Have you ever read a biblical text and thought, “Wait, what just happened here?” That’s exactly how this rollercoaster chapter feels where Jesus resists the Tempter’s tricks, stirs up both awe and anger in various towns, and casually silences a demon in the middle of worship. Yes, in the synagogue.
There’s a lot to unpack here—patterns, responses, and some seriously weird moments. So grab your coffee (or your Hebrew scroll), and let’s dive into this wild ride of a demon yelling at Jesus. Sound interesting yet? Keep reading!
I reflected on Luke 4 this morning. Have you read it lately? It starts by addressing one of the times the Tempter tried to lure Jesus to sin. (Spoiler alert: It didn’t work.) Then Jesus began visiting various towns.
It mentions that he went to a synagogue (a Jewish place of worship of the one true God) and the people had some form of response. The towns include multiple places in Galilee, Capernaum, and finally Nazareth.
Study Tip: Look for Patterns
Patterns in Scripture are a good way to find important and interesting lessons. Think of it like when your mom or spouse had to tell you the same thing repeatedly. It was important enough to say more than once.
Luke doesn’t tell us where specifically Jesus went in Galilee (it was a region in Northern Israel, not a singular town). “He taught regularly in their synagogues” (plural), “and was praised by everyone” (v 15). Wow. I’ve gotten positive feedback for sermons over the years. But “everyone” is a strong word. Still, this is part one of the pattern.
Onto the next location, Jesus hit his old stomping grounds in Nazareth. Remember: He was born in Bethlehem, but he didn’t grow up there. The family was only visiting for the legally required tax registration. Then they had a finger-quotes vacation (eh hem) in Egypt for a bit. Then back home to Nazareth.
When he taught in their synagogue, it says, at first, that the people were amazed (v 22). But don’t think of this as a positive impression. Think of it as: We’ve known this guy his whole life. How on earth does he believe he can do this whole Rabbi-teaching-in-the-Synagogue thing?! Isn’t he Joe’s boy? Pretty soon, their confused amazement turned to anger and violence. Verses 28-29 say they were furious and intended to kill him. This is a bit different than the church potluck after worship.
Then Jesus went to Capernaum on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus spent quite a bit of time there over the years. And how did the people respond when he taught in their synagogue? “There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority” (v 32).
Near the end of the chapter (I’m obviously skipping a ton), Jesus gets up early and everybody starts looking for him. Where’s the guy who says amazing stuff and performs miracles?! When they found him, he said, “I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God in other towns too, because that is why I was sent” (v 43).
Side Note, just for funzies: When I first typed the paragraph above, there was a not-so-inaccurate typoo on the word miracles. I wrote miraclues. Yes. Yes, they were.
Side Note Two Point 0: I never spell the word typoo right. Because…reasons.