Luke tells us that Jesus returned to Capernaum where He had previously performed miracles. Capernaum ended up being his home base (Mark 2:1). He taught them in the synagogue on the Sabbath and they were amazed at His teaching. He taught with authority declaring the truth rather than the opinions they were so used to hearing. In the synagogue, a man possessed by an unclean demon blurted out and questioned Jesus’ mission. Jesus was indeed there to destroy the stronghold of Satan’s power in the establishment of the promised Kingdom. The demon was clear about who Jesus was. He knew Jesus was the Messiah while the religious leaders of Israel did not recognise Him. Jesus told the demon to be quiet and to come out of the possessed man. While the demon threw the man down in a last act of defiance, he was not hurt. Jesus healed him completely. Everyone around was amazed at the power of Jesus’ word because at His command even the demons obeyed immediately. News about Jesus spread throughout the region.

From the synagogue, Jesus went to Simon’s [Peter’s] house where his mother-in-law (1 Cor 9:5) was ill with a high fever. Some unnamed people were there appealing to Jesus on her behalf just as we ought to appeal to God on behalf of those who are sick and destitute. Jesus rebuked the fever and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them. When Jesus healed someone it was instantaneous and the person who was healed was able to continue immediately as if they had never been affected. Peter’s mother-in-law’s first response to Jesus’ impact on her life was to serve Him.
As the day drew to a close, many people who were sick came to Jesus and He laid hands on them and healed every one of them. By laying his hands on people, it was clear who was healing the sick. The demons He exorcised also came out declaring that He was the Son of God. His miracles continued to identify and validate that Jesus was the Messiah.

The next morning Jesus left for a desolate place in need of rest. But the people looked for Him. They even tried to keep Jesus from leaving but He told them that He was sent to preach the good news of the kingdom of God in other towns as well. He moved around the region of Judea and preached in the synagogues.

Jesus had immense compassion for people but the main reason He miraculously healed people was to authenticate His ministry. The problem was that people liked the miracles more than the message. Are you wanting Jesus to hang around doing miraculous things to make your life easier, like the crowds, or is your response to Jesus’ work in your life to get up immediately and serve Him?

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings that are easily applied to everyday situations. Consider carefully which of the sayings you’ve read today are particularly applicable to you today and in the coming week. What do you need to change or do more of to make use of God’s wisdom in your life?

Jesus returned from the wilderness and began to minister in the power of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s power was the source of Jesus’ authority. As He began His ministry news about Him spread, He taught in the synagogues and everyone praised Him. But that wouldn’t last long.

When He came to Nazareth where He had grown up. He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath as He usually did and was given an opportunity to read from the Scriptures. He was given the scroll of Isaiah (they didn’t have nice bound Bibles or smart phones with Bible apps—how blessed we are to have the scriptures at our finger tips all day every day). He found Isaiah 61 and began to read the prophecy that spoke about Himself. The prophecy spoke about the Messiah as one empowered by the Holy Spirit who’s mission was to reach the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. Jesus stopped in the middle of a sentence (61:2) just short of the part that speaks of God’s judgement. Jesus had read with such palpable authority that when he handed the scroll back, they all had their eyes fixed on Him waiting for Him to explain what He’d read. He explained that what He had read was fulfilled in their hearing—He was the Messiah and the offer of the Lord’s favour was being offered to them right then. Their response was positive and they marvelled at what He had said until someone pointed out that He was Joseph’s son. Suddenly they assumed He was just one of them. How could an ordinary man, one who had grown up around them make such a lofty claim?

Jesus notices their unbelief and verbalises their desire to have Him perform miracles in their presence to validate His claims. But He also points out that they have already heard of the miracles He had performed in Capernaum. Jesus refers to two Old Testament stories. The first is from the time of Elijah when there was a three-year drought. During that time there were many widows with great need but Elijah went to none of them. Instead, he went to Zarephath in Sidon, a Gentile (1 Ki 17:1-16). The second was from the time of Elisha when there were many lepers in Israel but Elisha didn’t cleanse any of them but cleansed Naaman the Syrian, a Gentile (2 Ki 5:1-4). In both of these stories, Israel was bypassed because of their unbelief. Jesus’ point was that they should respond differently at this time. But they were filled with anger and they drove Him out of town and intended to throw Him off a cliff. But it was not the time, place, or manner Jesus was meant to die so He slipped through the crowds and went away.

The Jews were waiting for Messiah. They believed He would come at any time. But because Jesus didn’t fit into their paradigm of what He should be, they rejected Him. Some people reject His offer of salvation to this day because they want it in a different package, something to better suit them. That same thinking can affect us as believers as well. We don’t want to obey God because some part of His instruction doesn’t fit with the way we think things should work. We need to remember that God’s ways are not our ways. In what area do you need to adjust your attitude and trust that God’s way is right even if it doesn’t suit your preference?

