Luke 4:5
Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
Then the devil
The term "devil" comes from the Greek word "diabolos," meaning "slanderer" or "accuser." In the biblical narrative, the devil is portrayed as the adversary of God and humanity, seeking to lead people away from divine truth. This encounter highlights the spiritual warfare that Jesus faced, emphasizing the reality of evil and temptation in the world. The devil's role here is to test Jesus, challenging His mission and identity as the Son of God.

led Him up
The phrase "led Him up" suggests a deliberate action by the devil, indicating a physical movement to a vantage point. This movement is symbolic of the devil's attempt to elevate Jesus to a position where worldly power and glory can be offered as a temptation. It reflects the devil's strategy to lure Jesus away from His divine mission by appealing to human desires for power and authority.

to a high place
The "high place" is significant both physically and symbolically. In ancient times, high places were often associated with worship and divine encounters. Here, it serves as a setting for a profound spiritual test. The elevation provides a panoramic view, symbolizing the vastness of the temptation and the allure of earthly dominion. It underscores the contrast between earthly power and the spiritual kingdom Jesus came to establish.

showed Him
The act of showing implies a vision or revelation. The devil presents Jesus with a vision of all the kingdoms, appealing to the senses and imagination. This act is reminiscent of the way temptations often present themselves—appealing, immediate, and seemingly beneficial. It challenges Jesus to consider the immediate gratification of power versus the eternal purpose of His mission.

in an instant
The phrase "in an instant" conveys the immediacy and fleeting nature of the vision. It suggests that the devil's offer is both urgent and transient, lacking the enduring substance of God's promises. This immediacy is a common characteristic of temptation, which often seeks to distract from long-term spiritual goals with short-term gains.

all the kingdoms of the world
The "kingdoms of the world" represent the totality of earthly power and glory. In the historical context, these kingdoms would include the vast empires known at the time, such as Rome, which dominated the political landscape. The offer of these kingdoms is a direct challenge to Jesus' mission, as it contrasts the temporal nature of earthly rule with the eternal kingdom of God. This temptation underscores the choice between worldly power and divine purpose, a central theme in Jesus' ministry.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is being tempted by the devil in the wilderness after fasting for forty days and nights.

2. The Devil
Also known as Satan, he is the tempter who challenges Jesus, attempting to divert Him from His divine mission.

3. High Place
The location to which the devil leads Jesus. This is symbolic of a vantage point from which all the kingdoms of the world can be seen, representing worldly power and authority.

4. Kingdoms of the World
These represent earthly power, wealth, and glory, which the devil offers to Jesus as a temptation.

5. Wilderness
The setting of Jesus' temptation, a place of testing and spiritual struggle, often associated with preparation and purification in biblical accounts.
Teaching Points
Understanding Temptation
Recognize that temptation often comes in the form of appealing to our desires for power, wealth, and status. Jesus' response teaches us to prioritize spiritual integrity over worldly gain.

Spiritual Warfare
Acknowledge that spiritual battles are real and require vigilance and reliance on God's Word. Jesus' example shows us the importance of being grounded in Scripture to resist the devil's schemes.

The Illusion of Worldly Power
Reflect on the transient nature of earthly kingdoms and power. Jesus' refusal of the devil's offer reminds us that true authority and glory belong to God alone.

Preparation through Testing
Embrace times of testing as opportunities for spiritual growth and preparation for future ministry. Jesus' time in the wilderness prepared Him for His public ministry.

Victory through Obedience
Jesus' victory over temptation demonstrates the power of obedience to God's will. We are called to follow His example and trust in God's plan for our lives.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jesus' response to the devil's temptation in Luke 4:5-8 serve as a model for resisting temptation in our own lives?

2. In what ways can we prepare ourselves spiritually to face temptations similar to those Jesus faced in the wilderness?

3. How does the devil's offer of "all the kingdoms of the world" reflect the temptations we encounter in our pursuit of success and recognition?

4. What can we learn from Jesus' experience in the wilderness about the role of solitude and fasting in spiritual growth and preparation?

