” 10 And when He had looked around at them all, He said to [bg]the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored [bh]as whole as the other. 11 But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. 

7. Question: What was the problem the scribes and Pharisees’ had with Jesus in the above (6-11)? What was God’s problem with them?  Did Jesus respond to their words or thoughts?  How important are our thoughts before God? 

Reading 4, Luke 6:12-36

The Twelve Apostles & Jesus Heals a Great Multitude

12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. 

17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. 

8. Question:  Why did Jesus spend so much time alone talking with His Father?  What did He do and what happened following His night of talking with the Father? 

The Beatitudes

20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: 

“Blessed are you poor, 
For yours is the kingdom of God. 
21 Blessed are you who hunger now, 
For you shall be filled.[bi] 
Blessed are you who weep now, 
For you shall laugh. 
22 Blessed are you when men hate you, 
And when they exclude you, 
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, 
For the Son of Man’s sake. 
23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! 
For indeed your reward is great in heaven, 
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. 

9. Question:  From what you have learned so far in the Gospels, what do you think Jesus is talking about in verses 20 – 23? 

Jesus Pronounces Woes 

24 “But woe to you who are rich, 
For you have received your consolation. 
25 Woe to you who are full, 
For you shall hunger. 
Woe to you who laugh now, 
For you shall mourn and weep. 
26 Woe [bj]to you when [bk]all men speak well of you, 
For so did their fathers to the false prophets. 

10. Question:  What do you think Jesus is talking about in the four woes in verses 24-26? 

Love Your Enemies 


27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 

32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, [bl]hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. 

11. Question:  What is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching to His follower’s various ways of loving their enemies in verses 27 – 35 (hint, see verses 35 – 36)?  (See also Matthew 12:50, 1 John 4:16-17) 

Reading 5, Luke 6:37-49 

Do Not Judge

37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” 

12. Question:  Why should we not judge or condemn, but rather forgive? 

39 And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye. 

13. Question: What does a blind person in the above represent? From what you have learned so far, what can help you with focusing on getting the plank out of your own eye before worrying about getting the speck out of your brother’s eye? 

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit 

43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil [bm]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 

14. Question: What does our fruit look like?  If our fruit is not good, what do we do about that? 

Build on the Rock 

46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was [bn]founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it [bo]fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” 

15. Question: the person who hears what Jesus says and puts it into practice demonstrates what (see 46-47)?  What the benefit(s) do you find for putting Jesus words into practice from what He says above?