After Jesus’ baptism, He was full of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit led Him into the wilderness for forty days to be tempted by Satan. During that time Jesus fasted and naturally became hungry. It is no surprise that Satan’s first recorded temptation was for Jesus to turn the stones around Him into bread. Jesus responded by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3 where Moses warned the Israelites that while God provided them manna (bread) to eat, it was not the bread that sustained them, but God who supplied the manna. They needed to live by faith in God’s word. When He said He would look after them they needed to trust Him to do it. Jesus knew that God wouldn’t leave Him to die in the desert.

Satan then took Jesus and in a moment showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. Satan offered to give Jesus all the authority over the kingdoms over which Satan has temporary control. The temptation was to usurp God’s authority and timing in setting Jesus as ruler over everything (Phil 2:5-11). Jesus could have it all then, without having to die, if he would just bow down and worship Satan. Jesus didn’t deny Satan’s temporary control over the world for a limited time. Jesus responded by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13 where Moses warned the people of Israel that when they had victory in the promised land they not forget God and think they had achieved it in their own strength but serve Him only. Jesus was patient to receive the glory the Father would give Him in His perfect timing

The final recorded temptation has Satan quoting scripture. He took Jesus to the top of the temple and then quoted from Psalm 91, a psalm praising God for His protection. Satan’s idea was for Jesus to prove He was the Son of God through a miraculous stunt where everyone would see Him survive a dramatic dive and then accept Him as the Messiah. Satan pointed out verses 11-12 which spoke of God using His angels to protect Him and not even let His feet touch the ground. But he conveniently left out verses 14-16 where God promises His protection to those who love (and obey) Him. Jesus responded from Deuteronomy 6:16 that He would not put the Father to the test but completely obey and trust in His timing and methods. Jesus was willing to go to the cross rather than find some more convenient way to get the people to accept Him.

Then Satan left Him. That was not the end of His temptation, the devil was just waiting for a more opportune time to strike again.

When Satan tempts us he will use similar tactics. No, he won’t offer you all the kingdoms of the world, but he will try to get you to bypass God’s way of doing things. He will offer you a shortcut along with personal glory without disclosing the consequences of those choices. And our best defence is exactly what Jesus used. We need to know God’s word so clearly that all error is immediately recognisable. And we need to trust God that His way is always best in the long run. If Jesus had taken the shortcut, we would not have received salvation. Jesus didn’t sin so He could pay for our sin and give us the freedom to choose not to sin (2 Cor 5:21; Rom 6:6).

The impact of John’s message led them to question whether he was in fact the Messiah. John clarified that by comparison to Jesus, he wasn’t even worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals. John’s baptism was of water and intended to prepare the nation of Israel for Messiah’s arrival. It was a baptism for believers and unbelievers. Jesus’ baptism would impart the Holy Spirit into the lives of believers and would be the result of inner spiritual renewal. Jesus will gather those who believed into the safety of His barn while separating out the chaff of unbelievers who will face the judgement of hell.

John preached the good news to people and was emphatic about renouncing sin. He rebuked Herod for marrying Herodias, the wife of his half-brother, whom he married after divorcing his own wife. John also rebuked Herod for the other sins he had committed. Because of this, John was locked up in prison. John is a wonderful example of someone who stood solidly by his convictions even at the cost of his freedom and ultimately his life.

The conclusion of John’s ministry of baptism was when He baptised Jesus. At that moment the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove and the Father gave His blessing of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus was baptised in order to represent the nation and identify with their sins even though He had no sin to repent of.

Jesus began his ministry at age 30 which was the same age Old Testament priests entered service (Num 4:30). It was also the age David began His reign (2 Sam 5:4). Luke’s genealogy of Jesus makes clear that Jesus was not a descendant of Joseph (as was assumed) yet it still affirms that Jesus was born into the Davidic line entitling Him to be king of Israel. Luke’s genealogy is different from Matthew’s. Matthew begins with Abraham and moves forward to Jesus. Luke begins with Jesus and moves back all the way to Adam, the son of God. Many believe that Luke is following Mary’s line although there are still difficulties with that theory. What is clear is that Luke is tracing Jesus all the way back to Adam and God to show again that Jesus’ offer of salvation was to all people, not just the Jews.

Jesus came to offer eternal salvation to everyone but not everyone will accept it so He will also separate those who believe from those who don’t. Those who believe will remain with Him forever in heaven while those who don’t will be doomed to the fires of hell. John called the nation of Israel to repent so they would be ready to receive their Messiah. Perhaps you need a change of mind (repent) so you can prepare your own heart to believe in Jesus for salvation? If you are a believer, who do you need to pray for that their heart will be prepared for the gospel message? And do you need the conviction of John to confront them head on with the message of their sin and their need for a saviour?

Luke moves forward to A.D. 28/29. Tiberius Caesar (A.D. 14-37) reigned as emperor over the Romain Empire. Pontius Pilate (A.D. 26-36) was governor of Judea. Herod Antipas (4 B.C. to A.D. 39), son of Herod the Great, ruled as tetrarch, a kinglike governor of Galilee under Rome’s authority. Herod’s brother Philip was tetrarch over the regions of Iturea and Trochonitis. Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene. Little is known about Lysanias but his region was later ruled by King Agrippa II. That was the political landscape. Luke also points out that Annas and Caiaphas were high priests. Annas had been High Priest from A.D 6-15 but still held significant influence. His son-in-law Caiaphas (A.D 18-36) held the official position of High Priest. Israel needed deliverance from both the subjugation of foreign rulers and from the corruption of the priesthood. God bypassed the religious leaders of Israel and instead, His word came to John the Baptist who was living in the wilderness.

