4:1 And 1 Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from
Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
(1) Christ, being carried away (as it were out of the world)
into the desert, comes suddenly as if from heaven, having
fasted for forty days and overcoming Satan three times, and
thus begins his office.
4:32 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God,
command this stone that it be made bread.
(2) Christ, being tempted by Satan, first to distrust in God,
secondly to the desire of riches and honour, and lastly to
a vain confidence in himself, overcomes him three times by
the word of God.
4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this a power will I give
thee, and the glory of them: for that is b delivered unto
me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
(a) By this word "power" are meant the kingdoms themselves
which have the power: and so this is said using the
figure of speech metonymy.
(b) This is surely so, for he is prince of the world, but
not absolutely, and is the sovereign of it only by
permission and request, and therefore he does
not truly say that he can give it to whom he will.
4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be c thine.
(c) Out of a high place, from which would be seen a good and
first-class country, and thus the devil showed him all
countries.
4:163 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.
(3) Who Christ is and for what reason he came he shows from the
prophet Isaiah.
4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet
Esaias. And when he had d opened the book, he found the
place where it was written,
(d) Their books in those days were rolled up as scrolls
upon a ruler: and so Christ unrolled or unfolded it,
which is here called "opened".
4:224 And all e bare him witness, and f wondered at the
g gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And
they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
(4) Familiarity causes Christ to be condemned and therefore he
often goes to strangers.
(e) Approved those things which he spoke with common
consent and voice: for this word "witness" signifies in
this place (and many others) "to allow and approve a
thing with open confession".
(f) Present at this meeting of the scriptures were not only
the learned, but also the common people: and besides that,
their mother tongue was used, for how else could the
people have wondered? Paul appointed the same
manner for doing things in the Church at Corinth;
(1Co 14:1-40).
(g) Words full of the mighty power of God, which appeared
in all his doings, and as well allured men marvellously
unto him; see (Ps 45:2), "grace is poured into thy
lips".
4:25 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
h land;
(h) Land of Israel; (see Geneva (C) "Mr 15:33").
4:285 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these
things, were filled with wrath,
(5) The more sharply the world is rebuked the more it openly
rages: but the life of the godly is not always subject to
the desires of the wicked.
4:346 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.
(6) Christ astonishes not only men, be they ever so stupid, but
even the demons as well, whether or not they want to be.
4:387 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.
(7) In that Christ heals the diseases of the body with only his
word, he proves that he is God Almighty, sent for man's
salvation.
4:418 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.
(8) Satan, who is a continual enemy of the truth, ought not to
be heard, not even when he speaks the truth.
4:429 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.
(9) No zealous response on the part of the people ought to
hinder us in the race that God has appointed unto us.