5. How do the temptations Jesus faced relate to the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" mentioned in 1 John 2:16, and how can we apply this understanding to our daily walk with Christ?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 4:8-10
This parallel account of Jesus' temptation provides additional context and details about the interaction between Jesus and the devil.

Genesis 3:1-6
The temptation of Eve by the serpent in the Garden of Eden parallels the devil's attempt to lead Jesus astray, highlighting the recurring theme of temptation throughout Scripture.

1 John 2:16
This verse speaks of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which are all elements present in the temptations Jesus faces.

Hebrews 4:15
This verse emphasizes that Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin, underscoring His role as our perfect high priest.
The Temptation of ChristR.M. Edgar Luke 4:1-13
An High MountainS. Baring. Gould, M. A.Luke 4:5-8
And the Devil Taketh Him Up into an High MountainA. M. Fairbairn, D. D.Luke 4:5-8
Distance Lends Enchantment to the ViewA. B. Grosart.Luke 4:5-8
Elation no Temptation to ChristG. Matheson, M. A. , D. D.Luke 4:5-8
Fancy EnticedR. Gilpin.Luke 4:5-8
Principle not Place the SafeguardBishop Hacker.Luke 4:5-8
Reviewed TemptationBishop Hacker.Luke 4:5-8
Satan a Close SolicitorBishop Hacker.Luke 4:5-8
Satan's MethodsNewman Hall, LL.B.Luke 4:5-8
Satan's Short CutS. Baring. Gould, M. A. .Luke 4:5-8
Temptation RecurrentBishop Hacker.Luke 4:5-8
Temptation: Outward and Inward GrandeurW. Clarkson Luke 4:5-8
The After-Claps of SinD. Dyke.Luke 4:5-8
The Eye the Portal to the HeartBishop Andrewes.Luke 4:5-8
The Force of This TemptationGeorge Macdonald, LL. D., J. Stalker, M. A., G. S. Barrett, B. A.Luke 4:5-8
The Temptation on the MountainW. Landels, D. D.Luke 4:5-8
True Sight After SinD. Dyke.Luke 4:5-8
What Would the Result have Been If Christ Had Yielded!G. S. Barrett, B. A. .Luke 4:5-8
People
Elias, Elijah, Eliseus, Elisha, Esaias, Isaiah, Jesus, Joseph, Naaman, Simon
Places
Capernaum, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jordan River, Judea, Nazareth, Sidon, Wilderness of Judea, Zarephath
Topics
Caused, Devil, Glance, Habitable, Instant, Kingdoms, Leading, Led, Minute, Moment, Mountain, Shewed, Showed, Taking
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Luke 4:5

     5564   suffering, of Christ

Luke 4:1-12

     8225   devotion

Luke 4:1-13

     2078   Christ, sonship of
     4122   Satan, tempter
     5214   attack
     5379   law, Christ's attitude
     5804   charm
     6022   sin, causes of
     8729   enemies, of Christ

Luke 4:2-13

     2575   Christ, temptation
     5828   danger

Luke 4:4-12

     2333   Christ, attitude to OT

Luke 4:4-13

     6251   temptation, resisting

Luke 4:5-7

     1194   glory, divine and human
     4254   mountains
     5149   eyes

Luke 4:5-8

     2312   Christ, as king
     4027   world, fallen
     5367   kingdoms
     8848   worldliness

Library
Preaching at Nazareth
'And He began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled In your ears.'--LUKE iv. 21. This first appearance of our Lord, in His public work at Nazareth, the home of His childhood, was preceded, as we learn from John's Gospel, by a somewhat extended ministry in Jerusalem. In the course of it, He cast the money-changers out of the Temple, did many miracles, had His conversation with Nicodemus, and on His return towards Galilee met the woman of Samaria at the well. The report of these things,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Temptation
4 And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2. Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. 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
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Temptation of Christ
Matthew 4:1-11 -- "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

Private Prayer, and Public Worship.
"And, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day."--ST. LUKE iv. 16. "He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there He prayed."--ST. MARK i. 35. These two texts set before us our Saviour's habit in regard to public and private spiritual exercise; and they suggest to us the question, What have we, on our part, to say of these two elements in our own life? These texts, we bear in mind, represent not something casual or intermittent in the life of our Lord. They
John Percival—Sermons at Rugby