John proclaimed a message of repentance intended to bring the nation of Israel back into fellowship with God. The baptism John performed was an outward symbol of an inner decision and change of heart. It was not intended to bring salvation to eternal life or justification before God. Only belief in Jesus can do this (John 5:24-25). John’s call to repentance was in preparation for the arrival of the Messiah. John’s mission fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of the voice of one crying in the wilderness (Isa 40:3-5). His message was to prepare the way of the lord and make His paths straight. Israel’s obedience to John’s message would open up an unhindered way for the Messiah to bring God’s blessing. The second part of the prophecy could still be talking about John’s work to prepare the way for Messiah’s coming but it could also speak of the results that Jesus would bring plenty to the needy, humility to the haughty, and remove all the obstacles that sin lays in our way. The end result is that all (both Jew and Gentile) would see the salvation of God in Jesus.

John’s accusation to the crowd was probably specifically focussed on the religious leaders (Matt 3:7) and warned them of coming with the idea that simply wetting yourself in baptism would be of any benefit. No, baptism was nothing without bearing the resulting fruit. Repentance should always be followed by a decisive change of attitude and action. The very fact that John demanded the fruit of good works assures us that he was not talking about salvation because salvation has no condition attached to it. Eternal salvation is freely given to all who simply believe Jesus for it (John 3:16-18). The Jews were not to rely on their national heritage and think that was going guarantee they were saved. God could raise children from the stones to fulfill His promise to Abraham. The axe was ready to chop down those unfruitful trees and throw them into the fire. Fire does not always mean the fires of hell. Fire more often refers to a temporal, more immediate judgement that God uses to cleanse the nation of disobedience and may be pointing to the fall of Jerusalem in the Jewish war of A.D 66-70.

The crowd then asked John what they should do to show their repentance. He explained that they should look after the poor. The one who has two tunics should share with whoever has none and the one who has food should share with whoever is hungry. This is easy for us to apply. We too need to help those who are needy from our abundance. To the tax collectors he didn’t tell them to stop their work but to do it with integrity and honesty. They should only charge the appropriate tax without extortion or dishonest gain. For us, secular jobs can still be worked to God’s glory if we work as if all our work is for God Himself (Col 3:23-24). To the soldiers he told them not to use their power to extort money from others through threats or false accusation but instead to be content with their wages. Too many people use positions of power to further their own interests. We should be content with what we earn and not use our influence for personal gain.

John’s message was to a nation who had been chosen by God but were living in disobedience. Sometimes we need the same wake-up call. As believers we have received an incredible gift of salvation but we can still live disobedient lives far from God. Do you need to heed the call to repentance and change how you are living in order to bear fruit?

Luke skips ahead to when Jesus was twelve years old. His parents still show obedience to the law. The law required that every Jewish male make the trip to Jerusalem for the feasts of Passover, Tabernacles, and Pentecost (Deut 16:1-17). They would have stayed about a week because Passover was a week-long celebration. After the feast, Mary and Joseph headed home with a group of friends and family and assumed Jesus was with them only to discover Him missing one day into the journey. Because they couldn’t find Him, they headed back to Jerusalem. After a day of searching, they found Him in the temple (“After three days…” would be one day travelling away from Jerusalem plus one day travelling back to Jerusalem and another day to search for Jesus). They found Jesus sitting with the teachers listening and asking questions and engaging with them about the Scriptures. Everyone who heard Him was amazed because of His understanding of God’s word. Mary rebuked Jesus because of her own distress at having to look for Him. Jesus had not intentionally mistreated them but it was a case of misunderstanding. It seems that Jesus had grown up a rather ordinary boy and perhaps Mary and Joseph had forgotten His divine mission. He certainly had not. He knew that He was meant to be in His Father’s house. Still, they didn’t fully understand what He was explaining to them. In case there is any doubt about Jesus’ sinlessness after this interaction, Luke points out that Jesus headed back to Nazareth with his parents and was obedient to them. Even though Mary didn’t fully understand what her twelve-year-old had told yer, she treasured these things in her heart. Jesus continued to grow physically and emotionally and found favour with God and man. Jesus was able to develop a full and rounded character without any participation in sin (Heb 4:14-16).

If you are young, what are the “normal” expectations your parents put on you? If you are a parent, what is it you expect of your children? Is it a normal expectation that you will grow spiritually and spend time in God’s word and at church? Or is it a foreign idea that you would spend much time in spiritual matters? Do you think the normal expectations you have of natural development are swayed by Scripture, or by the world? What needs to change?

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings that are easily applied to everyday situations. Consider carefully which of the sayings you’ve read today are particularly applicable to you today and in the coming week. What do you need to change or do more of to make use of God’s wisdom in your life?