Luke 4:18–25

4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed62 me to proclaim good news63 to the poor.64

He has sent me65 to proclaim release66 to the captives

and the regaining of sight67 to the blind,

to set free68 those who are oppressed,69

4:19 to proclaim the year70 of the Lord’s favor.”71

4:20 Then72 he rolled up73 the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on74 him. 4:21 Then75 he began to tell them, “Today76 this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”77 4:22 All78 were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth. They79 said, “Isn’t this80 Joseph’s son?” 4:23 Jesus81 said to them, “No doubt you will quote to me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’82 and say, ‘What we have heard that you did in Capernaum,83 do here in your hometown too.’ ” 4:24 And he added,84 “I tell you the truth,85 no prophet is acceptable86 in his hometown. 4:25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days,87 when the sky88 was shut up three and a half years, and89 there was a great famine over all the land.

Read more Share

62	sn The phrase he has anointed me is an allusion back to Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21–22.
63	tn Grk “to evangelize,” “to preach the gospel.”
64	sn The poor is a key term in Luke. It refers to the pious poor and indicates Jesus’ desire to reach out to those the world tends to forget or mistreat. It is like 1:52 in force and also will be echoed in 6:20 (also 1 Pet 2:11–25). Jesus is commissioned to do this.
65	tc The majority of mss, especially the later Byzantines, include the phrase “to heal the brokenhearted” at this point (A Θ Ψ 0102 f1 𝔐). The phrase is lacking in several weighty mss (א B D L W Ξ f13 33 579 700 892* pc lat sys co), including representatives from both the Alexandrian and Western texttypes. From the standpoint of external evidence, the omission of the phrase is more likely original. When internal evidence is considered, the shorter reading becomes almost certain. Scribes would be much more prone to add the phrase here to align the text with Isa 61:1, the source of the quotation, than to remove it from the original.
66	sn The release in view here is comprehensive, both at a physical level and a spiritual one, as the entire ministry of Jesus makes clear (Luke 1:77–79; 7:47; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43).
67	sn Again, as with the previous phrase, regaining of sight may well mean more than simply miraculously restoring physical sight, which itself pictures a deeper reality (Luke 1:77–79; 18:35–43).
68	sn The essence of Jesus’ messianic work is expressed in the phrase to set free. This line from Isa 58 says that Jesus will do what the nation had failed to do. It makes the proclamation messianic, not merely prophetic, because Jesus doesn’t just proclaim the message—he brings the deliverance. The word translated set free is the same Greek word (ἄφεσις, aphesis) translated release earlier in the verse.
69	sn Again, as with the previous phrases, oppressed may well mean more than simply political or economic oppression, but a deeper reality of oppression by sin (Luke 1:77–79; 18:35–43).
70	sn The year of the Lord’s favor (Grk “the acceptable year of the Lord”) is a description of the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:10). The year of the total forgiveness of debt is now turned into a metaphor for salvation. Jesus had come to proclaim that God was ready to forgive sin totally.
71	sn A quotation from Isa 61:1–2a. Within the citation is a line from Isa 58:6, with its reference to setting the oppressed free.
72	tn Grk “And closing.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
73	tn Grk “closing,” but a scroll of this period would have to be rolled up. The participle πτύξας (ptuxas) has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.
74	tn Or “gazing at,” “staring at.”
75	tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
76	sn See the note on today in 2:11.
77	tn Grk “in your hearing.”
78	tn Grk “And all.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
79	tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
80	sn The form of the question assumes a positive reply. It really amounts to an objection, as Jesus’ response in the next verses shows. Jesus spoke smoothly and impressively. He made a wonderful declaration, but could a local carpenter’s son make such an offer? That was their real question.
81	tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
82	sn The proverb Physician, heal yourself! means that Jesus should prove his claims. It is a “Prove it to us!” mentality that Jesus says the people have.
83	sn The remark “What we have heard that you did at Capernaum” makes many suspect that Luke has moved this event forward in sequence to typify what Jesus’ ministry was like, since the ministry in Capernaum follows in vv. 31–44. The location of this event in the parallel of Mark 6:1–6 also suggests this transposition. map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-C3; Map3-B2.
84	tn Grk “said,” but since this is a continuation of previous remarks, “added” is used here.
85	tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
86	sn Jesus argues that he will get no respect in his own hometown. There is a wordplay here on the word acceptable (δεκτός, dektos), which also occurs in v. 19: Jesus has declared the “acceptable” year of the Lord (here translated year of the Lord’s favor), but he is not “accepted” by the people of his own hometown.
87	sn Elijah’s days. Jesus, by discussing Elijah and Elisha, pictures one of the lowest periods in Israel’s history. These examples, along with v. 24, also show that Jesus is making prophetic claims as well as messianic ones. See 1 Kgs 17–18.
88	tn Or “the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. Since the context here refers to a drought (which produced the famine), “sky” is preferable.
89	tn Grk “as.” The particle ὡς can also function temporally (see BDAG 1105–6 s.v. 8).

A service of Logos Bible Software