Salvation by Faith
"By grace are ye saved through faith." Eph. 2:8. 1. All the blessings which God hath bestowed upon man are of his mere grace, bounty, or favour; his free, undeserved favour; favour altogether undeserved; man having no claim to the least of his mercies. It was free grace that "formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into him a living soul," and stamped on that soul the image of God, and "put all things under his feet." The same free grace continues to us, at this day, life, and breath,
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

Massillon -- the Small Number of the Elect
Jean Baptiste Massillon was born in 1663, at Hyères, in Provence, France. He first attracted notice as a pulpit orator by his funeral sermons as the Archbishop of Vienne, which led to his preferment from his class of theology at Meaux to the presidency of the Seminary of Magloire at Paris. His conferences at Paris showed remarkable spiritual insight and knowledge of the human heart. He was a favorite preacher of Louis XIV and Louis XV, and after being appointed bishop of Clermont in 1719 he
Grenville Kleiser—The world's great sermons, Volume 3

Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision C. Arrival in Galilee. ^C Luke IV. 14; ^D John IV. 43-45. ^d 43 And after the two days [the two days spent among the Samaritans at Sychar] he went forth from thence [from Samaria] into Galilee. ^c 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee [Power of the Spirit here means its manifest use to perform miracles, rather than its presence, influence or direction. Jesus was always under the influence and direction of the Spirit, but did not previously perform miracles]: ^d
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Divine Healing.
The thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah is a prophecy beautifully extolling the glories and virtues of Christ's redemptive works. "The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." "It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.... Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day

The Synagogue at Nazareth - Synagogue-Worship and Arrangements.
The stay in Cana, though we have no means of determining its length, was probably of only short duration. Perhaps the Sabbath of the same week already found Jesus in the Synagogue of Nazareth. We will not seek irreverently to lift the veil of sacred silence, which here, as elsewhere, the Gospel-narratives have laid over the Sanctuary of His inner Life. That silence is itself theopneustic, of Divine breathing and inspiration; it is more eloquent than any eloquence, a guarantee of the truthfulness
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

His Training.
WITH the exception of these few but significant hints, the youth of Jesus, and the preparation for his public ministry, are enshrined in mysterious silence. But we know the outward condition and circumstances under which he grew up; and these furnish no explanation for the astounding results, without the admission of the supernatural and divine element in his life. He grew up among a people seldom and only contemptuously named by the ancient classics, and subjected at the time to the yoke of a foreign
Philip Schaff—The Person of Christ

Standing with the People
We have found two simple and axiomatic social principles in the fundamental convictions of Jesus: The sacredness of life and personality, and the spiritual solidarity of men. Now confront a mind mastered by these convictions with the actual conditions of society, with the contempt for life and the denial of social obligation existing, and how will he react? How will he see the duty of the strong, and his own duty? DAILY READINGS First Day: The Social Platform of Jesus And he came to Nazareth, where
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

Christ the Deliverer.
"And he [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the book, and found the place where it was written, The spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that
Frank G. Allen—Autobiography of Frank G. Allen, Minister of the Gospel

Quotations from the Old Testament in the New.
1. As it respects inspiration, and consequent infallible authority, the quotations of the New Testament stand on a level with the rest of the apostolic writings. The Saviour's promise was: "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth;" literally, "into all the truth," that is, as immediately explained, all the truth pertaining to the Redeemer's person and work. When, therefore, after the fulfilment of this promise, Peter and the other apostles expounded to their brethren
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

From his Commission to Reside Abroad in 1820 to his Removal to Germany in 1822
In 1822 John Yeardley went to reside in Germany. As his residence abroad constituted one of the most remarkable turns in his life, and exercised a powerful influence on the rest of his career, we shall develop as fully as we are able the motives by which he was induced to leave his native country. By means of his Diary we can trace the early appearance and growth, if not the origin, of the strong Christian sympathy he ever afterwards manifested with seeking souls in the nations on the continent of
John Yeardley—Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel

Whether in Christ There were the Gifts?
Objection 1: It would seem that the gifts were not in Christ. For, as is commonly said, the gifts are given to help the virtues. But what is perfect in itself does not need an exterior help. Therefore, since the virtues of Christ were perfect, it seems there were no gifts in Him. Objection 2: Further, to give and to receive gifts would not seem to belong to the same; since to give pertains to one who has, and to receive pertains to one who has not. But it belongs to Christ to give gifts according
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

It is the Final Court of Appeal.
It is not a question of what I think, or of what any one else thinks--it is, What saith the Scriptures? It is not a matter of what any church or creed teaches--it is, What teaches the Bible? God has spoken, and that ends the matter: "Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven." Therefore, it is for me to bow to His authority, to submit to His Word, to cease all quibbling and cry, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." Because the Bible is God's Word, it is the final court of appeal in all things
Arthur W. Pink—The Divine Inspiration of the Bible

Epistle xiii. To Serenus, Bishop of Massilia (Marseilles) .
To Serenus, Bishop of Massilia (Marseilles) [128] . Gregory to Serenus, &c. The beginning of thy letter so showed thee to have in thee the good will that befits a priest as to cause us increased joy in thy Fraternity. But its conclusion was so at variance with its commencement that such an epistle might be attributed, not to one, but to different, minds. Nay, from thy very doubts about the epistle which we sent to thee it appears how inconsiderate thou art. For, hadst thou paid diligent attention
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Book x. On Numbers
In truth, we interpret, however briefly, these numbers of perfect names. The mystical account of these examples makes them more honored among the blessed. I. This number refers to the unity of the divinity; in the Pentatuch: hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one. [Deut. 6:4] II. [This number refers] to the two testaments; in Kings: and He made in Dabir two cherubim in the measure of 10 cubits. [III(I) Kings 6:23] III. [This number refers] to the Trinity; in the epistle of John: three are those
St. Eucherius of Lyons—The Formulae of St. Eucherius of Lyons

The Doctrine of the Scriptures.
I. NAMES AND TITLES. 1. THE BIBLE. 2. THE TESTAMENTS. 3. THE SCRIPTURES. 4. THE WORD OF GOD. II. INSPIRATION. 1. DEFINITION. 2. DISTINCTIONS. a) Revelation. b) Illumination. c) Reporting. 3. VIEWS: a) Natural Inspiration. b) Christian Illumination. c) Dynamic Theory. d) Concept Theory. e) Verbal Inspiration. f) Partial Inspiration. g) Plenary Inspiration. 4. THE CLAIMS OF THE SCRIPTURES THEMSELVES: a) The Old Testament. b) The New Testament. 5. THE CHARACTER (OR DEGREES) OF INSPIRATION. a) Actual
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible

The Cornish Tinners
Saturday, September 3.--I rode to the Three-cornered Down (so called), nine or ten miles east of St. Ives, where we found two or three hundred tinners, who had been some time waiting for us. They all appeared quite pleased and unconcerned; and many of them ran after us to Gwennap (two miles east), where their number was quickly increased to four or five hundred. I had much comfort here in applying these words, "He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor" [Luke 4:18]. One who lived near
John Wesley—The Journal of John Wesley

Wesley Begins Field-Preaching
1739. March 15.--During my stay [in London] I was fully employed, between our own society in Fetter Lane and many others where I was continually desired to expound; I had no thought of leaving London, when I received, after several others, a letter from Mr. Whitefield and another from Mr. Seward entreating me, in the most pressing manner, to come to Bristol without delay. This I was not at all forward to do. Wednesday, 28.--My journey was proposed to our society in Fetter Lane. But my brother Charles
John Wesley—The Journal of John Wesley

The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Present Exaltation of Satan.
One of the greatest mysteries in all God's creation is the Devil. For any reliable information concerning him we are shut up to the Holy Scriptures. It is in God's Word alone that we can learn anything about his origin, his personality, his fall, his sphere of operations, and his approaching doom. One thing which is there taught us about the great Adversary of God and man, and which observation and experience fully confirms, is, that he is a being possessing mighty power. It would appear, from a
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

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